Virology and Gene Therapy (VGT) – Ph.D. Degree
- Autumn J. Schulze, Ph.D., Program Director
- Christian K. Pfaller, Ph.D., Associate Program Director
Admission
Appointment Requirements
To be considered for admission to the Ph.D. program, applicants must:
- Hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with a minimum 3.0 grade point average based on a 4.0 scale and supply the official transcript.
- It is strongly recommended that candidates have completed at least one year of coursework, with demonstrated competence (B average or above), in the following undergraduate courses: biology, calculus, chemistry and physics.
- In addition, foundation courses in biochemistry, molecular biology, cell biology and physiology are highly recommended. Biomedical Engineering and Physiology students are encouraged to have courses in quantitative science and engineering (e.g., signal processing, computer science, instrumentation).
- Foreign applicants must demonstrate proof of English language proficiency to be considered for an appointment. This can be satisfied via the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), or via other method as described on the English Language Proficiency Attestation.
- Each track may establish additional requirements.
- Applications will only be considered for review if they are submitted within the application submission window of September 1 – December 1 each year, for appointment in the following academic year.
Authority to make appointments rests with the Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Education Committee. Falsifying or omitting information on or accompanying the application may disqualify an applicant from admission or subject a student to dismissal. The application and supporting documents become the property of MCGSBS upon receipt. The average number of years to degree is 5.2.
Inquiries regarding admission to the MCGSBS Ph.D. Program should be sent to this inquiry form.
Admissions/Financial Support
- PhD students are fully supported through a guaranteed internal fellowship for five years, eliminating the need to identify a faculty member to provide financial support. The annual base stipend for PhD students funded by Mayo Clinic for the 2024-2025 academic year is $40,000, deposited electronically bi-monthly in the student’s bank of choice. The annual tuition fee is waived in full ($27,000).
- Appointment and funding are conditional on remaining actively enrolled in the program, continuously meeting the qualifications, standards and requirements of the program and track.
- Funding may consist of graduate school, external fellowships and/or internal scholarships.
- Students are appointed for five years with designated program start and end dates.
- If required training exceeds the appointment length, a request for extension may be made for consideration. All extension requests require graduate school approval and funding to cover all student costs during the extension period are typically paid by the student’s mentor.
- Training must be completed within a maximum of seven years, regardless of funding availability.
- Students who enter MCGSBS with pre-awarded Mayo department/division funding will continue under the terms of any such arrangements throughout the duration of their PhD training.
Transfer Credits
A total of 21 credits may be transferred into the Ph.D. Program. For more details, see the Credit Transfer and Waiver Policy on the MCGSBS Policies and Procedures intranet site.
Course Work
The curriculum for the Predoctoral degree consists of 68 credits, which can include a maximum of 24 Research credits. (Matriculants prior to 2020 have 42 credit requirement, not counting Research credit.)
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| MGS | ||
| MGS 5000 | Foundational Skills | 1 |
| MGS 5010 | Rigor, Reproducibility, and Experimental Design | 1 |
| MGS 5020 | Statistics for Biomedical Research | 1 |
| MGS 5030 | Core Concepts in Genome Dynamics, Biochemistry, and Cellular Biology 1 | 3 |
| MGS 6000 | Responsible Conduct of Research | 1 |
| MGS 5050 | Critical Thinking and Scientific Writing 1 | 2 |
| MGS 5051 | Critical Thinking and Scientific Writing, Part II | 1 |
| Lab Rotations 2 | ||
| Six credits maximum, a minimum of three rotations | ||
| MGS 5102 | Ph.D. Laboratory Rotation | 2 |
| MGS 5107 | Ph.D. Laboratory Rotation | 2 |
| MGS 5108 | Ph.D. Laboratory Rotation | 2 |
| Track Requirements | ||
| VGT 6740 | Viruses and Vectors Journal Club (1 cr./yr.) | 3 |
| VGT 6745 | Current Topics in Virology and Gene Therapy (1 cr./yr.) | 3 |
| VGT 5700 | Virology and Gene Therapy | 3 |
| IMM 5100 | Basic Graduate Immunology | 3 |
| Track Tutorials | ||
| VGT 6884 | Viral Disease Tutorial (odd years) | 2 |
| VGT 6886 | Molecular Virology Tutorial (odd years) | 2 |
| VGT 6888 | Molecular Therapy Tutorial (even years) | 2 |
| Additional Tutorial 3 | 2 | |
| Advanced Coursework | ||
| Any course approved for graduate credit, including elective core courses. | 8 | |
| Research | ||
| MGS 6890 | Predoctoral Research (3 cr./qtr x minimum 8 terms) 4 | 24 |
| Total Hours | 68 | |
- 1
M.D.-Ph.D. students may exclude these in accordance with M.D.-Ph.D. requirements.
- 2
M.D.-Ph.D. students satisfy this requirement with three one-month full-time rotations.
- 3
Tutorials will be presented in the areas of Virology and Gene Therapy and in related areas. Students are required to take all three VGT tutorials (VGT 6884 Viral Disease Tutorial, VGT 6886 Molecular Virology Tutorial, VGT 6888 Molecular Therapy Tutorial). They are also required to take one additional tutorial from another track that supports their thesis research.
- 4
Must enroll every quarter once a thesis laboratory is selected for remainder of program. Directed research projects under the supervision of a faculty mentor.
Students are expected to make continuous and successful academic and professional progress toward graduation requirements for the Ph.D. degree. The concept of satisfactory progress mandates monitoring of a students’ academic and professional performance through items including, but not limited to:
- Register for at least one course all terms throughout training
- Complete Degree Planning Tool (DPT)
- Pass Written Qualifying Exam
- Submit Oral Qualifying Exam Committee Selection
- Pass Oral Qualifying Exam
- Submit Thesis Proposal (Data to be included in the Ph.D. thesis must be generated after admission to the Ph.D. program)
- Mentor Selection
- Thesis Advisory Committee (TAC) Selection
- Submit application for a fellowship award (or equivalent) as defined in the Fellowship Application and Award Policy.
- Routine TAC meetings and Progress Reports, minimum every six months
- Completed final Progress Report reflecting TAC approval for defense must be received by the graduate school to be eligible for graduation.
- Individualized Development Plan completed and maintained throughout training
- Minimum of one peer-reviewed first-authored original paper accepted for publication (unless exception approved- see Publication Exception Request Procedure)
- Submit thesis per MCGSBS Thesis Guidelines for Ph.D.
- Final Oral Exam/Thesis Defense
- Meet any program specific competencies as defined by track
Full details are included in the Academic Progress and Graduation Requirements for PhD Policy on the MCGSBS Policies and Procedures intranet site.
Qualifying Examinations
The qualifying examinations are intended to test the student’s fund of information in the sciences related to the chosen field of study and to evaluate the student’s ability to reason critically.
Written Qualifying Examination
The written qualifying examination will test the breadth of biomedical knowledge, and analytic and critical reasoning skills. The content and format of the examination is determined by each track. For more details, see the Written Qualifying Exam Procedure on the MCGSBS Policies and Procedures intranet site.
Oral Qualifying Examination
Oral qualifying exam committee composition is determined collaboratively between student and student’s mentor and requires approval of the program director and the school. All members must have graduate faculty privileges. For more details, see the Oral Qualifying Exam Committee Selection and Procedure on the MCGSBS Policies and Procedures intranet site.
Thesis
Thesis Advisory Committee
Ph.D. candidates are expected to submit to the MCGSBS office the composition of their Thesis Advisory Committee (TAC) within 90 days of selecting a mentor via the Thesis Advisory Committee Section eForm. The TAC composition is determined collaboratively between student and student’s mentor and requires approval of the program director and the school. For more details, see the TAC Member Selection and Documentation for PhD/MD-PhD Programs Procedure on the MCGSBS Policies and Procedures intranet site.
Progress Meetings
The Thesis Advisory Committee must meet at minimum every six months from the date of committee approval. Documentation of student progress using a progress meeting report form, must be signed by all members of the Thesis Advisory Committee and submitted to MCGSBS administration. The report form template can be found on the PhD Program Forms web page.
Thesis Proposal
A written thesis proposal, including presentation and thesis committee discussion of the proposal, is a requirement that may be accomplished during the oral qualifying examination or at a separate committee meeting for this purpose. The TAC must be approved prior to this committee discussion.
The Mayo Institutional Review Board must review all protocols for research involving the use of human subjects. It is the candidate’s responsibility to secure approval of any such protocols before the research is undertaken.
Preparation of Thesis
The thesis is the most important document that the Ph.D. candidate will prepare during the course of graduate study and is a record of the scientific accomplishments that justify the awarding of the degree. Consequently, MCGSBS has developed standards for its format and style, which should be closely followed. MCGSBS Thesis Guidelines for Ph.D. thesis are available on the MCGSBS intranet site under For Students/General Forms/Resources.
Fellowship Award Submission
Students must submit an application for extramural fellowship award or equivalent during their training.
- All Ph.D. students must submit a fellowship application, preferably during their 2nd year of study but by end of 3rd year. (Applies to students who matriculated in 2020 or after.) Alternatives for international students are explained in the Academic Success and Graduation Requirements Policy.
- Students unable to identify an external organization to apply for a fellowship award must submit an F31 grant application template internally to the graduate school to meet this graduation requirement.
For more details, see the Fellowship Application and Award Policy on the MCGSBS Policies and Procedures intranet site.
Publication Requirement
Ph.D. thesis research must make a substantial contribution to the biomedical literature and preparing work for publication is an important part of research training. The expectation is that student thesis research will result in multiple publications, with the requirement for graduation of a minimum of one peer-reviewed first-authored original paper accepted for publication. Students are required to indicate in publications their affiliation with and support from MCGSBS. Exceptions to the publication requirement must be submitted as a recommendation from the TAC with endorsement from the program director, and approval by the MCGSBS Education Committee. For more details, see the Publication Requirement Policy and Publication Exception Request Procedure on the MCGSBS Policies and Procedures intranet site.
