Academic Program

Core Curriculum

To fulfill the Ph.D. course requirements, you will take 7 core courses, and 12 elective credits of approved graduate courses. The core courses are

Molecular Genetics 701, Molecular Biology
Chemistry 761, Proteins
Molecular & Cell Biochemistry 762, Enzymes
Biochemistry 766, Nucleic Acids
Biochemistry 702, Molecular Biology
Chemistry 763, Membranes & Bioenergetics
Molecular & Cell Biochemistry 764, Integration of Metabolism

You are also required to take student and faculty seminars each quarter, except summer. 

You will round out your program by selecting elective courses offered by participating departments after consulting with your advisor. Learn more about The Ohio State University's diverse selection of courses by viewing:

Selecting a Permanent Advisor

One major benefit students gain from our program is the diversity of research being carried out by participating faculty. To make sure you have a good overview of our programs and in an effort to match your interests with those of your faculty advisor, you will attend a series of sessions in your first quarter during which faculty members give short overviews of their research. You can also set up personal interviews with as many faculty members as you like and as time permits. At the end of the quarter, you will submit a list of faculty members with whom you would like to have a laboratory rotation. One of these faculty members may eventually become your permanent advisor.

During your first year you will complete four lab rotations of five weeks each. These lab rotations will give you the opportunity to work closely with faculty members to determine the best match for faculty advisor. At the end of spring quarter, you will select your permanent research advisor. Once you have an advisor, you then proceed to select your advisory committee whose members can recommend which elective courses you will need to complete the Ph.D. program. Committee members also provide advice on scholarly matters throughout your tenure at the University. In addition, this committee serves as your General Oral Examination Committee, Dissertation Reading Committee, and Final Oral Exam Committee.

Qualifying for Doctoral Program

Your record will be evaluated by the Graduate Studies Committee after you take your core courses, which you should complete by the end of your third quarter.   To remain in good standing you must maintain a GPA of 3.0.

Candidacy (General) Examination, and Completion of Dissertation

After you complete your core and elective courses, if you have maintained a 3.0 GPA you become eligible to take the Candidacy Examination.  There are two portions of the Candidacy Exam:  written and oral.  The written portion of the exam is a research proposal, which follows NIH guidelines.  The written portion of the exam tests your ability to develop original avenues for research.  You then take an oral exam to defend this research proposal.  After completing your Candidacy Examination you are considered to be an official candidate for the Ph.D. degree. 

At this point you continue working on your research projects with the goal of publishing one first-authored publication.  Once you complete the publication, all that remains is the completion of the dissertation.

The final requirement is to complete the research in your advisor's laboratory and prepare your dissertation.  Members of your Student Advisory Committee must approve your written dissertation, and they will also attend the oral defense of your dissertation.  Guidelines for the preparation of your dissertation are established by the Graduate School and are available in the Graduate School Handbook.