Department of Biology

Some links for Graduate Students:

PhD in Environmental Health Sciences (EHS)

General Requirements

You are required to complete a total of 55-64 credit hours. These include a minimum of 43-52 non-dissertation credit hours of course work and research along with 12 required credit hours of dissertation. Expect to take 7-8 credit hours per semester (excluding summer semester) to complete the program in 4 – 5 years. You can register for research hours during the summer semester but this is not necessary, unless you are planning to defend your dissertation.

Required Core Courses (17 credit hours)

Elective Courses

You are required to take at least 9 hours of elective courses. These courses will be decided in consultation with your faculty research advisor and included in your plan of study.

Dissertation Research

Your will receive credit for your dissertation research and study by registering for the Directed Study in Environmental Health Sciences (BIO 790), Independent Doctoral Research (BIO 791), and Dissertation (BIO 792). To register for BIO 791 and 792, you must have passed your qualifying exam.

Faculty Research Advisor

Some of you will have entered the program having already identified a faculty research advisor. However, you still are required to complete BIO 649 Lab Rotation. If you are a student who entered the program without prior arrangements with a faculty member, you are required to select a faculty research advisor by the end of the spring semester of your first year, based upon your lab rotation.

Dissertation Committee

You will select your dissertation committee in consultation with your faculty research advisor. The committee is composed of four members; your advisor, two biology graduate faculty, and a faculty member outside the department. Your dissertation committee should be selected by the end of your first year.

Plan of Study

In consultation with your faculty research advisor, you will formulate a plan of study that includes the courses you plan to take. This plan of study will be approved by your dissertation committee. A plan of study should be completed before completion of 18 hours of credit.

Qualifying Examination

The qualifying examination must be successfully passed for you to advance to candidacy into the EHS PhD program. This exam requires that you write a NIH or NSF styled research grant based on you dissertation research. The grant is written in consultation with your faculty research advisor. The grant is orally presented in a public seminar and defended to the dissertation committee. Once passing the exam, you can register for BIO 791 and BIO 792.

Annual Reports

You will meet with your Dissertation Committee at least once a year when you will discuss your research and present a written and oral summary of your research progress.

Dissertation Defense

You are required to write a dissertation based on the results of your independent research. You will present a public seminar on your research and defend your research to your dissertation committee. Following successful completion of your dissertation defense and completion of any required revisions, you must submit your dissertation to the Graduate School, according to their specifications.

PhD in EHS - Suggested Plan of Study:

First Year, Fall Semester

First Year, Spring Semester

First Year, Summer Semester

BIO 790 – Independent Doctoral Study

In consultation with your faculty advisor you will select the other members of your Dissertation Committee.

Second Year, Fall Semester

Second Year, Spring Semester

Second Year, Summer Semester

BIO 790 – Independent Doctoral Study (6 – 9 credits)

You will spend the summer working on your research and completing your research proposal.

Third Year, Fall Semester

BIO 791 – Independent Doctoral Research (6 – 12 hours)

You will present and defend your written proposal in a public seminar and to your dissertation committee.

Years 3 – 5

MS in Biology

General Requirements

You are required to complete at least 30 semester hours of graduate level course work and research hours. You should plan to take 15 hours of formal courses and 15 hours of research and thesis. During your first semester you will rotate through three faculty labs and by the beginning of the second semester select a thesis advisor. Some of you may have already made arrangements to complete their thesis research with a particular faculty member prior to beginning the program.

Courses

You are not required to take any particular courses. Rather, course selection will initially be made in consultation with the Graduate Director, Dr. Matina Kalounis-Rüppell, and/or your thesis research advisor and depend on your interests and academic and professional background. You are permitted to take no more than 15 hours of the required 30 hours at the 500-level. You can take core courses in the EHS PhD program. You must maintain a 3.0 GPA overall.

Research and Thesis

As a MS student you are required to complete a research project and write a thesis. Once you have selected a faculty research advisor, you will work in consultation with your faculty advisor on your research. You will obtain academic credit for your research by taking Thesis Research (BIO 695) and Thesis (BIO 699). During your last semester you will write your thesis.

Thesis Committee

Your Thesis Committee will be composed of three members; your faculty research advisor and two other Biology faculty. You should plan to select your committee by the end of the second (spring) semester of your first year.

Thesis proposal

You will write a thesis proposal in consultation with your faculty advisor. This is a 10 – 15 page proposal that defines your research question and experimental approach. You will give a short (10 – 15 minute) public presentation on your proposal and then discuss your proposal with your thesis committee.

Thesis defense

Once your thesis is completed, you will present your research in a public seminar and then defend your thesis to your thesis committee. After completing any required revisions, you must submit your thesis to the Graduate School, according to their specifications.

Time frame

Most MS student finish in four regular academic semesters plus two summer sessions. The nature of your research will determine the time required to finish your degree requirements.

MS - Suggested Plan of Study

First Year, Fall Semester

First Year, Spring Semester

First Year, Summer Semester

BIO 695 – Thesis research

Second Year, Fall Semester

Second Year, Spring Semester

BIO 699 – Thesis

Thesis defense

Second Year, Summer Semester (if additional time is needed)

BIO 699 – Thesis

Thesis defense if not completed in spring semester