2008-2009 Program Requirements for UCLA Graduate Degrees

Applicable only to students admitted during the 2008-2009 academic year.

Human Genetics

School of Medicine

Graduate Degrees

The Department of Human Genetics offers the Master of Science (M.S.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees in Human Genetics.

Admission

Master's Degree

Advising

A student entering the master's program is expected to identify a faculty mentor to serve as adviser for the student. If no faculty mentor is identified by the student, the departmental graduate adviser serves as the adviser.

Areas of Study

Areas of study include human genetics and related areas (for example, molecular genetics, mathematical modeling). Students should consult the department for additional information.

Foreign Language Requirement

None.

Course Requirements

There are two curricular tracks for master's degree students. Those pursuing laboratory research as part of their training take similar core courses in the first year as doctoral students (see under Doctoral Degree). Students focused on the computational and statistical aspects of human genetics may substitute advanced courses in biomathematics or in computational and statistical genetics for the more biologically oriented courses. In addition, all master's students must take the advanced human genetics course (Human Genetics 236A-236B) and the ethics in human genetics course (Human Genetics C220). Elective courses must be taken to complete the minimum 36 units required for the master's degree. No more than two independent study courses (eight units) in the 500 series may be applied toward the minimum course requirement for the master's degree, and only one of these (four units) may be applied toward the minimum graduate course requirement for the degree.

Teaching Experience

Not required.

Field Experience

Not required.

Comprehensive Examination Plan

In general, the department prefers students to enter directly into the Ph.D. program. In lieu of taking a comprehensive examination, students who wish to receive a master's degree and who are not on the thesis plan are required to write and orally defend for their committee an original proposal formulated on a topic in human genetics that is not directly related to their dissertation research. Only in exceptional situations are students approved for a master's comprehensive examination in place of the original proposal.

Thesis Plan

A written thesis is required for master's degree students who are pursuing the laboratory research track in addition to course work. A thesis committee composed of at least three faculty members helps the student to plan the thesis research and makes a recommendation on granting the terminal degree. If the first thesis submitted to the committee is unacceptable, the committee decides whether the student is granted additional time to revise and resubmit the thesis.

Time-to-Degree

Students are expected to complete the requirements for the master's degree within four quarters.

Doctoral Degree

Advising

The department's Graduate Adviser (appointed by the chair) is the adviser for students who have not yet selected a laboratory for their doctoral studies. After the first year, all Ph.D. students, whether coming through ACCESS or directly into the department, select a faculty mentor, who automatically becomes the student's adviser. A doctoral committee is constituted by the end of the second year, and its members act as additional advisers. Students are expected to meet with that committee at least once a year until graduation.

Major Fields or Subdisciplines

The field of human genetics is a discipline which includes genomics, cytogenetics, biochemical and molecular genetics, medical genetics, immunogenetics, cancer genetics, developmental genetics, population genetics, proteomics, and bioinformatics. The study of animal models is also an essential part of human genetics.

Foreign Language Requirement

None.

Course Requirements

Students entering the program through ACCESS follow ACCESS course requirements in the first year. In Fall Quarter, students take Biological Chemistry/Chemistry CM253, which provides grounding in the chemical and biological properties of nucleic acids and proteins. In Winter Quarter, students may select from several courses that emphasize cellular function and organization (e.g., Biological Chemistry CM267A-M267B, or a course in Molecular Cell Biology). Knowledge of nucleic acid and protein structure and function and cell biology is essential for genetics. In Spring Quarter, students may select from several specialty courses; for those who have already decided to specialize in human genetics, Biological Chemistry CM248 (Molecular Genetics, a course on basic concepts and techniques in the genetics of lower and higher organisms) is recommended. As part of the ACCESS Program during the first year, student also take three two-unit seminar courses on current research topics, and a course on ethics in research. The Human Genetics faculty offers at least one seminar course in the field of human genetics. Human Genetics 236A-236B, a six-unit course, and C220, a two-unit course, are required of predoctoral students in Human Genetics, preferably during the second year of training. Four additional units of coursework are required for the doctoral degree, preferably in seminar format.

