Degree Programs

Degree Programs

GSBS offers both Master of Sciences and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in biomedical sciences. Students acquire a broad base of knowledge in biomedical sciences, defined by specific competencies, and pursue specialized research in their chosen fields. Key competencies expected of graduating students are classified under three general categories: Knowledge-based competencies including core knowledge of principles in biochemistry, cell biology, molecular biology, and physiological principles of homeostasis; technical competencies including the ability to design, execute, analyze and summarize experiments both orally and in writing; and behavioral competencies including adhering to responsible and ethical principles. The training students obtain equips them for professional careers in health science centers and universities and the health care industry, including pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. Students obtain a degree in biomedical sciences, although they may choose to specialize in biochemistry and cancer biology; cell biology, immunology and microbiology; genetics; integrative physiology; pharmacology and neuroscience; structural anatomy and rehabilitation sciences, or visual sciences. Specialized master’s degrees are available in biotechnology, clinical research management, medical sciences, and forensic genetics.

A student may only be enrolled in one degree program within GSBS at any given time. The only exception is to allow the MS student in the last semester of study who has already gained acceptance into the PhD degree program to enroll in course work to be applied to the PhD.

All traditional or bench research-based MS and PhD students are admitted into the discipline of Biomedical Sciences (BMSC) and remain in the discipline for the first semester of graduate study. During the first year, students complete an integrated curriculum that includes the fundamental principles of biochemistry, molecular cell biology, pharmacology, physiology, immunology and microbiology, ethics, an introduction to faculty research, scientific communications, and lab rotations.

Core Curriculum Requirements

All graduate students, regardless of discipline, are expected to complete the core requirements described below.

Students accepted to MS programs in Forensic Genetics, Biotechnology, Clinical Research Management or Medical Sciences are immediately placed into those disciplines and follow the curriculum requirements set by each discipline. 

General MS Core Requirements 

• ¹ May substitute seminar courses from other disciplines

• ² Students in the Medical Science program are exempt

• ³ Students in Clinical Research Management and Medical Sciences programs substitute BMSC 5301, 5302, 5303, 5304, and 5305

• ⁴ For Biotechnology, Clinical Research Management, or Medical Science Anatomy or Physiology track students, Internship Practicum (BMSC 5697) is substituted for Thesis (BMSC 5395)

General PhD Core Requirements 

• ¹ May substitute seminar courses from other disciplines

Master of Science Degree

General Requirements

A candidate for the MS degree must earn 30 or more semester credit hours (SCH), depending upon the specific degree requirements. These degree requirements are determined by the graduate catalog currently in force at the time the student’s degree plan is approved by the graduate dean. The use of special problems courses is limited to a maximum of 6 SCH.

Consult discipline handbooks for the specific course requirements for the traditional MS degree and for the specialized MS degrees.

Time Limitations

All requirements for the MS degree must be completed within six years.

As individual courses exceed this time limit they lose all value for degree purposes. Credits that are more than six years old at the time of first registration for graduate work are not transferable from other institutions.

Students anticipating that they will exceed the time limit should apply for an extension before the normal time period to complete the degree expires. Holding a full-time job is not considered in itself sufficient grounds for granting an extension.

Use of Transfer Credit

Depending on the student’s previous preparation and degree plan, graduate work completed elsewhere may be transferred toward the MS degree. Only those courses with a grade of “B” or higher will be transferred. Courses to be transferred must be taken within 5 years of transfer.

Extension and correspondence credit earned at other institutions will not be counted toward a graduate degree at UNT Health Science Center. GSBS does not award credit for portfolio-based experiential learning or noncredit courses.

It is the student’s responsibility to insure that official transcripts of courses completed elsewhere are furnished to the office of the graduate dean. The student must provide the catalog description and/or syllabus from the semester the course was taken before transfer credit will be approved. Such courses, although listed on the degree plan, will not be counted toward the degree until official transcripts showing graduate credit have been received and the credit has been approved by the graduate dean. All transfer courses are subject to the time limitation described above. Exceptions are handled on a case-by-case basis.

The majority of the semester credit hours required for any degree must be completed in course work registered through UNT Health Science Center.

Major Professor

Graduate training entails both formal education in a specific discipline and an apprenticeship in which the graduate student trains under the supervision of one or more investigators who are qualified to fulfill the responsibilities of a mentor (major professor). A positive mentoring relationship between the student and the major professor is a vital component of the student’s preparation to become not only an independent and successful research scientist but also an effective mentor to future graduate students.

