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MICRPHD - Microbiology

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Animal & Biomedical SciencesGraduate Degree SeekingPHD - Doctor of Philosophy
Completion requirement

63

Completion requirement

The PhD degree is conferred on individuals who have demonstrated proficiency in research, experimental design, and scientific achievement in a microbiology discipline. The degree also requires two semesters of teaching as a graduate assistant. The degree is not granted merely as a certificate of faithful performance of a prescribed program of study and research.

The PhD degree requires completion of a minimum of 63 credit hours of graduate coursework and includes the following: 

  • ACBS 696A Research Seminar, 2 units, minimum grade required: B. Students should enroll in, and present a seminar, at least once per academic year. Irrespective of registration, however, MGP graduate students are required to attend seminar each semester, unless there is a course scheduling conflict on the days that seminar is scheduled. Attendance will be monitored and recorded in the student’s annual progress report.

  • MIC 595A Critical Evaluation of Scientific Literature, 3 units

  • Graded Coursework in major, 15 units (see list below). Decision about these courses is made in conjunction with Major Advisor

  • Graded Coursework in minor, 9 units

  • MIC 900 Research, 18 units 

  • MIC 920 Dissertation, 18 units

Minimum GPA in core coursework: 3.0


Core coursework: The Microbiology program provides maximum flexibility in planning programs of study for MS and PhD candidates, and no uniform core of coursework is required. The student's Plan of Study is developed and approved by the student's Graduate Advisory Committee in accordance with the student's research interests and career goals. The PhD degree is conferred upon individuals who have demonstrated proficiency in research, experimental design, and scientific achievement in a micro discipline. The degree is not granted merely as a certificate of faithful performance of a prescribed program of studies and research.


Language requirements: English Language Proficiency as required by the Graduate College: https://grad.arizona.edu/admissions/requirements/international-applicants#english-proficiency. ; The University of Arizona institution code is 4832.


Other requirements: Students entering the program with a strong foundation of coursework in microbiology, pathology, epidemiology, parasitology, and/or other health science disciplines will have greater flexibility in preparing a plan of study within the program. An acceptable thesis and a final oral examination are also required. The candidate should generate sufficient data from the thesis research to write at least two full-length manuscript (not a note, brief communication, or review suitable for publication in a refereed journal in the field of specialization. This manuscript must be submitted for consideration prior to the final examination, unless this is waived by agreement of the student's mentor and Graduate Advisory Committee.

Completion requirement

Beyond the few required courses, each student will work with his research mentor and graduate committee to develop a curriculum tailored to individual needs. The following list includes courses that have been taken by current/former students in the program. Note: course offerings may be in flux – please refer to the course catalog to make sure that specific courses in the following list are still being offered.

 

STATISTICS & COMPUTATION 

BE 513 Applied Biostatistics 3 units

PSY 510 Statistics Fundamentals 3 units

BIOS 576A Biostatistics for Public Health 3 units

MCB 516A Statistics Bioinfo and Genomic Analysis 3 units

RNR 620 Working with Ecological Data with R 2 units

 

MICROBIAL GROUPS 

MIC 520 Pathogenic Bacteriology (online/hybrid) 3 units

PLP 527R General Mycology (in-person/online) 3 units

PLP 611 Comparative Virology 3 units

MIC 533 Medical and Molecular Virology 4 units

MIC 503R Biology of Animal Parasites 3 units

 

GENETICS, CELL & MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 

PLP 528R Microbial Genetics (in-person/online) 3 units

MCB 573 Recombinant DNA Methods and Techniques 4 units

BIOC 568 Nucleic Acids, Metabolism, and Signaling 4 units

MCB 539 Methods in Cell Biology and Genomics 3 units

MCB 577 Principles of Cell Biology 4 units

MCB 572A Cell Systems 4 units

 

FOCUSED COURSES FOR SPECIFIC ACBS MICROBIOLOGY LABORATORIES 

MIC 530 Food Microbiology & Biotechnology 3 units

MIC 530L Advanced Food Science & Microbiology Laboratory 2 units

ENVS 525 Environmental Microbiology 3 units

ENVS 526 Environmental Microbiology Lab 2 units

MIC 550 Veterinary Microbiology 3 units

ACBS 556 Aquaculture 3 units

ACBS 543 Research Animal Methods 3 units

 

MICROBES, IMMUNITY & DISEASE 

MIC 519 General Immunological Concepts  4 units

PLP 552 Antibiotics- A Biological Perspective 3 units

IMB 501 Medical Microbiology and Immunology 4 units

IMB 548 Basic and Advanced Immunology 3 units

IMB 565 Principles and Molecular Mechanisms of Microbe-Host Interactions 3 units

IMB 605 Medical Immunology & Infectious Disease (hybrid) 4 units

ENTO 532 Comparative Immunology 3 units

ACBS 566 Principles of Disease 3 units

 

EPIDEMIOLOGY & PUBLIC HEALTH 

EPID 573A Basic Principles in Epidemiology (in-person/online) 3 units

EPID 573B Epidemiologic Methods 3 units

HPS 529 Project Design & Implementation in Global Health (online) 3 units

PHPM 574 Public Health Policy and Management 3 units

EHS 575 Environmental and Occupational Health (online) 3 units

ENTR 548 Healthcare Entrepreneurship 3 units

 

OTHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSES 

ENVS 508 Scientific Writing for Environmental, Agricultural and Life Sciences 3 units

SLHS 649 Survival Skills and Ethics  3 units

CMM 696B Research Seminar 1 unit

CHEM 595A Professional Development 1 unit

 

OTHER SPECIALIZED COURSES 

ABS 593A Internship in Applied Bioscience 1-6 units

BIOC 548A Plant Biochemistry and Metabolic Engineering (online) 3 units

ENVS 564 Environmental Organic Chemistry 3 units

ACBS 570 Animals and Ecosystems (hybrid) 3 units

ACBS 571 Risk Assessment, Management, and Communication 3 units

NSC 696B Nutrition Seminar 3 units

MCB 696E Science, Society and Ethics 1 unit

Completion requirement

None

Completion requirement

Selection of at least one minor is required. It may be in another graduate program, or in the MGP. Minor coursework should present a unifying theme to the remainder of the student's program. Dissertation work in absentia must be recommended by the GAC and ACBS Director and approved by petition to the Graduate College.

Minor in the MGP will consist of nine hours of graded coursework with one member of the graduate student’s committee being part of the MGP. Students considering a Minor in MGP should first schedule a meeting with the MGP director. 

Completion requirement