Emphasis in Quantitative Biology - Curriculum Requirements

A student must indicate his/her interest in completing an emphasis in Quantitative Biology when selecting a Ph.D. program.  All requirements of the selected Ph.D. program, which include the DBS Core Course, laboratory rotations, ethics training, advanced coursework, a qualifying examination and dissertation thesis, must be fulfilled.  In addition, to complete the emphasis, students must take two advanced courses offered by Quantitative Biology faculty and attend the activities listed below. All coursework should be approved by the student’s mentor(s) and program chair.

Required Courses

Students must complete two of the 1.5 credit courses listed below. It is anticipated that students with quantitative backgrounds will take the general “Computational Methods in Biological Sciences” course.

Required Activities

EiQB students are required to attend the Quantitative Biology Discussion Group and the Quantitative Biology Journal Club.

Course substitutions 

Students who have completed, with a minimum grade of B, an undergraduate or graduate course equivalent to any of the courses may, with the approval of the faculty advisor and Program Chair, substitute those for any of the courses listed among the approved electives. The student must provide a syllabus of the course deemed to be equivalent and a transcript showing the grade earned in that course.

Pre-Requisites

Students unsure whether or not they meet the pre-requisites for EiQB courses should consult their faculty advisor. Both UT Dallas and UT Arlington offer courses in computer science and mathematics that may provide the necessary background in programming, algorithms and data structures.

The EiQB allows students to take courses at UT Arlington and UT Dallas as part of the curriculum, as long as

• the course selection has been approved by the student’s mentor/faculty advisor. 
• the mentor agrees to fund any additional fees, since in some cases these courses will incur additional tuition fees.. 

Please note, all course charges must be paid to UT Southwestern and a concurrent enrollment form must be filed by the student through his/her graduate program assistant. Forms are available from Dorothee Staber.

Committee requirements

Each qualifying examination committee and dissertation committee for a student completing a Quantitative Biology emphasis must include one member of the Quantitative Biology faculty.