Coursework in Cell Biology trains future scientists in biochemistry, genetics, immunology, genome integrity, and molecular cell biology.

Students have varied backgrounds and interests and are mentored individually. As a student, you consult with Vilcek advisors and first-year assigned mentors to choose the most appropriate courses relevant to your background and interests.

Required Courses

All graduate students in Vilcek Institute of Graduate Biomedical Sciences are required to take the courses Introduction to Research, Rigor and Reproducibility, Biostatistics and Exploratory Data Analysis, and Ethics: Scientific Integrity and Responsible Conduct in Research in the first year. Second-year students are required to take Grant Writing for Scientists. Third-year students are required to take Individual Development Plans, and fifth-year students are required to take an ethics refresher course.

Students wishing to focus on research in cell biology may choose classes from a wide range of elective courses and computational courses. Courses in cell biology and genome integrity emphasize active learning, teamwork, collaboration, discussion, and presentation, and practical modular courses provide hands-on experience in quantitative cell biology, emphasizing microscopy techniques and image analysis. Students enroll for elective courses that are tailored to their area of research.

A number of venues are available for students to design their own learning and discuss their research. These include presentations of research works-in-progress in weekly meetings, selection of outside guest seminar speakers, participation in a journal club, and poster presentations at internal meetings such as retreats, symposia, and open houses, where students present and discuss their research in an informal atmosphere.

Learn more about graduation requirements for Vilcek Institute of Graduate Biomedical Sciences.

Current students can access forms for the qualifying exam, committee meeting reports, as well as seminar schedules and important information on thesis defenses and graduation by logging into our student community with their Kerberos ID and password.