Final Oral Examination
The final oral examination will be scheduled after 1) the written qualifying and oral qualifying examinations have been passed, 2) MCGSBS has completed a graduation clearance audit confirming that all course and non-course requirements have been met, and 3) a a TAC Progress Report is submitted to MCGSBS reflecting TAC approval that student is ready to defend. For more details, see the Final Oral Examination-Thesis Defense Procedure on the MCGSBS Policies and Procedures intranet site.
Final Thesis Corrections
After the student has passed the final oral examination, the student has no more than 30 days from the defense date to complete all post-defense requirements, including final thesis corrections. The chair of the Thesis Advisory Committee must sign a form verifying the final corrections to the thesis have been made. MCGSBS will not certify completion of degree requirements until the final thesis has been submitted. If a student does not meet the thesis corrections deadline, they will be required to re-defend their thesis.
The final thesis is uploaded into ProQuest for publication with the option of adding a publication hold if needed. If a student does not wish to have their thesis published, they must submit a PDF version of the final thesis to the graduate school by their student end date.
This is a suggested sequence based on a summer term start. Individual course plans may vary depending on true start date, program, and research interests. Be sure to confirm you have met your requirements using your degree planning tool. Course offerings may vary slightly. Current course offerings are posted in the course catalog.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| First Year - Summer Term | ||
| MGS 5000 | Foundational Skills | 1 |
| MGS 5010 | Rigor, Reproducibility, and Experimental Design | 1 |
| MGS 5020 | Statistics for Biomedical Research | 1 |
| MGS 5030 | Core Concepts in Genome Dynamics, Biochemistry, and Cellular Biology | 3 |
| MGS 5102 | Ph.D. Laboratory Rotation | 2 |
| MGS 6000 | Responsible Conduct of Research | 1 |
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| First Year - Fall Term | ||
| MGS 5107 | Ph.D. Laboratory Rotation | 2 |
| MGS 5108 | Ph.D. Laboratory Rotation | 2 |
| IMM 5100 | Basic Graduate Immunology | 3 |
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| First Year - Winter Term | ||
| VGT 5700 | Virology and Gene Therapy | 3 |
| Electives | ||
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| First Year - Spring Term | ||
| VGT 6884 | Viral Disease Tutorial | 2 |
| VGT 6886 | Molecular Virology Tutorial | 2 |
| Electives | ||
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Second Year - Summer Term | ||
| MGS 5050 | Critical Thinking and Scientific Writing | 2 |
| Electives | ||
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Second Year - Fall Term | ||
| MGS 5051 | Critical Thinking and Scientific Writing, Part II | 1 |
| VGT 6740 | Viruses and Vectors Journal Club | 1 |
| VGT 6745 | Current Topics in Virology and Gene Therapy | 1 |
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Second Year - Winter Term | ||
| MGS 6890 | Predoctoral Research | 3 |
| Tutorial | 2 | |
| Electives | ||
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Second Year - Spring Term | ||
| MGS 6890 | Predoctoral Research | 3 |
| VGT 6888 | Molecular Therapy Tutorial | 2 |
| Electives | ||
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Third Year - Summer Term | ||
| MGS 6890 | Predoctoral Research | 3 |
| Electives | ||
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Third Year - Fall Term | ||
| MGS 6890 | Predoctoral Research | 3 |
| VGT 6740 | Viruses and Vectors Journal Club | 1 |
| VGT 6745 | Current Topics in Virology and Gene Therapy | 1 |
| Electives 1 | ||
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Third Year - Winter Term | ||
| MGS 6890 | Predoctoral Research | 3 |
| Electives 1 | ||
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Third Year - Spring Term | ||
| MGS 6890 | Predoctoral Research | 3 |
| Electives 1 | ||
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Fourth Year - Summer Term | ||
| MGS 6890 | Predoctoral Research | 3 |
| Electives 1 | ||
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Fourth Year - Fall Term | ||
| MGS 6890 | Predoctoral Research | 3 |
| VGT 6740 | Viruses and Vectors Journal Club | 1 |
| VGT 6745 | Current Topics in Virology and Gene Therapy | 1 |
| Electives 1 | ||
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Fourth Year - Winter Term 2 | ||
| MGS 6890 | Predoctoral Research | 3 |
| Electives 1 | ||
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Fourth Year - Spring Term | ||
| MGS 6890 | Predoctoral Research | 3 |
| Electives 1 | ||
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Fifth Year - Summer Term | ||
| MGS 6890 | Predoctoral Research | 3 |
| Electives 1 | ||
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Fifth Year - Fall Term | ||
| MGS 6890 | Predoctoral Research | 3 |
| Electives 1 | ||
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Fifth Year - Winter Term | ||
| MGS 6890 | Predoctoral Research | 3 |
| Electives 1 | ||
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Fifth Year - Spring Term | ||
| MGS 6890 | Predoctoral Research | 3 |
| Electives 1 | ||
- 1
Only if needed
- 2
Minimum required credits met by end of this term