Overview
A Wide and Diverse Selection of Research Initiatives Give Graduate Students Many Different Routes to a Ph.D. Degree
The Interdepartmental Program in Cell and Molecular Biology (CMB) at Baylor College of Medicine, is located in Houston's Texas Medical Center, the largest in the world. Over 95 faculty members from thirteen different departments provide students in the CMB program with diverse options for thesis research leading to the Ph.D. degree. Research interests include molecular mechanisms of inherited diseases, stem cell biology, gene expression and regulation, developmental biology, molecular virology, functional genomics, structural and computational biology, human gene therapy, signal transduction and membrane biology, cancer and cell-cycle regulation, biology of aging, large-scale genome sequencing, bioinformatics, and immunology.
During the first year, the course work includes core courses taught by the Graduate School, and specialty advanced courses offered by individual departments. Together, these courses provide depth and breadth in a variety of essential subject areas that enable students to perform intensive investigations into particular areas of interest to them. Flexible course selection allows students multiple options to easily fulfill course requirements by the end of the first year. During the first year CMB students also perform laboratory rotations and ultimately select a thesis research lab by the end of the first year. No courses are required during the second year, allowing students to press forward and conduct the research about which they are most passionate.
CMB Program's Expert and Dedicated Faculty Members Are Award-Winning and Internationally Known Researchers and Scholars
CMB students can choose from more than 95 program faculty, providing exposure to the widest possible range of research philosophies and approaches to biological science, biotechnology, and medicine. Among CMB's internationally renowned and dedicated faculty members are winners of a variety of prestigious awards, members of the National Academy of Sciences, and scientists in the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. CMB faculty members have crystallized an ABC transporter, found the molecular basis for a common form of mental retardation, and helped establish a link between p53 and aging.
Of course, outstanding science is only one of the strengths of the CMB program. CMB's expert, committed faculty members are passionate supporters of graduate education, and every prospective CMB faculty member is carefully evaluated by the CMB Steering Committee for personal attributes that are important in training graduate students. When you choose a CMB mentor for Ph.D. research, you can be confident that your advisor really knows how to teach, train, and lead you into top-notch research.
CMB Students Receive Full Tuition and Health Insurance Coverage; Top Performers Can Qualify for Awards and Additional Support
All CMB students receive competitive stipends of $26,000 during each year of study, with no linked teaching requirements. In addition, tuition and health insurance is paid for students in the CMB program and top-performing students also receive a $500 Claude W. Smith Fellowship Award. Students pay only a one-time matriculation fee of $25, a one-time graduation fee of $140, and an annual student fee ($150 for the first year and $20 for each subsequent year). Although the tuition and insurance payments are covered,, students are also encouraged to apply for additional graduate research fellowships. The dean of the graduate school recognizes students who receive outside nationally competitive funding by adding a $2000-per-year supplement to the $26,000 annual stipend.
Getting into the CMB Program Is Highly Competitive, with Impressive Student Outcomes Reaching Around the Globe
Unlike many interdisciplinary programs, the CMB program enrolls only 10 to 12 carefully selected students annually. Training and mentoring, particularly during the first year, is done via one-on-one interactions with some of the leading scientists in the world in an intimate environment that encourages students to develop critical thinking skills . During the second year, CMB students have selected their thesis research lab and begin to present their research annually in a weekly formal seminar that is attended by CMB students at all levels of the program. This helps students develop intellectual rigor and teaches them to present research in a cogent, lucid manner.
CMB students finish the program and leave Baylor College of Medicine with research and presentation skills competitive with those of any Ph.D. student in the world. Student outcomes are virtually 100 percent positive, even exemplary. After graduating from the CMB program, students have gone on to pursue postdoctoral training in top laboratories and high-quality institutions throughout the U.S. and abroad, and have taken positions with leading labs, universities, biotechnology firms, and government agencies.
Houston Is a Vibrant, Culturally Rich City That Provides an Excellent Balance to the Academic Rigors of the CMB Program
The fourth-largest city in the U.S., Houston is dynamic, affordable, and fun. Symphony concerts, outdoor festivals, live theater, opera, ballet, year-round professional sports, and great restaurants are all a part of living in Houston. The average temperature ranges between 50°F and 75°F from fall through spring, rarely dropping below freezing, and the region does not get snow. In summer the average temperature is in the 90s, although evenings cool down into the 70s. Air conditioning is standard in all homes, as it is throughout the city, Texas Medical Center, and the Baylor College campus.