Individuals who pursue a biomedical graduate degree are expected to take responsibility for their own scientific and professional development. Faculty who advise students are expected to fulfill the responsibilities of a mentor, including the provision of scientific training, guidance, and instruction in the responsible conduct of research and research ethics. The major professor also performs a critical function as a scientific role model for the graduate student.

Prior to the completion of the first semester of study, the student must identify a major professor and file the Major Professor Designation/Compact Between Biomedical Graduate Students and their Research Advisors. This form and the full AAMC Compact Between Biomedical Graduate Students and Their Research Advisors is available on the GSBS Forms and Guidelines website.

Advisory Committee

Each student must select an advisory committee. The major professor and/or the graduate advisor assist the student in selecting members to serve on the advisory committee. The committee guides the student in selecting course work appropriate for the degree program, defines research goals, monitors research progress, approves the research proposal, and provides scientific guidance. The advisory committee administers the final examination for the degree (defense).

The major professor serves as chair of the advisory committee. Advisory committees for MS students must include at least two additional UNTHSC graduate faculty members. Qualified individuals may be approved as temporary graduate faculty members in addition to the two UNTHSC graduate faculty members for the purpose of adding specific expertise to student committees. The temporary appointment ends with the expert’s service on the committee. Requests for more than one temporary graduate faculty member per committee must be approved by the dean. Furthermore, all students in programs requiring thesis will be assigned a university member (see details below) who ensures that the policies and procedures of GSBS and UNTHSC are upheld.

Each student is required to meet with his/her advisory committee at least once per academic year.

Students in MS programs that do not require internship practica or thesis projects are not required to designate advisory committees.

Advisory Committee (Specialized Master’s)

Prior to the beginning of each student’s internship practicum experience, the graduate advisor assigns an advisory committee. The committee guides the student to define practicum goals, monitor internship progress, approves the practicum report proposal, and provides scientific guidance. The advisory committee administers the final examination for the degree.

The major professor serves as chair of the advisory committee and must be a full-time UNTHSC graduate faculty member. At least two additional committee members are required: one UNTHSC graduate faculty member and the on-site practicum mentor who will have temporary graduate faculty membership.

Students in specialized master’s programs are not assigned university members.

Degree Plan

Before the completion of the second semester of study, a degree plan listing all courses should be prepared by the student, approved by the student’s advisory committee, graduate advisor, and dean.

Degree requirements listed in the graduate catalog currently in force at the time the student’s degree plan is approved by the dean are those that must be completed by the student.

Students in MS programs with lock-step curricula are not required to file a degree plan.

University Member

When the advisory committee is formed for students in programs requiring thesis, the dean will appoint a university member.

The primary responsibility of the university member on both MS and PhD committees is to ensure that the policies, procedures and standards of GSBS and UNTHSC have been upheld. The university member may choose to participate but must be present in any formal hearing (see below for list of such events); however, such participation is not mandated by GSBS. The university member’s signature on appropriate forms indicates that the integrity of the review process has been upheld. It is the responsibility of the university member to report to the dean any inappropriate due process.

The university member must be present at all formal hearings that require a vote which include the annual progress summary, thesis proposal presentation, and the final thesis seminar and defense.

Research Proposal

All MS students must submit an approved formal research proposal describing the thesis/practicum project. The research proposal is an outline of the thesis/practicum project. It must include a summary of the proposed project, the hypothesis to be investigated, significance of the project, research design and methodology to be used, and a review of the salient literature that supports or opposes the hypothesis and potential limitations. To take advantage of the advisory committee’s expertise and advice, and to clearly define the project and the committee’s expectations, it is imperative that the student meet with his/her advisory committee before preparing the research proposal.

Clinical Research Management students are required to submit the research proposal by the middle of the second month of the internship practicum. Biotechnology students are required to submit the research proposal before the end of the fall semester during the second year of study. Forensic Genetics students are required to submit the research proposal at the end of the first week of the internship.

All other MS students are required to submit the research proposal before registering for thesis credits.

Research Proposal Guidelines and the Research Proposal approval forms are available on the GSBS Forms and Guidelines site.

Program Requirements

Each student is responsible for the completion of the MS program according to the procedures that follow. Each item must be completed in the sequence and time period indicated. Forms are subject to revision at any time and should be obtained from the GSBS Forms and Guidelines site.

1. A major professor should be selected by the end of the first semester of study. The student must file the Major Professor Designation/Compact Between Biomedical Graduate Students and their Major Professors with the GSBS Office of Student Services. The student must meet with the major professor for guidance in forming an advisory committee and degree plan.

