Department of Biomedical Informatics
PhD
Visit our Frequently Asked Questions page Application InstructionsDescription of Program
The PhD program provides intensive coursework and research training in biomedical informatics. The primary goal of the program is to train students to be independent researchers when they graduate; many of our PhD graduates go on to academic careers. A key component of the PhD program is the completion of a dissertation, which develops the student's research skills and develops domain expertise.
Application Requirements
(See also Application Instructions)
Department Requirements:
- Bachelor's degree from a regionally-accredited university or college
- Minimum GPA of 3.3
- GRE scores in the 60th percentile on all three test areas
- Three references
- Fulfillment of prerequisite courses, which are one college-level course in each of the following:
- Programming language
- Statistics
- Basic biology
Overview of Degree Requirements
The PhD degree requires approximately 40 hours of formal class work with a grade of B or better. A PhD student must pass a written and oral Comprehensive Exam after the first year of study. Graduate work at this or other institutions, including courses taken for a MS degree, may be applied to the PhD coursework requirement at the discretion of the student's advisory committee. After completion of coursework, the student must pass a PhD written and oral Qualifying Examination. In addition to the classwork, 14 or more hours of research work (taken as BMI 7970) are required. This work must lead to the completion and defense of an original PhD dissertation demonstrating the student's capabilities to conceive and execute an independent research project.
Review the Program of Study for the PhD program for more details.
Dissertation Requirements
There are two options for meeting the dissertation requirement. The first option, submitting three journal-ready academic manuscripts, is heavily recommended by the department. Students who choose this option are required to submit their three manuscripts to journals approved by the department for this purpose. The three manuscripts should be related and form a cohesive whole. The text of the submitted manuscripts then form the central part of the student's dissertation. The dissertation must also include an abstract, introduction, conclusion or discussion, references, and other required pages in the same manner as a traditional dissertation. Additional chapters to introduce and connect the individual manuscripts may also be required. The second option is the traditional 'book' style dissertation. Students will work closely with their supervisory committee to determine the dissertation option chosen.
Students will also work closely with their supervisory committee on the topic, 'relatedness,' and timing of paper submission. Manuscripts must be approved by the student's supervisory committee and submitted to an approved journal. Publication, though desirable, is not required. After the supervisory committee approves the dissertation, the student must submit the document to the University of Utah Graduate School Thesis Office, which has additional requirements and rules.
