REQUIREMENTS
The following requirements are in addition to the general University requirements
for the Ph.D.:
Course of Study
A minimum of 60 credits of approved course work is required for a Ph.D.
in biology. The student must follow an approved program of study, which
will be prepared in consultation with an advisory committee and filed with
the Executive Officer. The first year's work will normally include a number
of fundamental courses designed to complete the students' basic preparation
in the areas of biology to be covered by the First Examination and second-level
courses to prepare them for their areas of specialization. Certain campuses
offer course prescriptions for first-year students (inquire at individual
campuses for details). The program of study for each student will be planned
by the student and an advisory committee so as best to meet the student's
interests and needs.
Of the 60 graduate credits required for the degree, no more than 9 may
be offered in lower-level (60000) graduate courses. These courses are listed
in the program handbook and the college graduate bulletins. The remainder
of the graduate credits must be in second- and third-level graduate courses.
Students should consult with their advisory committee concerning prerequisites
for these courses. A maximum of 20 credits in a minor approved by the student's
graduate committee will be accepted. No more than 10 credits of Ph.D. dissertation
research may be accepted as part of the 60 graduate credits required.
A summer of field or laboratory work at a biological station is recommended
and may be required in some areas. After completion of formal course work,
the candidates must register for BIOL 90000 Dissertation Supervision until
the degree is completed.
The student's record will be evaluated at the end of each academic year
and matriculation may be terminated for unsatisfactory scholastic performance.
A time limit of six years is set for the completion of all requirements
for the degree, except for the writing and defense of the dissertation.
The maximum time period for the completion of all requirements is eight
years (seven years for those entering with a master's degree).
First Examination
This examination tests a graduate student's ability to think, synthesize
information, and solve problems in one of the following areas of biology:
molecular, cellular, and developmental biology, plant sciences, physiology
and neuroscience, or ecology, evolutionary biology, and behavior. This
examination is normally taken after completion of 16 credits in the program;
but may be taken earlier with permission of the campus advisory committee.
Students who fail this examination will be permitted one additional opportunity
to take and pass any of the four examinations the next time they are given.
Students who do not take this examination at the time specified by their
advisory committee and the Executive Officer will be judged as having failed
the examination.
Foreign Language and Research Techniques
An individual's research mentor and advisory committee with the approval
of the Executive Committee may require a student to acquire functional
mastery of computer programming or a working knowledge of a foreign language
or languages in which there is a substantial body of literature relevant
to the student's research. Should the student be required to develop such
skills, the Executive Officer should be notified of this requirement, in
writing by the student's mentor, no later than the student's fourth semester.
Second Examination
Students must demonstrate advanced understanding and research competence
in their areas of specialization and related fields in biology by passing
the Second Examination. This oral examination, administered by the student's
Examination Committee, is normally taken after fulfilling any language
requirement and a minimum of 30 credits of course work.
Dissertation
Before enrolling for dissertation work, the student must have passed the
Second Examination and must be accepted by a faculty sponsor. The student's
thesis research proposal must be approved by an advisory committee and
must be judged by this committee to be of a caliber warranting publication
in approved journals.
After completion of the dissertation, the student must pass a final examination,
which will be a defense of the dissertation. The final examination is given
by a committee, including the student's advisory committee and additional
members from both within and outside the University.
College Teaching and Field Experience
A minimum of two semesters of teaching experience is required. However,
in those subdisciplines of biology where field experience is considered
to be particularly appropriate by the student's advisory committee, such
experience may take the place, wholly or in part, of the teaching experience
requirement. As part of their training for future roles including those
as teachers in colleges and universities, graduate students, where possible,
may be required to teach more than one year and to acquire experience in
teaching several different courses in biology at the elective as well as
at the elementary level. Teaching assignments serve as a principal means
of support for biology graduate students.
