All students in the program take a core curriculum over the first two years of study that consists of didactic coursework in Immunology, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Oncology.  A typical program for the first two years of study is shown below; detailed descriptions of the courses can also be found below.

In addition to didactic courses, students are required to participate in Student Seminar and Journal Club every semester of study.

Semester	Course	Credits
Fall 1	BIO 568 Molecular Immunology	3
	BIO 501 Biochemistry	4
	MIR 503 Immunology Student Seminar	1
	MIR 521 Journal Club	1
	MIR 508 Advanced Immunology	3
	BIO 504 Advanced Molecular Biology	4
Spring 1	MIR 504 Immunology Student Seminar	1
	MIR 522 Journal Club	1
	MIR 505 Laboratory Rotation	1
	RPN 531 Oncology for Scientists	4
	MIR 509 Trends in Tumor Immunology	2
Fall 2	MIR 503 Immunology Student Seminar	1
	MIR 521 Journal Club	1
	Graduate Research	1
	MIR 532 Oncology for Scientists	4
	Elective Course	2
Spring 2	MIR 503 Immunology Student Seminar	1
	MIR 521 Journal Club	1
	Graduate Research	1

 

Molecular Immunology (BIO 568):  The Immunology series begins in the fall semester with a general course, “Molecular Immunology”, which is an introductory immunology course with an emphasis on molecular mechanisms of immunology.  The course is taught at the upper division level and assumes that the students have a background in both biochemistry and genetics.  The course material includes textbook reading, lecture notes and articles from the current literature. This course is designed to give students sufficient background in basic immunology, as well as experience in reading and understanding the current literature, to prepare them for a more in-depth examination of topics in the Advanced Immunology course given in the Spring.  
 
Advanced Topics in Immunology (MIR 508)  is the flagship course of the training program.  The course is coordinated by Dr. Yasmin Thanavala and team taught by faculty from both clinical and scientific departments at Roswell Park Cancer Institute.  Lectures concentrate on an in-depth analysis of a variety of issues in current immunology.  The course emphasizes current literature, problem solving and data evaluation.  A unique feature of this course is that one lecture is given by an invited speaker (for example Dr. Polly Matzinger) from academia or industry with expertise in a topical area relevant to current advances in basic or clinical immunology. Students have further opportunities to interact with the guest speaker at a luncheon held after the class. 
 
Trends in Tumor Immunology (MIR 509):  This course is coordinated by Dr. Elizabeth Repasky and is designed to give students an in-depth look at the current state of knowledge in topics of importance in tumor immunology by examining current literature in a highly interactive forum.  In addition, the course provides students with the experience to develop hypotheses, specific aims and experimental designs to address novel questions in each topic.
 
Molecular Biology Series (BIO 501/504):  The two semester series: “Biochemistry/Advanced Molecular Biology”, is given in the Biology Graduate Program at the SUNY/Buffalo.  The first semester (Fall) concentrates on principles of biochemistry of proteins, carbohydrates and nucleic acids) followed by a second semester (Spring) course that focuses entirely on advanced molecular biology (see course outline in Appendix, Document H).  This course provides an in-depth, modern approach to molecular biology and also emphasizes the understanding of macromolecular interactions.  Additional training in molecular biology issues related to immunology is provided by electives and research opportunities.

Oncology for Scientists Series:  Cancer Oncology (Oncology for Scientists) is team-taught by the faculty of the Roswell Park Graduate Division.  "Oncology for Scientists" is designed as a two-semester introductory graduate level course on cancer covering the whole range of the disease process from the molecular level to clinical management.  The first semester defines the morphological and molecular structure of the cancer cell, covering topics such as the cell cycle, cancer-associated genes, regulation of cancer cell expression, cancer genetics, carcinogenesis, metastasis, apoptosis, and laboratory research techniques.  The second semester builds upon the theoretical basis of the previous semester, with lectures covering the immune system, hormones, chemotherapy and drug development. A large part of the semester is taught by the Institute medical staff and deals with the clinical and pathological description of various organ systems.  Lectures on cancer epidemiology, prevention, statistics, bioinformatics, and clinical treatment (chemotherapy, diagnostic imaging, radiation therapy, photodynamic therapy) are also presented.

Immunology Journal Club (MIR 521/522):   The importance of training students in the skills of critical review of published reports, and of effectively leading a discussion is recognized by the program faculty. Faculty and students discuss current, late-breaking topics in immunology/tumor immunology.  All students are required to participate by critically evaluating and presenting at least one current published paper per year, asking relevant and informed questions of presenters, and writing critiques on student presentations.  The goals are to train students to critically evaluate the scientific literature and provide students with the experience of making oral presentations on diverse topics.
 
Immunology Student Seminar (MIR 503/504):   Students are required to present a formal seminar on their thesis research once a year.  These presentations take place in the Student Seminar course, which is coordinated by Dr. Danuta Kozbor, and are attended by the faculty and all students in the program.  Students are required to formally evaluate the presentations of their fellow students in order to train students in critical analysis of current research and to provide constructive criticism to the presenter.
 
Ethics:  Students are required to participate in the Medical and Scientific Ethics seminar series headed by the Dean of the Roswell Park Cancer Institute graduate program (RPN505).  The topics covered include: scientific writing and data handling, biohazards and the worker’s right to know, animal use in research, research with human subjects, peer review, proprietary rights, conflict of interest/science and industry, human genome project, science and the media, medical and health care ethics, and identifying and reporting misconduct.