Molecular Medicine (M M)

Current Co-Chairs

AVERY AUGUST, Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, University Park
CHARLES H. LANG, Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, College of Medicine, Penn State Hershey Medical Center

Degrees Conferred:

Ph. D., M.S.

The Graduate Faculty

Avery August , Ph.D. (Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, College of AgSci)
David Antonetti, Ph.D. (Cellular and Molecular Physiology, College of Medicine)
Rebecca Bascom, M.D. (Medicine, College of Medicine)
Sarah Bronson, Ph.D. (Cellular and Molecular Physiology, College of Medicine)
Craig E. Cameron, Ph.D. (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, ECoS)
Margherita Cantorna , Ph.D. (Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, College of AgSci)
Douglas R. Cavener, Ph.D. (Biology, ECoS)
Gary Clawson, M.D., Ph.D. (Pathology, Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, and Gittlen Cancer Center, College of Medicine)
James Connor, Ph.D. (Neural and Behavioral Sciences, College of Medicine)
Pamela Correll, Ph.D. (Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, College of AgSci)
Richard Courtney, Ph.D. (Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine)
Kristen Eckert, Ph.D. (Pathology, Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, and Gittlen Cancer Center, College of Medicine)
Nina Federoff, Ph.D. (Biology, ECoS)
Richard Frisque, Ph.D. (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, ECoS)
Robert Gabbay, M.D., Ph.D. (Medicine, College of Medicine)
Thomas Gardner, M.D. (Molecular Biology and Physiology, College of Medicine)
Santhosh Girirajan, Ph.D. (Medical College of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth U) Assistant Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and Anthropology
Adam Glick, Ph.D. (Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, College of AgSci)
Channe Gowda, Ph.D. (Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, College of Medicine)
Eric Harvill, Ph.D. (Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, College of AgSci)
Biao He, Ph.D. (Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, College of AgSci)
Andrew Henderson, Ph.D. (Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, College of AgSci)
Jianming Hu, Ph.D. (Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine)
Harriet Isom, Ph.D. (Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine)
Leonard Jefferson, Ph.D. (Cellular and Molecular Physiology , College of Medicine)
Vandana Kahlia, Ph.D. (Pittsburgh) Assistant Professor of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences
Michael Katzman, M.D. (Medicine, College of Medicine)
Ralph Keil, Ph.D. (Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, College of Medicine)
Mark Kester, Ph.D. (Pharmacology, College of Medicine)
Kouacou Konan , Ph.D. (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, ECoS)
Zhi-Chun Lai, Ph.D. (Biology and Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, ECoS)
Charles H. Lang, Ph.D. (Cellular and Molecular Biology, College of Medicine)
Kathryn LaNoue, Ph.D. (Cellular and Molecular Physiology, College of Medicine)
Philip Lazarus, Ph.D. (Pharmacology, College of Medicine)
Robert Levenson, Ph.D. (Pharmacology, College of Medicine)
Thomas Loughran, M.D. (Penn State Cancer Institute, College of Medicine)
Bernhard Luscher, Ph.D. (Biology and Biochemistry &Molecular Biology, ECoS)
Christopher Lynch, Ph.D. (Cellular and Molecular Physiology, College of Medicine)
Andrea M. Mastro, Ph.D. (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, ECoS)
Patricia McLaughlin, Ph.D. (Neural and Behavioral Sciences, College of Medicine)
Jan McAllister, Ph.D. (Cellular and Molecular Physiology, College of Medicine)
Craig Meyers, Ph.D. (Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine)
David Mu, Ph.D., (Pathology, and Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Medicine)
Kathleen Mulder, Ph.D. (Pharmacology, College of Medicine)
Christopher Norbury, Ph.D. (Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine)
Curt Omiecinski, Ph.D. (Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, College of AgSci)
Leslie Parent, M.D. (Medicine, College of Medicine)
Robert Paulson, Ph.D. (Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, College of AgSci)
Gary Perdew, Ph.D. (Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, College of AgSci)
Jeffrey M. Peters, Ph.D. (Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, College of AgSci)
Joseph Reese, Ph.D. (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, ECoS)
Ira Ropson, Ph.D. (Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, College of Medicine)
Carl Barth Roundtree, Ph.D. (Pediatrics and Pharmacology, College of Medicine)
Jeffery Sample, Ph.D. (Micrbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine)
Lorraine Santy, Ph.D. (Harvard) Assistant Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Surojit Sarkar, Ph.D. (Pittsburgh) Assistant Professor of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences
Robert A. Schlegel, Ph.D. (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, ECoS)
Cara-Lynn Schengrund, Ph.D. (Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, College of Medicine)
Yuguang "Roger" Shi, Ph.D. (Australian National U and California, Davis) Professor of Cellular and Molecular Physiology
Ian Simpson, Ph.D. (Neural and Behavioral Sciences, College of Medicine)
Jill Smith, M.D. (Medicine, College of Medicine)
Michael Smith, Ph.D. (Radiology, College of Medicine)
Shao-Cong Sun, Ph.D. (Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine)
Song Tan, Ph.D. (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, ECoS)
Michael Teng, Ph.D. (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, ECoS)
Diane Thiboutot, M.D. (Medicine, College of Medicine)
Thomas Vary, Ph.D. (Cellular and Molecular Physiology, College of Medicine)
Kent Vrana, Ph.D. (Pharmacology, College of Medicine)
Yanming Wang, Ph.D. (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, ECoS)
Na Xiong , Ph.D. (Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, College of AgSci)
Ian Zagon, Ph.D. (Neural and Behavioral Sciences, College of Medicine)
Jiyue Zhu, Ph.D. (Cellular and Molecular Physiology, College of Medicine)

