Academic Program Development 2614 University Hall (MC 103) 601 South Morgan Street Chicago, Illinois 60607-7126 March 18, 2016 TO: FROM: Ilene Harris, Chair Senate Committee on Educational Policy Dana Wright, Director of Academic Program Development I am submitting for the review and action of the Senate Committee on Educational Policy the attached Proposal to Revise the Master of Science in and Biophysics and Revise the Doctor of Philosophy in and Biophysics. The proposal was approved by the faculty in the Department of and Biophysics on January 27, 2016 and the College of Medicine Office of the Dean on March 10, 2016. In addition, the proposal was approved by the Graduate College Executive Committee on March 18, 2016. ATTACHMENT
Title: Proposal to Revise the Master of Science (MS) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in and Biophysics Sponsor: Department of and Biophysics College of Medicine Executive Summary: Description: The department proposes to revise the Master of Science (MS) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in and Biophysics to ensure that students obtain the appropriate depth of knowledge in their area(s) of interest. Students are not receiving adequate preparation with the current courses and they are having difficulty performing effectively in their research projects and passing the preliminary examination (PhD students). Within both degrees, the revision includes replacing the course GCLS 500 taught in the Fall semester with two other courses, PHYB 551 Human I and PHYB 552 Human II, taught in the Fall and Spring semesters, respectively. Two new courses will also be added, PHYB 571 Clinical Applications of I and PHYB 572 Clinical Applications of II. In the PhD, GCLS 502 Molecular Biology and GCLS 510 Integrative Biology will no longer be required but will remain as elective options. In the MS, the selective requirement to take GCLS 501 Biochemistry, GCLS 502 Molecular Biology, or GCLS 503 Cell Biology will be removed but will remain as elective options. In addition, PHYB 595 Journal Club and Seminar will no longer be a requirement. While the required courses will be reduced by 4 hours (PhD), students will replace those hours with elective courses in their area of research. Hours of required courses will increase by 4 in the MS. But the minimum total hours required to earn both degrees will remain unchanged. The proposed revisions will provide more relevant training in physiology education and research. The objective of the graduate program in the Department of and Biophysics is to provide students with understanding of normal and altered basic mechanisms of function of cells, tissues, and organs with the purpose of translating this information to diagnosis, therapies and prevention of clinical disorders. Faculty in the department believe that our graduate students are not receiving adequate preparation with the current courses because students are having difficulty performing effectively in their research projects and passing the preliminary examination (PhD students). To address this problem, we propose to replace a onesemester physiology course with a one-year course, reduce the number of required courses, and keep the option of taking elective courses to maintain the number of credits unchanged. The course to be replaced is GCLS 500 (3 credits). This course is taught in the Fall semester and will be replaced with PHYB 551 Human I (5 credits) and PHYB 552 Human II (5 credits), taught in the Fall and Spring semesters, respectively. GCLS 500 covers all the topics in PHYB 551 and PHYB 552 but in a very condensed manner. PHYB 552 was repurposed and re-named Human II in October 2015. The material that was covered in the old PHYB 552 Translational and Applied was included in two courses, PHYB 571 Clinical Applications of I and PHYB 572 Clinical Applications of II. These two courses will be required for both the MS and PhD. Please note the courses were also approved by the Graduate College Executive Committee and Senate Committee on Educational Policy in October 2015 as part of the proposal to establish a new MS in 1
Medical. For the academic year 2016-2017, students in the PhD program will take PHYB 551 and PHYB 552 with medical students. Beginning in Fall 2017, faculty in the Department of and Biophysics will offer these two courses independently from the medical courses for students in the PhD program and the two Master programs. GCLS 500 will continue to be offered by the Department of for other GEMS programs, other programs in the College of Medicine and in other Colleges. Within the MS Students had to select one of the following three courses: GCLS 501 Biochemistry, GCLS 502 Molecular Biology or GCLS 503 Cell Biology as a required course. We will eliminate the requirement for any one of these courses, but these courses will remain as an elective. PHYB 595 Journal Club and Seminar will also be eliminated as a requirement as students in the MS program do not need to present their research progress before the department as PhD students do. The required courses will increase by 4 the number of hours for the MS, which is necessary to remain compliant with the Graduate College s requirements for coursework. Within the PhD GCLS 502 Molecular Biology and GCLS 510 Integrative Biology will no longer be required but will remain as elective options. While the required courses will be reduced by 4 hours, students will replace those hours with elective courses in their area of research. This will ensure that the total number of hours and credits for the PhD will not change. The proposed revisions will provide more relevant training in physiology education and research. Justification: As described above, faculty in the department believe that our graduate students are not receiving adequate preparation with the current courses because students are having difficulty passing the preliminary examination and performing effectively in their research projects. To address this problem, we propose to replace a onesemester physiology course with a one-year course, reduce the number of required courses, and keep the option of taking elective courses to maintain the number of credits unchanged. The changes in the proposed curriculum are congruent with the goals of the department and will emphasize more intently the generation of new knowledge while promoting the development of new clinical applications. 2
Graduate Catalog Statement: Current Requirements (MS) Proposed Requirements (MS) Admission Requirements Applicants are considered on an individual basis. In addition to the Graduate College minimum requirements, applicants must meet the following program requirements: Baccalaureate Field No restrictions. Prior academic work should include college mathematics through calculus, physics, biology, organic chemistry, and physical chemistry. At least 3.00/4.00 for the final 60 semester hours (90 quarter hours) of undergraduate study. Tests Required GRE General. Preference is given to applicants with a combined verbal and quantitative score above 1200 (tests taken prior to August 2011) or 299 in the new scoring system (test taken August 2011 or after), and an analytical writing score above 4.5. Minimum English Competency Test Score TOEFL The TOEFL score cannot be more than two years old. UIC s Institutional Code is 1851. 550 (paper-based); 80, with subscores of Reading 19, Listening 17, Speaking 20, and Writing 21 (ibt Internet-based), OR, IELTS 6.5, with subscores of 6.0 for all four subscores, OR, PTE-Academic 54, with subscores of Reading 51, Listening 47, Speaking 53, and Writing 56. Letters of Recommendation Three required. Personal Statement Required. One page summarizing past academic and research experience (if any) and motivation for pursuing an MS in. Preference is given to applicants with a documented record of research accomplishment who intend to complete the doctoral 3
program. Nondegree Applicants Nondegree applicants must show adequate preparation to enroll in desired courses and must obtain the permission of the director of graduate studies. Degree Requirements In addition to the Graduate College minimum requirements, students must meet the following program requirements: Minimum Semester Hours Required 32 Course Work Required Courses GC 470 Essentials for Animal Research GCLS 500 PHYB 552 Translational and Applied PHYB 586 Cell PHYB 595 Journal Club and Seminar PHYB 598 M.S. Thesis Research PHYB 591 Departmental Seminar a Select one of the following: GCLS 501 Biochemistry GCLS 502 Molecular Biology GCLS 503 Cell Biology a Students must also register for PHYB 591 each fall and spring semester after the first year they are enrolled in the graduate program. Minimum Semester Hours Required 32 from the baccalaureate. Course Work Required Courses GC 470 Essentials for Animal Research PHYB 551 PHYB 552 PHYB 586 PHYB 571 PHYB 572 PHYB 598 Human I Human II Cell Clinical Applications of I Clinical Applications of II M.S. Thesis Research PHYB 591 Departmental Seminar a One 3-credit elective. Should be selected in consultation with the thesis advisor. a Students must also register for PHYB 591 each fall and spring semester after the first year they are enrolled in the graduate program. Comprehensive Examination None. Thesis, Project, or Course-Work- Only Options Thesis required. No other options 4
are available. All graduate students must participate in the teaching programs of the department. Current Requirements (PhD) Admission Requirements Applicants are considered on an individual basis. In addition to the Graduate College minimum requirements, applicants must meet the following program requirements: Baccalaureate Field No restrictions. Prior academic work should include college mathematics through calculus, physics, biology, organic chemistry, and physical chemistry. At least 3.00/4.00 for the final 60 semester hours (90 quarter hours) of undergraduate study. Tests Required GRE General. Preference is given to applicants with a combined verbal and quantitative score above 1200 (tests taken prior to August 2011) or 299 in the new scoring system (test taken August 2011 or after), and an analytical writing score above 4.5. Minimum English Competency Test Score TOEFL The TOEFL score cannot be more than two years old. UIC s Institutional Code is 1851. 550 (paper-based); 80, with subscores of Reading 19, Listening 17, Speaking 20, and Writing 21 (ibt Internet-based), OR, IELTS 6.5, with subscores of 6.0 for all four subscores, OR, PTE-Academic 54, with subscores of Reading 51, Listening 47, Speaking 53, and Writing 56. Letters of Recommendation Three required. Personal Statement Required. One page summarizing past academic and research Proposed Requirements (PhD) 5
experience (if any) and motivation for pursuing a PhD in. Preference is given to applicants with a documented record of research accomplishment who intend to complete the doctoral program. Nondegree Applicants Nondegree applicants must show adequate preparation to enroll in desired courses and must obtain the permission of the director of graduate studies. Degree Requirements In addition to the Graduate College minimum requirements, students must meet the following program requirements: Minimum Semester Hours Required 96 from the baccalaureate. Course Work Required Courses GC 470 Essentials for Animal Research GCLS 500 PHYB 552 Translational and Applied PHYB 586 Cell PHYB 595 Journal Club and Seminar PHYB 599 Ph.D. Thesis Research PHYB 591 Departmental Seminar a Two additional 400- or 500- level courses in consultation with the advisor. Students must take or show proficiency in: GCLS 501 Biochemistry Required Courses GC 470 Essentials for Animal Research PHYB 551 PHYB 552 PHYB 586 PHYB 571 PHYB 572 PHYB 595 PHYB 599 Human I Human II Cell Clinical Applications of I Clinical Applications of II Journal Club and Seminar Ph.D. Thesis Research PHYB 591 Departmental Seminar a Two 400- or 500-level elective courses in consultation with the advisor. Students must take or show proficiency in: GCLS 502 Molecular Biology GCLS 503 Cell Biology GCLS 504 Research Methods I GCLS 501 GCLS 503 GCLS 504 Biochemistry Cell Biology Research Methods I 6
GCLS 505 Research Methods II GCLS 506 GEMS Research Rotation GCLS 505 GCLS 506 Research Methods II GEMS Research Rotation GCLS 510Integrative Biology a Students must also register for PHYB 591 each fall and spring semester after the first year they are enrolled in the graduate program. a Students must also register for PHYB 591 each fall and spring semester after the first year they are enrolled in the graduate program. Preliminary Examination Required. Dissertation Required. All graduate students must participate in the teaching programs of the department. Candidates must present a midthesis seminar as a scheduled departmental seminar. Interdepartmental Graduate Concentration in Cardiovascular Science Doctoral students may pursue the Interdepartmental Graduate Concentration in Cardiovascular Science. Refer to Interdepartmental Graduate Concentration in Cardiovascular Science in the College of Medicine section for more information. Interdepartmental Concentration in Neuroscience Doctoral students may pursue the Interdepartmental Concentration in Neuroscience. Refer to Interdepartmental Concentration in Neuroscience in the Graduate College section for more information. Medical Scientist Training Program Students with an MD degree earned in the United States or who are working toward one at UIC may use medical science courses to fulfill the 500-level course requirements. Such students must take GCLS 510, PHYB 586, and 5 semester hours of elective 500-level didactic courses. The elective courses are chosen in consultation with the Medical Scientist Training Program Students with an MD degree earned in the United States or who are working toward one at UIC may use medical science courses to fulfill the 500-level course requirements. Such students must take PHYB 586, and 5 semester hours of elective 500-level didactic courses. The elective courses are chosen in consultation with the advisor. 7
advisor. Students must also register for PHYB 591 and PHYB 599 each semester. Other courses may be required as determined by the advisor and the graduate committee based on the student s area of interest. Students must also register for PHYB 591 and PHYB 599 each semester. Other courses may be required as determined by the advisor and the graduate committee based on the student s area of interest. Minority Impact Statement: Budgetary and Staff Implications: Library Resource Implications: The proposed changes will allow the Department of and Biophysics to offer an improved curriculum consistent with the needs of graduate students in the area of physiology. This will have a positive impact in both minority and non-minority graduate students. The proposed changes will have no impact on the budget of the department. Beginning in academic year 2016-2017, faculty in the department will no longer teach physiology for pharmacy students, which will free up their time to teach in the PHYB 551, PHYB 552, PHYB 571, and PHYB 572 courses. In addition, the department is hiring at least 4 new faculty before the end of 2016. Current library resources (print and electronic) are sufficient for the courses included in these changes. No additional material needs to be purchased. Space Implications: There is no additional space requirement for the changes proposed here. Unit (e.g. department) approval date: College (educational policy committee, faculty) approval dates: Department of and Biophysics faculty approved this proposal on January 27, 2016. College of Medicine Office of the Dean: March 10, 2016 Contact Person: Jesús García-Martínez, Director of Graduate Studies, Department of and Biophysics. Phone: (312) 355-0260; email: garmar@uic.edu Proposed Effective Date/Term: Fall, 2016 8