Keck School of Medicine

Degrees and Requirements

Ph.D. Programs in Biomedical and Biological Sciences (PIBBS)

Program Director: Ite A. Laird-Offringa, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Surgery, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

The USC Ph.D. Programs in Biomedical and Biological Sciences (PIBBS) is a universitywide program that is an entryway into graduate studies and research leading to the Ph.D. degree in a broad range of biological and biomedical disciplines. Interdisciplinary studies that span multiple fields have sparked a startling surge in new discoveries that excite intellectually and also promise great benefits to society.

Students will complete three research rotations during their first year. In addition, they spend two semesters taking courses of their choice in a variety of disciplines such as biochemistry, epidemiology, (stem) cell biology, neurobiology, molecular genetics, cancer and physiology. At the end of the second semester each student chooses a faculty member to serve as a thesis research adviser and chooses a specific Ph.D. program from among the participating programs listed. Subsequently, each student will focus on the completion of course requirements and qualifying examinations for the chosen Ph.D. program and will develop and complete an original research project that will serve as the basis for a doctoral dissertation.

For information on application materials and descriptions of the research interests of participating faculty, see the PIBBS site on USCweb (pibbs.usc.edu).

Participating Schools and Graduate Programs

USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

Department of Biological Sciences

Marine Environmental Biology

Molecular and Computational Biology

Integrative and Evolutionary Biology

Department of Chemistry

Neuroscience

Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC

Craniofacial Biology

USC Viterbi School of Engineering

Biomedical Engineering

USC Davis School of Gerontology

Keck School of Medicine of USC

Genetic, Molecular and Cellular Biology

Integrative Biology of Disease

Preventive Medicine

Biostatistics

Health Behavior Research

Molecular Epidemiology

USC School of Pharmacy

Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences

Molecular Pharmacology and Toxicology

Pharmaceutical Sciences

Admission
Applicants to PIBBS must have a bachelor’s or master’s degree with a major emphasis in the natural sciences. Applicants must have a strong record of academic achievement, satisfactory performance on the general and advanced portions of the GREs. Three letters of recommendation are required, one of which should be from a laboratory research mentor. Previous research experience is expected. Students are admitted for the academic year beginning in the fall. Although there is no formal application deadline, complete applications received before December 1 will be given priority.

Applications are submitted electronically. Please see the PIBBS Website for information: pibbs.usc.edu. Supporting materials should be sent to: PIBBS, University of Southern California, 1975 Zonal Avenue, KAM B-16, Los Angeles, CA 90089-9031.

Financial Support

Admitted students are supported by research assistantships or fellowships during their two semesters in the PIBBS program. Tuition, health insurance and standard fees are also covered. After the student completes the PIBBS program and enters a specific Ph.D. program, similar support mechanisms are generally provided by the Ph.D. granting program.

Curriculum

Most students will choose from the following courses during a two-semester period:

However, the list of courses for individual students may vary from this plan with permission of the program director. As part of the BIOC 790 course, each student will complete research rotations with three or more faculty members in participating Ph.D. programs. At the end of the second semester, each student will choose a faculty member to serve as dissertation adviser and will choose a specific Ph.D. program from the list of participating programs.