Immunology & Infection Plan of Study
Over a 2-year (4-semester) period, students are expected to fulfill all requirements of the M.S. in the Immunology & Infection Program. Each semester will include a minimum of 8.0 credit hours, approximately 32 credit hours for the entire program. Because students cover the cost of their education, the program makes every effort to ensure that students graduate on time. The program begins with a year of rigorous coursework followed by a year of intensive laboratory research.
Year 1
Students must enroll in all required courses and maintain a grade point average at or above 3.0 for all class work. Additionally, to maintain satisfactory research/academic progress, students are required, prior to the end of the Year 1 Fall semester, to identify a faculty member in the program who will serve as the student’s research advisor. Because of the importance of the advisor-student relationship, significant time is spent in the first semester familiarizing students with faculty and their research programs.
Toward the end of the first semester, the student identifies numerous laboratories they may be interested in and selects one to join after meeting principal advisors and learning about the specific laboratory and research projects they could pursue. In the second semester, the student continues the required coursework and conducts preliminary research in their selected area.
Year 1 culminates with the production of a research proposal to be carried out by the student in the laboratory of the research advisor and the identification of an advisory committee to help advise the student during their research.
Year 2
Students continue to do research in the laboratory during the summer, fall, and early spring while receiving guidance from the research advisor and the research supervising committee. This committee, together with the research advisor, will guide the student through the entire research process and assist the student in developing the Master’s thesis.
When complete, the thesis will be presented as a public seminar followed by an oral examination by the research supervising committee. In many cases, the thesis will form the basis of a publication to be submitted late in the second semester or after the student graduates.
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