Affiliate Resources

The graduate experience in the Microbiology and Molecular Genetics Program (MMG) begins with an introduction to the faculty, current students, and their research through a series of short talks, discussions, and a poster session. The students then choose the first of three research rotations which are designed to give the student exposure to various research areas and techniques before choosing a direction and laboratory for their thesis research. In the first and second years, students also participate in courses which prepare them for analyzing, critiquing, and presenting research in the areas of bacterial genetics, biochemistry, microbial pathogenesis, molecular genetics in eukaryotic and prokaryotic systems, immunology, and molecular mechanisms for DNA rearrangements and gene regulation.

MMG graduate students are afforded the opportunity to teach for one semester in their second year; all students are prepared for this experience by attending a symposium on teaching strategies, techniques, and ethics. Journal clubs, seminars, and attending international meetings contribute to the graduate educational experience. Students usually complete their graduate work in four to five years and then move on to excellent postdoctoral positions enroute to academic, industry, and government research positions.