All of the 30 credit hours of formal coursework is generally completed within the first two years. Spreading the coursework over two years provides ample opportunities for early research experience.
Required courses include the following:

• Graduate Biochemistry
• Molecular Genetics
• Cell Biology
• Biochemical Laboratory Techniques
• Principles of Pharmacology
• Computational Methods in Biochemistry and Structural Biology
• Research Proposal Design in Regulatory Biology (This course has been revised to focus on grant writing skills required for preparing research proposals.)

Students are also required to take one advanced elective course, such as:

• Signal Transduction
• Neuropharmacology
• Graduate Genetics
• Developmental Biology

Students are also able to participate in other elective courses on topics such as bioorganic chemistry, immunology, virology, and molecular endocrinology, among others.

Due to the breadth and the individualized character of the curriculum, the Graduate Program does not administer a Comprehensive Examination. Instead, in the second year, students participate in a Qualifying Examination that is designed to test their ability to integrate scientific information, and to demonstrate their problem-solving skills. Following the completion of both this exam and their Thesis Proposal Defense in the fall of their third year, students are advanced to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree.