TA orientation offered by the Center for Teaching and Learning
Special workshops to be offered, TBA (e.g., FACS)
First year
Faculty talks
BioMASS
Complete three (two minimum) research rotations (1 per quarter, may start in summer if desired)
Asilomar Retreat (November 4-6th, 2007)
NSF and other fellowship applications due (November)
Choose a thesis advisor (summer before second year)
Choose thesis committee members (summer/fall, after choosing a thesis advisor)
Present results of one research rotation to predoctoral committee (June 2008)
Qualifying examinations, Part I (June 2008)
Second year
Asilomar retreat (November)
Dissertation Thesis Proposal Meeting, Quals Part II (before December 17th, 2007)
Apply for Candidacy for Doctoral Degree
TAships if available
Third & Fourth years
Asilomar retreat - present poster or give talk (November)
Annual thesis committee meeting
TAships if available
Fifth year and beyond
Asilomar retreat - present poster or give talk (November)
Annual thesis committee meeting
Oral dissertation defense
Submission of written Ph.D. dissertation
Commencement
Coursework
Descriptions of course offerings are available. Students may file a petition for exemption from required courses they have previously taken. Please submit for consideration to the Predoctoral Chair a copy of the syllabus of the course(s) taken.
Advanced Genetics (Gen 203, fall, 1st or 2nd year)
Cellular and Molecular Immunology (BioSci 230, fall, 1st year,
Required for students who have never taken an undergraduate immunology course. Letter grade required. For students with undergraduate immunology, highly recommended to sit in these lectures in preparation for Advanced Immunology I)*
Advanced Immunology I (Imm 201, winter, 1st year)
Advanced Immunology II (Imm 202, spring, 1st year)
Advanced Immunology III (Imm 203, summer, 1st year)
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (Bioch 200, TBA 1st year)*
Biostatics (BioSci 141, fall or winter, 1st or 2nd year)*
Cell Biology of Physiological Processes (MCP 221, win, 1st year)
Immunology Journal Club (Imm 305, 1st - 5th years, year round except summer)
Principles of Biological Technologies (Imm 215, spring, 1st year)
Immunology Seminar Series (Imm 311, fall through spring, 1st year)
Immunology Seminar Discussions (Imm 311a, fall through spring, 1st year)
Responsible Conduct in Research (Med 255, winter, 1st year)
Immunology Research (Imm 300, all quarters, all years)
One of the following "electives" for your area of specialization is also required:
Cell Signaling (MP 210, winter, 1st or 2nd year)
Biological Macromolecules (SB/BC 241, fall, 1st or 2nd year)
Developmental Biology (DvBio 210, spring, 1st or 2nd year)
Cancer Biology (CBIO 241, Molecular, Cellular, and Genetic Basis of Cancer; fall, 1st or 2nd year)
Electives
Topics in Immunology (Imm 315, any quarter, 1-15 units)
Innate Immunity (Imm 204, Spring)
Frontiers in Immunology (Imm 317, any quarter 1 unit)
Introduction to Medicine (Imm 230, spring, 3-4 units) Immunology in Human Health and Disease (Imm 205, winter, 4 units)
'Topics in Immunology' are journal club format courses, organized by Immunology graduate students. (Past topics have included chemokines, cancer biology, cytokines, autoimmunity…)
Immunology graduate students also have a weekly student journal club on Mondays at 6:30 where each student presents and discusses a new article each week (dinner is provided). Only students attend these journal clubs.
Each quarter, students have the opportunity to go out to dinner with the weekly seminar speaker at a local restaurant. These dinners consist of 3-4 graduate students and the seminar speaker, and each student gets to go for 2-3 dinners/quarter. Students going to dinner will also go to the seminar discussion, where a faculty member leads a discussion of the speaker’s papers.
Sample schedule
(choose 1 of 3 italicized courses; asterisk (*) denotes 'may file for exemption')
Autumn 1st yr
Cellular & Molecular Immunology*
Advanced Genetics
Biological Macromolecules
Journal Club
Seminar Discussion
Seminar Series
Research
Winter 1st yr
Advanced Immunology I
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology*
Cell Biology of Physiological Processes
Responsible Conduct of Research
Journal Club
Seminar Discussion
Seminar Series
Research
Spring 1st yr
Advanced Immunology II
Developmental Biology
Principles of Biotechnologies
Journal Club
Seminar Discussion
Seminar Series
Research
Summer 1st yr
Advanced Immunology III
Research
Fall 2nd yr
Biostatistics
Cancer Biology (pending approval)
Journal Club
Research
Winter 2nd yr
Signal Transduction Pathways and Networks
Journal Club
Research
Beyond
Journal Club
Research
Electives
Note: if a student opts to take the introductory immunology course Cellular and Molecular Immunology, it is advised that the student postpone taking Biological Macromolecules until the fall of the second year (if Macromolecules is chosen from the set of three required courses from which students must choose one). It is also advised to postpone Cell Biology of Physiological Processes if a student has not taken an undergraduate Biochemistry course and will not exempt from Biochem. Both starred (*) courses are undergraduate-format courses.
To gain teaching experience, students are required to serve as teaching assistants in two immunology courses offered at the School of Medicine or in Biological Sciences. Alternatively, students may create courses on a topic of their choice and offer them as electives.
Teaching Assistantships are available for the following courses:
Cellular and Molecular Immunology (5)
Advanced Immunology I (2)
Advanced Immunology II (2)
Advanced Immunology III (2)
Immunology in Human Health and Disease, Medical School (6-7)
Frontiers in Immunology (1-2)
Principles in Biotechnologies (1)
Topics in Immunology (1-2)
Seminars in Immunology (3)
CCIS Summer Internship Program (2)
After fulfilling the two TA requirement, students are welcome to TA other undergraduate and graduate courses.
Overview of Requirements