Degree Requirements
Students must satisfy all requirements for doctoral degrees expressed in the Academic Policies section of this catalog.
Candidates for the PhD in biosciences must complete a minimum of 72 graduate credits.
- Emphasis or concentration: 12–16 credits required courses (see below)
- Elective
- Two presentations at departmental Journal Club
- Qualifying exam
Notes:
On admission to the program, each student is assigned an advisor from the bioscience faculty. The advisor may be changed by mutual consent of student and advisor, or petition to the program director and dean. With their advisor, students adopt an individual program that focuses on a specific area of research.
By the end of the fourth semester of course work, students assemble a dissertation committee of four graduate faculty members with representation from at least two academic departments. The faculty advisor and the program director approve the program of study.
On nearing completion of course requirements, students take a qualifying exam with a written and an oral component. At the discretion of the committee, the written qualifying exam may be retaken once if the student’s performance was deemed below satisfaction. On successful completion of the qualifying exam, the majority of all course work, and an accepted thesis proposal, students will be recommended for advancement to candidacy by the committee and the program director.
The semester after advancement to candidacy, students are eligible to enroll in dissertation research (999). Students must present their dissertation results to their graduate committee on a regular basis until graduation. For graduation, students will present their results to their graduate committee and defend their dissertation publicly.
For students entering the doctoral program with a master’s of science degree, the number of credits required may be reduced by a maximum of 30 with approval of the advisor and the program director. Graduate credits taken previously and not used toward another degree may be transferred, subject to the approval of the advisor, the program director, and the dean.
Students in the doctoral program are required to present two research papers at the departmental Journal Club meeting any time before graduation.
Emphasis in Functional Genomics and Biotechnology
This emphasis prepares students for significant contributions in an academic or industrial research career. Areas of emphasis include microarray analysis of gene expression, proteome analysis, sequencing and analysis of gene polymorphisms, gene and genome evolution, molecular studies of disease mechanisms, mechanisms of toxicology and mutagenesis, and biotechnological applications.
▲ Concentration in Microbiology and Infectious Disease (MID)
Students in this concentration will be prepared for employment in academia, government, or industry. By stressing mechanisms of pathogenicity, physiology, metabolism, and genomics of pathogens, students will have a firm foundation for future research in infectious disease. Students will also be introduced to advanced laboratory practices, such as animal research methodologies and biocontainment laboratory work.