New students will choose their rotations at either institution during their first two years. A minimum of two rotations is required. For the first year, new students will be assigned to one of the institutions for administrative purposes only, but they may select a mentor from either institution. After a student selects a thesis mentor, the mentor`s home institution will serve as the student`s home school for purposes of future funding, financial aid, and other institutional issues.
Students are expected to complete their degrees within five years. The doctoral program requires a minimum of 42 nonresearch course credits plus 24 research course credits.
In addition to the required courses, students must take a minimum of three electives (with at least 2 credits apiece), and they are required to participate in journal clubs and seminar programs. Certain other relevant courses are offered by the departments of biological sciences, physics, chemistry, and the Rutgers graduate program in psychology (see the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology Catalog). These and other courses offered at the nearby University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and New Jersey Institute of Technology may be taken to support the electives requirement, if they are approved by a director of the graduate program.
A comprehensive, credit-bearing teaching skills course and program will be designed for all students. This program will consist of instruction and placements that provide students with experience in the entire range of teaching duties, including assisting another instructor in a large lecture class, supervising lab or recitation sections, and teaching classes independently.
Students also must take Ethics in Research and Scholarship, a 1-week, 1-credit course sponsored by the UMDNJ Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. In this course, students read papers, conduct discussions, and write on ethical issues. The course is taught by a cross section of the faculty.
The following is an outline of the first two years of the doctoral program:
