Graduate studies leading to the Ph.D. degree are offered through the Program in Molecular Pathology and may, by special arrangement, be combined with an M.D. degree program. The Departments of Pathology and Molecular Pathology have a highly qualified staff of 33 faculty members, many of whom are also on the faculty of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, through which graduate degrees are awarded. Through the combination of an active research environment with clinical and teaching responsibilities, the program provides an integrative approach to graduate education that stresses medical applications of research as well as the study of basic biologic processes. The primary research focus of the program is on the mechanisms of cellular pathology, and the faculty's efforts are concentrated in five areas: pathogenesis of infectious disease, immunopathology, cellular and molecular pathology, carcinogenesis and chemical pathology, and structural and computational biology; some projects involve more than one area. In addition to the Graduate School curriculum, the Program in Molecular Pathology provides an active seminar and journal club program to aid the research training of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows.

The Graduate School encompasses the entire UT Health Science Center, including the Schools of Medicine, Public Health, Dentistry, Nursing, and Allied Health, as well as the UT M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. During the first year of study, the student performs tutorials in three laboratories to provide a broad research background prior to the selection of an area of dissertation research. The Graduate School offers a flexible curriculum, in which the student can either participate in a specialized graduate program (such as those in immunology, biochemistry and molecular biology, pathology, cancer biology, or virology) or design an individualized course of study with the approval of an advisory committee. Completion of the degree requires satisfactory completion of course work, an oral examination, and a dissertation research project.

General Course Requirements (satisfactory completion or demonstrated proficiency)

Quanitative (choose one)

• GS010014 Biomedical Statistics
• GS030102 Current Methods in Molecular Research (two semesters required)
• GS110013 Genetics and Human Disease

Molecular (choose one)

• GS030014 Metabolic Biochemistry
• MOL395C Molecular Biology II (UT-Austin; GSBS students enroll via a cooperative program in GS000610, Special Project: Course)
• GS030024 Topics in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Cellular (choose one)

• GS040013 Cell Biology
• GS040133 Cancer Cell Signaling
• GS060014 Immunology I
• GS120063 Histology (alternative course for students with demonstrated proficiency in cell biology)

Systems (choose one)

• GS040043 Molecular Principles of Virology
• GS040063 Cancer Biology
• GS040073 Developmental Biology
• GS040203 Experimental Genetics
• GS120254 Cell and Systems Physiology
• GS140017 Neuroscience

Molecular Pathology Program Requirements (satisfactory completion or demonstrated proficiency)

• GS120043 Principles in Pathology
• GS120721 Seminar in Molecular Pathology (two semesters) or GS120041 Seminars in Experimental Pathology (two semesters)

In addition to the courses named above, students are expected to choose an area of Pathology in which they will acquire a greater depth of expertise. Students are required to take 8 semester hours within one of the following areas of concentration: Pathogenesis of Infectious Disease; Immunopathology; Cellular and Molecular Pathology; Carcinogenesis and Chemical Pathology. Certain of these courses will also fulfill the General Area Requirements described above. The list of required courses for these areas of concentration may be obtained from the Program Director or the Office of Academic Affairs.

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