Graduate Programs in Molecular Biosciences

BIOCHEMISTRY LEARNING GOALS AND ASSESSMENT

The doctoral program in Biochemistry trains students for senior research positions in industry or government settings, or for academic careers in a college or university setting where they would be expected to teach and/or conduct research.

Learning Goal 1 for Students: To develop proficiency in the critical analysis of scientific research.

Assessment of student achievement of Goal 1:

• Grades in graduate courses.
• Qualifying examinations assessing depth and breadth of knowledge.
• Faculty review of student progress with close advising and mentoring.
• Demonstrate ability to read and critique scientific literature in seminar classes.

Role of the program in helping students to achieve Goal 1:

• Close advising to assure that students are being prepared in a coherent and academically rigorous fashion.
• Effective monitoring of student progress in thesis committee’s annual review.
• Require annual reports on research progress from both the student and the student’s research mentor.
• If effectiveness is below expectations, work with research mentor and/or course instructors to improve effectiveness

Learning Goal 2 for Students: To pursue and solve a novel research problem of interest to both the student and mentor.

Assessment of student achievement of Goal 2:

• Preparation of and defense of Ph.D. dissertation proposal.
• Assessment of quality of Ph.D. research by the thesis committee.
• Public defense of dissertation.
• Critical reading of dissertation by committee of graduate faculty members and a committee member from outside of the Biochemistry graduate program.

Role of the graduate program in helping students achieve Goal 2:

• Provide early introduction to hypothesis development, research methods and opportunities for research.
• Provide opportunities to present research and receive feedback.
• Advocate for adequate funding throughout the research phase.
• Employ a standard form for thesis committee members to evaluate the quality and progress of dissertation research. 

Learning Goal 3 for Students: To produce publishable research in the field.

Assessment of student achievement of Goal 3:

• Submission and acceptance of peer-reviewed articles and conference papers based on the dissertation research.
• Achievement of students as evidenced by professional placements, selection for conference presentations, peer-reviewed publications and individual grant attainment.

Role of the program in helping students achieve Goal 3:

• Encourage participation in classes on proposal writing
• Host discipline-specific training when appropriate
• Teach students how to do assessments in their future professional capacities
• Employ a standard form for thesis committee members to determine the likelihood that a student’s research will be publishable.

Learning Goal 4 for Students: To follow ethical principles of the discipline for citing sources, using human subjects, and working with colleagues.

Assessment of student achievement of Goal 4:

• Course grade in Ethics class in the responsible conduct of science.
• Assessment of quality of Ph.D. dissertation.

Role of the program in helping students achieve Goal 4:

• Require Ethics class in the student’s first academic year.
• Employ a standard form for thesis committee members to evaluate student’s ability to cite sources appropriately.

Learning Goal 5 for Students: To teach and mentor effectively.

Assessment of student achievement of Goal 5:

• Review of annual research presentations as part of yearly committee meetings.
• Research mentor’s evaluation of graduate student’s training of undergraduate researchers in lab setting.
• Evaluations of teaching effectiveness of graduate teaching assistants in undergraduate classes.

Role of the program in helping students achieve Goal 5:

• Require attendance at classmates’ annual research presentations.
• Acquaint students with academic career opportunities.
• Employ a standard form for thesis committee members to evaluate oral and written communication skills.

REVIEW AND ASSESSMENT GUIDELINES

The Graduate Program expects a culture of mutual respect between students and faculty members and that this includes excellent communication among them. In particular, students must allow sufficient time for faculty members to review and assess their work and faculty members must be as prompt as circumstances allow in responding to their students with such assessments.

As a general rule, materials should be submitted by the student at least two weeks before an examination or other deadline, and at least two weeks, but not more than four weeks, should be allowed for the faculty member to inform students of the assessment. Exceptions to this rule might include end-of-semester “crunch,” students or faculty members in the field without good access to the internet, and medical incapacity.

It is the responsibility of advisors and students to keep committees informed and engaged throughout the process of the student’s research and to ensure that the committee is given adequate time to assess the final product before it is defended. For example, students should alert faculty members to their intention to submit work at a certain time, and faculty members should indicate their expectations for the timing of their responses. 

General Academic Guidelines

Please refer to the Rutgers School of Graduate Studies Policies and Procedures for University academic policies, codes of conduct, and bylaws. 

Visit School of Graduate Studies Policies and Procedures

Academic Standards

Ph.D students must carry a 3.0 cumulative grade point average as a condition for being permitted to take the qualifying examinations.  The student is also expected to receive a grade of “Satisfactory” (S) for research credits. These same requirements apply to a change from non-matriculated to matriculated status.

Termination

Students failing to achieve these grade point averages for two consecutive semesters will be requested to leave the Program. The procedure for termination is as follows: When a student’s grade point average falls below the required level, he/she (and the student’s advisor) will receive a letter of warning. Students will be expected to remedy their deficiencies in the next semester. Should the student not improve in the next semester, he/she will be requested to leave the Program. A notice of termination will be sent to the Dean of the Graduate School - New Brunswick.

Note: The general academic status of the student is monitored by the student’s advisor and also the Student Affairs and Standards Committee. It is essential that the student’s advisor make sure that each student maintains good progress toward his/her degree.

