Best Universities offering graduate programs in Physiology, Cellular and Molecular Physiology

The Cellular and Molecular Physiology offers graduate education through the combined Program in Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS). Students in the BBS program are admitted via 1 of 7 tracks, based on areas of research interest.

The goal of our graduate program is to prepare doctoral students for research careers in integrated biological function. Students develop and pursue individually tailored course curricula to provide them with a broad knowledge of biomedical sciences as well as to focus on areas of particular interest. The department expects students to acquire coherent knowledge of interrelated biophysical-physiological problems at several distinct levels: organ system function, cell and tissue behavior, and subcellular-molecular processes.

This handbook is provided as a reference for students pursuing their Ph.D. in the Cellular and Molecular Physiology. It provides a detailed description of the policies.

Students enrolled in the Cellular and Molecular Physiology Graduate Program are required to pass at least six graduate-level courses in the first year and a half to two years. Three courses are mandatory, two other advanced courses are selected from a recommended list, and one is fully elective. The courses should form a coherent background for the expected area of dissertation research. In addition, teaching is an important component of graduate training in the department and students are required to assist in teaching at least two semester-long courses.

In the second year, students must pass a qualifying examination. The examination consists of a written proposal, followed by a public presentation of the proposal by the student and an oral examination session by a Qualifying Examination Committee. After successful passage of the qualifying examination and required coursework, students submit a dissertation prospectus and are admitted to candidacy for the PhD degree. Completion of the degree requires the submission and oral defense of a dissertation describing original research under the supervision of the research advisor.

Students interested in joining the Cellular and Molecular Physiology program should combined graduate program in Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS), and specifically select the Molecular Medicine, Pharmacology, and Physiology (MMPP) track.

All students joining the BBS program are guaranteed funding for the duration of their Ph.D. research. Outside fellowships are also available through the NIH National Research Service Awards (NRSA) and NSF. information available to graduate students is available here.

Admission to the graduate program is administered through the Combined Program in Biological and Biomedical Sciences. information is available here.

This program is located on the Health Sciences campus in the College of Physicians and Surgeons. The degree for this program is conferred by GSAS, but program specifics, such as admissions, degree requirements, and financial aid, are administered by the College of Physicians and Surgeons.

The objective of our graduate program is to provide a stimulating and supportive environment which enables graduate students to acquire fundamental training in cellular and molecular biology and biophysics while participating in the rich intellectual life of Columbia University.

The department welcomes applications from highly motivated students who have completed a bachelor degree or its equivalent. Admission to the program is based on academic record, recommendations, GRE scores, and a personal interview. Applicants must submit GRE scores including the advanced test in either biology, chemistry, physics, or mathematics. Prerequisites include differential and integral calculus, biostatistics, physics, general and organic chemistry, physical chemistry, and biology or biochemistry. Students may make up specific deficiencies after admission. There is no language requirement. Computer literacy is recommended. is available for all qualified students.

The PhD program provides advanced training in biochemistry, biophysics, and cell and molecular biology in addition to thesis research. Specific processes under study include analysis of the principles that determine how neural networks develop and mediate behavior, how neural interactions are changed when learning occurs, neural control of endocrine secretion, structure and developmental biology of the spinal cord, the physical basis for ion selectivity in channels of excitable membranes, neuromuscular transmission, development of the kidney, epithelial transport of salt and water, structure of biological membranes, biophysical properties of blood cells, mechanisms of phagocytosis, structure and function of surface receptors of leukocytes and endothelial cells, transport of water across cellular membranes, structure and function of mammalian glucose transporters, and cellular immunology. Diseases under study include AIDS, Alzheimer’s disease, atherosclerosis, cystic fibrosis, diabetes, hypertension, Legionnaires disease, septic shock, and tuberculosis.

Fellowships are awarded in recognition of academic achievement and in expectation of scholarly success. Teaching and research experience are considered an important aspect of the training of graduate students. Thus, graduate fellowships include some teaching and research apprenticeship.

Office of Graduate Affairs Room 205, Hammer Health Sciences Center 701 W.

The Molecular and Cellular Physiology is located in the Beckman Center for Molecular and Genetic Medicine.

A central goal of physiology in the post-genomic era is to understand how thousands of encoded proteins serve to bring the highly coordinated behavior of cells and tissues. Research in the department approaches this goal at many levels of organization, ranging from single molecules and individual cells to multicellular systems and the whole organism. Research programs employ a wide range of approaches, including molecular and cell biology, biochemistry, genetics, biophysics, x-ray crystallography and solution NMR, electrophysiology, and in vitro and in vivo imaging with confocal and multi-photon microscopy.

The department offers required and elective courses for students in the School of Medicine and is also open to other qualified students with the consent of the instructor. Training of medical, graduate, and postdoctoral students is available. The program offers a course of study leading to the Ph.D. degree. No B.S. is offered, and an M.S. is offered only in the unusual circumstance where a student completes the course work, rotation, and the written section of the qualifying exam, but is unable to complete the requirements for the Ph.D.

Applications are made through the Graduate Admissions web site.

Students admitted to the program are offered covering tuition, a living stipend, and insurance coverage. Applicants are urged to for independent fellowships such as from the National Science Foundation. Fellowship applications are due in November of the year prior to matriculation in the graduate program, but MCP graduate students may continue to for outside fellowships after matriculation. Because of the small number of department-funded slots, students who have been awarded an outside fellowship have an improved chance of acceptance into the program.

Doctor of Philosophy in Molecular and Cellular Physiology.

Candidates for Ph.D. degrees at Stanford must satisfactorily complete a program of study that includes 135 units of graduate course work and research.

Advanced graduate courses or mini-courses for a minimum of 6 units total. These courses do not need to be MCP courses but must be in relevant scientific topic and approved by the Director of Graduate Studies.

Students are also required to participate in the Molecular and Cellular Physiology Seminar Series and attend the department scientific meeting.

Students should complete their required courses within the first two years of study. Exceptions may be made in cases where it was impossible to schedule courses because they were not offered within a student’s first two years. Students may petition the MCP graduate committee for variances in the specific courses required, and such petitions may be granted in special circumstances, in cases where a student’s progress is otherwise exemplary.

All students in the program must pass a qualifying examination to advance to candidacy for the Ph.D. It is expected that students take the qualifying examination by the end of the Autumn Quarter in the second year of study. Failure to take the qualifying exam by the end of Autumn Quarter of the second year of study is taken as evidence of unsatisfactory progress in the program. In any case where a student thinks they need additional time to schedule and take their exam, a request must be submitted in writing to the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) by November 15 of Autumn Quarter. The DGS may opt to grant additional time in compelling circumstances that do not indicate poor progress, or may refer the matter to the graduate committee for further action.

This committee should be formed by the end of Spring Quarter of the first year of study. The composition of this committee should be approved by the Director of Graduate Studies. Students should also check with the department student services office to make sure to file all required paperwork by the end of Spring Quarter. The University maintains certain deadlines for filing for candidacy, and it is the student’s responsibility to be aware of these deadlines.

A graduate advisory committee, currently professors Feng, Kobilka, Maduke and Madison, advises students during the period before the formation of their qualifying committees.

The Molecular and Cellular Physiology is committed to providing academic advising in support of graduate student scholarly and professional development. When most effective, this advising relationship entails collaborative and sustained engagement by both the adviser and the advisee. As a best practice, advising expectations should be periodically discussed and reviewed to ensure mutual understanding. Both the adviser and the advisee are expected to maintain professionalism and integrity.

Graduate students are active contributors to the advising relationship, proactively seeking academic and professional guidance and taking responsibility for informing themselves of policies and degree requirements for their graduate program.

For a statement of University policy on graduate advising, see the Graduate Advising section of this bulletin.

Diseases of the nervous system. First lecture of each week focuses on the clinical, epidemiological and behavioral aspects of a selected disease or syndrome. Second lecture exposes the cell biological, electrophysiological, biochemical and or molecular biological processes that underlie each disease presented. Instructors maintain some flexibility in the diseases chosen for elucidation, but students can expect those covered to range from the relatively straightforward, for example Multiple Sclerosis (MS) or Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), to the complex, for example, Schizophrenia or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Prerequisite: Biology or Human Biology core.

Open to graduate and medical students, and advanced s. Emphasis is on the principles of how coupling of molecular processes gives rise to essential functions at the cellular level. Mathematical models of cell function. Student presentations. Same as: MCP 256.

Hands-on, week-long immersion in methods and concepts related to the physiology of cell signaling. Required of all first-year MCP students other PhD students may enroll with consent of instructor.

This class will entail discussion of current research in Molecular and Cellular Physiology (Journal Club) and sessions devoted to career development. Enrolled learners will gain experience in designing and delivering professional oral presentations and writing accessible lay summaries of primary research. They will also receive guidance in give and receive critiques following a rubric. Learners will choose research papers following a theme to e determined collaboratively. Career and professional development class sessions will provide information on a variety of topics related to career development and strategies for navigating research environment in productive and healthy ways (see below). nThe class will meet 8 times per quarter, with 4 Journal Club and 4 Professional Development sessions per quarter. Journal Club sessions will consist of one member of the class giving an oral presentation on the topic of a current relevant research paper, followed by critique and discussion. Learners will prepare written critiques of these talks. The Professional Development session will consist of a series of lectures, discussions, or workshops designed to foster a better understanding of the practices and processes that are critical for navigating paths toward a research career, but which are not generally covered in a classroom setting. These sessions might include such topics as mentor mentee relationships, authorship, navigating peer review, issues of diversity and respectful workplace, wellness, experiences Stanford alumni in their own career paths, and other topics, including those suggested by class participants. The class will be graded on participation and on the writing assignments, including critiques and lay summaries. The course will be required for MCP graduate students in their first 3 years of study, and open to all predoctoral graduate students. The broader membership of the MCP scientific community will be encouraged to participate including postdocs (with permission of the course director).

Open to graduate and medical students, and advanced s. Emphasis is on the principles of how coupling of molecular processes gives rise to essential functions at the cellular level. Mathematical models of cell function. Student presentations. Same as: MCP 156.

Directed Reading in Molecular and Cellular Physiology.

Research fields include endocrinology, neuroendocrinology, and topics in molecular and cellular physiology. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.

Biomedical Physiology Immunotherapy integrates biological processes and interactions at the molecular, cellular and organ levels in order to understand how an organism works. Eventually an understandable model of the whole system can be developed.

The experimental approaches employ techniques that span the gamut of basic science disciplines, and range from gene manipulation to studies of the interactions among different tissues and organ systems in whole animals, including humans.

Several of our research groups make use of the entire spectrum of experimental strategies, from molecular genetics, through studies in cultured cells and isolated organs, to analysis of integrated responses involving several organ systems or the whole animal. Thus, students can acquire a broad-based and yet focused scientific experience while working on a single problem in a laboratory.

The Biomedical Physiology Immunotherapy Track offers training opportunities in endocrinology, immunology, neuroscience, and cardiovascular, renal and respiratory biology. Additional training may also be undertaken in theoretical aspects of biological control systems and in computer applications to biological problems.

Offered By: Environmental Health and Engineering.

Master of Applied Science (MAS) in Patient Safety and Healthcare Quality.

Master of Applied Science (MAS) in Population Health Management.

Master of Applied Science (MAS) in Spatial Analysis for Public Health.

Master of Arts (MA) in Geography and Environmental Engineering.

Master of Arts and Master of Science in Public Health (MA MSPH).

Master of Arts in Public Health Biology (MAPHB).

Master of Health Science (MHS) Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Master of Health Science (MHS) Epidemiology.

Master of Health Science (MHS) Mental Health.

Master of Health Science (MHS) Molecular Microbiology and Immunology.

Master of Health Science (MHS) in Environmental Health.

Master of Health Science (MHS) in Health Economics and Outcomes Research.

Master of Health Science (MHS) in Social Factors in Health.

Master of Health Science Biostatistics.

Concurrent School-Wide Master of Health Science Program in Biostatistics.

Master of Health Science Population, Family and Reproductive Health.

Master of Health Science Online (MHS) Population, Family and Reproductive Health.

Master of Health Science in Global Health Economics.

Master of Science (MS) in Geography and Environmental Engineering.

Master of Science (MS) in Occupational and Environmental Hygiene.

Master of Science (MS) in Toxicology for Human Risk Assessment.

Master of Science (ScM) Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Master of Science (ScM) Biostatistics.

Master of Science (ScM) Epidemiology.

Master of Science (ScM) Molecular Microbiology and Immunology.

Master of Science in Engineering (MSE) in Geography and Environmental Engineering.

Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH) in Health Education and Health Communication.

Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH) in Health Policy.

Master of Science in Public Health International Health.

Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH) in Global Disease Epidemiology and Control.

Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH) in Health Systems.

Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH) in Human Nutrition.

Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH) in Social and Behavioral Interventions.

Master of Science in Public Health Population, Family and Reproductive Health.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Biostatistics.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Epidemiology.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Mental Health.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Molecular Microbiology and Immunology.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Population, Family and Reproductive Health.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Geography and Environmental Engineering.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Health Policy and Management.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Social and Behavioral Sciences.

Doctor of Philosophy International Health.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Global Disease Epidemiology and Control.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Social and Behavioral Interventions.

Doctor of Medicine and Doctor of Philosophy (MD PhD).

Certificate Programs Start Terms and Application Due Dates.

Food Systems, the Environment and Public Health Certificate Program.

Healthcare Epidemiology and Infection Prevention and Control Certificate Program.

Leadership for Public Health and Healthcare Certificate Program.

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) Public Health Certificate Program.

Mental Health Policy, Economics and Services Certificate Program.

Public Health Training Certificate for American Indian Health Professionals.

Quality, Patient Safety and Outcomes Research Certificate Program.

Requirements for Successful Completion of a Certificate Program.

Rigor, Reproducibility, and Responsibility in Scientific Practice Certificate Program.

Online Professional Training in Epidemiology for Health Managers.

Mixed Methods Research Training Program for the Health Sciences.

Chronic diseases such as COPD, asthma, cancer, pulmonary fibrosis, and cardiovascular diseases are major causes of morbidity and mortality, and environmental exposures are the key drivers of these diseases. Research in the Toxicology, Physiology and Molecular Mechanisms (TPMM) track is focused on discovering novel molecular mechanisms that drive the pathophysiology of major chronic diseases, with the goal of developing prevention and therapeutic strategies to improve public health. The track is supported by NIEHS and NHLBI research training grants.

Students in this track will engage in academic training in specific areas of environmental health with in-depth courses in molecular, toxicologic, physiologic, immunologic, and pathophysiologic sciences. Prior to focusing on a specific area of thesis research, they will also obtain a broad background in environmental health sciences by taking core courses that underlie its scientific basis. Training in writing scientific papers and grant proposals is also included in the curriculum.

The track is aimed towards creating the next generation of scientists with laboratory skills to tackle complex environmental effects in individuals and in the population. Graduates can look forward to successful careers in academic or industrial research and government or regulatory agencies.

Groopman, PhD Molecular biomarkers of environmental carcinogens and chemoprevention.

Thomas Hartung, MD, PhD Developmental neurotoxicity, immunotoxicity endocrine disruption with integrated omics-technologies.

Mark Kohr, PhD Sex-dependent differences in cardiovascular physiology and disease redox signaling mechanisms.

Fenna Sillé, PhD, MS Developmental immunotoxicity in the context of chronic infectious diseases vaccine efficacy.

Shyam Biswal, PhD Molecular mechanisms, pathophysiology and therapeutics of COPD and lung cancer.

Robert A Casero, PhD Role of polyamine catabolism in inflammation-associated carcinogenesis.

James Sham, PhD Cardiac and pulmonary vascular cell physiology.

Lena Smirnova, PhD: microRNA developmental neurotoxicology gene environmental interactions in vitro toxicology iPSC-derived brain models.

Marsha Wills-Karp, PhD Genetic and environmental mechanisms of asthma and allergy.

All full-time PhD students will receive the following support for the first five years of the program: full tuition, stipend, individual health insurance, University Health Services clinic fee, vision insurance, and dental insurance.

Need-Based Relocation GrantsStudents who are admitted to PhD programs at JHU starting in Fall 2023 or beyond can apply to receive a $1500 need-based grant to offset the costs of relocating to be able to attend JHU.These grants provide funding to a portion of incoming students who, without this money, may otherwise not be able to afford to relocate to JHU for their PhD program. This is not a merit-based grant. Applications will be evaluated solely based on financial need. View information the need-based relocation grants for PhD students.

BCMB Allied ProgramToggle BCMB Allied Program menu options.

Physiology, Biophysics Systems BiologyToggle Physiology, Biophysics Systems Biology menu options.

The principal objective of the physiology course is to provide physician assistant students with a basic understanding of both cellular physiology and integrative physiology. The course introduces students to the normal vital processes of the human body. Students will be taught the characteristics of cellular structure and the cellular mechanisms that promote the maintenance of ostasis. In addition, the specific characteristics of the nervous system, the respiratory system, the endocrine system, the cardiovascular system and the kidney will be discussed in detail to provide a basis with which to compare and characterize clinical disorders. (4.0 credits).

Weill Cornell Medicine Graduate School of Medical Sciences1300 York Ave.

The graduate program in Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology offers advanced training appropriate for a large variety of careers in the fields of biology and medical sciences that include molecular and structural pharmacology and signal transduction pharmacology and physiology of neural and organ systems cellular physiology and biophysics and translational pharmacology and physiology that link basic science and medicine in the treatment of disease.

Although general GREs are required for entry into the Graduate School, our program admissions committee does not use GRE scores as an admissions cutoff. We do consider the scores, but only in combination with powerful predictors of success, such as letters of recommendation, research experience, personal statements, academic performance and interviews.

Programs of study and research are developed individually in consultation with the student advisor and advisory committees and are designed to ensure expertise in the student principal research area, while establishing a strong foundation in the broad fields of pharmacology and physiology. Admission is ordinarily limited to applicants for the Ph.D., but admissions for a fifth–year master degree only may also be permitted.

In addition to all of the basic research equipment, tools, and facilities, major shared facilities include an electron microscope facility, which houses two high–resolution transmission electron microscopes and a scanning electron microscope a professionally staffed animal–care facility fully equipped for animal maintenance, large animal surgery, and experimentation an artificial–organ laboratory a NMR facility with a 500 MHz (with cryogenic probe) spectrometer a mouse transgenic and knockout core facility a proteomics core facility including a Biacore T–100 and a molecular genetics core facility with the capacity to analyze gene–chips are available.

Students must pass a preliminary research examination according to established schedules, complete and publicly defend a doctoral dissertation, and participate in the and graduate teaching programs of the Division of Biology and Medicine. Attainment of the Ph.D. degree normally requires four to five years for Ph.D. candidates and three to four years of graduate work for M.D. Ph.D. candidates.

Visit the Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology.

The Molecular Physiology and Biophysics (MPB) is a basic science department in the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. The department has been consistently ranked in the top three physiology departments in the nation based onfunding from the National Institutes of Health, as well NRC ranking of related graduate programs.

Skip sidebar menu and go directly to main content.

Students can choose from a variety of electives across the biomedical departments to tailor the program to their interests.

Presentations will include cellular and molecular concepts, but the emphasis will be on the integrated regulation among systems.

Designed for students pursuing graduate degrees outside of biostatistics, this course provides the foundational knowledge to become informed readers of scientific research and methodologies, a key skill for the literature review paper in the spring semester. Students first learn the four pillars of exploring and displaying data appropriately, exploring relationships between two variables, issues of gathering sample data, and understanding randomness and probability. On these pillars, students then can develop the platform for statistical inference including proportions and means, multiple regression, and ANOVA.

This course covers the principles of biochemistry. The first section examines protein structure function and enzymology the middle section focuses on cell signaling, and the final section integrates it all in the context of metabolism. Current concepts regarding physiological processes at the cellular and molecular levels are investigated. The primary textbook is Lehninger Principles of Biochemistry.

This graduate course will cover the fundamental mechanisms and the pathophysiologic basis of major human diseases. It is a lecture-based course.

Students can substitute this course with the PBIO 603: Graduate Pathophysiology (3 credits) in summer.

This course is an introductory neuroscience course that emphasizes the study of the human nervous system as it applies to clinical medicine. Topics include cellular electrophysiology, anatomy of the brain, spinal cord and peripheral nervous system, the structure and function of sensory and motor systems, sleep and cognitive topics such as learning, memory and emotion. Information given in lectures is reinforced using case studies, discussions and clinical correlates.

Students must complete 10 credits of elective coursework. We require pre-med students to take PBIO 602 Biomedical Career Pathways as one of their elective credits in the fall semester.

Search the Schedule of Classes for electives offered each semester. Current students may also view the schedule on MyAccess. Note that certain listed courses may be canceled due to low registration.

Required as elective credit for all pre-med students.

This course has historically had a direct time conflict with our core courses in the fall and therefore is only available to our part-time students.

Permission of CLTR program required.

The Molecular, Cellular & Integrative Physiology (MCIP) program is an interdepartmental Ph.D. program that brings together a large group of renowned faculty to educate the next generation of scientists to explore complex biological functions. Our program is currently placed at the top of the National Research Council’s list of Ph.D. programs in Physiology. We provide our students with access to cutting-edge technology and guidance to prepare them for their own independent careers in biomedical and life science research.