Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Anatomy & Cell Biology

The Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology offers two pathways leading to the PhD degree: A Biomedical Research Track that prepares students for careers in cutting-edge biomedical research, and an Educational Research Track that prepares students for careers in anatomical teaching and educational research.

Biomedical Research Track PhD

Students enter the track in August through the Indiana University School of Medicine BioMedical Gateway Program (IBMG) and take the IBMG core courses and complete three lab rotations before selecting the program and lab they will ultimately join. During the second year, students take the major anatomy core courses plus foundation courses of a minor discipline (such as physiology, biochemistry, etc). Students establish an Advisory Committee, headed by the Research Advisor at the end of their first year. This committee aids the student in preparation for the Qualifying Examination (given at the end of the second year), which typically includes the writing and presentation of a Thesis Research Proposal (extramural grant format). The Qualifying Examination has two aims: 1> to assess the student's competency in the Anatomical subdisciplines and chosen minor, and 2> to determine if the student is prepared to begin thesis research. Upon passing the Qualifying Examination, the student is admitted to candidacy for the Ph.D. The student's Committee advises the student throughout the conduct and completion of the doctoral research project, including the writing and defense of a Dissertation.

For further information about the Biomedical Research Track, contact:

James C. Williams, Jr., PhD
Professor of Anatomy and Cell Biology
Indiana University School of Medicine
Medical Science Building, Room 5055Y
635 Barnhill Drive
Indianapolis, IN 46202-5120
Phone: 317-274-3423
williams@anatomy.iupui.edu

Educational Research Track PhD

The goal of this track is to produce a cadre of doctoral-level anatomy educators who are capable of teaching all of the anatomical disciplines to undergraduate, graduate, or professional students, and who are capable of producing the high-quality educational research and other scholarly work necessary for promotion and tenure.

Curriculum

Designed as a five-year program, the Educational Research Track requires a total of 90 credit hours-64 credits in required coursework and 26 credits in dissertation research. The coursework is divided into two "core" areas, as well as statistics courses and electives:

• Anatomy Core (31 hours) - will provide rigorous training in the major anatomical disciplines of Gross Anatomy, Histology, Neuroscience, and Cell Biology, as well as supervised and mentored teaching experiences with medical students and graduate students.
• Education Core (18 hours) - will provide fundamentals of pedagogy and assessment, including educational research and scholarship.
• Statistics (6 hours) - will provide the statistical tools needed to properly design and evaluate educational research projects.
• Electives (9 hours) - will provide the opportunity for further training in the biomedical sciences, education, or statistics.

After completing the coursework, students will be required to pass a Qualifying Examination that tests their knowledge of anatomy, grasp of relevant literature, and the ability to form educational research hypotheses and design studies to test these hypotheses. Students must successfully complete a doctoral research project, including the writing and defense of a Dissertation.

Admission Requirements

Applicants to the Educational Research Track should possess a bachelors degree, preferably in biology or a related scientific field. The successful applicant will ordinarily have an undergraduate GPA above 3.4 and score above the 70th percentile overall on the GRE, with strong scores on the writing portion of the test. Students with prior graduate or professional school training will also be given serious consideration.

Applications should be submitted through the School's website (https://app.applyyourself.com/?id=iu-ina). In the "Educational Objectives" section of the website, when prompted for "Academic Program", select (Anatomy (IU Graduate School)), and when prompted for "Major", select (Anatomy Ph.D. Education Track).

Application materials should include:

• A personal statement that describes the applicant's background and interests, and explains why this program meets his or her career goals
• Three letters of recommendation that address the applicant's suitability for a career in teaching and the potential of independent educational scholarship

Send college transcripts and letters of recommendation to:

James J. Brokaw, PhD, MPH
Associate Professor of Anatomy and Cell Biology
Indiana University School of Medicine
Medical Science Building , Room 164
635 Barnhill Drive
Indianapolis , IN 46202-5120
Phone: 317-278-2891
jbrokaw@iupui.edu

Application Deadline: January 15, 2010

Financial Aid

Financial aid is available to qualified Ph.D. applicants, on a competitive basis, in the form of Departmental Stipends and Fee Scholarship (fee remission) Awards.

Master of Science degree in Anatomy & Cell Biology

The masters degree in Anatomy & Cell Biology is offered as a terminal degree. Requirements are 30 credit hours, including D850, D851, and D852, along with G505 (Ethics) and D861 (Seminar). Applications will be considered only after the potential student has reached a mentoring agreement with the faculty member in whose laboratory the research work will be done. This is a two-year, full-time program. A masters candidate will prepare a written document (paper or thesis) based on original research work, and successfully defend it before the advisory committee, which will consist of the mentor and two more faculty members.