2. Before the completion of the second semester of study, the student must select an advisory committee and file a Designation of Advisory Committee form with the GSBS Office of Student Services. Enrollment will be restricted to prevent registration beyond the second semester without a designated advisory committee. Upon receipt of the Designation of Advisory Committee form, a University Member will be appointed to serve on the student’s committee.

3. The student must file a degree plan approved by the advisory committee with the GSBS Office of Student Services before the completion of the second semester of study. Course work deficiencies will be stipulated at this time. Enrollment will be restricted to prevent registration beyond the second semester without an approved degree plan. Procedures vary slightly for Biotechnology, Clinical Research Management and Forensic Genetics students. Consult the discipline handbook for complete instructions.

4. A research proposal must be approved by the committee and filed with the GSBS Office of Student Services prior to the semester in which the student first enrolls in thesis. Clinical Research Management students are required to submit the research proposal by the middle of the second month of the internship practicum. Biotechnology students are required to submit the research proposal before the end of the fall semester during the second year of study.

5. Once a student has enrolled in internship practicum or thesis, he/she must maintain continuous enrollment in a minimum of 3 SCH of the course during each semester until the practicum report/thesis has been accepted by the GSBS Office of Student Services. Failure to maintain continuous enrollment will either invalidate any previous thesis credit or will result in the student’s dismissal from the degree program unless granted an official leave of absence by the graduate dean for medical or other exceptional reasons.

6. At the time of registration for the final semester, the student must file an Intent to Graduate form with the GSBS Office of Student Services. The form is available on the GSBS Graduation site.

7. At least 30 days prior to the final defense, the student must file an Intent to Defend form with the GSBS Office of Student Services. The GSBS Office of Student Services will advertise the public seminar associated with the final defense. The form is available on the GSBS Graduation site.

8. Upon completion of the research and after consultation with the major professor, the student should submit a rough draft of the practicum report/thesis to the advisory committee members at least one month before the receipt of the final draft. The final draft should be distributed to committee members at least two weeks prior to the defense. Committee members should return corrected drafts to the student as soon as possible. Working through committee members at all times, the student and major professor will resolve comments arising from the rough draft and incorporate them into a final draft.

9. During the semester of graduation, the student will present a formal seminar on the research. This seminar should be scheduled immediately prior to the final defense and is open to the public.

10. The final defense will be held immediately following the seminar. The defense is closed to all parties except the advisory committee and university member. The committee will determine if a student fails, passes or passes with distinction. The signature of the major professor indicates that the document is in its final form and approved for submission although an embargo may be placed on publication.

11. The practicum report/thesis must be prepared for digital submission according to the instructions in the Guidelines for Filing Theses, Internship Practicum Reports and Dissertations available on the GSBS Graduation site.

Doctor of Philosophy Degree

General Requirements

The candidate for a PhD degree must earn 60 SCH beyond the master’s degree or 90 SCH beyond the bachelor’s degree. Doctoral students who have earned a master’s degree in a relevant field from an accredited university will be awarded up to 30 SCH of advanced standing, requiring 60 SCH of course work to complete the PhD. The degree requirements are determined by the graduate catalog currently in force at the time the student’s degree plan is approved by the GSBS Office of Student Services.

The quantitative SCH requirements must be regarded as a minimum. The quantity of course work to be completed by each candidate is arranged individually by the student’s advisory committee, subject to the approval of the graduate dean, and may be modified both as to quantity and as to type during the progress of the student’s course work.

Consult subsequent sections of this publication for the specific course requirements for the PhD degree.

Time Limitations

All work to be credited toward the doctoral degree beyond the master’s degree must be completed within a period of 10 years from the date doctoral credit is first earned. No course credit beyond the MS degree that is more than 10 years old at the time the doctoral program is completed will be counted toward the doctorate.

Students anticipating that they will exceed the time limit should apply for an extension before their ninth year of study. Holding a full-time job is not considered in itself sufficient grounds for granting an extension.

Use of Transfer Credit

Depending on the student’s previous preparation and degree plan, graduate work completed elsewhere may be transferred toward a PhD degree. Only those courses with a grade of B or higher will be transferred. Courses to be transferred must be taken within 5 years of transfer.

Extension and correspondence credit earned at other institutions will not be counted toward a graduate degree at the Health Science Center. GSBS does not award credit for portfolio-based experiential learning or noncredit courses.

It is the student’s responsibility to insure that official transcripts of courses completed elsewhere are furnished to the office of the graduate dean. The student must provide the catalog description and/or syllabus from the semester the course was taken before transfer credit will be approved. Such courses, although listed on the degree plan, will not be counted toward the degree until official transcripts showing graduate credit have been received and the credit has been approved by the graduate dean. All transfer courses are subject to the time limitation described above. Exceptions are handled on a case-by-case basis.

