Courses
Students in the Walter S. and Lucienne Driskill Graduate Training Program in Life Sciences (DGP) typically take six courses in the first three quarters of year one and eight courses total in years one and two. All students take the four core classes: Fundamentals of Biomedical Sciences 1 and 2 (fall and winter), Statistics (fall), and Introduction to Life Sciences Research (spring/summer). Beyond these four required courses, students take at least fiveother courses. Students may take more than nine courses if desired. Students must also tak Colloquium on Integrity in Biomedical Research in their second (section 1) and sixth (section 2) years, although these courses do not carry formal credit.
During the first year, students also rotate in three laboratories under the supervision of leading scientists, allowing them to explore the diverse interdisciplinary research opportunities available and hone their scientific interests. By the end of the first three quarters, students are expected to choose a thesis lab. Simultaneously, they will choose and begin to participate in the activities of one of the Research Clusters that will provide advanced, more focused, training activities over the reminder of their PhD studies.
In the spring quarter of the second year, students will take a qualifying exam. Upon passing the qualifying exam, students are ready to proceed to complete their thesis work. The thesis proposal is completed in fall quarter of year three.
DGP Course Offerings Listed by Quarter
The following table lists core and elective courses from DGP, but there are additional courses available at Northwestern.
Quarter | Courses Offered |
---|---|
Fall Quarter | Fundamentals of Biomedical Sciences 1 (required), Statistics (required), Advanced Immunology, Microbiology, Tumor Cell Biology, Signal Transduction and Human Disease, Colloquium on Integrity in Biomedical Research |
Winter Quarter | Fundamentals in Biomedical Sciences 2 (required), Advanced Microbial Pathogenesis, Advanced Bioinformatics/ Genome Informatics, Molecular Basis of Carcinogenesis, Topics in Drug Discovery, Drugs and the Brain, Genetics, Immunology, Pharmacovigilance |
Spring Quarter | Virology, Introduction to Pharmacology, Topics in Stem Cell and Developmental Biology, Data Science, Structural Basis of Signal Transduction, Introduction to Life Science Research |
Summer Quarter | Introduction to Life Science Research (Proposal Writing) |
DGP Electives and Full Course List
Course Name | Course No. | Note |
---|---|---|
Fundamentals of Biomedical Sciences 1 | 402 | Required First Year Core |
Fundamentals of Biomedical Sciences 2 | 404 | Required First Year Core |
Statistics and Data Analysis for Life Scientists | 484 | Required First Year Core |
Colloquium on Integrity in Biomedical Research | 494 | Required for Year 2, 6 |
Immunology | 440 | Elective |
Microbiology | 442 | Elective |
Virology | 475 | Elective |
Advanced Immunology | 403 | Elective |
Advanced Microbial Pathogenesis | 433 | Elective |
Data Science for Biomedical Researchers | 485 | Elective |
Advanced Bioinformatics (Genome Informatics) | 486 | Elective |
Topics in Drug Discovery | 425 | Elective |
Intro to Pharmacology | 420 | Elective |
Signal Transduction and Human Disease | 435 | Elective |
Topics in Stem Cell and Developmental Biology | 456 | Elective |
Genetics | 430 | Elective |
Pharmacovigilance | 460 | Elective |
Structural Basis of Signal Transduction | 466 | Elective |
Tumor Cell Biology | 450 | Elective |
Molecular Mechanisms of Carcinogenesis | 480 | Elective |
In addition to DGP courses, DGP students may take relevant electives in other programs. Programs that offer courses most likely to be relevant to DGP students include IBiS, NUIN, and HSIP.