CBTP Sample Curriculum

Semester Course Title Credit Hours
Year 1 Fall CBIO 453* Cell Biology I 4
Year 1 Fall CBIO 455* Molecular Biology I 4
Year 1 Fall BSTP 400^ Research Rotations 1
Year 1 Fall Total   9
Mentor and track chosen   
Year 1 Spring Path 510 Basic Pathol Mech 4
Year 1 Spring Path 520 + 521 Basic Cancer Biol Interface Clin Oncol 4
Year 1 Spring IBMS 500 Being a Prof Scient 0
Year 1 Spring Path 512 Exp Path Seminar II 1
Year 1 Spring Total   9
Year 1 Summer RSCH 750 Summer Rsch-PhD 0
Year 1 Summer Total   0
Thesis committee chosen; preproposal committee meeting scheduled   
Year 2 Fall Path 511 Exp Path Seminar I 1
Year 2 Fall   CBTP Track Elective 3
Year 2 Fall   Electives (Core, CBTP Track or Other)** 3
Year 2 Fall Path 601 Special Problems 2
Year 2 Fall Total   9
Thesis proposal defense and advancement to candidacy within next 9 months (note: petition to convert 601 credits to 701 credits for semester in which advancement occurs)   
Year 2 Spring Path 512 Exp Path Seminar II Participate without registering
Year 2 Spring   Electives (Core, CBTP Track or Other)** 4-6
Year 2 Spring Path 601 or 701 Special Problems or Dissertation PhD 3-5
Year 2 Spring Total   9
Year 2 Summer RSCH 750# Summer Rsch-PhD 0
Year 2 Summer Total   0
Thesis proposal defense and advancement to candidacy must be completed (note: petition to convert 601 credits to 701 credits for semester in which advancement occurs)   
Year 3 Fall Path 511 Exp Path Seminar I Participate without registering
Year 3 Fall Path 701*** Dissertation PhD 9
Year 3 Fall Total   9
Year 3 Spring Path 512 Exp Path Seminar II Participate without registering
Year 3 Spring Path 701*** Dissertation PhD 9 (but no more than required to total 18 all semesters combined)
Year 3 Spring Total   9
Year 3 Summer RSCH 750# Summer Rsch-PhD 0
Year 3 Summer Total   0
Year 4 Fall Path 511 Exp Path Seminar I Participate without registering
Year 4 Fall Path 701*** Dissertation PhD 1
Year 4 Fall Total   1
Year 4 Spring Path 512 Exp Path Seminar II Participate without registering
Year 4 Spring Path 701*** Dissertation PhD 1
Year 4 Spring Total   1
Year 4 Summer RSCH 750# Summer Rsch-PhD 0
Year 4 Summer Total   0
Year 5 Fall Path 511 Exp Path Seminar I Participate without registering
Year 5 Fall Path 701*** Dissertation PhD 1
Year 5 Fall Total   1
Year 5 Spring Path 512 Exp Path Seminar II Participate without registering
Year 5 Spring Path 701*** Dissertation PhD 1
Year 5 Spring Total   1

*Alternate courses for MSTP students: IBIS 401-404. MSTP students in the CBTP do not need to take CBIO 453, CBIO 455, PATH 510 or PATH 416, although PATH 416 may still be taken as a Track Elective.
^Alternate course is MSTP 400 for MSTP students and PATH 601 for direct admit students.
#Exception: Take 1-3 credits of PATH 701 if this will accelerate graduation. Also, take 1 credit of PATH 701 if the PhD thesis will be completed in the summer semester (including anytime after the end of the spring semester).

**PATH 416 Fundamental Immunology is included as a Track Elective for CBTP students.

***Students should take only the minimum number of PATH 701 credits needed to attain 18 total credits of PATH 701 (all semesters combined) and a minimum of 1 credit of PATH 701 thereafter (registering for more credits of PATH 701 incurs unnecessary tuition charges). For example, a student may maintain full time student status while registered for only a single credit (of PATH 701) in a semester. If needed to satisfy the terms of certain fellowships or grants, PATH 703 Dissertation Fellowship (no tuition charge) may be used to provide additional credits up to 9 total credits per semester, but most students do not need to do this. After advancing to candidacy, a student should register for PATH 701, not PATH 601, and may register for up to 9 credits of PATH 701. Even prior to advancing to candidacy, if a student has completed 36 "foundation" credits of graduate courses (at least 24 of which must be graded courses), the student should enroll in as many credits of PATH 701 as possible up to a maximum of 6 credits with the remaining credits to be graded courses or PATH 601. In the semester in which the student advances to candidacy, any PATH 601 credits for that semester that are beyond the 36 "foundation" credits should be converted to PATH 701 by petition to Graduate Studies. Students registering for PATH 601, 651 or 701 must indicate their Thesis Advisor as the Instructor. If a Class Section does not exist with your Thesis Advisor as Instructor, please see the Student Affairs Coordinator to add the Section in order for you to register.

NOTE: Schedule beyond year 5 will generally be the same as for year 5.