Immunology PhD
Program Code: G-IMM-PHD
Degree Designation: Doctor of Philosophy
Department: Integrative Immunobiology Department
Website: immunology.duke.edu
Program Summary
The Department of Integrative Immunobiology offers graduate work leading to the PhD in immunology.
Immunology is the study of the cells, proteins, and genes that protect against infection and malignancy. Immunology encompasses innate and natural, nonspecific defense mechanisms, as well as specific immune responses that generate immunologic memory. Immunology is by its nature a bridging science. The roots of immunology lie in the study of infectious disease, vaccine development, organ transplantation, immunity to malignancy, and immunotherapy. Modern research in immunology draws on recent advances in cell and molecular biology, biochemistry, genomics, and informatics to determine how the immune system functions. In turn, immunology has contributed to understanding biological structure, eukaryotic gene organization and expression, signal transduction, and intracellular protein transport and assembly.
Research programs are available in many aspects of molecular and cellular immunology, including immunogenetics. The department is a participating member in the following university programs: cell and molecular biology, University Program in Genetics and Genomics, the Medical Scientist Training Program, Center for AIDS Research, molecular cancer biology, and the Developmental Biology Training Program.
The Department of Integrative Immunobiology has outstanding facilities for carrying out all aspects of immunologic research. A description of the PhD program, prerequisites for admission, and research in the department may be found on the website.
Academic Requirements
Required Graded Coursework
Graded coursework should be completed within the first two years of the program. 24 hours of coursework is required including the following Immunology core courses. Students must obtain a B grade to meet programmatic requirements.
IMMUNOL 544 Principles of Immunology (3 credits)
IMMUNOL 701D Pillars of Immunology (1 credit)
IMMUNOL 731S Immunology Seminar (1 credit x 4 semesters)
IMMUNOL 791A/791B Research in Immunology (4 credits)
IMMUNOL 601 Immunology of Human Disease (1 credit)
IMMUNOL 800 Comprehensive Immunology (3 credits)
Required Non-Graded Coursework
Immunology students are required to enroll in these two courses annually through completion of the program.
IMMUNOL 732S Immunology Seminar (1 credit per semester, 3rd year students and beyond)
IMMUNOL 735/736 Topics in Immunology (1 credit per semester, starting in spring, starting in 1st year spring)
Additional Requirements
Teaching Requirements. All students are required to participate in one semester of supervised teaching. The Program in Immunology believes doctoral students should be prepared to teach at the university level. Thus, the Program requires one semester of supervised teaching to undergraduate and graduate students in IMMUNOL 544 (Principles of Immunology) or to graduate students in IMMUNOL 701D (Pillars of Immunology).
Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR). All PhD students are required to participate in a specified number of hours of RCR training as required by The Graduate School, encompassing BIOTRAIN 750, 751, 753, 754, and two RCR forum electives in Year 5+.
Qualifying Preliminary Exam
Dissertation Proposal and Annual Progress Report
Dissertation