Program Schedule and Format

Students complete the MBS program in two years; completion of the PhD portion of the program is anticipated to require an additional three years of full-time study, with the possibility for extension depending on the particular research project. Students will be encouraged to enter the PhD portion in June following graduation from the MBS program.

Program Description

Selection of Thesis Research Advisor(s) and Mentoring Team: To foster interdisciplinary research, the student may have one or more research advisors. One advisor must be a KGI faculty member; additional advisors may be from collaborating institutions. At the beginning of the PhD program, each student will select a mentoring team consisting of the primary research advisor, additional research advisor(s) (optional), an academic advisor not involved in the student’s research efforts, and an external advisor from industry. The research advisor(s) will supervise the student’s thesis work. The academic advisor will guide the student in matters of professional development. These dual advisory roles will keep the students’ career development potentials relatively independent of immediate interests of the research supervisors. The external advisor will be a link to the bioscience industry.

View a pdf of the PhD thesis formats.  

Coursework: With the exception of the current topics colloquium series, all formal course requirements will be fulfilled through the MBS curriculum. During the MBS portion of the program, students gain an interdisciplinary foundation in the three scientific core areas at KGI as well as knowledge and appreciation of the business, management and ethical issues encountered in the applied life sciences. Industry relevance is conveyed through the summer internship and the Team Masters Project. In certain cases, a research advisor in consultation with the mentoring team may recommend additional coursework beyond completion of the MBS program. Occasionally, with applied projects, students may be involved in additional Team Masters Projects during their PhD years.