The path to a Ph.D. degree in the Biochemistry Division involves several steps.  During the first two years, students concentrate on their coursework (usually two or three courses each semester).  These provide the theoretical underpinnings for a successful research career.  All biochemistry majors also participate in the Journal club and in the Chemistry Department Colloquium program.  Students typically join a research group by the end of their first semester.  During the next spring, a student will spend time learning about their project, so that they can begin laboratory research in earnest during the succeeding summer.  The written qualifying exam can be taken anytime during the first four semesters at Florida.  The oral qualifying exam should be  taken during the fourth semester of graduate studies.  After passing these two examinations, the student is admitted to the Ph.D. program.  Sometime during the fourth or fifth year, each student is required to write and defend an original research proposal outside their area of research expertise.  After successfully completing their research project, the student writes a thesis and presents an oral defense to complete the requirements for the Ph.D. degree.  Students typically need four to five years to complete these requirements.

1.  Course requirements.

In-Major.  Students should take at least two of the following four graduate courses offered by faculty in the Biochemistry Division of the Department of Chemistry:

• CHM 6301 - Introduction to Enzyme Mechanisms
• CHM 6302 - Chemistry and Biology of Nucleic Acids
• CHM 6303 - Methods in Computational Biochemistry and Structural Biology
• CHM 6304 - Special Topics in Biological Chemistry Mechanisms

Participation in any of these classes does not necessarily require that students have taken an undergraduate class in biochemistry, although a knowledge of undergraduate organic and physical chemistry will be assumed by the instructors.  The third in-major course can be either one additional course from the list above or one selected from the following that are given by faculty in other departments:

• GMS 6563 - Molecular Pharmacology
• BCH 6415 - Advanced Molecular and Cell Biology
• BCH 7515 - Dynamic Processes in Molecular Life Sciences

These classes are only a small number of those available at U.F. and students are encouraged to identify additional courses that are relevant to their research interests.  Such material might include classes in plant molecular biology, evolution, Earth sciences or biophysics.  Students wishing to take such additional classes are welcome to do so, but must obtain the approval of either the graduate coordinator or their prospective supervisor before registration.  Please note that special permission must be obtained before students may take the following classes as in-major courses for the Biochemistry Division:

• BCH 6740 - Physical Biochemistry/Structural Biology
• BCH 6206 - Advanced Metabolism

Out-of-Major.  Any three courses offered by other divisions in the Department of Chemistry may be taken by students wishing to fulfill the out-of-major requirements.  Such courses might include:

• CHM 6225 - Advanced Principles of Organic Chemistry
• CHM 6226 - Advanced Synthetic Organic Chemistry
• CHM 6670 - Inorganic Biochemistry
• CHM 6720 - Chemical Dynamics
• CHM 6470 - Chemical Bonding and Spectra
• CHM 6430 - Chemical Thermodynamics
• CHM 6154 - Chemical Separations
• CHM 6381 - Special Topics in Organic Chemistry

Students who have an insufficient background in undergraduate organic chemistry or biochemistry might also be advised to participate in either or both of the following classes:

• CHM 5224 - Basic Principles of Organic Chemistry
• CHM 5305 - Chemistry of Biological Molecules

Students qualifying in the Biochemistry Division must sign up for the Journal club (CHM 6934 - Advanced Biochemical Topics) in at least two semesters of study.  The Journal club runs during the Fall and Spring semesters and provides an opportunity for students to examine recent papers from the literature in a critical manner.

In accordance with Departmental guidelines, all students are required to attend the Departmental Colloquia in their first year of study.  Attendance at all seminars given by speakers invited by the Biochemistry Division is also expected by all students working in research groups of the Division faculty.

The written qualifier, designed to ensure that all students have achieved a basic level of knowledge in bioorganic chemistry and biochemistry, will be offered two or three times per year.  The exact timing of the test will depend on the research and teaching commitments of the Division faculty.  Students in their first three semesters of study can take the examination without penalty, but all students must pass the written qualifier by the end of their fourth semester.

The examination typically consists of four multi-part questions drawn from representative areas of bioorganic and biochemistry.  While the precise contents of the exam differ in detail, knowledge of protein and nucleic acid structure, cofactor chemistry, electron arrow-pushing and basic molecular biology will covered.

Students must prepare a short research proposal, loosely based on National Institutes of Health (NIH) guidelines, that outlines their proposed Ph.D. research.  The write-up must be turned in to the committee in its final form at least one week prior to the defense date.  If this deadline cannot be met, the examination must be re-scheduled.  There are no exceptions.  A short presentation of their preliminary experimental results will be presented at a public seminar and this will be followed by an examination by members of the student's thesis committee.  Based on their performance, students will be admitted directly to Ph.D. candidacy or required to complete a Masters dissertation prior to seeking admission to Ph.D. candidacy.  While students normally take the oral qualifying examination during their fourth semester at U.F., this process must be completed by the end of their sixth semester of study.

Guidelines for preparing for the oral qualifying exam are available here.

Once a student's research efforts have achieved the goals outlined in their proposal submitted during the oral qualifying examination, a comprehensive dissertation is written, following the guidelines of the U.F. Graduate School.  The thesis must be turned in to the committee in its final form at least one week prior to the defense date.  If this deadline cannot be met, the defense must be re-scheduled.  There are no exceptions.  A public seminar describing the student's research results is followed by an examination by the thesis committee.  After any necessary revisions to the thesis are completed, the student is awarded a Ph.D. in chemistry, joining hundreds of other alumni who form the basis of our national reputation as a real player in chemistry research.