The OSBP core curriculum includes required courses in molecular biology, protein and nucleic acid structure and function. Students must also take at least nine additional credit hours of graduate biochemical electives. A list of approved electives is provided. Elective courses offer students the opportunity to customize their graduate studies towards their career goals by expanding their research competencies beyond the research conducted under their faculty research advisors. These courses are offered by various departments, schools, and colleges at The Ohio State University. They also allow OSBP students to interact with students from other graduate and professional programs that are engaged in research in the Biological and Biomedical Sciences.
Complementary to OSBP’s core and elective courses, students attend a mentoring and ethics seminar, student seminar, and the Molecular Life Sciences seminar series in accordance to the curriculum guidelines in the OSBP Student Handbook to further their professional development and scientific knowledge.
Students typically do three 7-week lab rotation and join a lab in mid-spring. It is possible to do the first rotation in the summer before fall of enrollment, and if necessary it is possible to do additional rotations. A minimum of three rotations is required.
All students must advance to candidacy by the end of their second year, and then meet with their advising committees annually until graduation. The historical time to graduation is about 5.7 years. All students must graduate within 5 years of advancing to candidacy.