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Excellence in Graduate Education
In barely more than a decade, the graduate program of the Kellogg School of Science and Technology at TSRI
has grown from a handful to several hundred students and more than a hundred alumni. Indeed, the program has become integrated into the fabric of the institute. Over the same period, TSRI has grown
into one of the nation's top centers for graduate education in chemistry and biology.
TSRI launched the graduate program in1989, building on the institute's strengths at the interface of cell and molecular biology,
structure, and chemistry. Three years later, TSRI drew on its newly assembled chemistry faculty with an outstanding record in chemical, biological, and
structural research to commence a graduate program in chemistry.
In 2002, TSRI named its graduate college the Kellogg School of Science and Technology for philanthropists Janet
R. ("Jean") Kellogg and W. Keith Kellogg II, who have been long-standing patrons of education and science.
With specialties in organic, bioorganic, and biophysical chemistry, students in the graduate program take classes from
more than 100 faculty members representing every department at TSRI. Students follow a core curriculum and take elective courses in chemistry, biology, and
related disciplines.
Elective courses provide more specialized training in such areas as x-ray diffraction, statistical mechanics,
nuclear magnetic resonance, immunology, virology, evolution, and molecular medicine.
Many TSRI alumni now hold faculty positions at some of the most prestigious academic institutions in the country or are recruited to work in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries.
Irrespective of the environment they choose, TSRI graduates fill highly competitive positions and excel in them.
The emphasis on research in TSRI's graduate programs is unusually strong, creating
synergy between the missions of TSRI and its graduate school. Once a year, TSRI
holds an annual retreat that encourages scientific discussion among students
and faculty, provides a forum for presentation of a broad range of research
topics by students, and serves as a measure of the scientific excellence of
students at TSRI. Over the years, the Graduate Studies Program has enhanced
its competitive edge by recruiting highly qualified students from various disciplines
and with diverse scientific interests. This is reflected in TSRI's U.S. News
& World Report rankings as among the most outstanding graduate schools
in the United States. The result of surveys sent to department heads and directors
of graduate studies at universities throughout the country, the rankings show
TSRI among the top 10 places to study biological sciences and chemistry. And
when the programs were further categorized by specialty TSRI ranked second in
the discipline of organic chemistry.
Further, The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) recently completed its reaccreditation process
and conferred a 10-year accreditation on the program. This is the maximum term granted to any institution and a significant acknowledgment of adherence to the
highest standards.
Students have obtained financial support from a broad range of sources, including the Skaggs Institute for
Research, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, National Science Foundation, La Jolla Interfaces in Science, Medical Research Council of Canada, American Heart
Association, American Chemical Society, United Negro College Fund, National Institutes of Health, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of
Canada, the Roche Award, and the Hewitt Award. The graduate programs have also received support from the Achievement Rewards for College Scientists
Foundation, Inc., the Sharon & William Bauce Foundation, the Norton B. Gilula Graduate Student Fellowship, David and Ursula Fairchild, the Fletcher-Jones
Foundation, and the Louis R. Jabinson Investigatorship Fund for Graduate Education.
Motivated by a desire to make a contribution to the San Diego community, a group of graduate students has
developed a curriculum for high school students, as well as a high school teacher training program under the auspices of TSRI's Science Partnership
Scholars Program. The curriculum includes hands-on experiments that can be used in the classroom and didactic presentations on state-of-the-art research topics
and techniques.
In addition, the graduate students serve as mentors to high school students through TSRI's Summer Research
Internship Program, which was created to expose students to a variety of contemporary issues in basic biomedical research, provide hands-on laboratory
experience, and motivate students for continuing education in the sciences.
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