The majority of the semester credit hours required for any degree must be completed in course work registered through UNTHSC.

Major Professor

Graduate training entails both formal education in a specific discipline and an apprenticeship in which the graduate student trains under the supervision of one or more investigators who are qualified to fulfill the responsibilities of a mentor (major professor). A positive mentoring relationship between the student and the major professor is a vital component of the student’s preparation to become not only an independent and successful research scientist but also an effective mentor to future graduate students.

Individuals who pursue a biomedical graduate degree are expected to take responsibility for their own scientific and professional development. Faculty who advise students are expected to fulfill the responsibilities of a mentor, including the provision of scientific training, guidance, and instruction in the responsible conduct of research and research ethics, and financial support. The major professor also performs a critical function as a scientific role model for the graduate student.

Prior to the completion of the first semester of study, the student must identify a major professor and file the Major Professor Designation/Compact Between Biomedical Graduate Students and Their Research Advisors. This form and the full AAMC Compact Between Biomedical Graduate Students and Their Research Advisors is available on the GSBS Forms and Guidelines website.

Advisory Committee

Each student must select an advisory committee. The major professor and/or the graduate advisor assist the student in selecting members to serve on the advisory committee. The committee guides the student in selecting course work appropriate for the degree program, defines research goals, monitors research progress, approves the research proposal, and provides scientific guidance. The advisory committee in its entirety administers the final examination for the degree (defense).

The major professor serves as chair of the advisory committee. Advisory committees for PhD students must include at least three additional UNTHSC graduate faculty members. Qualified individuals may be approved as temporary graduate faculty members for the purpose of adding specific expertise to student committees. The temporary appointment ends with the expert’s service on the committee. Requests for more than one temporary graduate faculty member per committee must be approved by the dean. Furthermore, all doctoral students will be assigned a university member (see details below) who ensures that the policies and procedures of GSBS and UNTHSC are upheld.

Each student is required to meet with his/her advisory committee at least once per academic year.

Degree Plan

Before the completion of the second semester of study, a degree plan listing all courses should be prepared by the student, approved by the student’s advisory committee, graduate advisor, and dean.

Doctoral degree requirements listed in the graduate catalog currently in force at the time the student’s degree plan is approved by the graduate dean are those that must be completed by the student.

University Member

When the advisory committee is formed, the dean will appoint a university member.

The primary responsibility of the university member on both MS and PhD committees is to ensure that the policies, procedures and standards of GSBS and UNTHSC have been upheld. The university member may choose to participate but must be present in any formal hearing (see below for list of such events); however, such participation is not mandated by GSBS. The university member’s signature on appropriate forms indicates that the integrity of the review process has been preserved. It is the responsibility of the university member to report to the dean any inappropriate due process.

The university member must be present at all formal hearings that require a vote which include the annual research progress summary, oral qualifying examination, dissertation proposal presentation and defense; and the final dissertation seminar and defense.

Advancement to Candidacy

Doctoral students must complete the following two-part process to be advanced to candidacy. First, a discipline-based qualifying examination, designed and administered by the discipline’s graduate faculty, must be successfully completed. Second, the student must submit a research proposal (see below). The student is advanced to candidacy and may enroll in Doctoral Dissertation (BMSC 6395) in the semester immediately following approval of the research proposal. Disciplines may establish more stringent guidelines or establish earlier deadlines for completing the advancement to candidacy process.

Research Proposal

All doctoral students must submit a dissertation research proposal no later than the end of the third year of study. The research proposal is an outline of the dissertation project. It must include a summary of the proposed project, the hypothesis to be investigated, significance of the project, research design and methodology to be used, and a review of the salient literature that supports or opposes the hypothesis and potential limitations. To take advantage of the advisory committee’s expertise and advice, and to clearly define the project and the committee’s expectations, it is imperative that the student meet with his/her advisory committee before preparing the research proposal. The research proposal must be approved by the advisory committee and the dean prior to registration in Dissertation (BMSC 6395). Research Proposal Guidelines and the Research Proposal approval forms are available on the GSBS Forms and Guidelines website.

Publication Requirement

Prior to the dissertation defense, the doctoral candidate must have at least one manuscript accepted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal. This manuscript must be derived from the original dissertation research data and the candidate must be the leading author.

In rare cases, two students may be co-first authors on a publication. Both students may use the publication to meet this requirement providing that the paper is a data-driven, peer-reviewed publication from a journal that recognizes the students as co-first authors. Both students must notify the GSBS Office of Student Services of their intent to submit a co-first author publication to fulfill the publication requirement for graduation prior to submission of the manuscript to a journal. A Co-Authorship Publication Notification form is available on the GSBS Forms and Guidelines website.

