MOLECULAR AND INTEGRATIVE PHYSIOLOGY

Head of the Department: P. M. Best

Correspondence and Admission Information: Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, 524 Burrill Hall, 407 South Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801; (217) 333-1735; E-mail: physiology@life.uiuc.edu

URL: www.life.uiuc.edu/physiology/home.html

GRADUATE DEGREE PROGRAM

The graduate program in molecular and integrative physiology is designed to provide individualized training in preparation for research and teaching careers in molecular, cellular, and integrative physiology. The objective of the training is to produce scientists who are technically competent and broadly educated. The p rogram offers a Ph.D. in Molecular and Integrative Physiology and a joint M.D./Ph.D. degree in conjunction with the College of Medicine.

ADMISSION

Candidates for admission must meet 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 admissions 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 (GRE) 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 on the paper-based TOEFL (213 on the computer-based test), the Graduate College requirement. For admission purposes, TOEFL scores are valid for only two years before the proposed term of entry.

GRADUATE TEACHING EXPERIENCE

Experience in teaching is considered a vital part of the graduate program and is required as part of the academic work of all Ph.D. candidates in this program.

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

The doctoral program uses a flexible approach to curriculum requirements. Students are required to take two core courses, three laboratory rotations (five weeks each), and electives. The students in consultation with a faculty advisory committee choose additional courses in chemistry, biochemistry, immunology, molecular biology, mathematics, and cell biology. Students are encouraged to begin research as soon as they identify an area of research interest. The department has a particularly strong focus in cell physi ology, comparative physiology, computational biology, neurophysiology, and endocrinology. 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.

FINANCIAL AID

Financial support is guaranteed for all students who remain in good academic standing.