PhD

Human Genetics

Study mode:On campus Study type:Full-time Languages: English
Deadline: Dec 1, 2024
201–250 place StudyQA ranking:3127 Duration:5 years

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The Department of Human Genetics offers graduate education in modern molecular genetics.  Ph.D. candidates enter the Department through one of the campus-wide programs: the Molecular Biology Program, the Biological Chemistry Program or the Neurosciences Graduate Program.  Each of these programs involves an initial year of core classes and the opportunity to perform short research projects in departments throughout the University of Utah, including Human Genetics, before joining a laboratory to initiate a thesis research project.  For information about admission, please contact each program directly.

Research opportunities within Human Genetics include a wide range of labs pursuing genetic studies in humans as well as in model organisms, including zebrafish, C. elegans, Drosophila, and mice.  Human Genetics faculty and students collaborate actively with medical faculty in the Departments of Internal Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Pediatrics, and the Division of Medical Genetics.

Ph.D. candidates pursue 4-5 years of independent research and also must fulfill additional course and teaching requirements.  Courses include a human genetics survey, bioinformatics, medical genetics, advanced population genetics, developmental biology, gene mapping and linkage analysis, and independent study programs. Our students participate in Department-wide Genetics Journal Club and Research-in-Progress meetings, which provide community forums for discussing the latest published research in areas of interest as well as current projects underway in Department labs.

A. General Requirements and Time Period.

Graduate students are expected to obtain their Ph.D. degree before the end of their sixth year at the University of Utah (in other words, after five years in the Department of Human Genetics). The student is expected to devote all working time and energy to these studies. In order to encourage students to plan for an appropriate graduation date, those students who are still in the Department after seven years at the University will not receive a stipend from any source. This rule can be waived only in exceptional circumstances. Individual cases must be appealed directly to the Director of Graduate Studies and Departmental Chairman. A Ph.D. candidate must register for a minimum of 20 credit hours of thesis research (HGEN 7970). All Human Genetics graduate students are expected to participate in the annual Human Genetics Department retreat. This meeting is held each year in the fall at a nearby ski resort. Students give either an oral presentation of their research or provide a poster. Students also are expected to attend and participate in the weekly Departmental Journal Club (JC) and Research In Progress (RIP) meetings each week. All Human Genetics students present one JC talk each year through at least their fourth year in graduate school. Thus, each student will give at least three JC talks during their stay in the Department. Presentation in subsequent years is encouraged and supported, particularly for students who are considering a future career in teaching. Students will present one RIP talk each year throughout their stay in the Department, with the exception of the final year before their defense. The University of Utah seeks to provide equal access for people with disabilities. If the student needs accommodations in class and/or lab, contact the Center for Disability Services, 581- 5020, and alert Kandace to your needs. 

B. Selection of Research Advisor.

At the end of the first year of graduate study in the combined programs, a student who selects a Human Genetics faculty member as their advisor joins the Human Genetics Department. The student’s graduate records and personnel forms are transferred from the Molecular Biology or Biochemistry Program to the Human Genetics Department office, Room 2100.

C. Teaching Responsibilities.

All Ph.D. candidates in Human Genetics must complete one semester as a teaching assistant within their first two years in the Department – and are strongly encouraged to do this during their first year in the Department (2nd year of graduate study). These assignments shall be completed without regard to the source of support. International students must take ITA Workshop (held every August) and be cleared by the ITA Program through the Graduate School before they can TA. Note that teaching in a half-semester class fulfills only one half of the teaching requirement. Also, teaching in classes that are less than one-half semester in length needs to be approved by the faculty.Qualifying courses include: Full semester classes: Biology Department undergraduate courses (contact Shannon Nielsen for specific course options), and MBIOL 6420 – Genetics & Genomes. Half semester classes: MBIOL 6440 – Gene Expression, MBIOL/BLCHM 6410 – Biochemistry, MBIOL 6480 – Cell Biology, BLCHM 6430 – Structural Methods, BLCHM 6450 – Biophysical Chemistry, BLCHM 6460 – Protein Chemistry, BLCHM 6420 – Advanced Biochemistry, BLCHM 6400 Genetic Engineering, and NEUSC 6250 – Molecular Biology Bootcamp Laboratory. In addition, a few students have tutored undergraduates while others have participated in teaching opportunities offered through the Genetics Science Learning Center. All final decisions on fulfilling the TA requirement are made by the student’s advisory committee. 

