Curriculum

PHD IN BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES

Throughout the program, you will take core courses and tailor your educational experience by choosing a training area that aligns with your specific interests and career goals. Under the guidance of our world-renowned faculty, you have the opportunity to learn a rich curriculum that integrates the latest advancements in the field, fostering your intellectual growth and development as an independent researcher.

As a matriculated student in the PhD program in Biomedical Sciences you will choose a core training area in Biomedical Science, Neuroscience, or Systems Biomedicine. Upon completion of your first-year core course with a grade of B or better, you may choose from a number of advanced electives.

Multidisciplinary Training Areas

When you matriculate, you may do so without a formal commitment to a particular training area, unless you are interested in the Neuroscience multidisciplinary training area. While you may affiliate as closely as you wish with a group of researchers in an initial area of interest, you will be allowed (and encouraged) to consider new combinations or interests during your first year. You may pursue a series of rotations through diverse research laboratories before formally choosing a PhD research mentor and one of seven multidisciplinary training areas.

Core Course Requirements

During your first year, you complete a core curriculum consisting of the Biomedical Science core course, a Biostatistics course, Responsible Conduct of Research course, Rigor and Reproducibility course, and laboratory rotations. If you are interested in earning a PhD in Neuroscience, follow the core courses offered for that specialty.

Advanced Coursework

As a second-year student, you enroll, under guidance of your chosen research mentor and advisory committee, in one of the multidisciplinary training areas. You pursue advanced courses that are appropriate for your particular interests. If you enter Icahn Mount Sinai having taken equivalent courses, you may seek exemption from those. Many advanced courses offer three one-credit modules in a given semester, and you may register for one, two, or all three. This allows you to mix and match modules from different areas, e.g., an immunobiology module, a signal transduction module, and an oncogene module, to best fit your interests.

Seminars and Journal Clubs

Seminars and journal clubs are also part of your programs throughout your tenure at the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. They are many, varied, and excellent. Each training area and many individual laboratories or groups of labs offer them.