This program's mission is to provide students with:

  • Advanced knowledge in current concepts in molecular, cellular, and genetic processes that contribute to the development and treatment of cancer
  • Specialized training in experimental methodology used to study cancer in a laboratory setting
  • Required shadowing of clinical oncologists to help identify clinically-relevant research questions leading to projects with a potential impact on cancer patients

Learn about our program's curriculum

Curriculum Overview

The Graduate College requires the satisfactory completion of 72 semester hours in order to obtain a Ph.D.

Required Courses

For the first year, students take common courses with other Biomedical Science students.

Cancer is a term that encompasses over 210 different types of malignancies, each with a unique set of biological, etiological, and clinical features. Cancer researchers continue to widen their scope as more is learned, requiring a breadth of knowledge in many areas of research (e.g. cell biology, genetics, immunology, and cell metabolism) to understand the complexities of cancer etiology and treatment.

The Cancer Biology Program provides this knowledge through classroom and research training leading to a PhD degree, and preparing students for a variety of career paths in academic, clinical, and industry environments dealing with the study and/or treatment of cancer.

A campus visual from the Carver College of Medicine outdoor lawn space.

Ready to apply?

You can learn more about the application process and requirements here.

Events

Molecular Physiology and Biophysics Seminar, Stephanie Olivier-Van Stichelen promotional image

Molecular Physiology and Biophysics Seminar, Stephanie Olivier-Van Stichelen

Tuesday, October 13, 2026 9:30am to 10:30am
Bowen Science Building

Degowin Blood Drive at Boulware Learning Community

Tuesday, October 13, 2026 10:00am to 2:00pm
Medical Education Research Facility
The DeGowin Blood Center is hosting a blood drive from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Tuesday October 13th 2026 at the Medical Education Research Center!

REDCap Advanced Training

Tuesday, October 13, 2026 10:00am to 11:00am
Virtual

This is the fourth step in the REDCap training series. In this training we will cover advanced features such as:

Importing data from a CSV file

Ways to customize your data entry experience with form display logic

Making your forms more dynamic and personalized with context aware smart variables

Sending automated, conditional email alerts

Ensuring data is high quality by executing data quality rules, creating data 'missingness' codes, and opening data queries

Register by clicking the virtual event link...