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How
are students funded?
What is the stipend level?
What are the benefits like?
How long does it take to get my Ph.D.?
How do I find a place to live?
Is public transportation available?
What is PIBS and how does it relate to the Department
of Physiology?
What kinds of teaching opportunities are available?
How does the training grant differ from the
graduate program?
Other questions?
How
are students funded?
Funding is guaranteed for the duration of your training as a graduate
student. Funding includes tuition, fees, health insurance, and a
living stipend, which is currently $22,000/year. Funding comes from
different sources and does not require continued teaching. For the
first year, PIBS supports all of the students. Once students enter
the Physiology Graduate Program at the beginning of their second
year they are funded for an additional year from the Cellular
and Molecular Basis of Systems and Integrative Biology Training
Grant, or from Physiology departmental funds. After that, students
are covered by their mentor's research grants or from a variety
of other fellowship funds, such as Organogenesis, Reproductive Sciences
and Rackham. Students in the Department of Physiology have been
very successful in obtaining fellowship support.
Entering first
year students are encouraged to apply for independent outside support
from NSF (National Science Foundation) and tvarious external fellowships.
The PIBS office can help coordinate these applications. At this
time students who are successful in obtaining individual outside
support will receive a stipend bonus of up to $5,000 in their first year.
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What
is the stipend level?
The stipend is currently $22,000/year.
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What
are the benefits like for graduate students in Physiology?
The University of Michigan has excellent benefits for graduate students.
Medical coverage includes access to the University of Michigan Health
System, one of the top ranked medical centers in the country. Limited
dental and eye care coverage are included as well. Access to the
university computer network, including an email account, access
to the library system, and
to state of the art recreational
facilities are also covered.
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How
long does it take to get my Ph.D. in Physiology?
Generally Physiology graduate students take 5 years to complete
their Ph.D. Highly motivated students or those with an M.D. degree
can finish significantly sooner.
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How
do I find a place to live?
Graduate students generally live in apartments in the Ann Arbor
area. Apartments within walking distance as well as a short drive
away are plentiful. University of Michigan family housing is also
available. The University has a very helpful housing
office to assist students in finding a place to live. The city
of Ann Arbor also has information
available. Our current graduate students are a great source of advice
on the best places to live. You can email a current Physiology graduate
student from Ask a Student.
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Is
public transportation available in Ann Arbor?
The University
as well as the Ann Arbor
Transportation Authority run extensive bus systems. Although
many graduate students have their own cars, they are not necessary
to get around the University of Michigan and Ann Arbor. Most graduate
students live within walking distance of the University and shops
and services and find that they don't need to have a car.
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What
is PIBS and how does it relate to the
Department of Physiology?
PIBS (Program in Biomedical
Sciences) is a gateway program that organizes the admissions
of graduate students for 12 different Ph.D. training programs at
the University of Michigan. Graduate students remain in PIBS their
first year before joining Physiology or another Ph.D. training program.
During that first year students can choose to focus their studies
in a particular area, such as Physiology, or they can explore a
couple of different programs before making their choice.
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What
kinds of teaching opportunities are available?
The Department of Physiology features an environment that supports
the development of strong teachers. Although extensive teaching
is not required in the graduate curriculum, some students choose
to enhance their teaching skills by lecturing in selected courses,
tutoring, or participating in our informal summer course directed
to undergraduates doing research in the department. Physiology graduate
students have been very successful in winning teaching awards from
the Medical School and the University.
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How
does the training grant differ from the
graduate program?
The Department of Physiology administers an NIH funded training
grant (Cellular and Molecular Basis
of Systems and Integrative Biology). The goal of this training
grant is to provide graduate students with broad training in the
application of cellular and molecular techniques to the study of
problems in systems and integrative biology. Although many of the
Physiology graduate students are funded by this training grant,
funding is not limited to Physiology students and graduate students
from other Ph.D. programs participate in this training.
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Other
questions?
Questions that aren't answered here or elsewhere in the web site
can be answered by contacting Sue
Carlsen in the Physiology Graduate Program office. You can also
email a current Physiology graduate student from the Ask
a Student section.
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