Applicants for the Doctor of Philosophy degree must complete a minimum of ninety credits beyond the bachelor’s degree, of which at least thirty credits must be in doctoral research and dissertation direction. For the remaining sixty credits, 3 courses must be physiology advanced courses (for the Reproductive Sciences concentration, a minimum of ten credits in required from the Physiology-Reproductive Sciences coursework) and six from multidisciplinary courses other than Physiology (minor). Ph.D. students holding IBS Fellowships are required to take additional credits from courses in the IBS curriculum. Remaining credits to obtain the required total are taken as electives in subjects pertinent to the student's chosen field of research. Requirements of the Department of Physiology Graduate Program must also be satisfied.

Cardio-Metabolic Physiology Concentration

The Cardio-Metabolic Physiology concentration is designed to appeal to students who wish for a deeper study in the areas of cardiovascular physiology and metabolism. Students in this concentration will be expected to follow the basic requirements of the Physiology Ph.D. program, but their elective course work will include 10 credits of coursework oriented around cardiovascular and metabolic physiology. These credit hours can be chosen by the student from within the approved list of courses in the concentration, with a view toward the research interests of the student. Courses will be taught by both Physiology department faculty and faculty from other departments. Students in this concentration are free to select any dissertation mentor that is a member of the Physiology Graduate Faculty, and are expected to choose a research topic related to cardiovascular and/or metabolic physiology. Research projects for students in this concentration may center on understanding of basic cardiovascular physiology and metabolism, understanding of cardiovascular and/or metabolic diseases, impact of lifestyle changes on cardio-metabolic physiology, or other related topics.

Reproductive Sciences Concentration

Students pursuing this concentration are expected to follow the requirements of the Physiology Ph.D. program but their curriculum is oriented around courses in the reproductive sciences taught primarily by Obstetrics and Gynecology graduate teaching faculty. Students taking the Reproductive Sciences concentration will select dissertation mentors from the Obstetrics and Gynecology graduate teaching faculty and perform their dissertation research in the basic science facilities of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Physiology Courses