TROPICAL MEDICINE

Graduate Program Overview -- Download Graduate Program Handbook

Tropical medicine is the study of diseases that occur more commonly in tropical regions of the world. However, in today’s era of globalization and modern transportation, diseases that were once confined to the tropics have spread geographically and played a significant role in the 20th century global resurgence of infectious diseases. As such, research in the area of tropical medicine and medical microbiology has greatly increased in importance in the past 20 years. The faculty employs a multidisciplinary approach to research problems in tropical medicine, including immunology, pathogenesis, ecology, epidemiology, diagnosis, prevention, control, treatment, socio-ecological systems, human ecology, microbial and vector ecology, environmental change, and participatory action research to answer fundamental questions associated with the pathogenesis of these diseases. These studies can be laboratory-based, field-based, clinical-based, or include a combination of all three. The field of tropical medicine requires knowledge of virology, bacteriology, parasitology, entomology, immunology, cell and molecular biology, epidemiology, ecology, behavioral science and clinical medicine.

The Department of Tropical Medicine and Medical Microbiology (TMMM) at the University of Hawaii at Manoa (UHM) offers graduate programs leading to the MS and PhD in biomedical sciences (tropical medicine). The department is loosely arranged around four subdisciplines of medical microbiology — bacteriology, immunology, parasitology, and virology. However, there is a great deal of interaction and collaboration among the subdisciplines. Graduate students in tropical medicine may specialize in one of these fields, but all are expected to develop a basic knowledge of all aspects of infectious disease microbiology.

In addition to acquiring a thorough understanding of their areas of specialization, students in the MS and PhD programs gain a variety of experiences in a wide range of biological sciences, including cell biology, biochemistry, epidemiology, molecular biology, and biostatistics, etc. In this respect, the tropical medicine program at UHM provides learning opportunities in a range of biological disciplines available in few other university departments. Students also receive vigorous training in scientific methodology.

Graduates of the programs are ready to take advantage of numerous professional options in the biological sciences. Graduates with a master’s degree have gone on to careers in science education at the secondary and college level, technical and research positions in universities, government agencies and biotechnology companies, or have continued on in PhD and MD training programs.

The department also participates in the MD/PhD program of the John A. Burns School of Medicine, a joint degree program designed to train aspiring medical scientists who wish to prepare for academic careers. Students seeking admission to the MD/PhD program must fulfill all prerequisites and satisfy all admission requirements of each individual program and be accepted by both the MD program and the tropical medicine doctoral program. Once admitted into the MD/PhD program, students are required to fulfill all of the requirements of the MD and PhD degrees based on a curriculum developed by their major advisor and the JABSOM Office of Student Affairs.

The MS and PhD programs in tropical medicine participate in the Western Regional Graduate Program administered by the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE). The program enables legal residents of WICHE member states to enroll in selected out-of-state professional or graduate programs at reduced tuition rates. For more information, see Financial Matters < WICHE Program.

Admissions Requirements

1) Graduate Division admissions criteria and documentation requirements,

2) common graduate program documentation requirements, and

3) program specific admissions criteria and documentation requirements (see below).

• a bachelor's degree in biology or related fields *
• completion of the following course work:
one and a half years in life sciences (including microbiology)
two years in chemistry (including organic and biochemistry)
one year in physics
one year in mathematics (including calculus)
• two letters of recommendation
• GRE General Test scores
• GRE Biology or any relevant science Subject Test scores
• TOEFL scores – 580/237 minimum (Required for most non-native speakers of English)

* Applicants with other undergraduate majors may be accepted, if they have sufficient strength in biological sciences. Exceptional students who do not meet all the above requirements may be accepted on a probationary basis at the discretion of the graduate committee and the Graduate Division. Admission to candidacy for a graduate degree is contingent upon the applicant's satisfactory completion of the necessary courses to correct any deficiencies.

Upon acceptance, students with an MS degree or those with outstanding qualifications may enroll directly in the PhD program in biomedical sciences (tropical medicine and medical microbiology). Alternatively, the PhD program may be elected for students who have satisfactorily completed the MS program in tropical medicine and upon the recommendation of the graduate committee.

Degree Requirements
All graduate students at UHM need to meet degree requirements set by the Graduate Division and their graduate programs. For general Graduate Division requirements, see Degree Requirements. Below is an overview of the degree requirements for this graduate program.

MS Degree Requirements
Students may select Plan A (thesis) or Plan B (non-thesis).
• Plan A requires 21 credits of course work, 9 credits of thesis research, a written thesis and defense of the thesis.
• Plan B requires 30 credits of course work, participation in a research project, and a final oral and written exam.
• A general exam, oral or written, is required before a student is advanced to candidacy for the MS degree.

PhD Degree Requirements
The PhD program requires the following:
• course work covering a broad array of the disciplines as relevant to their area of concentration as determined necessary by the student's advisory committee,
• qualifying exam,
• written research proposal
• comprehensive exam,
• dissertation,
• final oral exam / defense of dissertation.

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