In addition to offering the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.), the College of Medicine has established a new Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Integrative Anatomy, that seeks to support educators and researchers in clinical and biomedical fields. This program continues NYITCOM's objective of training the next generation of practitioners in medical-adjacent fields.
Students will need to successfully complete 90 credits to graduate, including 36 credits of coursework (24 credits from core courses and 12 from elective courses) and 54 credits of research (dissertation and other research).
In their first semester, students will be required to enroll in an intensive human anatomy course with the first-year medical (D.O.) students. In the second year, students will enroll in an anatomy practicum, where they will gain hands-on experience teaching clinically oriented human anatomy to first-year medical students with a varied approach that includes, among other modalities, cadaveric dissection and medical imaging technologies. Other coursework in the Ph.D. program will focus on the key research disciplines that integrate with the anatomical sciences, such as evolution, systematics, and functional morphology. Courses offered in support of these disciplines include comparative anatomy, paleontology, evolution, phylogenetics, functional anatomy and biomechanics.
In addition to required training in biostatistics, the curriculum will include training in state-of-the art quantitative methods developed for and used in anatomy-relevant fields that will empower students to conduct cutting-edge dissertation research. Other courses on ethics, scientific communication, and educational methods will serve to enhance students' general professional development. The experiences offered by the program will equip its graduates with skill sets that are broadly transferable across academia, including medical schools, undergraduate institutions, and premed programs. The curriculum will also provide students with skills that are transferable to non-academic professions as well, such as science communication.
Research is the cornerstone of the Ph.D. program, with students engaging in a research-intensive learning environment from the first semester onward. During the first two years, students begin to build foundational research skills in fields such as comparative and functional biology, 3D imaging, phylogenetic methods, biostatistics, and quantitative methods. They are encouraged to engage with faculty which help them explore potential research topics and methodologies. Through close mentorship with faculty advisors, students refine their research interests and begin developing proposals that will evolve into their dissertation projects and prepare them for the next steps, including the qualifying exam, dissertation proposal, and dissertation research.
Programmatic Goals
Specifically, program success will be evaluated according to the following criteria:
- Graduates of the program will find employment in academia (medical schools, other programs in allied health professions, graduate and undergraduate programs in the biological sciences), independent research institutions, industry, or government. Initially these may include short-term (2–5 years) postdoctoral positions, but the goal is for our graduates to attain permanent employment after no more than two postdoctoral positions.
- Students in the program will disseminate their research on a frequent basis through national and international meetings as well as through peer-reviewed publications, including those where they are first author or other lead role.
- Students in the program will engage in outreach activities and/or publicizing their research. These experiences will help them learn how to communicate their scholarship and its relevance to diverse audiences.
- Students in the program will write and submit competitive grants to support some portion of their Ph.D. research.
- Students will engage in different forms of teaching and will develop a coherent teaching philosophy, experience using different approaches to teach anatomy, and are familiar with the science of learning and how to apply it to their educational activities.
Requirements for Admission to the Program
Prospective students must submit an application that includes three letters of recommendation, transcripts of the applicant's previous degree(s), and a statement of purpose. The Program Committee for the Anatomy Ph.D. program will review all applications and decide whether to grant admission. The general requirement for admission into this Ph.D. program is as follows: for students with a bachelor's degree, a minimum GPA of 3.2 from an accredited university; for students with a master's degree, a minimum Bachelor's GPA of 3.5 from an accredited university. The admission requirements for transfer students are the same as new students. Up to 18 credits from other accredited graduate programs can be granted to students in this program for appropriate courses in which a minimum grade of B was earned.
Qualifying Exam
Each student must pass a qualifying exam no earlier than the beginning of the Spring Semester of the student's second year but not later than the beginning of the Fall semester of the student's third year. The exam will consist of two parts, 1) core courses and 2) elected courses, which will cover fundamental knowledge of the subject areas studied by the student. The exam will be written and graded by faculty committees with the appropriate specializations. The passing grade is 70% for each subject. Each student may take the qualifying exam no more than twice.
