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Program Framework

Biological Chemistry Program Overview
The Biological Chemistry Program (BCP) is an NIH supported graduate training program that can be joined as a track through three departments: Chemistry, Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics, and the Medicinal Chemistry Division of Pharmacology & Toxicology. The program is interdisciplinary and students undertake research rotations, courses and seminars involving all three departments. The background for BCP students is expected to include a year of biochemistry and a year of physical chemistry. In our program, students:

• Satisfy all home department requirements. It is expected that students will remain in good academic standing in their home department, and will achieve candidacy and the Ph.D. degree through that department.
  
• Undertake research rotations in at least two departments. Generally, 2 rotations are taken in the fall and 2 in the spring of the first year, and, for BCP students, laboratories in at least two BCP departments must be included BCP faculty, research interests and current rotation opportunities are listed on our web page http://www.biochem.arizona.edu/bcp. Students often choose their thesis advisor by spring break and the fourth rotation can be in this lab even if previously visited. A rotation poster session is held during our Journal Club after each rotation period. Students are expected to devote 10-15 hours per week to the rotation and will receive a grade. Rotations are an excellent hands-on opportunity to learn about a new area of research as well as for learning more about a potential thesis lab. Students are encouraged to use one of their rotations for something completely out of their experience – for example, a synthetic chemist might try cloning and expressing a protein.
  
• Undertake two cross-disciplinary core courses and an ethics course. BCP students must use two of their electives for core courses outside of their home department, for example a Biochemistry student would take core courses in Chemistry and Medicinal Chemistry in addition to satisfying the Biochemistry core curriculum. Currently approved cross-disciplinary core courses are listed below. Students must also take an ethics course such as MCB695e.
  
• Undertake thesis research with any of the ~35 BCP faculty, regardless of home department. Although most students will have a thesis advisor from their home department, we offer the opportunity for BCP students to work with any of the BCP faculty.
  
• Assemble a thesis committee with at least one member outside of the home department. Generally this person will be a BCP faculty member with cross-disciplinary interests in the student’s research area. Students are encouraged to use this as a means for initiating cross-disciplinary collaborations.
  
• Attend the weekly BCP Journal Club. Students are expected to attend throughout their graduate careers. Generally, students will present rotation posters in the Journal Club during their first year and full research seminars in their third year of study.
  
• Are eligible for BCP fellowships. Applications are solicited each spring; awards are made based on merit, generally within the second and third years.