The Intercollege Graduate Program in Molecular Medicine (IGDP in MM) prepares graduates for diverse opportunities in academic institutions, pharmaceutical companies, private research foundations, governmental research and regulatory programs. The program includes faculty from 14 academic units in the College of Agricultural Sciences and Eberly College of Science at the University Park campus and the College of Medicine at the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. The IGDP in MM is also supported by the Huck Institutes of Life Sciences which provides modern telecommunications facilities and sophisticated equipment for state-of-the-art research applications. Doctoral students not only explore new conceptual connections, but also engage in active group learning experiences and explore a variety of potential career opportunities before graduation. Two unique aspects are (1) optional dual mentors will expose students to complementary viewpoints and encourage students to pursue problems at the interface between traditional disciplines, and (2) an optional internship will provide a mechanism for students to obtain practical experience in future professional settings.

General Admission Requirements

Ph.D. degrees

Application deadline is December 1 for priority consideration.

Completed official Penn State Graduate School application for the IGDP in Molecular Medicine
Paid nonrefundable application fee
Two official transcripts from each institution attended
Application for a U.S. visa (International applicants only)
Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) general test
Three letters of recommendation
Statement of goals that pertains to the life sciences
All international applicants whose first language is not English or who have not received baccalaureate or master's degrees from an institution in which the language of instruction is English must take the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) examination. A minimum TOEFL score of 550 on the paper test, a score of 213 on the computer-based test, or a score of 80 on the internet-based test is required.
Students must have completed a bachelor's degree at an accredited college or university and have a minimum of a 3.0/4.0 junior/senior undergraduate grade-point average.

Program Requirements

Ph.D. degrees

1. Foundation of basic knowledge in cancer biology, toxicology, immunology, infectious diseases, molecular biology, cell biology, biochemistry. The IGDP in MM requires at least 9 credits in one or more of these disciplines. Students may request a waiver of a required if they have taken the specific course as an undergraduate or a similar course at another institution. The request will be made in writing to the campus curriculum committee after consultation with the co-chair. The following courses are to fulfill this requirement.