Dissertation Proposal
Following satisfactory completion of the qualifying examination, working with their dissertation advisor, each student will develop a dissertation proposal in a chosen area, together with the selection of an acceptable topic for the dissertation. This document will describe in detail the proposed research project with a timeline and possible research strategies, and alternatives, should problems be encountered.
A dissertation committee will be formed by the student in concert with his/her advisor and be submitted to the P.D. for approval no later than the start of the spring term of the students' third year. The dissertation committee will comprise four members: the Ph.D. advisor, two more core faculty members, and a fourth member qualified in a field associated with the proposed dissertation. The fourth member, in most instances, will be an external member who is not a core member, and likely not affiliated with NYIT. One of the core faculty members, who is not the student's mentor or co-mentor, will serve as the dissertation committee chair.
By the end of spring term of year three, the student will submit a written proposal to the dissertation committee and provide an oral presentation of the proposal. When approved by the dissertation committee, the dissertation proposal will be forwarded to the P.D. for final approval.
Advancement to Candidacy and Dissertation Research
After passing the qualifying exam, students will register for dissertation and research credits for as many times as needed to fulfill the 54-credit requirement. Independent research is a major focus of the program. Students work closely with faculty advisors on their dissertation projects, which are expected to contribute novel insights to the field. The research experience in the Ph.D. program is structured progressively across semesters, adapting to the growing expertise and independence of the student. This progression is reflected in their enrollment in MANT 931 and MANT 932 which represents their commitment to thesis research.
Dissertation Defense
To qualify for the dissertation defense, students must have satisfactorily completed the following requirements:
- Complete and pass all required coursework, with a minimum overall GPA of 3.0
- Pass the qualifying exam
- Establish a dissertation committee and convene a minimum of one meeting with written
reports from each meeting submitted to the P.D. by the Ph.D. advisor
- Submit the dissertation proposal and received approval for the proposal from the
dissertation committee and P.D.
- Advance to candidacy
- Complete the written dissertation
The dissertation may either be a single cohesive document that is divided into chapters, or a series of published and/or formatted papers prepared for publication, with an introduction and conclusion to describe how the work in individual chapters is integrated. The dissertation committee may request that the written portion be revised and schedule additional meetings to review and approve the changes. Before final approval of the written document, the dissertation committee will schedule an oral examination during which the student must successfully defend the dissertation. The oral examination by the dissertation committee members will follow immediately after a public seminar by the student describing the complete body of work contained in the submitted thesis. Based on the outcome of the oral examination, the dissertation committee may require changes to the written dissertation document and schedule another meeting with the student. The student must submit the written document to the committee members at least four weeks before the oral defense. Following successful oral defense and approval of the written document, all committee members must sign the dissertation defense approval form, which is forwarded to the P.D. for final approval.
Summary of the Steps in the Dissertation Process
The dissertation process will be as follows:
- Pass the qualifying exam.
- Develop ideas for the dissertation proposal in concert with the Ph.D. advisor.
- Assemble the dissertation committee.
- Notify the P.D. of the dissertation committee membership.
- Prepare the dissertation proposal (including all major components and the timeline for completion of the project).
- Complete and distribute dissertation proposal to the dissertation committee at least two weeks before the oral examination.
- Following successful completion of the proposal and approval by the committee, advance to candidacy status.
- Complete proposal research program.
- Prepare dissertation thesis with input from faculty mentor and dissertation committee members.
- Submit the written dissertation to the dissertation committee members at least four weeks before the oral defense.
- Present dissertation research at a public seminar.
- Defend dissertation research to the thesis committee, at which time the committee approves or requests revisions.
- Define a timeline for any required revisions, if requested, to dissertation.
- Revise dissertation, if requested, and obtain approval of dissertation by the dissertation committee with all committee members signing off.
- Forward approved dissertation to P.D. for final approval.