MCB Program Requirements

First and second semester courses
In the first and second semesters, students take a combination of mini (half-semester) courses and full courses selected in consultation with the Director of Graduate Studies and additional faculty as appropriate. The first year curriculum is designed to complement and extend the student’s undergraduate training and prepare the student for subsequent courses. The course load expected is the equivalent to 2 1/2 to 3 full courses in the first semester, and 2 to 2 1/2 full courses in the second. Among highly recommended courses for the first semester are CMB 710 Cellular and Molecular Biology modular courses, PHARM 533 Essentials of Pharmacology & Toxicology, and UPGEN 778 Genetic Approaches to the Solution of Biological Problems. A grant writing course (BIOTRAIN 720) is offered in the Fall semester and is typically taken by students in the beginning of the second year. The Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology requires that Pharmacology and Molecular Cancer Biology students have a minimum of 30 graded units to obtain a degree.

MOLCAN 780 – Seminar – 4 Semesters
MOLCAN 818 – Cancer biology II/ Molecular Mechanisms of Oncogenesis
MOLCAN 819 – Cancer as a disease
MOLCAN/PHARM 733 – Experimental Design and Biostatistics for Basic Biomedical Scientists (Note that this required course does not have to be taken before the preliminary exam).

Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) students joining the MCB program are expected to complete the following courses prior to their Prelim exam:

MOLCAN 780 – Seminar – 2 Semesters
MOLCAN 818 – Cancer biology II/ Molecular Mechanisms of Oncogenesis
MOLCAN/PHARM 733 – Experimental Design and Biostatistics for Basic Biomedical Scientists (This is a required course for all graduate students but does not have to be taken before the preliminary exam).

Cellular and Molecular Biology (CMB), Developmental and Stem Cell Biology (DSCB) and other non-degree granting programs students joining the MCB program are expected to complete the following courses prior to their Prelim exam:

MOLCAN 780 – Seminar – 2 Semesters
MOLCAN 818 – Cancer biology II/ Molecular Mechanisms of Oncogenesis
MOLCAN 819 – Cancer as a disease
MOLCAN/PHARM 733 – Experimental Design and Biostatistics for Basic Biomedical Scientists (This is a required course for all graduate students but does not have to be taken before the preliminary exam).

** For a full list of departmental courses, please refer to the Office of Biomedical Graduate Education website.

Students complete 3 rotations with different faculty members to select an advisor. These rotations serve to:

  1. identify potential mentors
  2. offer exposure to research experience outside the student’s intended area of study
  3. provide initial faculty evaluation of students’ research competence

Once the rotations are completed, students select an advisor with whom they will work on a thesis project. Thesis research is guided by the advisor and Thesis Committee.

The preliminary exam is usually taken in May to August of the second year, but must be successfully completed by the end of the third year. Successful completion of this exam is required to formally accept a student as a candidate for a Ph.D. degree. For information on the preliminary exam format and timetable, please review the “Preliminary Examination Guidelines” found under the “Student Resources” tab.

Within six (6) months of completing the prelim exam, students must form their Thesis Committee.

Thesis Committee Chair: The chair of the thesis committee must be a primary faculty member in MCB and may not be the student’s thesis advisor.
Thesis Committee Composition: You should have at least four (five preferred) graduate faculty members on your thesis committee. A committee must have a majority of members from the student’s major research area. At least two members of the committee, including the chair, must have primary or secondary faculty appointments in the department or program in which the degree is sought. Search the Duke Graduate Faculty list. 

The Advisor in conjunction with the Thesis Committee will determine when the student is ready to write their thesis dissertation. The declaration of intention presents the title of the thesis or specifies alternative academic exercises on which the degree candidate will be examined. The declaration must have the approval of both the Director of Graduate Studies in the major department and the student’s advisory committee. More information on dissertation submission requirements and deadlines can be found on the Duke University Graduate School website.