Curriculum
Current Toxicology Student Handbook
The toxicology curriculum consists of several components: Core courses, electives, seminars, and research. We believe that research is the most important part of this program, with the Ph.D. degree being awarded for a dissertation that demonstrates intellectual competence. Because toxicology is highly interdisciplinary, our curriculum reflects the belief that a thorough grounding in basic sciences is indispensable. A student taking more than four years to complete the Ph.D. need earn no further credit and devote their full time to research.
Core Courses
Exemption is possible if an equivalent course has been taken elsewhere.
| Course Code | Course Name |
|---|---|
| IND 431 |
Foundations in Modern Biology I (5 credits) |
|
IND 432 |
Foundations in Modern Biology II (5) |
|
IND 501 |
Ethics in Research (1) |
|
TOX 521 |
Biochemical Toxicology (4) |
|
TOX 522 |
Organ Systems Toxicology (4) |
|
TOX 558 |
Seminar in Toxicology (1 x 4 times) |
|
PHP 403 |
Human Cell Physiology (4) |
|
PHP 404 |
Principles of Pharmacology (3) |
|
BST 467 |
Applied Biostatistics in the Biomedical Sciences (3) |
Electives
Prior to the PhD thesis defense, a minimum of 6 credit hours must be earned from elective courses, and at least 3 of these credits must be from toxicology (TOX) electives. Some courses that commonly provide needed background for toxicology students are listed below. However, this list is by no means exhaustive and students are encouraged to check the scope and availability of courses in any given year since course offerings may change.
| Course Code | Course Name |
|---|---|
|
TOX 501 |
Forensic Pathology for the Toxicologist (1) |
|
TOX 502 |
Forensic Toxicology (1) |
|
TOX 503 |
Skin Toxicology & the Environment (1) |
|
TOX 510 |
Toxicology in Risk Assessment (1) |
|
TOX 527 |
Immunotoxicology (1) |
|
TOX 528 |
Gene Environmental Interactions (1) |
|
TOX 530 |
Reproductive and Developmental Toxicology (2) |
|
TOX 533 |
Neurotoxicology (1) |
|
TOX 560 |
Societal Determinants of Neurotoxicity (1) |
|
TOX 564 |
Pulmonary Toxicology (1) |
|
BIO 402 |
Molecular Biology (4) |
|
GEN 506 |
Stem Cell Biology |
|
IND 412 |
Graduate Experience in Science Education (2) |
|
IND 447 |
Signal Transduction: Cell & Mol. Mechanisms (4) |
|
MBI 473 |
Immunology (3) |
|
NSC 512 |
Cellular Neuroscience (4) |
|
PM 470 |
Environment & Occupational Epidemiology (3) |
|
PTH 507 |
Cancer Biology (3) |
|
PTH 510 |
Cell Biology of Human Disease (3) |
Optional Degree Concentrations
The Program has added two concentrations to the PhD degree: Bioinformatics and Cancer Biology. Interested students should speak with the mentor and the directors for these concentrations to identify the courses that need to be taken to satisfy requirements. These courses serve as electives, but please note that the total credits earned will in most cases be greater than those required by the Toxicology Program (6). The table below provides information about the courses that are required for the concentrations and some guidance as to when they can be taken.
| Concentration in Cancer Biology | Concentration in Bioinformatics | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Credits | Credits | ||
| Year 2 | |||
|
PTH507 |
3 |
BCH 521 |
4 |
|
IND507 |
4 |
IND484 |
2 |
| Year 3+ | |||
|
IND517 |
2 |
IND419 |
3 |
|
IND507 |
4 |
IND484 |
2 |
| 96+ | 96+ | ||
1 Concentration-specific electives can be distributed across the second through fourth years with permission of program director, concentration director, and thesis advisor.
2 With permission of concentration director and course director, the following course may be substituted for BCH 521: BIO 457 Applied Genomics (4 credits).