D. International Students.

All international students are required to check in with the International Center on campus within the first 15 days of the semester. This includes transfer students. New international students are required to attend an orientation. Please contact the International Center at 581-8876 (http://www.sa.utah.edu/inter/default.asp). Before international students can undertake a Teaching Assistantship, they must have clearance from the Graduate School's International Teaching Assistant Program. See http://www.utah.edu/ita for information.

E. Course Work.

Tuition Benefit Program. For the first 3-5 years in graduate school, most graduate student tuitions are paid for by the University through the Tuition Benefit Program. Students need to maintain at least 9 credit hours throughout the semester and a cumulative GPA of 3.0 in order to receive this benefit. The benefit lasts for five years (10 semesters) for most Ph.D. students. Students who enter with a Master’s degree from the University of Utah receive 3 years (6 semesters) of tuition support, while students who enter with a Master’s degree from another university receive 4 years (8 semesters of tuition support. All non-international graduate students must apply for residency as soon as they have completed 40 graduate credit hours. Establishing residency in Utah should be done as soon as possible to be sure that the student qualifies for reduced in-state tuition. In addition, all formal coursework should be completed within the time covered by the Tuition Benefit Program. This is 4-5 years of graduate school for most students, depending on how they are classified – see Kandace to determine your deadline. When students no longer qualify for the Tuition Benefit Program, the Department will only pay for 3 credit hours of thesis research per semester up to the end of the 7th year in graduate school. Any additional charges (for example, for coursework not completed while on the Tuition Benefit Program) will be the student’s responsibility. 

Human Genetics Departmental Program. During their first year in the Biological Chemistry or Molecular Biology Program, students are expected to pass the required "core" lecture courses (a grade of B- or higher) and other classes. Classes with lower grades need to be retaken as soon as possible. In addition, once they join the Human Genetics department, students are required to successfully complete at least 1.5 semesters of upper level courses. These should be done during the second year of graduate study if at all possible, and no later than the third year in order to qualify for tuition benefits.

These courses must include:

  • at least one half semester advanced seminar ("special topics") course. These are designed for advanced graduate students. Format is generally similar to that of a "directed reading journal club", that is, a syllabus is designed by the instructor and students take turns presenting the material. Please note that participation in the weekly Departmental Journal Club does not fulfill this requirement.
  • at least one half semester graded lecture course. These are usually designed for advanced graduate students and are generally 2 credit hours, about 8 weeks in the semester system. Acceptable courses are 600 level and higher (undergraduate classes do not qualify). If appropriate, 500 level courses can be approved by the Supervisory Committee.

All other student course work will be arranged through discussions with the Supervisory Committee. One class to consider is Greg Stoddard’s Introduction to Biostatistics class in the fall: MDCRC 6000 Statistics for Basic Science, 1-2 credit hours. Problems will be solved using the Stata statistical software. Topics include: descriptive statistics, significance testing, multiple comparison adjustment, data management and presentation, sample size determination, and analysis of clustered data. Animal and bench experiment datasets will be used.

The above course requirements must all be met in order for the student to obtain a Ph.D. degree.

Required Hours : Students who have not passed their prelims are required to register for a total of 9-12 hours, HGEN 7960 (towards graduate degree) per semester, unless told otherwise by Kandace. Once the student has passed their prelim and has been at the University for five or more years, they should register for HGEN 7970 for 3 hours. Students receiving financial aid are required to register for a minimum of 5 credit hours.

Required Thesis Hours: The Graduate School requires that each student fulfill 20 hours of Thesis Research (HGEN 7970) for the minimum graduation requirement.

Summer Semester: Kandace will contact those students eligible for the Summer Tuition Benefit Program with instructions for summer semester registration. Not all students are eligible for this summer program and should not register unless instructed to do so.

Journal Club and RIP: All Human Genetics students are required to participate in the Departmental Genetics Journal Club (Tuesdays at noon) and Research-In-Progress meetings (Fridays at 4 PM). Contact Patty Lisieski (pattyl@genetics.utah.edu) for more information. 

