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Program Learning Outcomes

PhD Program Learning Outcomes

MCD Biology PhD Core Competencies: The PhD program aims to build a set of core competencies that will ensure success in graduate school and beyond. These competencies are summarized below:

• Critical Analysis: The ability to evaluate data both critically and objectively is an important core competency. Students need to learn how to critically evaluate scientific data and hypotheses, with emphasis on correct controls, accuracy, reproducibility. This is a transferable skill that will help students in all career paths.
• Experimental Design and Interpretation: Students need to be able to frame hypotheses that are testable and design experiments to effectively test these hypotheses. Students also need to know that experiments are done to test, rather than prove, hypotheses. They need to be able to interpret experimental results in the context of a hypothesis, ensure that conclusions do not go beyond the data, and to have the courage to speculate in a responsible manner.
• Experimental Methods: Solving difficult research problems increasingly requires interdisciplinary approaches that use diverse methodologies. Students need to be aware of the diverse methodologies that can be used to solve problems, understand the strengths and weaknesses of each method, and when they are best applied.
• Rigor and Reproducibility: Students need to learn best practices for how to design, execute, and interpret experiments in ways that ensure that results are robust, rigorous, and reproducible.
• Quantitative and Computational Skills: Interpretation of research data increasingly requires quantitative, computational, and statistical analysis. Students need to learn and gain experience identifying and using appropriate statistical tests and understand the roles that statistical analyses serve in pursuing rigorous, and reproducible science.
• Teaching and Mentoring: Almost all of our graduate students advance into careers in biotech or academia where they serve as teachers, mentors or supervisors for junior researchers. Students need to learn how to teach and lead discussions. They also need opportunities to mentor and supervise students. Students interested in teaching careers should have opportunities to participate in workshops designed to hone and practice their teaching skills.
• Communication: Communication of research findings, as well as communication between team members, are critical for success in diverse careers. Students should be trained in effective writing and oral presentation.
• Ethics and Responsible Conduct of Research: Ethical conduct in the lab and in research is a key competency. Students need training in ethics, including proper note keeping, ethical treatment of experimental animals, appropriate interpersonal behavior in the lab, and should be made aware of different forms of fraud ranging from falsification of data to plagiarism in courses.
• Deep Knowledge of a Specific Field: During their thesis research, students need to gain a deep knowledge of the historical, experimental and conceptual basis of a specific field, including how key questions were addressed and breakthroughs made. Students need to learn how to design and lead a project that moves the field forward.

MS Program Learning Outcomes

MCD Biology MS graduates will be able to:

• Demonstrate understanding of fundamental concepts, mastery of relevant experimental and theoretical techniques and empirical knowledge in their specific field.
• Identify a novel research project/problem, develop a plan to execute/solve it and complete the project with the goal of adding new knowledge to their field.
• Communicate fundamental knowledge of their field of research, as well as details of their own research in both written and oral form to expert and non-expert audiences.