Baylor College of Medicine - Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology - Overview
BCM's Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Offers Students a Well-Equipped Research-Intensive Ph.D. Program
The Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at BCM affords students an environment that is intellectually challenging, and promotes friendly collaboration between students, their peers, faculty members, and physicians.
The Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the Baylor College of Medicine offers a research-intensive Ph.D. program where students have unique opportunities for research in the heart of the Texas Medical Center.
Studying at an actual medical center gives Baylor graduate students an advantage regarding biomedical research, thanks to excellent facilities and teaching opportunities. Students may take on basic research in cell and molecular biology, or applied research in molecular medicine, preparing themselves for careers (including biomedical research, biotechnology, and teaching) in the biochemistry field.
Research areas in the Ph.D. program include: structural biophysics, protein design and engineering, genetics, molecular genetics and gene regulation, developmental biology and molecular embryology, genomics, developmental biology and cellular regulation, neurobiochemistry, molecular immunology, macromolecular assembly and recognition, membrane and lipid biochemistry, neurobiochemistry and signal transduction, cell-cycle regulation, protein chemistry, metabolic regulation, and neurobiology.
Roughly 50 graduate students are enrolled in the Ph.D. program in biochemistry and molecular biology each year. While most of these graduate students arrive with undergraduate majors in biology, biochemistry, or chemistry, some students also enroll with related backgrounds, such as physics, engineering, or computer science.
BCM Offers Students the Vast Amounts of Laboratory Space and Funding that Only a Large Medical Institution Can Achieve
Research is the Baylor College of Medicine's biggest strength.
As a large medical institution, Baylor is constantly working to foment groundbreaking research that can make a difference. The college already has more than 1.1 million square feet of dedicated space for laboratory research, and is planning on adding another 322,000 square feet.
In addition to square footage, Baylor backs its research with financial support. According to the National Science Foundation (NSF), Baylor's College of Medicine ranks 2nd in research and development spending in the life sciences among all research institutions.
With plentiful research funding and spaces, it's no wonder Baylor plays home to numerous important research facilities, including BCM's Human Genome Sequencing Center, the Breast Center, the Cancer Center, the Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, the Huffington Center on Aging, the National Center for Macromolecular Imaging, and the W.M. Keck Center for Computational Biology.
Baylor provides students with cutting-edge core facilities equipped with the proper technologies for state-of-the-art research, ranging from microscopy and microarray to DNA sequencing and protein sequencing. Baylor also boasts one of the country's largest mouse facilities, ensuring that research can be done on live subjects, and not just modeled on a computer.
Baylor College of Medicine's Graduate Faculty Are Professional Leaders, Well-Published, and Varied in Research Areas
BCM's faculty is filled with scientists recognized as leaders in their fields, many of whom not only hold leadership in professional organizations, but serve as members of grant review panels at the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation. The BCM faculty includes members of the prestigious National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine, and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
Baylor faculty members are also well published, with many appearing in high-quality journals and others serving as journal editors. Faculty members are often invited to speak at important national and international scientific meetings, discussing topics that have a dramatic impact on human health.
Faculty members also serve as research mentors to students, investigating such areas as aging, cancer, cell cycle and growth control, developmental biology, gene expression and regulation, gene therapy, genetics of inherited diseases, genomics and proteomics, immunology/autoimmunity, microbiology and virology, protein structure and function, signal transduction, structural and computational biology, systems, and cognitive and computational neuroscience.
Baylor College of Medicine Offers Specialized Programs that Connect Students, Faculty, and Physicians in Hospitals
Baylor specializes in dynamic health research environments that help move discoveries from the laboratory to the patients. The interconnectedness of BCM's graduate school faculty and physicians helps promote the translational knowledge that ensures discoveries are quickly put to use.
Collaboration is a constant state of existence at BCM, not only in labs and clinics on campus, but also through collaborations with various important hospitals in the Texas Medical Center.
Graduate Students at Baylor College of Medicine's Graduate School Pay No Tuition, and Receive a Generous Stipend
Graduate students at Baylor College of Medicine's graduate school pay no tuition. Not only is tuition covered completely by the school, but all students also receive a generous stipend that more than covers the low cost of living in Houston. Students may also earn extra money through competitive pre-doctoral fellowships, as well as teaching assistantships, but neither of these is required.