UTMB-Department of Microbiology & Immunology

Graduate Program

Required and Offered Courses

First Year:

All students at UTMB enroll in the Basic Biomedical Sciences Curriculum (BBSC). The BBSC is a one-year curriculum, which all students must complete before entering the Microbiology and Immunology Program. See table below for courses. Once the BBSC requirement has been satisfied, students enter our department to complete program-specific courses also listed below. Click on the link below each course title for a course description and schedule.

Second Year:

For the second semester, laboratory rotations also begin. Instruction is carried out through lectures, seminars, individual or small group dialogues with faculty and visiting investigators, independent study, and independent scholarly research. Studies in the specialized area are supplemented by advanced level courses in one or more associated areas.

BBSC Core Curriculum	M&I Required Courses
Biochemistry	General Virology
Cell Biology	Advanced Immunology
Molecular Biology & Genetics	Pathogenic Bacteriology
Ethics of Scientific Research
Statisics
4 modular courses

Other courses can be used to fulfill course requirements. The training program is flexible and hence, attempts are made to assist the student in tailoring courses to fit individual student needs. Students should refer to the Graduate School Bulletin for descriptions of courses offered by other programs.

Following completion of the program requirements, students will take the qualifying exam, which allows them to be admitted into Ph.D. candidacy. The qualifying exam consists of writing and orally defending an NIH-style research proposal of which the student is the sole producer. The proposal can be written on any subject. The Microbiology and Immunology Program strives to have all students entered into candidacy by the end of their second year.