Affiliated Graduate Groups

Immunology Graduate Group

The Graduate Group in Immunology offers a broad, flexible program in an exciting field of biology and medicine. The Graduate Group is an interdepartmental unit with faculty from the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, the School of Medicine, and the School of Veterinary Medicine. The Graduate Group in Immunology faculty at UC Davis has many research interests: Clinical immunology, including cancer therapy and autoimmune diseases; infection and immunity, including host responses to parasites, viruses and bacteria, and new approaches to vaccine development; and immune regulation at the organism, cellular and molecular level, and immunochemistry, with emphasis on the effect of immune mediators and their use for diagnosis and treatment of diseases. This diversity of research offers our students the latitude to emphasize those areas that are of the most interest to them.

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Graduate Group

The Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (BMB) Graduate Group comprises students and faculty who share an interest in understanding biology at its most fundamental level. Admission into the BMB Graduate Group provides access to more than 110 faculty in over 25 different departments in both basic and applied sciences.
Research and instruction are offered through a variety of departments which span the Colleges of Letters and Sciences, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, the Schools of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, and the Division of Biological Sciences. UC Davis is unique in the diversity of biological sciences found on a single campus. The BMB program has strong ties with biotechnology companies, and numerous opportunities in private industry are available in proximity to the campus.

Comparative Pathology Graduate Group

The graduate group in comparative pathology (GGCP) is designed for students interested in studying mechanisms responsible for the development of disease at the organismal, cellular or subcellular level. Students interested in cell biology, biochemistry, microbiology, pharmacology, physiology, immunology, or genetics should apply to the graduate programs in those subjects. Such students may, however, find that some courses taught by the faculty in comparative pathology to be of great interest. Successful completion of the GGCP program leads to either a master of science (MS) or doctor of philosophy (PhD). The majority of students in the program have a professional medical degree (i.e., DVM, MD or DDS). Students without a professional degree are admitted if they have exceptionally strong interests and backgrounds in basic biomedical sciences. Students without a professional medical education will be required to take additional course work in comparative medicine and introductory pathology. Approximately 100 faculty members in the GGCP represent most of the departments that make up the Schools of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine. With such a broad range of interests represented, students have the opportunity to receive a uniquely diverse education in terms of course materials and a great variety of research areas that are supported by major instrumentation.

Cell and Developmental Biology Graduate Group

The Graduate Group in Cell and Developmental Biology offers programs leading to the Ph.D. or M.S. degree. The group includes more than 50 faculty members with varied interests in molecular mechanisms underlying cell structure and function, differentiation, reproductive biology and embryonic development. Incoming students are therefore able to select laboratories suited to their own research interests and career goals.