The Ph.D. Preliminary Exam

A separate set of guidelines are available that describe the Preliminary Exam process. The Ph.D. preliminary exam must be initiated by the end of the second year at the University of Utah (i.e. the end of the first year in the Human Genetics Department). Failure to abide by this guideline will result in automatic failure of the exam. Ask your committee to sign the form entitled, "Request for Supervisory Committee" at your first meeting. This form is available in, and should be returned to, the Human Genetics Office (see Kandace). The Supervisory Committee should designate one member to write up a synopsis of the exam, including the outcome. This will be sent to the student, their supervisor, the other committee members and Kandace. Once Kandace receives the synopsis, she will enter the exam date into the online graduate tracking system and the advisor will confirm that the prelims were passed. Note that it is the student’s responsibility to be sure that this completed form is given to Kandace. Failure to hand in this form will result in no credit for the prelim exam.

Annual Supervisory Committee Meetings

Within 4-6 months after the successful completion of the Ph.D. Preliminary Exam, the student should have their first Supervisory Committee meeting to discuss their thesis research. A 10-15 page double-spaced description of their research, in NIH grant format, will be provided to the committee members one week before this meeting. 

After this initial meeting, the Supervisory Committee must meet with the student at least once a year. Students must meet this requirement in order to receive their tuition waivers. Committee meetings provide an ideal opportunity for students to gain new perspectives and directions in their research. These meetings also help students progress through their research in a timely manner. Students are encouraged to seek the advice of their committees as often as they feel necessary, either in individual or group settings. Furthermore, committee meetings must be held every four months during, and after, the seventh year of graduate study (sixth year in the Department). It is the student’s responsibility to schedule these meetings. If there are scheduling difficulties, remember that not all committee members have to be present at each meeting (or you can select a temporary replacement). A “Report of Progress” form should be picked up from the Department Office (Room 2100) before each meeting and returned with the signatures of the committee members. The Report of Progress will be kept in the student's personal file in the graduate office (Room 2100) and provide a written record that the annual requirement for a committee meeting has been met. At the start of each meeting, the student should be prepared to leave the room briefly. This allows the committee to discuss their impressions of the student’s progress over the past year. 

Thesis Defense

Students must contact Kandace at least one year prior to defending their Ph.D. thesis to review the online student progress report. The student must fill out and submit an application for graduation to the Registrar’s office which is due several months in advance of the graduation date. http://www.sa.utah.edu/regist/graduation/applying.htm

Thesis Writing: The thesis must conform to University rules. The Thesis Editor, located in Building 44 on lower campus, is available for consultation. The ‘Handbook for Theses and Dissertations’ is available on the Thesis Office website to assist with formatting. Style guides, the calendar of cutoff dates for submissions, and necessary forms are also available. The University Copy Center provides expert copying, including reduction and reproduction of published manuscripts to thesis specifications. Please be sure to review the guidelines on the thesis office website for the most recent submission process. http://www.gradschool.utah.edu/thesis/index.php

Oral Defense: The written thesis is presented to the Ph.D. Supervisory Committee at least two weeks before the defense date. Please see Kandace and Stefanie in the graduate office as early as possible to schedule the auditorium and go over necessary forms. On the defense day, the student presents an open one-hour seminar on their research. The Supervisory Committee meets with the student after this talk to discuss any aspects of the student’s writing, research, or other aspects of the student’s progress. The results are recorded by Kandace on the “Report of the Final Oral Examination for Ph.D.” through the online graduate tracking system. Remember to bring the appropriate papers for signing along with several black pens. The University requires that the candidate must be regularly enrolled for three or more credit hours during the semester in which the final oral examination is taken.

  • A bachelor's degree from a regionally-accredited U.S. college or university or from an institution recognized by the Ministry of Higher Education in their home country. The Office of International Admissions will determine if applicants with international degrees meet the Graduate School's requirement of a recognized bachelor's degree.
  • At least a 3.0 or higher undergraduate weighted mean GPA on a 4.0 scale. If the undergraduate GPA is below 3.0, a GPA will be calculated for the last two years attended if schooling was done at a foreign institution, and based upon the last 60 semester hours (90 quarter hours) if the student attended a U.S. institution.
  • 6.5 on the IELTS
  • 80 on the TOEFL iBT
  • 550 on the TOEFL pBT (paper-based)
  • Research Statement
  • Curriculum Vitae (CV)
  • GRE Scores
  • Transcripts
  • Letters of Recommendation
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