The candidate must submit documentation of the manuscript’s status with the journal along with the Intent to Defend form that is due 30 days prior to the dissertation defense. Requests for exception to this requirement (e.g., intellectual property considerations) must be submitted to the graduate dean for approval.

Dissertation Requirement

A dissertation is required of all doctoral candidates. Up to 12 SCH are allowed for the dissertation. The student is required to enroll for dissertation credit and must maintain continuous enrollment in Doctoral Dissertation (BMSC 6395) until the dissertation has been completed and submitted to the graduate dean. Grades of Satisfactory (S) or Unsatisfactory (U) will be recorded at the end of each semester until the dissertation is filed with the graduate school and approved by the graduate dean. A letter grade is recorded for the final semester of enrollment in dissertation and the dissertation credit hours for this semester are included in the GPA calculation. A minimum of three semester credit hours of dissertation enrollment is required during each long semester and one summer session to maintain continuous enrollment.

Doctoral Program Requirements

Each student is responsible for the completion of the doctoral program according to the procedures below. Each item must be completed in the sequence and time period indicated.

1. A major professor should be selected before the end of the first semester of study. The student must file the Major Professor Designation/Compact Between Biomedical Graduate Students and Their Major Professors with the GSBS Office of Student Services. The student must meet with the major professor for guidance in forming an advisory committee and degree plan.

2. The major professor and the doctoral student should select at least three advisory committee members from the graduate faculty. The student has the responsibility for obtaining the agreement of the professors (using the Designation of Doctoral Advisory Committee form) and will file this in the graduate school before the completion of the second semester of study. Enrollment will be restricted to prevent registration beyond the second semester without designation of an advisory committee. Upon receipt of the Designation of Advisory Committee form, a University Member will be appointed to serve on the student’s committee.

3. The advisory committee should meet and evaluate all credentials of the student pertinent to the development of the degree plan. An approved degree plan will then be submitted to the GSBS Office of Student Services. The committee should meet with the student as needed to discuss progress, but must meet at least once per academic year. The advisory committee has sole responsibility for quality control of the student’s program and dissertation. Enrollment will be restricted to registration beyond the second semester without an approved degree plan.

4. A qualifying examination intended to establish the student’s candidacy for the PhD degree will be administered by the designated departmental committee upon fulfillment of the course requirements. The qualifying examination is not an open forum; only the student and the examination committee may be present. Results of the qualifying examinations will be sent to the graduate school in writing. Disciplines may have additional qualifying examination requirements, which are indicated in their graduate program descriptions. Notations are added to the student’s transcript to denote “Qualifying Examination Passed” or “Qualifying Examination Failed.” A student that fails the qualifying examination twice may be allowed to complete the requirements for the MS Program.

5. Prior to registering for Dissertation (BMSC 6395), a student must submit a dissertation research proposal. The proposal must be approved by the advisory committee and GSBS dean before the prerequisite is fulfilled.

6. A student who has registered for Dissertation (BMSC 6395) must maintain continuous enrollment in the course each semester until the dissertation has been accepted by the graduate school. Failure to maintain continuous enrollment will either invalidate any previous dissertation credits or will result in the student being dropped from the degree program unless granted an official leave of absence by the graduate dean for medical or other exceptional reasons.

7. Upon completion of the research and after consultation with the major professor, the student should submit a Declaration of Intent to Graduate form. This form is filed during registration for the final semester. An Intent to Defend form must be filed with the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences 30 days prior to the dissertation defense. Both forms are available on the GSBS Graduation site.

8. Upon completion of the research and after consultation with the major professor, the student should submit a rough draft of the dissertation to the advisory committee members at least one month before the receipt of the final draft. The final draft should be distributed to committee members at least two weeks prior to the defense. Committee members should return corrected drafts to the student as soon as possible. Working through committee members at all times, the student and major professor will resolve comments arising from the rough draft and incorporate them into a final draft.

9. During the semester of graduation, the student will present a formal seminar on the research. This seminar should be scheduled immediately prior to the final defense and is open to the public.

10. The final defense will be held immediately following the dissertation seminar. The defense is closed to all parties except the advisory committee and university member. The committee will determine if a student fails, passes or passes with distinction. The signature of the major professor indicates that the document is in its final form and approved for submission although an embargo may be placed on publication.

11. The dissertation must be prepared for digital submission according to the instructions in the Guidelines for Filing Theses, Internship Practicum Reports and Dissertations available on the GSBS Graduation site.