The majority of graduate training takes place in the lab. Thus, sampling labs and choosing the right one is exceptionally important. Equally important, however, is having a background of coursework that is strong enough to allow you to choose a research lab based on what interests and excites you the most, even if you've had no experience in this area prior to graduate school.

Biology grad students have over sixty labs and a wide range of research programs from which to choose. Poster sessions and faculty talks introduce the range of research options available. Three four-week laboratory rotations at the beginning of the second semester allow graduate students to sample lab environments and styles. Students choose a lab and begin full-time research after completing the third rotation in May of their first year.

Our first-year courses are designed to strengthen backgrounds, to train students broadly in the principles of modern biology, and to expose them to contemporary thinking in specific fields so they have the freedom to choose research labs based on their interests. Three courses form the core of the curriculum, while elective courses are chosen from a wide range of topics offered in either lecture or seminar format. Typically, students take one elective course during the Fall semester and three during the Spring semester of the first year. In the process of learning, first-year students work and study together, forming friendships and creating a supportive, interactive environment.