Doctoral Program in Medicinal Chemistry
University of Minnesota
POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
Effective Fall Semester 2003
Welcome to the Doctoral Program in Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Minnesota. The graduate faculty are delighted to have you here and we hope that the time you spend in the program will be challenging and rewarding. The procedures and policies described in the following pages are designed to help you become familiar with departmental guidelines and program requirements.
Responsibility lies with the graduate student to initiate and carry out the necessary steps essential to the progress and ultimate completion of their respective graduate program. Students also should consult the General Information section of the Graduate School Catalog or the Graduate School website at http://www.grad.umn.edu/ for pertinent Graduate School requirements and policies and procedures.
DOCTORAL CANDIDACY REQUIREMENTS
A student is admitted to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree only after passing a preliminary oral examination. All of the following steps must be completed before this examination can be scheduled.
- Completion of an initial two academic semesters of study and observation in the department in order to become acquainted with the research programs and interests of the graduate faculty. Until a research advisor is chosen, the Director of Graduate Studies will act as the students' advisor and will suggest coursework and approve the students' registration.
- Selection of a major advisor as described under Selection of Advisor no later than the middle of the second semester of residence and, in consultation with the advisor, laying out a program of coursework which will meet the departmental core requirements and any special interests of the student. Usually a research problem will be decided upon as well, permitting early exposure to research procedures.
- Selection of the minor field and, if required, consultation with the minor advisor regarding the minor program or selection of a supporting program in place of the minor with approval of the major advisor.
- Submission of the Degree Program Form to the Graduate School as directed at the Graduate School website at http://www.grad.umn.edu/gsss/ or in the Graduate School Catalog.
- Completion of the minor requirements, including comprehensive written examinations if required by the minor department. Check dates of such examinations well in advance.
- Provide evidence of satisfactory aptitude for research. Such evidence will normally be presented by the major advisor to the graduate faculty, and is important for further progress in the program.
- Successful completion of the requisite number of cumulative examinations, as described under Cumulative Examinations.
- Successful completion of an original research proposal as designated under Research Proposal.
DOCTORAL DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
Requirements for the Ph.D. degree following admission to candidacy are:
- Filing of the Thesis Proposal Form with the Graduate School as directed at the Graduate School website at http://www.grad.umn.edu/gsss/ or in the Graduate School Catalog.
- Completion of a satisfactory research project.
- Preparation of a written thesis based on the research project.
- Approval of the thesis by the thesis committee.
- Presentation of a thesis research seminar to which the scholarly community is invited and passing the final oral examination by successfully defending the thesis.
COURSEWORK
Doctoral students in Medicinal Chemistry, will usually register for 6-12 credits each semester for the first two years of their program. Most coursework should be completed by the end of the second year. Until the student has a research advisor, the Director of Graduate Study will approve all registrations. It is a program requirement that before registering each semester students must consult with and obtain the approval of either their advisor or the Director of Graduate Studies. Except for MedC 5495 and MedC 8800, all courses that will constitute the student's official degree program must be taken on the A/F basis.
1. Remedial Coursework
Sometimes a student is allowed to enroll in Medicinal Chemistry with specific course deficiencies. Such deficiencies need be made up as soon as possible, preferably during the first year of residence. For example, if the deficiency is physical chemistry, the student will take Chem 4501 (3 cr) or its equivalent. In the case of other course deficiencies, the Director of Graduate Studies will determine the appropriate course to fulfill the deficiency.
2. Program Coursework
- The following are required courses for the doctoral program in Medicinal Chemistry:
- MedC 5495 Vistas in Medicinal Chemistry Research 1 cr
- MedC 5600 General Principles of Medicinal Chemistry 3 cr
- MedC 8100 Seminar 2 x 1 cr
- MedC 8800 Medicinal Chemistry Laboratory Techniques 2 x 1 cr
- Chem 8011 Mechanisms of Chemical Reactions 4 cr
- BioC 4331 Biochemistry I: Structure, Catalysis, and Metabolism in Biological Systems 4 cr
- MedC 8888 Doctoral Thesis 24 cr
- Students are required to take a second 8000-level chemistry (Chem) course of at least 3 credits.
- Students are required to take an additional graduate level course in biochemistry (e.g. BioC 4332,5401, 5446, 5527, 5528, 8002, 8007, 8213, 8216 or Chem 8412)
- Students must take at least two of the following courses, one of which must be at the 8000-level.
