Type of lectures offered in the Immunology PhD program:
1. Medical Propedeutics (6 Semester hours)
The propedeutics are an obligatory part of PhD studies at the Medical University of Vienna (irrespective of the chosen program). They comprise a choice of medical and basic courses, of which 6 semester hours are obligatory. The selection has to be done under the supervision of the thesis committee and the program coordinator and is dependent on the undergraduate education and the selected thematic program. Further information about the propedeutics can be found on the homepage of the N094 PhD program
2. Basic Lecture Immunology (2 x 2 Semester hours)
The aim of the Basic Lecture (Basic Seminar) is to give students a broad overview about various fundamental immunological topics, which is a prerequisite for a successful PhD study and a career in the field of immunology. The Basic Seminar in Immunology will be held in two parts, each 2 semester hours. The 1st part is taking place in January (winter semester; part I) and the 2nd part in June (summer semester; part II). The basic lecture is built up on the immunology textbook “Cellular and Molecular Immunology” (currently the 10th Edition, 2021, Abbas, Lichtman, Pillai, Saunders – Elsevier), however certain aspects of the immune system and of immune-mediated diseases will be covered in more detail and more comprehensively compared to the text book. Topics covered in the lecture include immune cell development, mechanisms of innate and adaptive immune responses, tolerance induction, primary immunodeficiencies, as well as the immunopathology of important immunologically-mediated diseases, immunological aspects of cancer and a description of therapeutic approaches for immune-mediated diseases.
There will be an oral exam at the end of each lecture part. In addition, successful completion also requires attendance of the basic lecture.
3. Journal Clubs and Progress Reports (6 x 2 Semester hours)
During the 6 semesters of the PhD studies, students have to participate in Immunology Journal Clubs that will be either held regularly at the institutions of the participating faculty members or organized by faculty members (and thus are open for all students). The topics of the Journal Club should be in accordance (or related) with the thesis subjects of the student. The aim of the Journal Clubs is to get familiar with the design and interpretation of experimental studies. Moreover, students will learn critical reading and discussion of scientific papers as well as will help them in writing scientific papers. Therefore, students will have to read scientific publications, to present them to the other participants and to discuss the presented results, methods and interpretations under the guidance of the lecturer. The selection of the papers to be discussed can be made by the faculty member as well as by the students.
Another important educational aspect of the PhD program immunology are Progress Reports that should be given at least once a year by the PhD students. In addition to the members of the PhD thesis committee, other faculty members and students from the host institutions should attend the seminars given by the PhD student. As a critical audience they should stimulate the successful development of the PhD thesis, help to discuss the data and provide suggestions for new experiments. Ideally, there should be a regular Progress Report Series at each host institution of the participating faculty members. This would allow a regular discussion of ongoing projects in front of a rather broad audience and this will prepare the PhD students for future presentations of their own scientific results to a larger and critical audience.
4. Elective Courses / Thesis Seminars (4 x 2 Semester hours)
The purpose of the thesis seminars is to improve and deepen the knowledge in a particular field of immunology. Topics covered in the seminars go beyond textbook knowledge and will cover recent developments in a particular field. Ideally, the majority of seminars chosen by the PhD student should be in the subject of the individual thesis, however it is recommended to choose at least one seminar in a subject that is not related to the topic of the student's PhD thesis.
YSA Symposium
The YSA Symposium is an annual two-day event where our doctoral students share and present their research work with their peers. For those students who have enrolled after the winter semester of 2019, it is mandatory to attend at least one YSA symposium. We highly recommend every student to attend this event, as its a great opportunity to network and exchange knowledge with other MedUni Wien scientists.