Survival Guide

Students are required to take at least five graded courses, plus at least three laboratory rotations.

• All students must take a seminar course. For those entering from TMMPP this will be the two-semester “Seminar in Molecular Medicine, Pharmacology and Physiology” (PHAR 501a and PHAR 502b). Those entering from BQBS can fulfill the seminar course requirement with “Methods & Logic in Molecular Biology” (MB&B 730a). Equivalent courses from other programs are accepted with DGS approval.
• Other required courses are selected based on the student’s interest and must include at least one of the following core courses: “Molecular Mechanisms of Drug Actions” (PHAR 504a), “Principles of Signal Transduction” (PHAR 528b), “Structural Biology and Drug Discovery” (PHAR 529b), “Macromolecular Structure and Function” (MB&B 720a). A description of core and other Pharmacology courses can be found in the Handbook. Other BBS courses may be accepted as the core course with DGS approval.
• Students are required to complete three laboratory rotations during their first year (PHAR 506 or equivalent).

The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) requires students to obtain a grade of Honors in at least two of the courses that they take. Honors for laboratory rotations cannot be used toward this requirement. Students must meet this Honors requirement prior to being admitted to candidacy (end of fall semester of the third year) and must maintain an overall High Pass average. A grade of Honors or High Pass is required for each of the selected core courses (see GSAS grading system) . Student progress toward these goals is reviewed by the DGS at the end of the second and each subsequent semester.

Prior to registering for their second year of study, students must successfully complete PHAR 580, Responsible Conduct of Research, or the equivalent from another program (e.g., MB&B 676). In addition, B&BS 503, RCR Refresher for Senior BBS Students, must be completed by the end of the fourth year. PHAR 580 and B&BS 503 do not count toward the five required courses.

Students are required to pass the qualifying examination by the end of their fourth semester. In preparation for this exam, Pharmacology Graduate Program students must take PHAR 540, Developing and Writing a Scientific Research Proposal, in the spring semester of their second year (this does not count toward the 5-course requirement).

Before the end of their third year, students must have completed all requirements to advance to candidacy for a Ph.D. degree. In addition to course, Honors and qualifying exam requirements listed above, students must have prepared and presented their dissertation prospectus to their dissertation committee by the ed of the fall semester.

It is expected that dissertation research will be complete before the end of the sixth year. When a student’s original doctoral dissertation research is largely complete, they give an oral presentation to the Pharmacology Program faculty (pre-defense) for approval. Within six months of passing this pre-defense, the student must submit a written dissertation to their Dissertation Committee and the approved external reader from outside Yale. A public Ph.D. dissertation seminar will then be scheduled, followed by a closed examination by the student’s Dissertation Committee and the outside examiner. One first-author original research manuscript is required from the dissertation research and must be publicly available through publication or a preprint server (with DOI) prior to the dissertation defense seminar. Manuscripts in which the student shares first authorship (equal contribution) with another person can fulfil this requirement. Once the written dissertation is approved by the Dissertation Committee, it is submitted to the GSAS.

An important aspect of graduate training in Pharmacology is the acquisition of teaching skills through participation in teaching courses related the student’s scientific interests. These opportunities can be drawn from a diverse menu of lecture, laboratory, and seminar courses given at the undergraduate, graduate, and medical school levels across multiple departments. Ph.D. students are required to participate in two semesters (or the equivalent) of teaching. Students do not teach during their first year. Most students will fulfill this requirement during their third year.

Beginning in their third year, students are required to present annually at the Research in Progress (RIP) talks. These are biweekly seminars held during the academic year typically consisting of two 20-minute presentations. Attendance at RIP talks is expected.

Students will also have opportunities to give short, flash and poster presentations as the offsite annual retreat.

The Department of Pharmacology organizes a weekly seminar series on Thursdays at noon. Speakers are selected to encompass broad areas of interest to the Department and Graduate Program. Students are expected to attend all seminars. Speakers have lunch with students following the seminar, offering opportunities for students to discuss the speakers research and career path in more detail in a small informal setting. Students are encouraged to sign up frequently for lunch with the speaker and must attend at least 6 times per year.

Students have the opportunity to invite 1-2 speakers each year in the Departmental Seminar series. All students may nominate a speaker and vote to decide which nominee(s) to invite (nominees must be approved by the DGS). The student invited speaker(s) will be hosted by the nominating student(s). Speakers are typically extremely pleased to be invited by students. Participation in this experience is strongly encouraged.

An important part of the Graduate Program is to provide all students the opportunity to present their work at a national or international meeting. The William H. Prusoff Award is a competitive award to Pharmacology Graduate students to provide up to $2,500 travel funds to offset the cost to the advisor for a student to attend a meeting. In consultation with their Dissertation Advisor, students should select a conference and submit an abstract. Once the abstract is accepted, the student should apply for the award as described here.

Students may also participate in student run and led monthly “Research Chats”, and obtain career advice from Pharmacology alumni and other guests in the “After The PhD” series.