- MedC 5185 Principles of Biomolecular Simulation 3 cr
- MedC 5494 Advanced Methods in Quantitative Drug Analysis 3 cr
- MedC 8500 Design of Chemotherapeutic Agents 2 cr
- MedC 8600 Chemical Aspects of Drug Metabolism and Bioactivation 2 cr
- MedC 8700 Advanced Concepts in Drug Design 2 cr
- MedC 8760 Design of Peptidomimetics 2 cr
3. Minor or Supporting Program
In addition to required and elective courses, students are required to complete either a minor or a supporting program. A minor is usually taken in chemistry, biochemistry, pharmacology, or cell biology and requires a minimum of 12 credits. The supporting program, with a minimum of 12 semester credits, should embrace two or more disciplines. Students will design the supporting program with the help of their advisor. Either the required credits of advanced organic chemistry or the required credits of advanced biochemistry may be used as part of the 12-credit minor or supporting program.
SELECTION OF ADVISOR
By the end of spring break at the latest, each student should have selected a major advisor and submitted a copy of the completed Selection of Advisor Form to the Director of Graduate Studies. The student will then begin residence in his/her advisor's laboratory.
The following steps have been put in place to aid the incoming student in the important process of selecting an advisor:
1. Vistas in Medicinal Chemistry Research
During the fall semester incoming students will register S-N for this 1-credit course (MedC 5495) in which the format will involve presentations by each of the graduate faculty on research that is ongoing in their laboratories.
2. Laboratory Rotations
Lab rotations present excellent opportunities to consider and discuss potential research projects with faculty members. Each first-year graduate student must rotate through at least two different laboratories. At the end of the second laboratory rotation, the student may select an advisor or if desired take a third and final rotation. The Director of Graduate Studies determines the lab rotation assignments based on student interests and the availability of space. Each rotation will be about 9 weeks in length. Students will register S-N for 1 credit of MedC 8800 for each rotation. When students are not attending classes they will be participating in research activities in these labs. All lab rotations are " experiences", so expect to be involved.
3. Individual Faculty Meetings
Once students have narrowed their choices of potential advisors, they should meet individually with these faculty to discuss potential research projects.
CUMULATIVE EXAMINATIONS
Ten examinations will be given each academic year. They are given monthly from September through June.
Students are required to commence taking the examinations as soon as they begin their studies in the program. Students are not required to pass any examinations during the first year. They must pass, however, a total of three examinations by the end of the second year.
After passing the third exam, the student must submit within six months an original research proposal (see below) for defense at a preliminary oral examination that is administered by a committee appointed by the Graduate School.
PRELIMINARY AND FINAL ORAL EXAMINING COMMITTEES
These two committees will each consist of three medicinal chemistry graduate faculty, one of whom is the student's advisor, plus one faculty member from the minor field or supporting field. The membership of the two committees should be developed in consultation with your advisor. Approval of each committee membership by the Director of Graduate Studies is required.
RESEARCH PROPOSAL
Students are required to prepare an original research proposal in the format required by the NIH. The proposal shall be submitted within six months after completion of the cumulative examinations. The procedure for fulfilling this requirement is as follows:
1. Select a topic for your research proposal. The proposal must be original. It should not be related to your thesis research, to ongoing research projects in the Department, or to any other research project you were involved with outside the Department.
2. The draft of the proposal should be submitted on the NIH grant application form PHS 398. In the preparation of your proposal, follow the most recently revised instructions. Forms are available from the departmental secretary or on the Web at the University's Electronic Grants Management System (http://nirvana.ortta.umn.edu/index.html/) or at the NIH website (http://www.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/phs398.html).
3. The completed proposal must be submitted to the Director of Graduate Studies who will distribute it to the medicinal chemistry graduate faculty members on the oral preliminary examination committee.
4. After the medicinal chemistry graduate faculty committee members have provided the student with verbal and/or written comments on the proposal and have signed the Independent Research Proposal Approval Form, the student should schedule the oral preliminary examination. The committee member from outside the department should be provided with a copy of the proposal prior to the oral preliminary examination.
5. The preliminary oral examination will consist primarily of a formal presentation of the research proposal. The student should expect, however, that questioning may drift away from the specific proposal. Questioning on unrelated material is not precluded when a member of the committee deems such questioning to be desirable.
