The Biochemistry graduate program is designed to prepare students for successful careers in biomedical research by providing research-focused training within laboratories of member faculty. Students of the graduate program are anticipated to make seminal scientific contributions through original research and (co-)author publications within their chosen area of research.
Students enter the Biochemistry graduate program following admission into the Integrated Graduate Program (IGP), the Quantitative and Chemical Biology Graduate (QCB) Program, or the MSTP program. Direct admission to the Biochemistry graduate program is also possible. Students who enter Vanderbilt through the IGP or QCB programs normally select a mentor and Ph.D. program following laboratory rotations at the end of their second semester of study. Eligible mentors for the Biochemistry graduate program are tenured or tenure-track faculty who have a primary or secondary appointment in the Department of Biochemistry. Entry into the Biochemistry graduate program is by consent of the dissertation mentor, Director of Graduate Studies (DGS), and Chair of the Department. Acceptance is contingent upon satisfactory performance in coursework and lab rotations during the first year. Upon joining a lab, student expenses (stipend, tuition, fees, and research costs) become the responsibility of the Ph.D. advisor. When the advisor holds a secondary faculty appointment in Biochemistry, the primary department of that advisor has ultimate financial responsibility for all student expenses throughout their training. As indicated below, some decision-making within the program is made by the Biochemistry Graduate Education Advisory Committee. This committee is composed of the current DGS, the Chair of the Department, the last three faculty who previously served as the DGS, or other designates of the Chair.
The Biochemistry graduate program also allows direct admission of students in certain specific cases including a move of a new faculty member with a primary appointment in the Department of Biochemistry, where students move with a new faculty member and choose to join Biochemistry graduate program. The Biochemistry graduate program will also consider, on a case-by-case basis, direct admission of students into a current Vanderbilt Biochemistry primary faculty member’s lab.
Direct admission of students who move with a new Vanderbilt Biochemistry faculty member
The moving faculty member should email the Department Chair of Biochemistry and the Biochemistry Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) to inquire about the process for students in their lab who will move with them and desire to transfer and become a Vanderbilt Biochemistry graduate student. Another option to consider is the student can move with the moving faculty member but remain in the current graduate program, which may be desirable to the student if they are far along in their current program (e.g., beyond the qualifying exam); in this case the moving student will become a non-degree seeking student at Vanderbilt and have access to most of the resources as degree-seeking Vanderbilt students.
The Biochemistry DGS and Program Manager will work with the moving faculty member to obtain information that will be required for direct admission for transfer students including a copy of the student’s curriculum vitae (CV) and all transcripts from the student’s undergraduate and postgraduate studies. The DGS and Program Manager will use this information to prepare a credit transfer memo for the Graduate School to request the transfer of didactic credits from the student’s previous/current postgraduate studies to count towards the 24 didactic credit hour requirement.
Direct admission of students into a current Vanderbilt Biochemistry faculty member’s lab
The following outlines the policy for current Vanderbilt Biochemistry primary faculty who wish to nominate a student for direct admission into their lab. Application packages from candidates who do not have a nomination from a current Vanderbilt Biochemistry primary faculty member to join their lab will not be considered. Please contact the DGS for information on how to proceed with the application process.
Application, interview, and selection process
The Biochemistry program will conduct an application, interview, and selection process similar to the IGP and QCB programs. The student, with the Biochemistry primary faculty member’s assistance, must prepare an application package that includes their CV; previous undergraduate and postgraduate transcripts; a two-page statement of purpose (personal statement); and arrange to have three letters of reference sent directly to the DGS. The faculty member nominating the student for direct admission must provide one of the three letters of reference; this letter should state that the faculty member has discussed various application options (IGP, QCB, direct admission) and provide a strong rationale for direct admission into Biochemistry instead of going through a more typical route of applying through the IGP or QCB programs.
After receiving all application materials and three letters of reference, the application package will be reviewed and scored/rated by the Biochemistry Graduate Education Advisory Committee (3 Biochemistry faculty) and at least one additional Biochemistry faculty member. Scoring/ratings will integrate aspects of the application package that inform on the student’s potential for success as a direct admission student resulting in a final score from 1 (student has high potential to succeed) to 4 (student has low potential to succeed). The Biochemistry Graduate Education Advisory Committee will discuss the scores/ranking and decide whether to consider the student for an interview or to decline to consider the student further.
Student interviews will take place in person with members of the Biochemistry Graduate Education Advisory Committee and at least one additional Biochemistry faculty member; a Zoom meeting will be considered in cases where the nominated student is not able to be present on campus. Interviewers will prepare a short, written summary of the interview and a final score/rating (1 to 4) that considers the student’s application package and information discussed during interview. The Biochemistry Graduate Education Advisory Committee will consider the final scores and come to a decision on whether to offer the student direct admission into the Biochemistry graduate program or decline for a start date in the Fall term according to the Vanderbilt Graduate School calendar.
Direct admission applications will be accepted on a rolling application deadline. However, it is important to note that if applications are received too close to the beginning of the start of an academic year, a final decision may not be possible in time for a student to begin in the Fall term.
Student experience and coursework in the 1st year and beyond
First year Biochemistry direct admit students will be required to enroll and take the courses offered to the 1st year IGP or QCB students and generally follow the coursework taken by IGP or QCB students, until this policy is otherwise amended. Of note, there may be IGP- or QCB-specific courses, offerings, social events, etc. that are strictly for students in the IGP or QCB program.
After completing the 1st year of didactic courses, at the end of the Spring term of the 1st academic year, Biochemistry direct admission students are at an equivalent stage in their coursework to QCB and IGP students who have matriculated into labs and chosen Biochemistry as their graduate program.
In accordance with the academic guidelines of the Biochemistry graduate program, direct admit students must adhere to the following requirements, similar to students admitted through the IGP and QCB programs: (1) obtain a minimum of 24 didactic credit hours, some of which will be covered through the transfer of didactic credits from the student’s previous coursework with grades of B or better; (2) enroll in the BCHM 8327 course (2 credit hours; required for all Biochemistry graduate students) and take additional elective credit hours to fulfill the 24 didactic credit hour requirement; (3) successful advance to candidacy through the Biochemistry qualifying exam; (4) biannual (typically) committee meetings and remaining in good standing (satisfactory grades); (5) successfully write and defend their dissertation thesis.
Responsibilities of faculty who directly admit students
The DGS will prepare a financial responsibility memo that must be signed by the student’s mentor, DGS, and Department Chair indicating the mentor understands they have a financial commitment for the following expenses: (1) monthly stipend as set annually by the BRET office: (2) tuition expenses starting in the 1st year not covered by the standard BRET tuition remission; (3) annual health insurance premium; (4) required student health services and student service fees. The memo also states that if the mentor is unable to financially support the student, the faculty member’s primary department will be required to support the student financially until the student’s training is complete. Faculty that are not eligible for the open lab list are also not eligible to take a direct admit student into their laboratory. Due to the additional cost associated with direct admit students, the department chair will do an additional level of financial review to ensure adequate funding.
Students who matriculate into the IGP or QCB as 1st year students receive $2,000 upfront relocation bonus to help cover moving costs; these students are also provided with a new, standardized laptop computer since these students are required to take a computational class in R and python coding and data analysis. For consistency and fairness, faculty members who sponsor an incoming 1st year Biochemistry direct admission student are strongly encouraged to provide a $2,000 relocation bonus and will be required to purchase a standardized laptop computer for the student.