Students who enter the department directly have a choice between two tracks: (1) a laboratory track, which has course requirements similar to those of the ACCESS Program, and (2) a computational human genetics track, which has course requirements that include molecular genetics, advanced human genetics, and ethics. Students who elect the computational human genetics track also are required to take eight units of statistics and eight units of approved electives in each of the areas of (1) computational and statistical genetics, and (2) bioinformatics, genomics, and proteomics.

Teaching Experience

Students who enter Human Genetics through ACCESS teach for two quarters, at least once as a teaching assistant in a science department of the College of Letters and Science while the other teaching may be in the College or in one of the basic science laboratory courses of the School of Medicine. The teaching is to be performed in years two and three. Students who enter the department directly are required to teach only a minimum of one quarter. Students are encouraged to teach in Life Sciences 4 (the genetics component of the Life Sciences Core Curriculum) as teaching a general course in genetics reinforces understanding of fundamental aspects of the field. The area chosen for the second teaching obligation, if required, depends on student interest and departmental opportunities.

Written and Oral Qualifying Examinations

Academic Senate regulations require all doctoral students to complete and pass University written and oral qualifying examinations prior to doctoral advancement to candidacy. Also, under Senate regulations the University oral qualifying examination is open only to the student and appointed members of the doctoral committee. In addition to University requirements, some graduate programs have other pre-candidacy examination requirements. What follows in this section is how students are required to fulfill all of these requirements for this doctoral program.

Students are allowed to nominate a doctoral committee after satisfactory performance in courses and laboratory rotations, as judged by faculty or a designated faculty committee. The University Oral Qualifying Examination must be passed before students are advanced to candidacy for the doctoral degree. This examination is administered in two parts by a doctoral committee composed of at least four faculty members selected by the student and approved by the department.

Before advancement to candidacy, two short written research proposals are prepared and must be successfully defended orally by the student. The proposals must include the scientific rationale, experimental methods, anticipated results and interpretations, and bibliography. The first proposal is an original proposal formulated by the student on a topic in human genetics that is not directly related to the proposed dissertation research. It is to be completed by the end of the second year of training or, at the latest, at the beginning of year three. The second proposal covers the dissertation research and is to be completed by the end of year three. Students are evaluated on their understanding of the research they are undertaking for the dissertation, on their ability to identify an important scientific problem independently of their mentors, on their ability to devise appropriate and original experimental strategies, and on their ability to write clearly and concisely. For both proposals, the oral examination occurs a week or two after submission of the written proposals. The oral examination consists of a discussion of the proposals and of additional questions that probe the student's general knowledge and understanding of human genetics.

The doctoral committee determines whether the student passes the examinations and advances to candidacy. The committee also determines whether a student who fails the examination is allowed to repeat it. If re-examination is allowed, the student is allowed to repeat the examination only once and this must be completed by the end of the next academic quarter. A student must successfully complete the written and oral qualifying examinations prior to beginning the fourth year of graduate study.

Advancement to Candidacy

Students are advanced to candidacy upon successful completion of the written and oral qualifying examinations.

Doctoral Dissertation

Every doctoral degree program requires the completion of an approved dissertation that demonstrates the student's ability to perform original, independent research and constitutes a distinct contribution to knowledge in the principal field of study.

Final Oral Examination (Defense of Dissertation)

Required for all students in the program.

Time-to-Degree

The time from entry into the program to completion of the doctorate is expected to be approximately five years.

Termination of Graduate Study and Appeal of Termination

University Policy

A student who fails to meet the above requirements may be recommended for termination of graduate study. A graduate student may be disqualified from continuing in the graduate program for a variety of reasons. The most common is failure to maintain the minimum cumulative grade point average (3.00) required by the Academic Senate to remain in good standing (some programs require a higher grade point average). Other examples include failure of examinations, lack of timely progress toward the degree and poor performance in core courses. Probationary students (those with cumulative grade point averages below 3.00) are subject to immediate dismissal upon the recommendation of their department. University guidelines governing termination of graduate students, including the appeal procedure, are outlined in Standards and Procedures for Graduate Study at UCLA.

Special Departmental or Program Policy

None.

Program Requirements

Human Genetics