6. In evaluating the student's performance, the members of the preliminary oral examination committee will assess five principal areas:
Significance: (1) Is the subject matter timely and important? (2) Will the successful completion of the proposed research constitute a non-trivial extension of current understanding?
Scientific Background: (1) Has an adequate search and evaluation of background literature been undertaken?
Experimental Approach: (1) Have appropriate methods, techniques, and reactions been selected? (2) Have weak points been identified and alternative approaches proposed? (3) Is the approach creative?
Presentation: (1) Have the goals of the proposed research been clearly stated? (2) Was the presentation organized, logical, coherent, and convincing?
Defense: (1) Have questions arising during the exam been satisfactorily addressed? (2) Has the candidate overall shown him- or herself to be sufficiently well-versed in medicinal chemistry to carry out the proposed research?
DEPARTMENTAL SEMINARS, SPECIAL LECTURES, AND JOURNAL CLUB
Attendance and participation in departmental seminars, special lectures, and the journal club is expected.
1. Student Seminars
Each graduate student is required to present two seminars as part of their official degree program. These two seminars, which will be given in years two and three, shall cover topics from the literature that will be either assigned by the faculty or chosen by the student and approved by your advisor and the professor in charge of the seminar program. The professor in charge of the seminar program will arrange the seminar schedule and will assign the dates of the seminars. Students shall register for 1 credit of MedC 8100 (A-F grade option) during the semester she/he gives a seminar. These seminar credits will be used as part of your official degree program.
First year students should register for 1 credit of MedC 8100 (S-N grade option) each semester of the first year. These S-N MedC 8100 credits do not become part of your official degree program.
2. Thesis Research Presentations
In each year of residence after presentation of the two required seminars, students may be asked to give an informal presentation on their thesis research. The scheduling of such a thesis research update presentation will be done by the Director of Graduate Studies and the student's advisor.
3. Final Thesis Research Seminar
As part of a student's final oral examination, she/he will present a seminar on their thesis research to which the scholarly community is invited. This seminar may take place only after the thesis has been judged ready for defense. It will immediately precede the closed meeting between the student and the appointed examining committee.
4. Outside Speaker Seminars and Special Lectures
Each semester a significant number of scientists from other academic institutions and from industry are invited to the department to give either a presentation in our weekly seminar program or a special lecture. Notices of such lectures shall appear on departmental bulletin boards and shall be placed in mailboxes.
5. Journal Club
The department supports a journal club that is organized by the students in which students, postdoctorals, and faculty discuss selected papers from the literature. This informal setting provides an excellent opportunity for students to develop their presentation skills.
MIKI MEETING
Since 1963, the Departments of Medicinal Chemistry of the Universities of Minnesota, Iowa, Kansas, and Illinois have conducted an annual one and one-half day Medicinal Chemistry Meeting-in-Miniature (MIKI Meeting). The scientific portion of the meeting consists of oral and poster presentations by graduate students and a keynote lecture by an outstanding research scientist who is selected by the graduate students of the host department. Students are expected to attend and to present their research work at the annual MIKI meetings. They are also expected to participate in the organization of the meeting when it is hosted by the University of Minnesota.
STUDENT PERFORMANCE AND RESIDENCY
The academic performance of each graduate student will be reviewed by the Graduate Faculty at the end of each semester during the first two years. While grades of C are acceptable to the Graduate School in minor subjects, the Medicinal Chemistry faculty expect the students to do much better than this, and will consider dropping any student who either obtains an excessive number of C grades or allows his/her overall GPA to fall below 3.0. A grade of D is unacceptable under any circumstances, and if a student who obtains a grade of D is allowed to continue in the program, s/he will be required to retake the course in which she/he received the D. Student progress is reviewed at least once each year. If a student is determined to be making unsatisfactory progress, financial assistance may be discontinued, and the student may be dismissed from the program.
Students are expected to complete the requirements for the Ph.D. degree within five years. At the end of the respective period, all financial aid to the student will be discontinued and laboratory space which has been allocated will be reduced unless the student's advisor requests an extension of the residency period.
STUDENT ANNUAL REVIEW
In order to comply with graduate school policy, the graduate student evaluations will conducted as follows.
1. Each student's advisor is responsible for convening an annual meeting of the medicinal chemistry graduate faculty members of their student's committee.
2. The academic progress of first year students will be conducted by the DGS in consultation with the Graduate Committee.
3. The committee will meet with the student with the purpose of evaluating the student's progress toward their degree. It is expected that each student will present a 15-30 min presentation of their project and progress.
4. A letter to the student, conveying the recommendations of the committee, will be prepared by the student's advisor, in consultation with the committee members.
5. A copy of the evaluation letter will be forwarded to the director of graduate studies and placed in the student's file.
6. All evaluations are to be completed by August 15 of each year.
7. If a student's preliminary oral exam occurs between March 15 and August 15, the advisor may utilize the exam as the year's evaluation.
8. Students in the process of finishing their thesis, but who have not yet scheduled a date for their final thesis defense must be reviewed by August 15.
9. All students have the right to respond in writing to the evaluation and have the letter placed in their files.
THESIS PREPARATION
One unbound copy of the doctoral thesis is required to be submitted to the Graduate School. The Graduate School has very specific requirements for the preparation of this copy, and their regulations should be consulted (consult the packet "Preparation of the Doctoral Thesis/Project" put out by the Graduate Student Services and Progress Office). One bound copy is required for the major advisor. Additional copies may be prepared according to the student's wishes.
The graduate student shall bear the expense of preparation of the thesis. Neither the Department nor the training or research grants make any specific provision for defraying the cost of paper, typing, preparation of drawings or binding of the thesis. In some instances where diagrams are to be used in publications, the major advisor may have such diagrams prepared and charged to a personal research budget.
In instances where immediate publication is thought necessary, the advisor shall indicate by letter to the Graduate School that such a publication is being submitted. This will become part of the student's record. An abstract is not considered a publication.
REQUIREMENTS FOR GRADUATION
In addition to those requirements for graduation imposed by the Graduate Program and the Graduate School, students are required to obtain a College of Pharmacy Exit Form which requires the following:
1. That all books or other materials checked out be returned to the appropriate library.
2. That all University keys be returned.
3. That the research bench and study desk be cleaned and ready for use by a new student.
4. That all research notebooks and materials be given to the research advisor.
5. That a forwarding address be given to the Department secretary.
Satisfactory completion of these requirements must be demonstrated to the faculty advisor.
M.S. DEGREE PROGRAM
Sometimes students who have entered the Ph.D. program decide that they would rather obtain an M.S. degree. To accomplish this a transfer to the M.S. degree program (Plan A only) is required. Such a transfer is not automatic as it must be approved by the student's advisor, the Director of Graduate Studies, and the Graduate School. The Graduate School minimum GPA requirement for courses included on any official masters degree program must be met. If a transfer is approved, the following course requirements must be met to constitute the student's official degree program. Except for MedC 5495 and MedC 8800, all courses must be taken on the A/F basis.
- Required courses
- MedC 5495 Vistas in Medicinal Chemistry Research 1 cr
- MedC 5600 General Principles of Medicinal Chemistry 3 cr
- MedC 8100 Seminar 1 cr
- MedC 8800 Medicinal Chemistry Laboratory Techniques 2 x 1 cr
- Chem 8011 Mechanisms of Chemical Reactions 4 cr
- MedC 8777 Master Thesis 10 cr
- Students must take an additional 3 credits from the following courses:
- MedC 5185 Principles of Biomolecular Simulation 3 cr
- MedC 5494 Advanced Methods in Quantitative Drug Analysis 3 cr
- MedC 8500 Design of Chemotherapeutic Agents 2 cr
- MedC 8600 Chemical Aspects of Drug Metabolism and Bioactivation 2 cr
- MedC 8700 Advanced Concepts in Drug Design 2 cr
- MedC 8760 Design of Peptidomimetics 2 cr
- MedC 8900 Research in Medicinal Chemistry 1 cr
- Six minor field or supporting program credits are required.
VACATIONS AND BREAKS
Students receiving teaching assistantships should make vacation arrangements with the Director of Graduate Studies. In this regard, the break between fall and spring semester and spring break are not vacation days, since students receiving TA support are being paid during these times.
Students receiving research assistantships should make vacation arrangements with their respective research directors. No provision for vacations is inherent in the various grants, but institutional policy allows some time off with the details in the hands of the respective research director or major advisor.
