Integrative Life Sciences, Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Program mission

The Ph.D. in Integrative Life Sciences is designed for students who want to conduct research that is integrative across multiple disciplines and that takes a systems approach to emerging research questions across the many fields that comprise the life sciences. Students may opt to work with research faculty members from any department, center or institute across VCU campuses. The program provides the opportunity to conduct interdisciplinary research at multiple scales of study from the molecular to ecosystem levels.

Program goals

1. Interdisciplinary knowledge and skills: The core curriculum of the ILS program will effectively assist students in gaining understanding of modern systems biology along with training in the interdisciplinary skills and knowledge increasingly required for doing effective research in the life sciences. It will also foster progressive development of a mastery of the current state of the research in students’ areas of interest as they seek to identify key focus areas for their integrative research.
2. Research skills: The mentored research component of the program, building on the core curriculum and interdisciplinary elective course work, will foster development of an ability to synthesize this learning and identify key focus areas for integrative research. It will support students as they learn how to design, implement and interpret interdisciplinary experimental approaches that will best address their research questions.
3. Communication skills: Students in the program will develop skills in both written and oral communication of life science knowledge, experimental design, results and interpretation to a variety of potential audiences.

Student learning outcomes

1. Oral communication skills: The candidate will demonstrate the achievement of an appropriate level of oral communication skills with respect to the content, organization, logical flow, presentation and appropriate use of language incorporating the use of visual aids, as measured by rubric.
2. Written communication skills: The candidate will demonstrate the achievement of an appropriate level of written communication skill with respect to grammar, syntax, spelling and use of vocabulary to effectively present information including the use of figures, tables and citations, as measured by rubric.
3. Experimental design: The candidate will demonstrate the achievement of an appropriate level of competence in the ability to appraise, modify, and/or create and implement experimental protocols and to design and develop experiments, as measured by rubric.
4. Problem-solving skills: The candidate will demonstrate an appropriate level of skill in the identification and selection of meaningful problems to be addressed in bioscience research, including the ability to defend said identifications and to design and develop appropriate methods to solve said problems, as measured by rubric.
5. Integrated knowledge: The candidate will demonstrate an appropriate level of knowledge of the life sciences and a more detailed understanding of the disciplines most pertinent to their own interdisciplinary research areas, including an appropriate familiarity with the research literature and the ability to evaluate and critique publications, as measured by rubric.

VCU Graduate Bulletin, VCU Graduate School and general academic policies and regulations for all graduate students in all graduate programs

The VCU Graduate Bulletin website documents the official admission and academic rules and regulations that govern graduate education for all graduate programs at the university. These policies are established by the graduate faculty of the university through their elected representatives to the University Graduate Council.

It is the responsibility of all graduate students, both on- and off-campus, to be familiar with the VCU Graduate Bulletin as well as the Graduate School website and academic regulations in individual school and department publications and on program websites. However, in all cases, the official policies and procedures of the University Graduate Council, as published on the VCU Graduate Bulletin and Graduate School websites, take precedence over individual program policies and guidelines.

Visit the academic regulations section for additional information on academic regulations for graduate students.

Degree candidacy requirements

A graduate student admitted to a program or concentration requiring a final research project, work of art, thesis or dissertation, must qualify for continuing master’s or doctoral status according to the degree candidacy requirements of the student’s graduate program. Admission to degree candidacy, if applicable, is a formal statement by the graduate student’s faculty regarding the student’s academic achievements and the student’s readiness to proceed to the final research phase of the degree program.

Graduate students and program directors should refer to the following degree candidacy policy as published in the VCU Graduate Bulletin for complete information and instructions.

Visit the academic regulations section for additional information on degree candidacy requirements.

Graduation requirements

As graduate students approach the end of their academic programs and the final semester of matriculation, they must make formal application to graduate. No degrees will be conferred until the application to graduate has been finalized.

Graduate students and program directors should refer to the following graduation requirements as published in the Graduate Bulletin for a complete list of instructions and a graduation checklist.

Visit the academic regulations section for additional information on graduation requirements.

Apply online today.

Admission requirements

Note: All application components must be received by Jan. 10 to be competitive.

In addition to the general admission requirements of the VCU Graduate School, the Ph.D. in Integrative Life Sciences program requires graduation from an accredited college or university or its equivalent with a degree that is preparative for graduate-level study in the life sciences. Applicants should have a minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. The GRE is not required. For international applicants, satisfactory scores from a standardized test, such as the TOEFL (a minimum score of 100) or IELTS (minimum band scores of 7.0), must be submitted along with external evaluation of undergraduate transcripts from nondomestic educational institutions (see Graduate Admissions website for further details).

