Bioengineering, Current Students

Coursework
In general, the program of study includes a major and a minor field of study. Due to the wide variety of topics included in bioengineering and the variety of student interests, major and minor sub fields will be chosen by the student in consultation with their primary graduate adviser, taking into account the student's prior training, research interests and career goals.

Students who already hold a Master's degree or other professional degree (M.D., D.D.S., or D.V.M.) may not be required to complete minor coursework.

Sixteen semester units of graduate level coursework must be taken in the major field and eight units of upper division or graduate coursework in the minor field, exclusive of seminars and research. The course requirements are designed to develop a strong and useful knowledge base in both biology and engineering. Students must also enroll in two graduate seminar courses and complete two semester or three quarter units in ethics.

In addition, all students in the Ph.D. program are required to have completed, at some time during their academic career, the Area Requirements described below. Most students will have completed some of these courses prior to initiating the Ph.D. program; any remaining coursework will be integrated into the graduate program of study.

Students must complete at least one full time laboratory rotation (or equivalent) during the first year. Most students elect to complete a full time rotation during the summer. The rotations involve individual projects related to the general research interests of the students and the faculty mentors chosen. Students may join journal clubs and/or participate in laboratory group meetings of faculty whose work interests them, but in whose laboratories they are not currently rotating. In recognition of the fact that a student's scientific interests often evolve considerably during the first few months of graduate study, students may continue rotations into the second year. This gives students sufficient opportunities to explore all the options for laboratories in which thesis research might be pursued.

A rotation in a particular laboratory does not constitute a commitment on the part of the student or research adviser regarding the ultimate choice of thesis laboratory. Following their rotations, students select and join the thesis laboratories where they will pursue research projects for their doctoral dissertations. It is expected that this selection process will be complete by the second semester of the second year.

Anticipating future careers which may include teaching, all graduate students participate in undergraduate instruction by serving as Graduate Student Instructors (GSIs) for at least one semester. Students typically teach during the second year in the doctoral program. These assignments may include lecture or laboratory courses and are generally based upon student preferences. Advanced graduate students may also be allowed to serve as a GSI for a second semester or organize seminars for junior- and senior-level undergraduates for additional teaching experience with the approval of the student's graduate adviser and thesis mentor.

By the end of the first semester of the third year or sooner, each student takes an oral qualifying examination. In this exam, the student demonstrates his/her ability to recognize research problems of fundamental importance, to propose appropriate experimental approaches to address these problems, and to display comprehensive knowledge of his/her disciplinary area and related subjects.

The oral examination itself is administered by a committee composed of five faculty selected by the student with the advice of the graduate adviser and appointed by the graduate division. Committee members should reflect the breadth of the student's background and have expertise in the major and minor program of study areas. At least three committee members must be group members; one must not be a group member. Both campuses (UCB and UCSF) and both biological and engineering disciplines must be represented. The student's research adviser (if known) may not serve on the qualifying committee.

The examination is composed of two sections. The first is organized around the presentation of a written research proposal, including an in-depth question and answer session probing the student's grasp of the basic principles that underlie the project, the details of the methods used, and the significance of the project within a wider context. Proposals should be written as an abstract of 1-2 pages and should outline the general goals of the project their significance, and the methods used to approach them. Proposals should be distributed to the members of the committee in at least one week in advance of the examination.

The second section of the exam consists of questions exploring relevant areas of science and engineering, usually related to the subject areas identified by the student. This section will also include questions pertaining to ethical aspects of the proposed research. Although the examination is intended to be challenging, it is quite unusual for a student not to pass. In the event of a partial failure, students may take a second examination approximately three months following the initial examination. Passage of the examination is a requirement for a student to be advanced to candidacy for the doctoral degree.

After advancing to candidacy a student meets each fall semester with his or her Thesis Committee to discuss the dissertation project, to review results, and to chart directions in their third and subsequent years. In the final years in the program, students complete a dissertation based on original laboratory research. It generally takes five and a half years to complete the doctoral program.