A leave of absence without stipend will be given to any student who, for health or other reasons, is absent for more than one month.
ORDERING OF SUPPLIES, EQUIPMENT AND ANIMALS
All orders for supplies, equipment or animals must be approved by the student's major advisor who will designate the correct budget and authorize the purchase to the purchasing agent. All requisitions asking for the departmental funds must be signed by the Department Head or his/her designated alternate.
EQUIPMENT AND UTILITY REPAIRS
1. For servicing of the facility's utilities (water, gas, electricity, compressed air, plumbing, etc.), one of the departmental secretaries should be contacted. This individual will contact Facilities Management.
2. All servicing of College instrumentation must be cleared through the College's Equipment Coordinator, who will provide the necessary budget number for repair of the equipment.
Graduate students will be assigned specific responsibilities for maintenance and upkeep of such instrumentation. The assignment list is posted on the bulletin board outside the departmental office.
USE OF DUPLICATING EQUIPMENT
Xerox duplicating equipment is available in the College and the Department. Since departmental or research budgets are charged for all work done, departmental or advisor approval is necessary. Any use of duplicating equipment should be for scientific work or teaching necessity. The departmental copier in Room 8-108 is to be used by graduate students only for making enlargement copies. Personal use of equipment must be paid for by each individual. Graduate students are not allowed to charge duplicating costs on the departmental budget. This includes charging duplicating costs at any of the University's duplicating services as well as the College's duplicating machines.
LABORATORY SECURITY AND SAFETY
It is the responsibility of the graduate student not only to take proper care of the laboratory equipment and instrumentation but also to assist in their protection from accidental damage and theft. In particular, graduate students working during evenings or weekends should be careful to see that:
1. All gas, water, and electrical equipment (except that continuously operating) is shut off. If overnight equipment is to be in operation, suitable precautions should be taken to insure proper operation and safety of the equipment and the surrounding environment. Custodial personnel should also be notified of such operation.
2. Office and laboratory doors are closed and locked.
Failure to observe these precautions may result in cancellation of the privilege of use of the facilities outside of regular hours.
It also is the responsibility of each graduate student to be familiar with safe laboratory practices and proper chemical waste management procedures. All students are required to take the training in laboratory safety and chemical waste management that is offered by the University's Department of Environmental Health & Safety during their first semester of residency. In addition all students are required to attend and participate in any Departmental refresher training courses.
STANDARDS OF ETHICAL CONDUCT
Integrity is the foundation upon which the structure of the scientific enterprise is maintained. Science can fulfill its mission of advancement of knowledge and service to society only if scientists conduct themselves ethically and with mutual respect. Thus, the singular dependence of science on the trustworthiness of its practitioners necessitates that no act of dishonesty be considered minor. In an academic institution, it is the responsibility of the faculty to serve as role models by exhibiting and enforcing the highest standards of ethical conduct.
Although instances of dishonesty and unethical behavior are rare, it is important that students be aware that such acts will be considered grounds for dismissal from the program. Because the act of plagiarism is a particularly egregious affront to scientific integrity, it warrants special attention. Plagiarism is defined as the stealing and passing off as one's own the ideas or words of another. Plagiarism may occur in seminar abstracts, research proposals, term papers, theses and similar documents. It includes not only the copying of another's writing, word for word, without the use of quotation marks and without giving an appropriate citation, but also the theft of another's ideas by paraphrasing their words without citing a reference. Plagiarism is as serious an act of dishonesty as falsifying experimental data or cheating on an exam. The faculty of the Department of Medicinal Chemistry will recommend the dismissal from the graduate program of any student found guilty of plagiarism or other ethical misconduct.
The misuse of computers also represents a potential issue in this age of the Internet and information technology. The computers and computer systems of the Department, College and University are provided to support the research and scholarship of the faculty, staff, and students. Unauthorized usage of computers, computer systems, software, etc. will not be tolerated. In particular, the posting or accessing of illicit or offensive material on Department, College or University computers will be considered grounds for dismissal.
As part of the overall graduate student education and training process, students will be provided responsible conduct of research education and training. All incoming students will be required to attend the short course that is offered by the Center for Bioethics under the auspices of the Office of the Vice President for Research and Dean of the Graduate School. In addition, all students are required to participate in the periodic supplemental training offered by the Department.
