Department of Pathology Graduate Program

Doctor of Philosophy in Pathology

Cellular and Molecular Pathobiology

Program Director:Dr. Clement A. Diglio cdiglio@med.wayne.edu

This program provides the student with a dynamic, enthusiastic and supportive research environment where they may develop their full potential and skills as future independent scientists in the rapidly growing and competitive field of medical sciences. The underlying aims of our graduate program are: excellence in basic research endeavors in a timely manner, and educate and train our students to become independent scientists able to adapt and compete in the changing and diverse job markets of today. Students in the Pathology Department are allocated to active and nationally funded investigators and are involved in the research and discovery effort of the faculty. Our student population is composed of students from the Pathology Graduate Program and Cancer Biology, which enriches the student's intellectual environment. We offer a challenging and enthusiastic environment where students are encouraged and guaranteed to participate in local and national scientific meetings with travel support from the department to present their research work. In addition, our students participate in the process of grant writing and review of scientific manuscripts, two fundamental and important skills for a successful science career.

Admission: Acceptance in this program is contingent upon admission to the Graduate School and Graduate Programs of the School of Medicine. Applicants to this doctoral program must have an undergraduate degree with a minimum honor point average of 3.0 and a background in one of the chemical or biological sciences. Applicants should also provide Graduate Record Examination Scores and three letters of recommendation send directly to Graduate Officer. International Students must be proficent in English and should demonstrate a satisfactory performance on the standardized TOEFL English profiency english examination. A personal statement is required and an interview with the Graduate Officer should be arranged, if possible.

Scholarship: All course work must be completed in accordance with the regulations of the Graduate School and the School of Medicine governing graduate scholarship and degrees.

Degree Requirements: An applicant for the Doctor of Philosophy degree must complete ninety credits, which includes thirty credits in dissertation research. Required program courses include Interdisciplinary Biomedical Sciences (IBS) Cell and Molecular Biology (7010,7020), IBS Systems Biology and General Pathology (PTH 7000). Additional courses are arranged to meet the individual needs of the student. A sample curriculum includes:

IBS Cell and Molecular Biology - 10 credits

IBS Systems Biology - 4 credits

General Pathology - 5 credits

Pathology Lab Rotation - 2 credits

Pathology Student Seminars - 3 credits

Pathology - Review of Scientific Publications - 5 credits

Pathology - Directed Study - 2-10 credits

Additional Pathology courses such as Signal Transduction and Growth Regulation, Current Topics in Tumor Metastasis,
Basic Physiology and Pathology of Diabetes (each 2-3credits) are also offered.                                                                                                                                
Minor field - 6 credits

Assistantships and Research: The Department, through IBS competes for graduate research positions available for a number of qualified students. All sudents accepted into the graduate degree program are considered for financial assistance and no application forms are necessary for this purpose. Students on graduate research assistantships are advised to elect no more than ten credits in a given semester. For more complete information on financial assistance and the program, students should consult or write to: