30 hours

All Ph.D. admissions are through the Integrated Life Sciences Program (ils.uga.edu). Applications are due by December 1st. For targeted consideration of your application by the microbiology graduate admissions committee, please list microbiology as a program of interest on the ILS Background and Interest form.

MIBO 8120  (5 hours)

Foundations of Microbiology

5

MIBO 8150  *

Seminar in Diversity of Microbial Research

1

MIBO 8170  *

Seminar in Prokaryotic Diversity

1

MIBO 8630

Quantitative Protein Biochemistry and Macromolecule Analysis for Microbiologists

1

MIBO 9000  (min. 6 hours)

Doctoral Research

1-18

MIBO 9300  (3 hours)

Doctoral Dissertation

1-9

Choose 1 course(s) from the following:

MIBO 8640

Statistics and Quantitative Analysis for Microbiologists

1

Other approved statistics course

*1 hour per 7 semesters

MIBO 4010/6010

Critical Review of Research in Microbiology

2

MIBO 8620

Introduction to Proposal Writing, Reviewing, and Publishing for Microbiologists

1

Doctoral students who have not completed an M.S. degree must complete at least 5 hours of courses whose primary purpose is to provide scientific content.

Teaching and Professional Development Requirement:

Teaching for two semesters in introductory, advanced, or graduate-level courses is required. Most students serve as teaching assistants during their third year. One semester of teaching may be waived if the student completes an approved professional development experience (expected to be equivalent in time/effort to a semester of teaching). A graduate teaching and career development course (GRSC 7770) is required before or concurrent with the first semester of teaching.

Publication Requirement:

The publication of scholarly work is the capstone of your doctoral training. All Microbiology Ph.D. students are required to publish a minimum of one peer-reviewed research manuscript as first or co-first author prior to defending their thesis. Manuscripts that are accepted for publication can satisfy this requirement. An appeal for an exception to this requirement may be initiated by majority vote of the student’s advisory committee and forwarded to the Graduate Coordinator for review.

Defense Requirement:

The final step in graduation is passing a dissertation defense: a public seminar followed by oral exam with committee (Ph.D. aim for Year 5). Immediately before graduating, students must be enrolled in three credit hours of MIBO9300 (writing thesis/dissertation).

Select additional courses, as needed, in consultation with an advisor to meet the minimum number of required credit hours for this program.

Ph.D. students from microbiology have gone on to successful careers in academia as research or instructional faculty, in industry as research scientists, and with government agencies including the EPA, USDA, and CDC.

All Ph.D. students in good standing are guaranteed support through graduate assistantships or fellowships, as well as a full annual tuition waiver.

Students are encouraged to pursue research internship opportunities when those opportunities facilitate their professional development. With prior approval by the student’s advisor, thesis advisory committee, and the graduate coordinator, an in-depth internship may be used to fulfill the professional development requirement in place of a second semester of teaching.

Students are encouraged to present their research at conferences, professional meetings, and symposia. The microbiology department, microbiology graduate student association, and the Graduate School have funds available to defray travel expenses for students who present. The Microbiology Department has a highly active seminar series that bring in nationally-recognized scientists for discussion of their research and meetings with students and faculty. Students also are encouraged to write grant proposals to help fund their research and to develop grant-writing skills.

The Microbiology Department has an active Microbiology Graduate Student Association that is highly involved in many departmental activities, including organization of social activities and professional development opportunities, recruitment of new students, organization and coordination of community outreach activities, and funding of graduate student travel and professional development.

Other programs in the Microbiology Department include: MS Microbiology