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Programs of Study, 1997-1999
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
MOLECULAR AND INTEGRATIVE PHYSIOLOGY
Head of the Department: A.S. Feng
Correspondence and Information: Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 524 Burrill Hall, 407 South Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801; (217) 333-1735. E-mail: physiology@life.uiuc.edu
URL: http://www.life.uiuc.edu/physiology/home.html
GRADUATE FACULTY
Professors: J. M. Bahr, L. Barr, P. M. Best, D. E. Buetow, F. Delcomyn, A. L. DeVries, H. S. Ducoff, F. Dunn, T. G. Ebrey, A. S. Feng, M. U. Gillette, R. Gillette, W. T. Greenough, S. I. Helman, G. A. Iwamoto, G. L. Jackson, E. Jakobsson, B. S. Katzenellenbogen, B. W. Kemper, P. C. Lauterbur, C. L. Prosser, V. D. Ramirez, E. J. Roy, O. D. Sherwood, I. A. Siegel, W. W. Sleator, T. G. Waldrop, C. A. Wraight
Associate Professors: M. J. Dawson, M. Holzwarth, E. Meisami, S. Subramaniam, D. C. Sweeney
Assistant Professors: T. J. Anastasio, Y.-Q. Li, A. M. Nardulli, M. E. Nelson, R. W. Tsika, E. C. Wiener
GRADUATE DEGREE PROGRAM
The graduate program in molecular and integrative hysiology is designed to provide individualized training in preparation for research and teaching careers in molecular, cellular, integrative (systems), and comparative physiology. The objective of the training is to produce scientists who are technically competent and broadly educated in physiology. The program offers a master of science degree in molecular and intergrative physiology, a Ph.D. degree in molecular and integrative physiology, and also a joint M.D./Ph.D. degree in conjunction with the College of Medicine.
ADMISSION AND FINANCIAL AID
Candidates for admission must meet at least the minimum standards established by the Graduate College for graduate study at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, but final selection of students who enter the molecular and integrative physiology program each fall is determined by an admisssions committee. Admission beginning in the spring semester is rarely allowed except under extraordinary circumstances. Students should have strong undergraduate training in science. To be admitted, students should have a grade point average between an A and a B and letters of recommendation that indicate ability to perform graduate work. All applicants are required to submit scores of the Graduate Record Examination or similar examinations. Applicants whose native language is not English are required to submit the results of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). The department requires a minimum score of 550, the Graduate College requirement. For admission purposes, TOEFL scores are valid for only two years before the proposed term of entry. Fellowships and teaching or research are available for qualified students.
MASTER OF SCIENCE
A master of science degree in molecular and integrative physiology requires eight or more units of graduate work drawn from the offerings of this and other departments. After four semesters, each student in the Ph.D. program must submit a report and pass an oral examination conducted by a faculty qualifying committee on the report's content. The master of science degree is awarded to students in the Ph.D. program after they successfully complete their qualifying exam.
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
The doctoral program uses a flexible approach to curriculum requirements. Students are required to take three core courses and two laboratory rotations (five weeks each), a course in biophysical measurement, and 1/2 unit of a graduate laboratory course which provide a solid background in molecular, cellular, comparative, and integrative physiology. Additional courses in chemistry, biochemistry, immunology, molecular biology, and mathematics are chosen by the students in consultation with a faculty advisory committee. Students are encouraged to begin research as soon as they identify an area of research interest. Research in most areas of physiology can be carried out in the department. The department has a particularly strong focus in biophysics, cellular and molecular physiology, comparative physiology, computational biology, neurophysiology, and reproductive physiology. Courses and lab research are supplemented by a weekly seminar series. Toward the end of the second year, students must submit a report describing their initial research and pass an oral qualifying examination in order to continue in the Ph.D. program. One year after their qualifying examinations, and no later than the end of their eighth semester in the program, students are expected to take their preliminary examinations in which they present their thesis topic and preliminary research to a faculty committee. Finally, a thesis, which is based on original work in one area of physiology and which demonstrates a thorough knowledge of underlying theories and experimental approaches, must be defended at the final examination. Most students complete their Ph.D. training in four to five years.
SPECIALIZATION IN GENETICS
The Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology and Biophysics offers an area of specialization in genetics. The program is flexible and provides the student with proficiency in several areas of genetics, including molecular genetics, developmental genetics, and evolutionary and population genetics. Students electing this area should have completed course work in calculus, computer sciences, basic genetics, and biochemistry. The program of study for each student in the specialization is decided individually. Interested students should direct inquiries and applications to the department.
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