University Park

BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY (B M B)
464. Molecular Medicine (3 credits)

BIOCHEMISTRY, MICROBIOLOGY & MOLECULAR BIOLOGY (BMMB)
501. Biochemistry & Molecular Biology (5 credits)

INTEGRATIVE BIOSCIENCES (IBIOS)
VBS/IBIOS 511. Molecular Immunology (2 credits)
590. Colloquium(1 credit)
591. Ethics in Life Sciences (1 credit)
596. Independent Studies: 3 Laboratory Rotations (1 credit)

Penn State Hershey

College of Medicine Core Curriculum

BIOMEDICAL SCIENCE (BMS)
501. Regulation of Cellular and Systemic Energy Metabolism (3 credits)
502. Cell and Systems Biology (3 credits)
503. Flow of Cellular Information (3 credits)

Molecular Medicine Core Curriculum

INTEGRATIVE BIOSCIENCES (IBIOS)
590. Colloquium (1 credit)
591. Ethics in Life Sciences (1 credit)
596 Independent Studies: 3 Laboratory Rotations (1 credit)

Electives

Five additional credits from the College of Medicine Selective Courses

To augment the core sequences of courses, students and their research committees will formulate an individualized advanced curriculum. Additionally, opportunities to participate in an internship (IBIOS 595) or supervised college teaching experiences (IBIOS 602/VBS 602) are available. Interested graduate students are to discuss the opportunity with a MM IGDP Co-Chair and/or their faculty advisor.

IBIOS 595. INTERNSHIP (1 credit). For students interested in exploring academic, government, medical, law, or business corporate approaches to research. This is an external work assignment relevant to individual research or career goals. Interested graduate students are to discuss the opportunity with the IGDP in MM co-chair and/or their faculty advisor.

IBIOS 602/VBS 602. SUPERVISED EXPERIENCE IN COLLEGE TEACHING (1 credit). All students are strongly encouraged to enroll for 1 credit (or the equivalent) of Supervised Experience in College Teaching before the beginning of their third year. International fellows from non-English speaking countries must pass an English proficiency exam before any teaching duties are assigned.

M.S. Degree Requirements

Although the graduate program in Molecular Medicine generally gives admission to students who seek the Ph.D. degree, on occasion, the program may allow candidates to pursue the Master of Science (M.S.) degree. This degree can also serve as an alternative for students who do not proceed to the Ph.D. for any number of reasons. It should be noted that an M.S. degree is not required for entry into the Ph.D. program of the Molecular Medicine IGDP. Masters students must have a minimum of 30 credits and a 3.0 overall GPA. IBIOS 595 (Internship), 596 (Rotations), and 602 (Teaching) credits all count toward the 30 credits. 18 credits need to be in the major at the 500-600 level.

Student Aid

Graduate assistantships available in this program and other forms of student aid are described in the STUDENT AID section of the Graduate Bulletin. Under normal circumstances, all students admitted and continuing in good standing are provided with graduate assistantship support from University sources, research grants, or fellowships. Financial support is usually not provided for work toward a M.S. degree.

Courses

Graduate courses carry numbers from 500-599. Advanced undergraduate courses numbered between 400 and 499 may be used to meet some graduate degree requirements when taken by graduate students. Courses below the 400 level may not. A graduate student may register for or audit these courses in order to make up deficiencies or to fill in gaps in previous education but not to meet requirements for an advanced degree.

For course descriptions see the corresponding URLs.

INTEGRATED BIOSCIENCES (IBIOS) course list

BIOCHEMISTRY, MICROBIOLOGY & MOLECULAR BIOLOGY (BMMB) course list

VETERINARY AND BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES (VBS) course list

BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY (BCHEM) course list

MICROBIOLOGY AND IMMUNOLOGY (MICRO) course list

CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY (CMBIO) course list

BIOLOGY (BIOL) course list

MICROBIOLOGY (MICRB) course list

STATISTICS (STAT) course list

HEALTH EVALUATION SCIENCES (HES) course list

PHYSIOLOGY (PSIO) course list