JD/MS in Molecular, Cellular, Developmental Biology & Genetics: Curriculum

Law School Curriculum

Law School JD degree requirements for students entering Fall 2009 include satisfactory completion of 88 semester credits, and six semesters of full-time enrollment (defined as 12 semester credits or more). First-year students are required to take a core curriculum totaling 30 credits and comprised of the following courses: Beyond that, all courses are elective, except that a student must take a course in Professional Responsibility (3 credits) and Constitutional Law II (3 credits) before graduating. In addition, each student must satisfy a second-year writing requirement (typically by participating in a moot court or serving as a staff member on one of the Law School's law reviews), as well as a third-year writing requirement (typically satisfied by taking a course meeting this requirement, completing an independent research paper meeting this requirement, which may be an MS thesis, Plan B paper, PhD dissertation, or capstone project, or serving as an editor on one of the Law School's law reviews).

To see requirements for students entering in years other than 2009, visit www.law.umn.edu/current/degreerequirements.html.

In addition, all students in the Joint Degree Program in Law, Health & the Life Sciences take a professional seminar. This 1-credit Proseminar is taught cooperatively by faculty involved in the Joint Degree Program, offered on a pass-fail basis, and required each Fall semester that a student is enrolled in the Joint Degree Program.

JD/MS in Molecular, Cellular, Developmental Biology & Genetics

The graduate program in MCDB&G is supported by the Department of Genetics, Cell Biology, and Development. All students in the program take a core curriculum of six courses in their first year consisting of Advanced Genetics, Advanced Molecular Genetics, Advanced Cell Biology, Advanced Developmental Biology, Literature Analysis, and an elective that is usually Biochemistry for a total of 17 credits. In addition, first-year students register for a Journal Club that awards 1 credit per semester. First-year students undertake three 10-week laboratory rotations awarding 1 credit, and are expected to choose a permanent advisor by the end of the year. Throughout their graduate studies, students register for a MCDB&G Research Seminar that awards 1 credit per semester.

In the next year, students typically take two or three electives (often Advanced Human Genetics, Selected Topics in Molecular Biology, or Selected Topics in Developmental Biology, though Joint Degree students may take Law courses instead). Students complete at least 12 credits in a minor field or supporting area. They also take a preliminary written examination by writing an original research proposal. Students must subsequently take a preliminary oral examination, which is loosely based on the written examination.

During the second year and beyond, the student has typically embarked on his or her doctoral dissertation research, taking 24 thesis credits. A minimum of three years in the laboratory is a realistic expectation for completion of a dissertation. At the completion of the doctoral dissertation research and submission of a written dissertation, the student must pass a final oral defense.

MS students are required to complete at least 30 credits total. Plan B MS students do not have to conduct long-term research, but they are required to do two 10-week laboratory rotations, and to submit a 15-page paper outlining the research they conducted on their rotations, which constitutes their Plan B paper. A final examination is also required.

Combining Curricula

Students in the Joint Degree Program combine their Law and science/health curricula by cross-counting up to 12 Law credits in their science or health program and up to 12 non-law credits in their Law School program. For more details, click on "Cross-Counting Courses" above.

JD/MS or JD/PhD students are eligible for a minor in bioethics, bioinformatics, or human genetics.