Interdepartmental Program in Cell and Molecular Biology Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Baylor College of Medicine

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) is part of the Baylor College of Medicine, located at Houston's Texas Medical Center, the largest in the world. Over 100 faculty members from eleven different departments provide students in the CMB program with a diverse set of options for thesis research leading to the Ph.D. degree. Research interests include molecular mechanisms of inherited diseases, 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 covers a tremendous amount of territory. Core courses taught by the Graduate School, and specialty courses offered by individual departments, allow students to acquire additional depth and breadth in a variety of essential subject areas. All the varied courses are presented in combination with advanced courses that enable students to perform intensive investigations into the particular areas of interest to them. Flexible course selection allows students multiple options for easily fulfilling course requirements by the end of the first year. During the second year, therefore, no required courses prevent students from pressing forward and conducting 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

The CMB graduate program has more than 100 investigators providing exposure to the widest possible range of philosophies and approaches to biological science, biotechnology, and medicine. Among CMB's internationally renowned, expert, 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 great 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 a student chooses a mentor for Ph.D. research, they are assured that it will be a person who really knows how to teach, train, and lead him or her into top-notch research.

CMB Students Receive Full Tuition and Health Insurance Coverage; Top Performers Can Qualify for Additional Funding

Tuition and health insurance is paid for students in the CMB program by Baylor College of Medicine. Students pay only a one-time matriculation fee of $25, a one-time graduation fee of $190, and an annual educational resource center fee ($150 for the first year and $20 for each subsequent year). All CMB students receive competitive stipends of $29,000 during each year of study, with no linked teaching requirements. In addition, health insurance is covered by the program, and top-performing students also receive a $500 Claude W. Smith Fellowship Award. Although the tuition and insurance payments are always guaranteed, students are also encouraged to apply for additional graduate school financial aid and work-study programs. The program recognizes students who receive outside funding by adding a $3000-per-year supplement to the $29,000 annual stipend.

Getting into the CMB Program Is Highly Competitive, with Highly Impressive Student Outcomes Reaching Around the Globe

Unlike many interdisciplinary studies, the CMB program enrolls only 10 to 15 carefully selected students annually. Training and mentoring, particularly during the first year, is done via one-on-one interactions with some of the foremost scientists in the world in an intimate environment that encourages students to think like scientists. During their second year, CMB students begin to present their research annually in a formal seminar setting that is attended by CMB students at all levels of the program. This aids students in the development of 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 seminar 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-edge 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

Houston, the fourth-largest city in the U.S., is a dynamic city that is both affordable and fun. Symphony concerts, 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 equipment in most homes, as it is throughout the Texas Medical Center and the Baylor College campus.

• Degrees Offered
• Major Degree Levels Offered
• Microbiology Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
• Human Genetics Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
• Immunology Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
• Biochemistry Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
• Doctor of Medicine/Doctor of Philosophy (MD/PhD)
• Virology Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
• Genetics Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
• Cell And Molecular Biology Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

• Degrees Awarded
• Master's Degrees Not reported
• Doctoral Degrees 10
• First Professional Degrees Not reported
• Other Advanced Degrees Not reported
• * Shows the number of degrees awarded for the last academic year that data was reported.

• Earning Your Degree
• Part-time study available? No
• Evening/weekend programs available? No
• Distance learning programs available? No
• Terminal master's degree available? Yes

• Degree Requirements
• Master's Degrees Not reported
• Doctoral Degrees Required and public defense
• First Professional Degrees Not reported
• Other Advanced Degrees Not reported

• Acceptance Rate
• Applied183
• Accepted33
• Acceptance Rate18%
• Enrolled17
• Applying
• Application Fee - Domestic $
• Application Fee - International $
• Electronic applications accepted? Yes
• Applications processed on a rolling basis? Yes
• Application Deadlines
• Type Domestic International Priority Date
• Fall deadline December 1st Not Reported Yes
• Winter deadline Not Reported Not Reported Not Reported
• Spring deadline Not Reported Not Reported Not Reported
• Entrance Requirements
• Master's DegreesNot Reported
• Doctoral's DegreesGRE General Test, GRE Subject Test (strongly recommended), minimum GPA of 3.0
• First-Professional's DegreesNot Reported
• Other Advanced DegreesNot Reported
• International DegreesTOEFL required

• Tuition & Fees
• In-state tuition *Not Reported
• Out-of-state tuition *Not Reported
• International student tuitionNot Reported
• * Tuition for full-time graduate student per academic year
• Fees
• Per-academic year feesNot Reported
• Per-term feesNot Reported
• One-time feeNot Reported
• * Fees for full-time graduate students
• Financial Support
• Financial award applicants must submitFAFSA
• Application deadlines for financial awardsNot Reported
• Types of financial support availableFellowships, Research Assitantships, Tuition Waivers, Federal Work-Study, Health Care Benefits, Institutionally-sponsored Loans

• Gender
• Total Graduate Students72
• Female Percentage60%
• Male Percentage40%
• Participation
• Total Graduate Students72
• Part-time Percentage0%
• Full-time Percentage100%
• Ethnicity
• Hispanic / Latino13%
• Black / African American6%
• White / Caucasian69%
• American Indian / Alaskan Native2%
• Asian10%
• Native Hawaiian / Other Pacific Islander0%
• Two or more races0%
• Unknown0%

• Faculty Breakout
• Total Faculty919
• Full-time Percentage100%
• Part-time Percentage0%
• Female Percentage3%
• Male Percentage97%

• Existing Research
• Focus of faculty researchMolecular and cellular biology; cancer, aging and stem cells; genomics and proteomics; microbiome, molecular microbiology; infectious disease, immunology and translational research
• Externally sponsored research expenditures last yearNot Reported