Graduate Student Information

Getting Started, Ph.D.

Upon admission, students are assigned a temporary advisor who will help with course selection and provide advice, as will the Chairperson of the Genetics and Genomics graduate field of study. The most important task for the first year of graduate school is the identification of a permanent major advisor, someone who will guide both thesis research and development as a scientist, and serve as a life-long mentor. The best way to discover if a prospective advisor is a good match is to undertake a laboratory rotation in that person's lab. While the Genetics and Genomics Program in MCB does not require multiple rotations, we highly recommend that students rotate through 2 or 3 labs during the first year. Once admitted into the program, the student should undertake learning about the research interests of individual faculty members and contact them directly about opportunities for rotation experiences. Continued research in any laboratory program is by mutual agreement of the Major Advisor and Candidate. Either can terminate the relationship at any time.