Graduate Students
Basic Science Graduate Students — GRAD 214
The Division of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs (GEPA) coordinates an annual course, GRAD 214, entitled "Foundations in Ethical Research: Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) for Basic Sciences Graduate Students." This course is required for all first-year basic science doctoral students and meets NIH training requirements for RCR. In 2026-2027, GRAD 214 attendance will take place fifty percent in person and 50% remotely. Lectures will occur in September, October, January, February, March and April from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at either the Mission Bay or the Parnassus campus. In-person attendance will be required on the campus at which the student’s graduate program is housed. Following each monthly lecture, program faculty will facilitate a small-group discussion session. The specific dates and times for these sessions will be determined by each graduate program.
Basic Course Information
Lecture Meeting Dates and Times
September 11 (during New Student Orientation), October 5, January 11, February 1, March 1 and April 5, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Course Locations
(Attend class in-person when lecture is on your home campus)
September 11, January 11, and March 1 - Mission Bay (in-person), Parnassus (Zoom)
October 5, February 1, and April 5 - Parnassus (in-person), Mission Bay (Zoom)
Discussion Sections Meeting Dates and Times
Faculty-led discussion sessions will be held by each degree program in the week following each monthly course lecture. Students will spend 90 minutes in small groups discussing cases related to that month’s RCR lecture. Dates and times will be set by individual programs; attendance will be recorded.
The GRAD 214 RCR course will use lecture and case study formats, and this course is designed to address key issues affecting the responsible conduct of scientific research, including:
- Scientific Misconduct and Ethics in Science
- Biomedical Research and Human Subjects
- Scientific Record Keeping and Data Management
- Animals in Research: Animal Rights and Welfare
- Inclusive Research Communities
- Racism in Science
- Publication, Responsible Authorship and Peer Review Practices
- Mentor and Mentee Responsibilities
- Prevention of Sexual Harassment and Violence
- Conflicts of Interest: Science Outside of the Academy
This course is required for first-year graduate students enrolled in UCSF’s basic science PhD graduate programs. Graduate students will be prompted to register for the course by their program administrators.
Contact Information
Jennifer Nazareno, PhD
Associate Dean, Academic Affairs
Division of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs (GEPA)
GRAD 214 Course Director
[email protected]
Zyde Raad, MPH
Academic Programs Manager
Division of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs (GEPA)
[email protected]
Social Science Graduate Students
Instruction in the Responsible Conduct of Research is required for all learners funded by NIH training grants, including those in the social sciences. Please work with your program faculty and administrators to determine the best course of RCR instruction, either the Human Subject RCR course or the Graduate Student RCR course.
RCR Refresher Course for 5th Year Graduate Students
NIH mandates that trainees on an NIH institutional research training grant, individual fellowship, career development award (institutional or individual), research education grant, dissertation research grant, or other grant programs that have a significant training component have a minimum of eight hours of formal instruction at least once during each career stage and at least every four years. Training is expected to be in-person, interactive, and iterative (i.e. not a repetition of earlier training).
At UCSF, advanced students meet this requirement by signing up and attending either the Human Subjects RCR Course or the Basic Science RCR Course, depending on research area.