Activities and requirements

General information

Participation in the programme constitutes a whole - that is to say students who participate must fulfill all the requirements devised by the programme regulation, from the beginning to the end of their thesis work. Most requirements reflect in fact those of both joint committees of the Faculty of science.

For all students coming from the Section of biology or the Department of biochemistry of the Faculty of science, participation in the programme is mandatory and is required by the biology-medicine and biochemistry-medicine joint committees. This therefore also applies to the MD/PhD doctorate students, whose doctorate is ruled by the Section of biology.

Candidates to the programme must hold a master of biology or of biochemistry of the Faculty of science of Geneva or a federal or cantonal doctor diploma. For all diplomas coming from outside of Geneva, the joint committees and competent sections of the Faculty of science will decide upon possible equivalences.

• Doctorate students begin their work in their host laboratory from the beginning of their first year, but they will only be formally admitted to the programme after having successfully fulfilled all the requirements of the first year (see hereafter).
• The doctorate work will have to cover at least 3 years once the requirements of the first year are fulfilled.

Registration

Doctorate candidates will have to register both with the section or with the department of the Faculty of science which concerns them and with the administration of the programme of the Faculty of medicine. This administration will supply ad hoc forms. When registering, (as a rule before the beginning of the academic year), the doctorate candidate will have to indicate:

• The laboratory willing to host the candidate and the name of the person who will supervise the thesis.
• The list of 4 modules chosen for the first year (see hereafter).
• Be registered at the Faculty of science. A doctorate candidate can start his first year during the academic year.

Supervision during the first year

1. For holders of a diploma of biology or biochemistry:

• Beginning of the research work in the host laboratory.
• Participation and successful achievement of the 4 modules of the first year chosen among the various proposed modules. The module list and subjects are available with the administration of the programme.
• Each of the modules will be subject to an evaluation. In case of failure to achieve a module, students can register for additional modules, if necessary, during the next academic year.
• Should doctorate students fa il to achieve a module a second time, they will not be allowed to join the programme. (The person in charge of the first year modules is , CMU).

2. For physicians applying for the doctorate in biology (MD/PhD):

• Beginning of the research work in the host laboratory.
• Candidates must participate in 2 courses at the Faculty of science required by Section of biology and successfully sit the corresponding examinations; this concerns the course: Genetics and molecular biology of the cell. MD/PhD candidates must follow 2 first year modules.
• MD/PhD candidates who will previously have sucessfully sat the two examinations will follow the same first year programme followed by biology or in biochemistry students (= four modules).

3. First year work assessment:

• Each doctorate candidate will be summoned for an interview with members of the programme committee so as to assess all the conditions of his/her training.

Presentation of the thesis project

• Once the doctorate candidate has successfully completed either modules (a), or examinations of catching(making) up in Faculty of science (b), the PhD student has to prepare a project of thesis. This one will have a length of 1500 words in most and will be drafted by the very student. The nature of the project of thesis will have to take into account considerations evoked in the directives appearing in appendix.
• The project of thesis is sent by the candidate PhD student to the competent joint committee, to the programme committeee and to the members of his/her sponsoring committee (see below), at the latest 3 months after the success of the certificate of 1st year. This deadline is mandatory.
• In case the project of thesis would not be considered acceptable by the one or other one of both joint committees, the student will be registered conditionally for the 2nd year.
• If either one or the other joint committees has doubts on the qualification of the laboratory of reception to train a PhD student, the question will be submitted to the programme committee.

Sponsoring Committee

• During all the duration of his/her doctorate, each student shall be helped by a sponsoring committee, composed of two professors or teachers of the programme (among whom at least one professor and one person external to the department), as well as of his/her supervisor.
• The sponsoring committee shall meet with the PhD student, at least once a year, to review and to advise the student, both on his/her thesis work and on his/her training in general. It is the responsibility of the PhD student to organize such meetings.
• The student will choose him/herself both members of his/her committee. This committee will be established as soon as the student had successfully passed the 1st year; the composition of the committee will be communicated to the administration of the programme by the PhD student. If considered necessary, the programme committee may change this composition.

Supervision during the 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th years

• Continuation of thesis work in the host laboratory.
• All students, who have fulfilled all 1^st year requirements, follow as of the beginning of the second year, a seminar called Chosen Chapters, which include readings and seminars with demand active participation of the PhD students. Participation is compulsory during the 2^nd and 3^rd years and consists of one of the main components of the programme. Participation in the Chosen Chapters seminar is also subject to an evaluation. The detailed programme of this seminar as well as the composition of the groups of students and teachers is prepared by the person in charge of the Chosen Chapters seminar, , PhD. For further information, please contact him.
• PhD students must participate, during the duration of their thesis, in two components - at least - of the so called 3^rd cycle programmes (French-speaking part of Switzerland, Swiss or international programmes). They have to inform the administration of the programme of their participations. Additional participation in 3^rd cycle courses is strongly encouraged.

Assessment of thesis work in progress

• Approximately one and a half years after the acceptance of the project of thesis, the PhD student will be summoned to present to the competent joint committee a summary of the progress of his/her thesis work. The thesis director is present during this presentation.
• The programme committee is informed about this assessment.

Thesis examination

• Thesis examination will include written and oral exams that are required by the Faculty of science. The student must ask, at an early enough stage, the sections' administration, what are the specific requirements.
• Successful participation within the Chosen chapters followed during the 2^nd and 3^rd years replaces the oral exam of the doctorate thesis.

Defence of thesis in biology or in biochemistry

• Thesis defence is organised according to the regulations established by the competent sections of the Faculty of science and in presence of the thesis jury.
• All participants within the programme as well as all of their teachers will be informed about and invited to assist all the thesis defence sessions related to the programme.

Programme management

• The programme is managed by the programme committee, consisting of teachers representing the departments of the Section of fundamental medicine, as well as the Department of internal medicine.
• The programme committee is included within the teaching committee of the Faculty of medicine.

• Within the University, the programme represents the "Faculty of medicine" component of the fundamental and medical biology plurifaculty centre of gravity as well as the " doctoral school " supervised by this centre.

Modules

Programme 2008-2009 (21 Kb, )

Chosen chapters

Programme 2007-2008 (198 Kb, )

Calendrier 2008-2009 (25 Kb, )

• Doctorate in science, specialisation in biology, undertaken at the Faculty of medicine 
• Faculty of science, Department of biology