About the Program
The MCIP Graduate Group offers a comprehensive program of courses and outstanding research opportunities leading to M.S. and Ph.D. degrees, and it participates in joint Ph.D./M.D. and Ph.D./D.V.M. programs. The group is composed of over 80 faculty members drawn from 25 departments, divisions and sections, including the School of Medicine, the School of Veterinary Medicine, the College of Biological Sciences, and the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
The campus-wide nature of the group provides the program with exceptional diversity and accommodates students with a broad spectrum of interests, including interdisciplinary approaches. This diversity is reflected in the areas of specialization within the graduate program:
Upon admission, students are assigned a graduate advisor who guides them through the program's formal requirements. The student also chooses a major professor who serves as mentor and under whose supervision the dissertation research is conducted. Normally, a student pursuing a Ph.D. degree completes course and teaching requirements during the first two years of the program, passes an oral qualifying examination, and then conducts the dissertation research under the direction of the major professor. The average Ph.D. time to degree in MCIP is 5.5 years.
Students pursuing the M.S. coursework program typically complete the degree in one year; students pursuing the M.S. thesis program typically complete the degree in two years.