Department of

Biomedical Sciences

College of Medicine

Web Page: http://med.fsu.edu/?page=biomedicalSciences.home

Chair: Richard S. Nowakowski; Professors: Blaber, Diaz, Galasko, Hurt, Johnson, Levenson, Nowakowski, Ouimet, Overton, Patrick, Romrell; Associate Professors: Arbeitman, Blackmon, Horabin, Kabbaj, Kato, Laywell, Leadem, Lee, Megraw, Olcese, Stefanovic, Wang, Zhou; Assistant Professors: Cappendijk, Gunjan, Kumar, Paik, VanLandingham, Zhu; Eminent Scholar: Bhide; Assistant Scholar Scientists: Bienkiewicz, McCarthy; Assistant in Medicine: Kao; Associate in Medicine: Didier

The Department of Biomedical Sciences is a community of scholars dedicated to educating future physicians and scientists and advancing knowledge through discovery.

The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Biomedical Sciences at the Florida State University College of Medicine is designed to train modern biomedical scientists who use genomics, proteomics, bioinformatics, and other contemporary approaches to address questions of developmental, cell, and molecular biology related to human health. The program is appropriate for students with majors in biochemistry, biology, or other health-related fields. Three broad areas of research are emphasized: development, neuroscience, and the molecular basis of human disease. Research rotations during the first year allow students to make an informed choice regarding the research area and major professor with whom they will conduct their PhD work. A core curriculum of the fundamentals, the choice of electives from other departments, and intellectual interaction with faculty and postdoctoral fellows encourage graduate students to mature into independent scientists.

Admission Requirements

To apply for the PhD in Biomedical Sciences Program, students should contact the College of Medicine's Office of Research and Graduate Programs at (850) 645-6420 or visit the program's Web site ( http://med.fsu.edu/?page=phdAdmissions.home) for other contact information. A prospective candidate must: (1) have or be a candidate for a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university and be in good standing at the last institution attended; (2) have a minimum GPA of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale); and (3) have a minimum combined verbal and quantitative score of 1000 or above on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). A GRE Subject Test is strongly recommended and may include Biochemistry and Cell Biology, General Biology, Chemistry, or Physics. Applicants whose native language is not English and who have not received a degree from an English language institution are required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), receiving a minimum score of 80 on the internet based (IB) test or 550 for the paper test. Applicants must also send all required material to the University Admissions Office at https://admissions.fsu.edu/gradapp/.

Note: Effective August 2011, the GRE Revised General Test replaced the GRE General Test. To learn more about this new test, go to http://www.ets.org/gre.

Degree Requirements

The College of Medicine grants the PhD in Biomedical Sciences through an interdisciplinary program with the goal of training students to do research in the broad area of the molecular basis of human disease, including the function of the human genome in development, neurobiology, aging, cancer, and other disease.

The curriculum for the Biomedical Sciences degree includes core courses in statistics and ethics in research, as well as specialized biomedical coursework and laboratory research. The direction and supervision of graduate work at the doctoral level resides primarily with the major professor and supervisory committee, which is made up of four faculty members. Laboratory rotation in at least three laboratories during the first year is a degree requirement, designed to assist students in making informed choices regarding their courses of study.

To be considered for graduation from the College of Medicine with the PhD in Biomedical Sciences, the student must successfully complete all course requirements within five calendar years from the time the student gains admittance to candidacy by passing the preliminary exam. Other requirements for graduation include attending the Health Science Seminar Series; teaching at least two semesters; successfully completing the preliminary doctoral examination; submitting a doctoral research proposal approved by the major professor and the supervisory committee after admission to doctoral candidacy; registering for a minimum of twenty-four semester hours of dissertation credit; and submitting, publicly presenting, and successfully defending a doctoral dissertation.

Additional details are available at http://med.fsu.edu/?page=phdAdmissions.home. Also, for complete details of degree requirements, plus a description of the college, its facilities, opportunities, and available financial assistance, refer to the "College of Medicine" chapter of the Graduate Bulletin.

Definition of Prefixes

BMS—Basic Medical Sciences

GMS—Graduate Medical Sciences

IHS—Interdisciplinary Health Sciences

MEL—Medical Science Electives

Undergraduate Courses

BMS 4861. Multicultural Health Care and Health Disparities (3). This course reviews the impact of culture and ethnicity on health, illness, and health care practices. The course exposes students interested in a career in health care to the challenges of providing care to a multicultural society through exposure to theory, evidence-based practices, and self-exploration through service learning with an underserved population.

BMS 4901r. DIS in Biomedical Sciences (1-4). Prerequisite: Instructor permission. Corequisite: Must have a combined GPA of 3.0 in biology, chemistry, and physics coursework. This directed individual study course in biomedical sciences offers a unique opportunity for undergraduate students to perform research in the biomedical science laboratories in the College of Medicine. Students perform special supervised study or research in the area of the faculty member's research. An oral presentation and a final report of the research in the format of a short scientific publication is required. May be repeated to a maximum of fifteen semester hours.

MEL 1010. Careers in Medicine: Preparation to Practice (1). (S/U grade only.) This course is intended for all undergraduates who are seriously considering a career in medicine. Students learn how to successfully prepare for the academic, personal, and professional rigors of medical school and for a career in medicine. Students are encouraged to take this course early in their undergraduate years, so they can pursue the appropriate academic coursework, volunteer, and earn medical experience that will help them become successful medical school applicants and health professionals.

Graduate Courses

BMS 5081. Introduction to Clinical Ethics (2).

BMS 5082. Ethics in the Clinical Setting (4-6).

BMS 5122. Insights into Human Congenital and Developmental Disorders (3).

BMS 5185r. Research Opportunities in Biomedical Sciences (1–4).

BMS 5186C. Research Techniques in Biomedical Sciences (2-4).

BMS 5525. Bioregulation (4).

BMS 5862. Multicultural Health Care and Health Disparities (3).

BMS 5905r. Directed Independent Study in Biomedical Sciences (1–12).

BMS 5935r. Advanced Topics in Biomedical Sciences (1–2).

BMS 6900r. Directed Individual Study in Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (2–9).

BMS 6936r. Seminar in Biomedical Sciences (1-2).

GMS 5095r. Modeling Human Disease (3).

GMS 5303. Molecular Mechanism of Common Human Diseases (3).

GMS 5304. RNA Silencing and Disease (3).

GMS 5905r. Directed Individual Study (1–3).

GMS 6001r. Special Topics in Biomedical Sciences (1–3).

GMS 6097Cr. Biomedical Sciences Research (3).

IHS 5503r. Proposal Development (1).

IHS 5515. Ethics and Professional Integrity in Research (1).

IHS 5905r. Directed Individual Study in Health Sciences (1-12).

IHS 5906r. Directed Individual Study in Medical Sciences (1–12).

IHS 5933. Seminar on Medical Science Education (1).

IHS 5935r. Health Sciences Seminar (1).

IHS 5945r. Supervised Teaching (1–5).

IHS 6980r. Dissertation Research (1–12).

IHS 8960r. Preliminary Doctoral Examination (0).

IHS 8970r. Dissertation Defense (0).