Letters of recommendation from three present or former professors, advisers or mentors qualified to evaluate the applicant’s ability to engage in graduate research in the life sciences are required, as is a written statement from the applicant describing the applicant's research interests, motivation, research experience, education and goals for pursuing graduate study in this particular program, preferred research adviser(s), official transcripts from all past postsecondary educational institutions, official GRE scores, and current curriculum vita or resume. Applicants are strongly encouraged to contact potential research advisers prior to submitting application materials and to identify potential research advisers in their personal statements. Individuals who have identified a research adviser will be given preference for admittance and funding.

Degree requirements

In addition to general VCU Graduate School graduation requirements, students are required to complete course work in core and elective courses and to conduct significant research. All work toward the degree must be completed within eight years of the first enrollment.

1. Credit-hour requirements: Students in the program are required to earn a minimum of 64 graduate-level credit hours. At least one-half of the graduate credit hours presented for graduation must be at the 600 level or higher.
2. Grade requirement: Degree applicants must achieve an overall GPA of 3.0 (B) with a grade of C in no more than one course. The GPA for graduation is based on all graduate courses attempted after acceptance into the program.
3. Transfer/waiver credit: Graduate-level VCU course work taken as a nondegree-seeking student or in a previous graduate matriculation for which a degree was never awarded may be evaluated to determine whether it can be used to fulfill degree requirements of this program in accordance with the VCU Graduate School transfer policy. Course work completed toward a previous degree can also be considered as a waiver of program core or elective course work requirements. In these cases, the requirement(s) are waived, and other course work or research credits can be used to make up credits needed toward the degree. A minimum grade of B is required for credit hours transferred or waived.
4. Research adviser and committee: Students should select a research adviser prior to matriculation, but no later than the end of the first semester. The research adviser may be chosen from among the many graduate faculty members from any VCU research unit. This research adviser is approved by the program director in accordance with the Graduate School bylaws.
   
   Students are required to form a research advisory committee that is headed by the research adviser (as chair) and that consists of a minimum of four other members of the VCU graduate faculty. Individuals who are not graduate faculty members (i.e., individuals from another institution or industry) must apply to the dean of the Graduate School for temporary affiliate graduate faculty appointment. The significant areas of the student’s research focus should be represented by the members of the research advisory committee. At least two members of the committee should have primary appointments in departments other than that of the research adviser, with one of those members being integrally associated with the student’s research to foster the interdisciplinary intent of this degree program. Students should form their committees no later than the end of the second semester of study. This committee must be approved by the program director.
5. Written and oral examinations: Before admission to degree candidacy for the Ph.D. degree, students must successfully complete a comprehensive examination and a research proposal examination. The student’s research advisory committee will administer both exams. Students should take the comprehensive exam upon completion of all required didactic course work, usually no later than the end of the fourth semester of study. It may be written or oral (or both) and will focus on material covered in core and selected elective courses as well as fundamental knowledge relevant to the student’s research field. Upon successful completion of the comprehensive examination, and submission and acceptance of a written research proposal, students will take an oral examination that includes a defense of the proposed research project and other subject areas deemed appropriate by the committee. Students may retake the comprehensive and research proposal examinations only once each. Written evaluations of the examinations will be completed by research advisory committee members. These valuations are provided to the chair of the research advisory committee and to the program director for discussion with the student and for program assessment.
6. Dissertation research: The dissertation research project should represent a significant contribution to the body of knowledge in its field and should be deemed suitable for publication in refereed journals. The emphasis of the research conducted by students in this program should be on interdisciplinary research, incorporating two or more disciplines. Research projects may take advantage of the many research opportunities across the life sciences on both campuses. Students shall prepare a written dissertation describing the completed research using the format approved by the Graduate School. An oral defense of the dissertation, under the direction of the research advisory committee and open to the public, also is required. Written evaluations of the dissertation and the oral defense of the dissertation will be completed by research advisory committee members. These evaluations are provided to the chair of the research advisory committee and to the program director for discussion with the student and for program assessment. Upon successful completion of all degree requirements, students will graduate with the Ph.D. in Integrative Life Sciences.

Curriculum requirements

A minimum total of 64 graduate credit hours is required and is distributed as follows:

The minimum number of graduate credit hours required for this degree is 64.

Students who complete the requirements for this degree will receive a Doctor of Philosophy in Integrative Life Sciences.

Contact
Stephen Fong, Ph.D.
Professor and graduate program director
ssfong@vcu.edu
(804) 827-7038

Additional contact
Amie Knapp
Executive administrative assistant
aknapp2@vcu.edu
(804) 827-1865

Program website: clse.vcu.edu