Biomedical Science Ph.D. Graduate Program

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Introduction

The Biomedical Science Ph.D. program is situated at UConn Health, the health sciences campus of the University of Connecticut. UConn Health is home to a division of the Graduate School, the School of Medicine and the School of Dental Medicine. UConn Health offers a wide range of educational opportunities with faculty pursuing innovative research on contemporary problems in biology and medicine.

The Biomedical Science Ph.D. program follows the academic policies and procedures of The Graduate School of the University of Connecticut. The goal of the Ph.D. program is to educate and train individuals to pursue careers in the biomedical workforce in a wide variety of settings including academia, the private sector and government. To achieve this goal, we maintain an academic environment that fosters critical thinking and supports excellence in scholarship, research and teaching. Students in the program work toward achieving the following objectives:

  • Acquire disciplinary knowledge and comprehension of major themes in the biomedical sciences with demonstration of specialized knowledge in a subfield
  • Develop critical thinking skills to formulate research questions and hypotheses; technical skills to perform research and create new knowledge ethically, ensuring rigorous experimental design; and analytical skills to analyze and interpret the results of research using appropriate statistical methods
  • Develop proficiency in written and verbal communication skills to disseminate research results to scientists, peers and the public

Program Structure

The Biomedical Science Ph.D. program is a full-time umbrella program, meaning that students are not required to identify a major advisor for dissertation work prior to matriculation. Students will complete three laboratory rotations in Year 1 (August-May) and then select a major advisor and an area of concentration (AoC) for their subsequent dissertation research. If necessary, students may complete an additional laboratory rotation in the summer following Year 1 prior to selecting a major advisor. The AoCs in the Biomedical Science Ph.D. program are:

Curriculum

Students must complete at least 45 credits for the Ph.D. degree. This includes at least 30 credits of course work and at least 15 credits of doctoral dissertation research. Students with a master’s degree in biomedical science or a closely related field may have a reduction in course credits to 15 if approved by their advisory committee.

Students in Year 1 will register for MEDS 6503, First Year Graduate Experience in Biomedical Science each semester. This course encompasses three required laboratory rotations as well as an initial exploration block during which students learn about the various AoCs. Students will register for elective courses based on their interests and chosen AoC once a major advisor has been selected.

 Year 1

Fall Semester
MEDS 6503: First Year Graduate Experience in Biomedical Science (2 credits)-required
MEDS 6448: Foundations of Biomedical Science I (4 credits)-highly recommended
Elective courses

Spring Semester
MEDS 6503: First Year Graduate Experience in Biomedical Science (2 credits)-required
MEDS 6449: Foundations of Biomedical Science II (4 credits)-highly recommended
MEDS 5310: Responsible Conduct in Research (1 credit)-required
Elective courses

Year 2

Fall Semester
MEDS 6501: Communications for Biomedical Scientists (1 credit)-required
MEDS 6502: Experimental Design, Rigor and Biostatistics (1 credit)-required
MEDS 6497: Graduate Seminar (Journal Club) section based on your AoC (1 credit)-required
Elective courses

Spring Semester
MEDS 6497: Graduate Seminar (Journal Club) section based on your AoC (1 credit)-required
GRAD 6950: Doctoral Dissertation Research (variable credits)
Elective courses

Year 3 and beyond (each semester)

MEDS 6497: Graduate Seminar (Journal Club) based on your AoC (1 credit)
GRAD 6950: Doctoral Dissertation Research (variable credits)

 

IMPT NOTES:
To be considered a full-time student, you must be registered for at least 6 credits per semester as a GA, or 9 credits per semester if you are supported by an institutional/individual federal training grant.

The Graduate Assistant (GA) tuition waiver covers registration for Fall and Spring semesters only.  Do not register for Summer/Winter courses unless you plan on paying for them yourself.

Program Milestones Overview

Year 1
During years 1 and 2, students will complete much of their required and elective coursework. Students must have a 3.0 GPA to be in good academic standing in the program. Students will select their major advisor and advisory committee at the end of Year 1. Instructions and forms for declaring a major advisor are found here under the heading "For Biomedical Science Ph.D. Students."

Year 2
Students file a Plan of Study indicating the coursework that will fulfill their degree requirements. Students complete all steps of the General Examination (including submission of Report on General Exam form no later than August 15. Forms for theses milestones are found here under the heading "For All Graduate Students" in the section "Graduate School Forms."

Year 3 and beyond
Students will submit the dissertation proposal outlining the dissertation project. Students will present their dissertation research in a variety of settings and are encouraged to publish their work. Instructions and forms for submitting the dissertation proposal are found here under the heading “For All Graduate Students” in the section “Milestones/Completing Your Degree.”

You are considered a candidate for the Ph.D. degree once the 1) Plan of Study is approved, 2) the General Exam is completed and 3) the approved Doctoral Dissertation Proposal is on file at The Graduate School at Storrs (degreeaudit@uconn.edu).

Final semester
The program culminates with a written dissertation and a public defense. Instructions and forms are found here: https://health.uconn.edu/graduate-school/current/ A stepwise guide to completing the degree is found here: under the heading “For All Graduate Students” in the section “Milestones/Completing Your Degree”: https://registrar.uconn.edu/graduation/doctoral-degrees/

For more detailed guidance and instructions on the Biomedical science Ph.D. program milestones, please see Milestones Guide for Students and Their Mentors...coming soon!

Financial Support

Students who maintain good academic standing are supported by graduate assistantships (GAs) throughout their programs. A graduate assistantship is given to a student who contributes research support to the university and includes a waiver of tuition and access to highly subsidized health insurance. During their studies, some students will obtain external fellowships or be appointed to an institutional training grant to support their training. Full-time registration is at least 6 credits per semester for a GA and at least 9 credits per semester for a student supported on a fellowship award or training grant.

Prospective Students

Additional information on the program: https://health.uconn.edu/graduate-school/prospective/

The application for Fall 202 will open in mid-September. The deadline for application, application fee, and supporting materials for Fall 2026 is December 1, 2025. Detailed information on the application process can be found here: https://health.uconn.edu/graduate-school/admissions/apply/

Questions about admissions? Contact BiomedSciAdmissions@uchc.edu