The Medical Sciences graduate program provides students with resources, formal course work and the experimental research frame that leads to earning a degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). Our holistic curriculum teaches critical thinking and promotes interdisciplinary training with core values in Rigor, Reproducibility, and Responsible Conduct of Research. The research core competencies are complemented with communication, grantsmanship, career development, and leadership skills. Students are expected to demonstrate the highest research and professional skills to transcend their knowledge to other disciplines and solve problems systematically and collaboratively with other scientists.

The research, coursework and professional skills developed during the program will provide a three-dimensional view that expands the students' research interests blurring with other student areas and becoming interdisciplinary to solve global and complex questions through collaborative work. It is expected that research worthy of a PhD will constitute a significant contribution to the field in general and should be publishable in a peer-reviewed journal. Evaluation of the quality and quantity of the student's research will be the responsibility of the student's Advisory Committee before the students defend their PhD dissertation.

Admission is based on undergraduate and academic records, research experience, and letters of recommendation. Students who join the program are allowed to select one of our two sites: Bryan/College Station campus or Houston. The two locations provide different cultures and environments, both with equivalent resources and coursework with which to pursue graduate studies in the medical sciences.