Transfer of Credits

Up to 24 of credits required for a doctoral degree may be transferred from another institution under the following restrictions:

• Credits must not have been used toward meeting the requirements of the undergraduate degree.
• Official transcripts must be provided.
• The courses must be relevant to the student’s program of study.
• The student must have earned at least 9 credits at Rutgers and be in good standing in a graduate program prior to the transfer request.
• Transfers may be disallowed under the following circumstances: (a) courses were taken six or more years earlier; (b) courses do not meet standards of graduate courses, (c) grades were less than B.

Requests for approval of transfer of credits should be made using the fillable form available on the website of the School of Graduate Studies.  All requests must include the official transcript, and indicate the approval of the Graduate Director, including the name of the Graduate Director and contact information. In some cases, a statement explaining the relevance to the program of study, and verifying that the courses meet starts of graduate courses may be required.

Visit Application for Transfer of Credit

Transcript Problems

All unresolved problems with a student’s transcript must be corrected prior to admission to candidacy. Students may be required to submit an updated transcript copy prior to final candidacy form review.

Language Requirement

There is no language requirement but one may be recommended at the discretion of the student’s major professor and committee.

Time Requirement

The Ph.D. degree should be completed in less than 6 years full-time. Note: A Master of Science degree is not required for a Ph.D.

The selection of courses is largely governed by individual student interests and needs, in consultation with his/her committee. However, all degree candidates are required to complete the following coursework as part of the Biochemistry Program.

All courses can be found on the Rutgers University Schedule of Classes.

Biochemistry PROGRAM REQUIRED Core COURSES

The Biochemistry program requires students to take Biophysical Chemistry I (3 credits) and earn a grade of B or better, along with three additional credits from a Biochemistry seminar and/or MBS Mini Courses. Substitutions may be granted with the Graduate Program Director's permission for seminars from other related programs.  See the complete list of Core Courses with descriptions below.

Seminars are highly encouraged to expose students to the current research literature in the discipline and to serve as a training ground for oral presentations and the critical evaluation of papers. It is recommended that students (1) take courses in a variety of different topic areas in order to sample different disciplines; and (2) informally audit seminars to gain experience by observing other student presentations, particularly in the early semesters.

BIOSTATISTICS REQUIREMENT

All graduate students are required to complete one of the available Biostatistics courses listed on the School of Graduate Studies Rigor and Reproducibility Training website.  This course should be taken in either the second or third year.  For special permission numbers (SPNs), please email the Molecular Biosciences Graduate Program Office (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

Progress Reports of Graduate Students in Molecular Biosciences

The Graduate Student Research Seminar brings together students from all the Graduate Programs in Molecular Biosciences on a weekly basis to learn about the science conducted by their colleagues. As a speaker, the opportunity to present in a friendly and constructive environment is a great way to prepare for delivering presentations at regional and national scientific meetings, or to a prospective post-doc advisor or employer. Audience members learn about the science, approaches, techniques, and ideas of their fellow students. Thesis advisors are expected to attend, and students are strongly encouraged to invite members of their thesis committees to their talks.

Research in biochemistry

Biochemistry graduate students should register for Research in Biochemistry each semester until completion. (24 credits minimum/40 credits suggested).

• 16:115:701:(PI Section #) (Fall) Research in Biochemistry
• 16:115:702:(PI Section #) (Spring) Research in Biochemistry

Your PI or Advisor section number can be found under the Research in Biochemistry listing in the schedule of courses.  If you do not see your PI/Advisor listed, please notify the graduate office at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to add their section.  *Note: The section numbers are subject to change, so please be sure to check the schedule of courses each semester.

RU-NB students should start taking as many credits of research as possible (12 max.) right away to bring the total semester’s credits to full-time status. The definition of full-time status for graduate students is a minimum of 9 credits per semester.  The program encourages students to register for up to 16 credits per semester to reach the desired 40 credits of research as early as possible.

Once students have earned 40 research credits, the School of Graduate Studies requires only 1 research credit per semester until graduation. For students who have successfully passed both qualifying exams, full-time status is defined as at least 1 credit per semester until graduation. If reduced credit waivers are required for loan deferral or international visa status, please notify the MBS Graduate Program Office for further instructions, as needed.

RBHS students (with UM billing code) should register for 9 credits of research each semester until graduation, regardless of the credits they have accumulated or their post-qualifying status.

Funding type

RU-NB graduate students must register for their GA, TA, or Fellowship funding.   Using one of the course numbers below that matches your funding type, students are required to register for 6 credits as a GA, 6 credits as a TA, or 0 credits as Fellows. The credits for the GA and TA registration are designated with an E prefix and are not applied toward your degree credits but are calculated into the total full-time credit allotment per semester.

• 16:115:811 Graduate Fellowship (0 credits)
• 16:115:866 Full GA Appointment (6 E credits)
• 16:115:877 Full TA Appointment (6 E credits)

RBHS graduate students DO NOT register for their funding type.

Ethical Scientific Conduct Refresher

The School of Graduate Studies offers an annual Ethical Scientific Conduct course for the purposes of Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) training that is compliant with NIH requirements. This course is required of all 5th-year graduate students as well as MD/PhD students in the 3rd year of PhD. This is a case-based course that reviews the most important topics in Responsible Conduct of Research.