The Ph. D. Program

The Human Genetics Ph.D. Program trains students to become scientists who can be researchers, educators, and providers of clinical services. The objectives of this program include: training qualified individuals for careers in the various disciplines of human genetics; preparing graduates for eligibility for the American Board of Medical Genetics examination; and providing an education that integrates basic genetics, clinical genetics, and related areas of basic and clinical human biology.

Curriculum

The curriculum is based on a core set of courses in human genetics but with much flexibility in  the programs of individual students. Following taking the set of core courses, the students choose their other courses with help from their adviser according to their future career goals. Among the areas available for these courses are: clinical genetics, biochemical genetics, molecular genetics, population genetics, developmental genetics, cytogenetics, biochemistry, immunology, biostatistics, pediatrics, and oncology. Research in the forefront areas of human genetics, the central element in the Ph.D. program, is discussed at informal weekly intradepartmental research seminars, which supplement the formal interdepartmental seminar series (Seminars)

Faculty

Faculty who participate in the Ph.D. training Program are members of the Human Genetics Program (see Faculty) as well as scientist/teachers from a variety of Tulane Medical School departments and the Louisiana State University Department of Biometry and Genetics

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Core Courses

701 Human Genetics Seminar
702 Human Genetics
703 Clinical Aspects of Human Genetics
704 Human Cytogenetics
705 Biochemical Genetics
706 Human Molecular Genetics
795 Research Methods
796 Special Projects in Biochemical Genetics
797 Special Projects in Cytogenetics
798 Special Projects in Molecular Genetics
799 Special Projects in Clinical Genetics
999 Dissertation Research

 

The Ph.D. program centers on research, coursework, and the development of critical and creative scientific thinking. The Program’s weekly research meetings and seminars and frequent informal meetings with the student’s mentor are designed to foster the student’s skills in scientific communication. Graduate training includes exposure to the daily operations of clinical laboratories in human genetics and the opportunity to attend genetics clinics and interact with patients and their families. The goal of the Graduate Program in Human Genetics is to train students to become highly capable, independent researcher in basic and clinical genetics and to provide students with the knowledge needed for the American Board of Medical Genetics examination. The Genetics program is certified by the American Board of Medical Genetics for training in cytogenetics, biochemical genetics, and molecular genetics. Core courses have been designed to prepare students for state-of-the-art research in human genetics.

Requirements for Admission:

Prerequisites include general requirements for admission to the graduate school.
- a grade point average of at least 3.1 (on a 4.0 scale)
- a combined verbal and quantitative GRE score of at least 1100
- a bachelors degree with a strong concentration in the biological or social sciences, including chemistry, biochemistry, statistics, and genetics
- three letters of recommendation
- prospective students for whom English is a second language must have a TOEFL score of at least 600 or a minimum of a 260 on the computer-based TSL

Coursework and Examinations for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree:

The first two years of study for the Ph.D. student include the Human Genetics core curriculum (see Masters Program summary) and electives chosen in the student’s field of interest with the help of the graduate advisor. A minimum of 60 hours of graduate course work is required. Within the first two years, the student should complete at least two lab rotations (special projects) with core faculty members of the Human Genetics Program. The student may take a third rotation the summer between the second and third semester. All rotations must have the approval of the chairman. By the end of the third semester, the student should choose a member of the core faculty to agree to serve as the dissertation advisor and should establish a dissertation committee.

By the end of the fifth semester, students take a general, comprehensive examination, which is the qualifying examination for Ph.D. candidacy. The examination includes basic genetics, fundamentals of human genetics, and more detailed questions in the area of the student's research (molecular genetics, biochemical genetics, cytogenetics, or population genetics). The examination committee will consist of five faculty members, at least three of whom are members of the Human Genetics Program. This committee will serve as the student’s Dissertation Committee. The student’s research advisor will chair the examination. A vote will be taken after completion of the examination. At least four committee members must vote for approval for admission to Ph.D. candidacy.

Upon successful completion of the general preliminary examination and no less than one year prior to the defense of the dissertation, a student must submit to the Dissertation Committee a prospectus describing ongoing and proposed laboratory research. The prospectus must adhere to the requirements of the Graduate School. It should be (approximately three double-spaced typewritten pages OR similar to the “research plan” section of a NIH grant application). At least two weeks later the student will meet with the Dissertation Committee and present a 15 to 20 minute summary of the proposed research and then answer questions from members of the Committee.

Generally, by the end of four years of graduate study, students are expected to complete an original research project of publication quality, as assessed by the Dissertation Committee, and to write a dissertation according to the rules of the graduate school. The student should provide each member of their Dissertation Committee with a copy of their dissertation approximately three weeks prior to their defense seminar. The dissertation seminar will be presented in a format open to the public, followed immediately by a final examination by the Dissertation Committee. In order for the Ph.D. to be awarded, a student must have the dissertation approved by the Dissertation Committee and successfully complete the final examination concerning various aspects of the dissertation. A vote of the committee members is then taken with four of five members needed to concur for the awarding of the degree by the university.