Program Overview

Graduate Programs

The Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences offers a unified program devoted to outstanding research and teaching in all areas of genetics, with particular emphases on genetics and genomics, human and model system genetics, animal models of human disease, stem cell models of human disease, epigenetics and the regulation of gene expression, therapeutic targets of human genetic disease, as well as developmental genetics.

PhD Program

The PhD program in Genetics and Genome Sciences has maintained an active student body for many years and consistently has 25-30 students enrolled. The student body provides the momentum and driving force for research in the department. During the last six years, GGS students published 1st author papers in Cell Stem Cell, Genome Research, Nature, Nature Biotechnology, Nature Genetics, Science, and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Since 2012, eight GGS students have been awarded pre-doctoral fellowships from American Heart Association and the National Institutes of Health.

• Courses
• Plan of Study
• Program Requirements
• Guidelines and Forms

The department has a strong, long-standing commitment to providing excellence in graduate education. The department offers a well-developed training program that integrates courses, workshops, journal clubs and student seminars to help students to develop research capabilities as well as other crucial skills such as oral and written presentations. Students are expected to present a research seminar annually to the department followed by a brief session that critiques the presentation by faculty members. The graduate program directors, the department chair and the thesis committee chair formally review students' academic progress annually. The time to degree is 5.42 years. The program supports students' career development by advising students on teaching opportunities, obtaining clinical laboratory experience, etc.

Application Process

Applications to the PhD program in Genetics and Genome Sciences are through the Biomedical Scientist Training Program (BSTP), which provides access to most of the biomedical science PhD programs at CWRU during the first semester. The BSTP is a highly competitive program. Applications are accepted until January 1.

Research Areas

The department conducts internationally recognized research programs in the following areas:

• Human Genetics and Disease
• Cancer Genomics
• Developmental Biology and Stem Cell
• Epigenetics
• RNA Biology
• Computational Biology
• Therapeutics

Affiliated Programs

The Department has several affiliated programs that provide additional research and training opportunities, including:

• Center for Human Genetics
• Genomic Medicine Institute

Other Programs

The Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences also offers the following programs:

• MD/PhD Program
• Genetic Counseling Training Program
• MS Computational Genomic Medicine
• Functional Genomics Training Program