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The School of Medicine PhD program participates in the Integrated Biomedical Science Graduate Program, a university-wide first year doctoral program that provides core courses and the opportunity of carry out rotations in up to three research laboratories. Successful completion of the core courses and the selection of a research mentor by the end of year one leads to the student joining the department of his/her mentor. If the mentor is a School of Medicine faculty member, the student joins the Biomedical Science Graduate Program in the School of Medicine. This program only admits doctoral students at the end of the first year of the Integrated Biomedical Science Graduate Program.

 The School of Medicine program is administered by a Director (who is also the director of the Integrated Biomedical Science Graduate Program) and representatives of the three basic science departments. Department representative on the biomedical science graduate committee include the following:

Richard Hunt, Director, Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program of the School of Medicine and Director of the Integrated Biomedical Science Graduate Program
Wayne Carver, Graduate Director, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology and Anatomy
Kim Creek, Graduate Director, Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology
Lawrence Reagan, Graduate Director, Department of Pharmacology, Physiology, and Neuroscience

The Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program offers a course of graduate study and significant research opportunities leading to the Doctor of Philosophy degree with a major in biomedical science. Biomedical science is a multidisciplinary field of study encompassing biological and physicochemical disciplines in a medical setting. Scientists working in this area have diverse interests ranging from the study of molecular sub-cellular events to the study of organ systems and whole organism functions. This interdisciplinary program prepares students for careers in biomedical research (both in academia and industry) and in education, providing broad emphases on the basic medical sciences with special concentration on the disciplines emphasized in the dissertation research. Other careers recently followed by graduates of the Biomedical Science Graduate program included scientific writing, patent law and forensic science.

 Curriculum

 The curriculum presents multiple training components designed to prepare students for their dissertation research:

•  A core of basic medical science courses which constitutes the first year of the Integrated Biomedical Science Program. There are two tracks in the first year: basic molecular and cellular science and neuroscience. The tracks are sufficiently similar in content that a student may switch tracks, if required.
•  Multidisciplinary laboratory courses on research methods, facilities, and major equipment.
• Research oriented, elective advanced graduate course work in areas of specialization and in program theme areas, such as neuroscience, developmental biology, immunology, molecular biology and cancer, reproductive biology, and cardiovascular sciences.

Collaborative research between clinical faculty and the biomedical science program provides a unique opportunity to apply basic research techniques to clinically relevant problems, such as cancer, mental and behavioral disorders, vision disturbances, heart disease and stroke, diabetes, and reproductive and endocrine disorders.

Admission Standards

An applicant must have a baccalaureate degree or its equivalent from an accredited college or university. Undergraduate courses should include two semesters each of biology, physics, inorganic chemistry, and organic chemistry as well as some math (preferably through calculus).

Admission to the first year Integrated Biomedical Science Graduate Program is determined by the Dean of The Graduate School after recommendation by the director of the program and the Admission Committee. Criteria examined include an appraisal of courses taken, grades achieved, letters of recommendation, research experience, scores on the GRE, and the student’s statement of purpose for graduate study. A MS degree in a biomedical subject or biotechnology, although not required, makes an application more competitive and approximately half of admitted students have an MS degree. Applicants may designate a preferred academic specialization, but, because of the interdisciplinary nature of biomedical research, this is not necessary. Highly ranked domestic applicants are invited to interview and visit the university. Selected overseas applicants receive a telephone interview.

An GPA average of 3.00 or better is required in both the major and overall. GRE scores on the general section above the 50th percentile are also required. For 2008, the average. GRE scores for the doctoral students admitted to the Integrated Biomedical Science Graduate program were: verbal–531; quantitative–730. A  minimum TOEFL score of 80 (out of 120) is also required for students whose native language is not English; however, a score of 100 or above is preferred and this level has been achieved by almost all student admitted recently.

 Degree Requirements

Graduate studies in biomedical science are planned to provide broad interdisciplinary training as well as specialization in an area of research. The Ph.D. degree requirements include an admission-to-candidacy examination, a comprehensive examination, and a dissertation.

The curriculum includes required core courses in the biomedical sciences and elective graduate courses appropriate to the area of specialization.  Core courses in the molecular and cellular biology track include:

•  Structure-Function Nucleic Acids (BIOL 711) 
• Biological Chemistry (BIOL 717) 
• Interdisciplinary Laboratory  (BMSC 700)
• Ethics in Biomedical Research (BMSC 706)
• Seminar in Biomedical Sciences (BMSC 801)
• Advanced Cell Biology (BIOL 714)
• Intermediary Metabolism (BIOL 718)

 The core courses in the neuroscience track omit BIOL 718 and substitute fundamental neuroscience (PHPH750 and 751)

Ongoing seminar programs expose students to presentations of current research progress by scientists in the program, other departments of the University, and from around the nation and world. Interdisciplinary laboratory courses introduce students to distinctive research facilities and methods in the biomedical sciences, preparing them for supervised research in their area of specialization. This research training culminates in the student’s own dissertation project which makes an original and creative contribution to the body of current knowledge in biomedical science.

Biomedical science graduate students may elect to carry out research in such current areas of interest as cancer, reproductive biology, vaccine development, biodefense, complementary medicine, immunology, cell and molecular biology, neuroscience, microbiology, vision science, developmental biology, cardiovascular biology, AIDS and many more specialties. A detailed description of research activities within the biomedical science program may be found at the Integrated Biomedical Science Graduate Program web site: http://pathmicro.med.sc.edu/graduate/biomed.htm.

The Ph.D. degree with a major in biomedical science requires a minimum of 62 credit hours beyond the baccalaureate and a minimum of 30 hours beyond the master’s degree, including at least 12 credit hours of dissertation preparation. Course work includes 18 hours of a core curriculum and at least 9 elective credit hours in the area of specialization.

Transfer of graduate credits earned prior to admission into the doctoral program will be determined by the student’s doctoral advisory committee within limits determined by The Graduate School.

The Ph.D. programs also require successful completion of a written comprehensive examination in the format of a research grant proposal, an oral defense of the comprehensive examination, presentation in the Newton Graduate Research Symposium, presentation of a dissertation seminar, and an approved Ph.D. dissertation with oral defense. More detailed information on degree requirements may be obtained at the above web site.

 Application Information

 Inquiries concerning admission and requests for printed program information should be directed to the School of Medicine Office of Graduate Studies, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, telephone 803-733-3100, e-mail ansley.roberts@uscmed.sc.edu