The Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Baylor College of Medicine is among the top 10 percent of American graduate schools according to U.S. News & World Report.  Situated in Houston, TX, we are centrally located in the hub of the 4th largest and most diverse cities in the country. Earning a Ph.D. from a medical institution rather than an undergraduate university offers many unique benefits. The type of research being conducted at medical institutions is one important difference. Our world-class faculty members are exploring questions that have the potential to impact human health, and the collaboration between our graduate school faculty and physicians means bench discoveries are applied to patients expeditiously.

The type of research being conducted at medical institutions is one important difference. Our world-class faculty members are exploring questions that have the potential to impact human health, and the collaboration between our graduate school faculty and physicians means bench discoveries are applied to patients expeditiously. Graduate students can choose to work with more than 300 faculty members pursuing a wide range of exciting research projects in areas such as:

• Aging
• Cancer, cell cycle, and growth control
• Developmental biology
• Gene expression and regulation
• Gene therapy
• Genetics of inherited diseases
• Genomics and proteomics
• Immunology/autoimmunity
• Infectious disease
• Microbiology and virology
• Protein structure and function
• Signal transduction and membrane biology
• Small molecule drug screens/development
• Stem cell biology
• Structural and computational biology
• Systems, cognitive and computational neuroscience

Degree Programs

Graduate students can choose to work with more than 300 faculty members pursuing a wide range of exciting research projects over 12 different programs:

Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
The Biochemistry & Molecular Biology program features cross-disciplinary approaches to research in biochemistry, cell biology, developmental biology, and structural biology.

Developmental Biology (Interdepartmental/Interinstitutional)
The Interinstitutional Program in Developmental Biology provides a wide spectrum of exciting research possibilities and a broad cross-disciplinary training in molecular biology, cell biology, biochemistry, genetics, and genomics. How a single cell develops into a complex organism is at the forefront of basic science research and is of direct and fundamental relevance to human development, disease, and stem cell therapy. Students typically graduate with an excellent publication record and go on to successful careers.

Integrative Molecular and Biomedical Sciences (Interdepartmental/Interinstitutional)The Integrative Molecular and Biomedical Sciences graduate program is an interdepartmental and multidisciplinary program with more than 115 faculty members whose research interests include: disease mechanisms; gene regulation; developmental biology; signal transduction; structural and computational biology; aging; cancer, cell cycle and growth control; genomics and proteomics; microbiology; virology; and immunology. The program provides a flexible curriculum and fosters faculty-student interactions by means of individual counseling, small group courses, seminars, and a research symposium.

Molecular and Cellular Biology
The Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology is internationally acclaimed for its outstanding research and graduate program. Faculty research interests are diverse and include: aging, cancer biology (breast, prostate and skin), cell cycle regulation, chromatin and transcription factors, cellular signaling, developmental biology, diabetes and molecular metabolism, molecular biology of nuclear receptors and co-activators, molecular genetics and KO mice, gene therapy, molecular neurobiology, reproductive biology and stem cell biology.

Molecular and Human Genetics
The Graduate Program in Molecular and Human Genetics provides training in classical and modern genetics of humans and model organisms, bioinformatics, and genomics. The broad research interests of the department include the principles of DNA replication and repair, DNA recombination, cell division, aging, cancer, development, learning, memory and social behavior.

Molecular Physiology & Biophysics
The Department of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics utilizes world-class technologies to understand disease mechanisms. The faculty members are very interactive with ongoing research in the areas of learning and memory, cell motility, protein structure and function, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, skeletal muscle diseases, Sandhoff’s disease, cystic fibrosis, and cardiovascular disease.

Molecular Virology & Microbiology
The Ph.D. program in Molecular Virology & Microbiology offers comprehensive and multidisciplinary training in virology and microbiology, and their many health-related implications.

Neuroscience
Graduate studies in Neuroscience provide training from leading investigators on how the molecular, cellular, and network properties of the brain give rise to processes such as attention, reasoning, memory, perception, and motor control in health and disease throughout the lifespan. Graduates are extremely competitive for obtaining prestigious positions at leading biomedical and liberal arts academic research institutions and in industry.

Pathology and Immunology
The Department of Pathology and Immunology offers an outstanding graduate program with training in a wide range of basic and translational research. Faculty research encompasses cancer immunology and inflammatory mechanisms, gene therapy and genetic vaccines, immune-related diseases such as asthma and AIDS, lymphocyte activation; development of T and B lymphocytes and dendritic cells, and antigen presentation.

Pharmacology
The Department of Pharmacology’s faculty members are involved in a variety of research interests in pharmacology and molecular biology. Program graduates are equipped with the tools and knowledge required to attack the unsolved problems of drug actions, gene regulation, control of the cell cycle, and the development of new drugs and approaches to medical problems.

Structural & Computational Biology & Molecular Biophysics (Interdepartmental/Interinstitutional)
The Structural and Computational Biology & Molecular Biophysics Program is interdisciplinary and cross-institutional, enlisting faculty from six institutions in the Houston area. Research activities include quantitative and physical approaches to molecular and cell biology, biophysics, genomics, proteomics, neuroscience, nanobiology, molecular design, drug design, and medicine.

Translational Biology & Molecular Medicine (Interdepartmental/Interinstitutional)
Translational Biology & Molecular Medicine is an interdepartmental program uniquely designed to provide outstanding training in biomedical research at the interface of the basic sciences and clinical medicine.

Combined Degree Programs

Clinical Scientist Training Program
The Clinical Scientist Training Program is committed to educating and training highly motivated individuals to become successful, independent clinical investigators and future leaders in academic medicine and biomedical research. It is designed primarily for junior faculty and senior sub-specialty fellows. You must have an appointment at BCM in order to be eligible to apply for this program.

M.D./Ph.D. Program
Combined M.D./Ph.D. degree training at BCM, located in the largest medical center in the world, gives future physician scientists the opportunity to learn and work in an environment conducive to tremendous growth and success that can lead to significant scientific contributions in future research endeavors and clinical practice.

Chat with live program representatives throughout the fair, or click here to learn more our programs.

Tuition & Other Financial Information

Our students receive a competitive stipend, a tuition scholarship, and health insurance at no cost to the student. Stipends will increase over the next several years as shown below:

$30,000 for the current Academic Year 2016/17
$31,000 for Academic Year 2017/18
$32,000 for Academic Year 2018/19

Highlights

• The Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Baylor College of Medicine offers 12 Ph.D. programs, as well as a highly competitive M.D., Ph.D. program. Each of these paths has internationally recognized faculty, including members of the National Academy of Science, investigators in the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and recipients of a variety of other prestigious awards.
• Ranked 1st in Texas in funding from the National Institutes of Health
• Ranked as one of the top medical schools for research in U.S. News & World Report
• The only free-standing medical school ranked among the top 50 U.S. colleges and universities for research expenditures by BestColleges.com
• Ranked fourth among the nation's medical schools by Studentdoc.com
• Received $403 million in total funding for sponsored projects in fiscal year 2015
• Over $124 million in cumulative funding from 2007 to 2015 from CPRIT, the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas