The IGP program provides students with their first year of graduate training in biomedical sciences at Vanderbilt University.
At the end of the first year, students join one of the affiliate training programs and become students in that program.
First-Semester Curriculum
In their first semester, students take
- core coursework covering the current state of key biological concepts
- biostatistics and Python programming
- a primary scientific literature reading and discussion course
- a weekly session on various topics including responsible conduct of research, wellness, and professional development
Second-Semester Curriculum
In the second semester students take
- specialized electives of their choosing
- continue a weekly session on various topics including responsible conduct of research, wellness, and professional development
- continue developing quantitative skills
Research Rotations
The most important element in any scientific Ph.D. program is research training.
- Students rotate in four laboratories across the 11 partnering programs in their first year. These programs are located in Vanderbilt University and in the Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
- The list of faculty accepting students changes year to year, but you can explore their research using our Training Faculty database.
- While some faculty pages may be incomplete, you can use this list to see what types of research our faculty are doing and their affiliated departments.
Choosing a Lab and Research Program
At the end of the IGP year, students select a training program in one of the participating departments or programs and the student enters one of the departmental or program Ph.D. programs.
One of the greatest benefits of the IGP is the flexibility it offers. New graduate students have nine months to solidify their core knowledge and to explore their interests in multiple areas before selecting a thesis advisor. The comprehensive nature of the IGP often leads students to explore departments they hadn’t considered previously. Moreover, research faculty commonly have appointments in more than one department, and the flexibility of the first IGP year allows students to determine which specific department most suits their individual interests and career goals.