Our students lay a strong foundation for their future careers, whether that be in an academic setting, in biotech or any other field related to science.
Ite Laird, PhD
Associate Dean of Graduate Affairs & PIBBS Director
About PhD Programs
The Keck School of Medicine PhD programs offers students a broad range of programs with access to the eight PhD programs focused on the basic sciences as well as population and public health. Our efforts to support graduate education include providing students with resources, opportunities, collaborative and innovative research environment, professional development and mentorship in the training to prepare future leaders in the biomedical sciences.
The Keck School of Medicine offers four points of entry into PhD studies.
PIBBS Program
The Programs in Biomedical and Biological Sciences (PIBBS) serves as gateway to interdisciplinary PhD studies at Keck. PIBBS focuses on preparing doctoral students with a training environment, resources and research tools to develop into independent and successful research scientists. The faculty participating in the PIBBS program includes over 130+ members from the Keck School of Medicine, the USC School of Pharmacy, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. PIBBS offers students a unique experience with the opportunity to discover and explore various biomedical fields via lab rotations before choosing to enroll in a specific interdisciplinary PhD program. Students in the PIBBS program are part of a close-knit community taking courses together and participating in a variety of opportunities and socials throughout the year.
- PIBBS Program
- Cancer Biology & Genomics
- Development, Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine
- Infectious Diseases, Immunology and Pathogenesis
- Medical Biophysics
Department of Population and Public Health Sciences
Other students enter the PhD program through the Department of Population and Public Health Sciences. Training programs focus on nurturing students to become public health leaders in their communities and around the world.
Integrative Anatomical Sciences
PhD in Integrative Anatomical Sciences
MD-PhD Program
The MD-PhD program is a joint endeavor of the University of Southern California and the California Institute of Technology. The MD-PhD Program provides those seeking to become physician-scientists the training and development of research expertise and academic excellence while fulfilling the requirements for a PhD degree in a variety of subject areas.
Physician-Scientist Training Program
Keck’s Physician-Scientist Training (PST) program provides formal training to physicians to undertake cutting edge scientific research. The program prepares leaders in their chosen field of expertise who can serve as conduits between the research laboratory and the clinic and are ideally suited to materialize the dream of translational medicine.