GRADUATE
PROGRAM
Program of Study
The Department
of Pharmacology and Toxicology offers a Ph.D. program for qualified
individuals. The program represents a
flexible, research-oriented approach designed to develop the interests,
capabilities and potential of all participants.
Prerequisites usually include a strong background in biology and/or
chemistry and an interest in scientific research. The student-faculty ratio is low to permit
maximum mentoring of students. The
program is individually adapted to provide students with a diversified
background in the pharmacological and toxicological sciences with a heavy
emphasis on state-of-the-art research that begins at the earliest possible
opportunity for each student. There is a
combined M.D./Ph.D.
program also available through the School
of Medicine. Independent work is the key to the Ph.D. and
the awarding of such a degree indicates that the faculty considers the
individual capable of initiating and completing quality research.
The Curriculum
The curriculum
is designed to provide a solid understanding in the disciplines of pharmacology
and toxicology while also exposing students to the breadth of research techniques
from the molecular and cellular to the integrative and systems level of
pharmacology and toxicology. Students
complete basic graduate-level courses in biochemistry, physiology, molecular
biology, neurobiology and pharmacology and may then select from a large number
of advanced courses offered by the department or other departments within the
School of Medicine. A typical program
consists of a minimum of 40 semester hours in graduate-level courses combined
with individualized instruction in current laboratory methods for research.
Doctoral Qualifying Procedures
Students work
with all faculty members during their first year in the program before
selecting a preceptor for directing the student’s thesis research at the end of
the first year. By the end of the second year, students should successfully
pass a comprehensive qualifying examination that includes a thesis research
proposal. After the doctoral candidacy
examination is passed, a student is admitted to candidacy for the degree and
thesis research proceeds until completion.
Committee acceptance of a written doctoral thesis and successful defense
of the thesis are the final degree requirements.
Research
Facilities
The Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology occupies half of the sixth floor
of the Brody School of Medicine. The Brody Medical Sciences Building has modern
research and support facilities, an excellent Health Science Library located in
the Allied Health Sciences Complex as well as a number of specialized core facilities
for conducting state of the art research. The Brody School of Medicine adjoined
by the College of Allied Health Sciences, the College of Nursing, the Pitt
County Memorial Hospital and other university and county facilities comprises a
100-acre west campus that will also contain the School of Dentistry scheduled
to open in the fall of 2011. Research by
the faculty is supported by grants from several different agencies including
the National Institutes of Health, the North Carolina Biotechnology Center and
private foundations. Students are encouraged to present their research results
at local, national and international meetings.
Many investigators have collaborative research arrangements with other
research facilities in the Brody School of Medicine, the University, the state,
the nation and overseas.
Financial
Aid
Full-time doctoral students (North Carolina residents and U.S. citizens
preferred) are eligible for annual graduate fellowships of $23,000 (without
regard for dependency status) plus tuition and fees and individual health
insurance provided through a group policy paid for by the Graduate School. While these students are responsible for
paying in-State tuition and fees, they are reimbursed for this expense for the
Fall and Spring semesters but not for Summer. However, fellowships will not be awarded if
the quality of the available applicants does not meet the standards of the
program. While the guidelines of the program preclude a student from holding
part-time employment outside the department, spouses (U.S. nationals & residents only) can usually
secure employment in the thriving Greenville
area.
Student
Group
The Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology has 10 students in various stages
of training. These students come from many different geographical locations
within the United States
as well as from other countries. Total graduate enrollment in the basic
sciences within the School
of Medicine is
approximately 52 students. The small numbers of students, the high
faculty/student ratio and the collegial atmosphere provide for
individualization of curricula and training and easy access to faculty members
and support facilities.
Applying to the Program
It is the policy of the Department to limit acceptance into the graduate
program to those students who, in the judgment of the faculty as a whole, have
the potential to become outstanding scientists.
Application forms to the graduate school may be accessed on-line (on-line application and information). Additional information on the application
process may be obtained from the Director for the graduate program in the
Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology or the Dean of the Graduate School of
East Carolina University. Students with strong backgrounds in the biological
and chemical sciences are encouraged to apply.
The basic entrance requirements are flexible but a baccalaureate degree
from an accredited institution is required and applicants should possess knowledge
of organic chemistry, biology, physics and mathematics. Applicants will be judged on the basis of
grade-point average, GRE results, letters of recommendation, a personal
statement and the results of personal interviews when possible. The department does not use a predetermined
formula as a basis for acceptance.
Rather, all available information is considered in making final
decisions. International students must
submit scores for the TOEFL as well. All
materials must be received by June 15 in order to be considered for admission
in the fall semester, although decisions are made as the applications are
received in the year.
