Graduate Programs

Training in the responsible conduct of research

All first-year graduate students are required to register and pass the course BSDG 55000, Scientific Integrity and the Ethical Conduct of Research.  Offered every Winter Quarter, the course discusses the basic tenets of scientific integrity and the multiple issues that often challenge the scientific and ethical judgment of scientists.  Students participate in group presentations of ethical dilemmas, mentored by a faculty expert, and then lead discussions of their topic.  Students are also required to submit a written assignment. There are in-person sessions one weekend in Autumn quarter, followed by Zoom sessions in the evenings in Winter quarter; towards the end of Winter, the course may switch to in-person if appropriate.

A second training in the ethical conduct of research is required for students still registered four years after their initial training in ethics.  Senior ethics training content is more closely aligned with research areas and so this training is coordinated by the individual graduate programs.