Programme Overview MPDI

year 1		year 2
course	EC	course	EC
Topclass I	11	Topclass IV	5
Topclass II	9	Capita Selecta	6
Topclass III	4	Research project II	33
Research project I	33	Colloquium	3
Colloquium	3	Elective	5
		Topclass V	2
		Research proposal	6

1 EC = 28 hours of study

Topclass I: The Cell: Recent developments in medical, biomedical and pharmaceutical sciences (11 EC)

Guided self study of “Molecular Biology of the Cell” + test (1 week = 1,4 EC)
5 topics, each 1 week: Cell differentation, Cell polarity, Cell survival, Immune cell interactions, Cell targeting
Training of skills: reading a scientific paper, writing an abstract, presenting a paper, reviewing a paper
Final test: writing an editorial (including discussion)

Topclass II: Modern techniques in medical, biomedical and pharmaceutical sciences (9 EC)

Identification appropriate technique
Transformation of a problem into a research question with experimental plan

Themes and Techniques:

Genomics (arrays, PCR,…)
Expression Manipulation (various expression systems,…)
Proteomics and Analytical Methods (capp. electrophoresis, mass spectrometry,…)
Imaging (laser scanning confocal microscopy, FRET,……)
In vivo methods (conditional knockout, PET, MRI,……)

Topclass III: Theoretical preparation research project (4 EC)

Obtain overview of the research within the research institute GUIDE
Selection of a project
Data collection by reading papers and interviewing people from the different research groups
Presentation of results (both oral and in writing)

Topclass IV: Theoretical preparation for advanced research (5 EC)
How to write a research proposal: In this module the students are trained in writing a research proposal. Students will practice with a pre-defined topic.

Research projects (2x 33EC)
In the two research projects students participate in ongoing research projects in one of the research groups within the research institute GUIDE. This allows students to learn being a scientist through active participation. These projects have to be undertaken in two different research groups. Students can go abroad during the second research project.
For examples of possible topics look at the overview of research projects. For more information about research in the research institute GUIDE go to Research Institutes of GUIDE.

Topclass V: Tender research proposal (2 EC)
In preparation to writing your own PhD research proposal, students identify a project niche and write the tender for a project proposal.

Research proposal (6 EC)
Write your own PhD project: In this module students prepare a detailed research proposal for a PhD project based on the tender (topclass V) and the respective comments from the evaluation committee. All proposals are assessed by a expert committee and the best proposals/students is (are) awarded with a PhD position within the research institute GUIDE.

top