Location:

Buffalo, United States

Program Type:

Full Degree

Degree Level:

Doctorate

Specialty:

Biomedical Science

Program Overview

Program Description:

The PhD degree in the USA, usually requires four to six years of full-time study and research. Students are encouraged through a variety of training opportunities to analyze data critically, to question existing programs and to propose new solutions to long-standing problems. These goals are achieved through courses, seminars, journal clubs, and laboratory research with a highly motivated research and teaching faculty. There are frequent opportunities for students and faculty to present and discuss data and ideas in open forums. Close collaborative interactions exist between the basic research faculty and the clinical staff at Roswell Park Cancer Institute. Thus, students are able to observe first-hand the interactions between basic and translational research and ultimately, the clinical applications that result. During the first year, all students complete a core curriculum that includes immunology, biochemistry, genetics, and molecular and cell biology. After three research rotations, a research mentor is selected and a supporting committee is established to help the student set up a program in his or her major field of interest. In subsequent years, the student concentrates on laboratory research; participates in advanced seminars; passes a qualifying exam, which consists of writing and presenting an NIH-style grant; and prepares a dissertation.