New students will choose two or more laboratory rotations during their first two years, each rotation lasting for at least one semester. A minimum of two rotations is required.
Students are expected to complete their degrees within five years. The doctoral program requires a minimum of 30 course credits plus 30 research credits.
In addition to the required courses, students must take a minimum of three electives (with at least 2 credits each), and they are required to participate in journal clubs and colloquium/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 UMDNJ and the New Jersey Institute of Technology may be taken to support the electives requirement, if they are approved by the 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 if desired.
Students also must take Ethics in Research and Scholarship, a one-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 pages outline the first two years of the doctoral program: First-Year Program; Second Year Program.
