Graduate program

Welcome to Yale's Graduate Program in Cell Biology!

The Graduate Program in Cell Biology offers students outstanding opportunities for research and training leading to the Ph.D. degree. Reflecting the truly multidisciplinary nature of cell biology today, students in the program engage in independent research on a broad spectrum of exciting topics concerned with cellular structure, function, development, and organization in complex systems, with particular emphasis on molecular mechanisms and relevance to human diseases.

The curriculum is rigorous and comprehensive, providing in-depth exposure to the wide range of methodological approaches used by contemporary cell biologists, from molecular genetics and structural biology to functional genomics and cellular imaging. Yet it is flexible as well to accommodate the individual interests and needs of students. Collaborative research is fostered by a highly interactive community of students, postdocs, faculty, and staff, and by communal research facilities. The overall goal of the program is to provide students with the skills for independent, critical, and creative thinking necessary for successful future careers as scientists in academia or industry, or in related professions.

For further information, please browse our web site and feel free to contact the Director of Graduate Studies, Dr. Carl Hashimoto.

Program Details

While the Cell Biology program is broad-based, involving faculty members at both the medical school and the main campus of Yale, it is administered at the medical school by the Department of Cell Biology, which is sufficiently small and organized to provide students with close individual attention and a stimulating environment of intellectual and social activities that enhance learning and research.

There are 3 main requirements for the Ph.D. degree in Cell Biology: a thesis based on independent research, coursework, and teaching. The average time for completion of the Ph.D. program is 5-6 years.

Primary emphasis is placed on independent research on a thesis topic. The student chooses the thesis topic in consultation with the faculty advisor. After passing the qualifying exam on the thesis topic by the end of the second year, students devote full-time to their research. A committee of 4 faculty members, including the advisor, meets with the student every year to provide guidance and to ensure adequate progress.

Students design their curriculum based on their individual needs and interests, in consultation with the Director of Graduate Studies. Only five courses are required, including core courses in molecular cell biology, genetics, and biochemistry, an advance seminar course, plus an elective in any area of the student's choosing such as in development, neurobiology, and immunology. Most students complete the course requirement in the first year.

Teaching is an important skill valued by the program. Students are expected to teach the equivalent of two terms, and can fulfill this requirement by teaching in any of a large number of lecture, laboratory, and seminar courses taken by undergraduate, graduate or medical students. Some students elect to teach an additional term for pay.

The Cell Biology program puts special emphasis on the development of effective communication skills, which are critically important for future success as scientists. Students, along with postdocs, participate in the weekly Progress Report series where they describe their research and hone their presentation skills in front of an audience of students, postdocs, and faculty. Students are also encouraged to attend national and international scientific meetings to present posters or to give talks about their research.

Seminars presented by scientists invited from other institutions in this country and abroad represent another integral component of the Cell Biology program. Students are expected and encouraged to enhance their knowledge of their own research area and to develop a broad appreciation of other scientific fields by attending these seminars scheduled regularly throughout Yale. In the Cell Biology program, students have exceptional opportunities to meet seminar speakers, and to play an active role in choosing, inviting, and hosting seminar speakers.

An annual departmental retreat and biweekly happy hours round out the intellectual and social activities in the Cell Biology program.

2006 Cell Biology Retreat

    

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2007 Cell Biology Retreat

             

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Admissions Details

Students interested in joining the Cell Biology program should first apply to the combined graduate program in Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS), and specifically choose the Molecular Cell Biology, Genetics, and Development (MCGD) track within the BBS program on their applications. An undergraduate major in biology, molecular biology, biochemistry, or any related subject is appropriate. Applicants do not need to meet any special requirement for the Cell Biology program other than the requirements for admission to the BBS program. Further information about the BBS program and an application form can be found at http://info.med.yale.edu/bbs/main.html.

Students formally enter the Cell Biology program when they join the lab of a Cell Biology faculty member to carry out their thesis research. This decision usually occurs by the end of the first year of graduate school after the student has rotated through 3 different labs of faculty members in the BBS program.

Financial Support

All students admitted to the Cell Biology program, and to the larger BBS program, are given complete financial support, including a 12-month stipend and full tuition, during the entire time they are working toward the Ph.D. degree. Students are supported for the first 3 years usually by NIH training grants and thereafter by their faculty advisors' research grants. A number of students receive fellowships from the NSF and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and students in the first and second years are encouraged to apply for these prestigious awards. A limited number of Yale fellowships are available for outstanding foreign students.