Culminating
Events:
Culminating event for the degree program
Dissertation
Dissertation Advising Committee Information
After choosing a research advisor, the student and advisor should agree on the composition of a Research Advisory Committee. The Department Chair approves the the advisory committee at the time of approval of the research advisor.
The committee consists of the student's faculty advisor and at least two other members of the Departmental Graduate Faculty. This committee must meet at least once every 6 months to review the progress of the student's research work. The Doctoral Advisory Committee must include at least three Graduate Faculty who are resident in the Department. By the end of the fourth year, the Doctoral Advisory Committee also must include a member who is from outside the Department. The Chair of the Doctoral Advisory Committee is usually the advisor.
Dissertation Examining Committee Information
The Research Advisory Committee also forms the nucleus of the committee which conducts the final examination (defense). Just prior to the defense, an additional outside examiner must be added to the committee. This examiner must not be a member of the Department.
Advisor/Committee Information
Any changes in membership of the Research Advisory Committee must be approved by the advisor, the other members of the Committee, and the department chair. The new committee member also must be registered with the Graduate School. If a student wishes to change advisors, he/she should discuss this matter with other members of the Research Advisory Committee and with the Department Chair. The Chair, in consultation with the Research Advisory Committee and the Graduate Program Committee will determine if a change in advisor is required or desirable.
Preliminary Exam Description
The preliminary examination is designed to evaluate the ability of potential Ph.D. candidates to carry out original dissertation research toward the completion of the Ph.D program. A successful candidate will demonstrate a knowledge of general concepts and the ability to apply this information rather than requiring knowledge of specific detail.
Subject Areas/Major Components of the Preliminary Examination
Questions that cover concepts taught in the list of Required Courses will be sought from Graduate Faculty by the the Preliminary Examination Committee. The Preliminary Examination Committee will use these questions as a basis to design a written examination consisting of six questions of which each student will answer four.
At what point in the program is the student expected to take the preliminary examination
After 2 years of matriculation in this Department, students enrolled in the Ph.D. program are required to take the preliminary examination. At least three 500 level courses, totaling at least 9 credit hours, must be completed prior to taking the preliminary examination. Students wishing to take the examination also must have completed at least 1 year in residence.
Writing the Questions for the Preliminary Examination
This examination will stress the understanding of concepts, experimental design and analysis of data. Compare and contrast, or discussion questions will be accepted only under unusual circumstances (i.e., under no circumstances will this be an examination in which students will regurgitate facts from course material). Questions will be selected and combined to stress multi-disciplinary approaches. The intention is that this will be a test of the student's ability to apply information learned in required courses to the experimental situation.
Evaluating the Preliminary Examination
The Preliminary Examination Committee will solicit from each author of the preliminary exam questions a brief outline which should provide the minimal acceptable answer to the question. The Preliminary Examination Committee will appoint in advance two designated Graduate Faculty members to independently grade each question. In some exceptional cases, it may be necessary that faculty members be required to grade more than one question. The two faculty graders will independently, and without any consultation, grade the examination question on a scale of 5-10, with a score of "10" representing an "exceptional" performance, and "7" representing a "barely adequate" or "borderline" score. Graders may use half units to apply the most precise judgement of the quality of the answer. Those answers that do not receive scores that average a "7" or above, will be graded independently and without consultation, by a third faculty grader (to be appointed by the Preliminary Examination Committee).
Criterion for Passing the Preliminary Examination.
To pass the preliminary exam, a minimum of 3 scores of "7" or better must be achieved for the 4 answers. Also, the Preliminary Examination Committee will assemble the scores for each of the 4 answers provided by a student, and will further consider the "best" 3 averaged scores from each student. The averaged scores for each of these 3 answers must total "23" or more or the student receives a "failing" grade. Students with a failing grade must take a re-examination. No conditions may be attached to a passing grade. If a re-examination is required, it must be taken within four weeks of notification of the official result, provided in writing, of the initial preliminary examination. The re-examination will be taken as an oral examination, unless justification for a written examination is provided. This re-examination will be administered by the authors of the four examination questions and 1 additional faculty member to be appointed by the Preliminary Examination Committee.
Administering, Scheduling, and Proctoring the Preliminary Examination
The Chair of the Preliminary Examination Committee meets with all qualified students 6 weeks prior to the examination and tells them the time, place and location of the examination.
Dissertation/Monograph Philosophy
The Dissertation is an original empirical study that makes a significant contribution to the field of Microbiology & Immunology. Dissertation research must be carried out while the student is enrolled in the doctoral program and must not have been used to obtain another degree. In addition, only those portions of co-authored papers which were written by and contain relevant research which was conducted by the dissertation candidate may be included. Work already published by the candidate must be logically connected and integrated into the dissertation. Simply binding reprints or collections of publications together is not acceptable as a dissertation.
Philosophy of the Proposal
Proposals are to be about 5 pages in length and to contain the following: (1) a statement of the problem; (2) background information describing how the student's project fits within the context of the general field of research; (3) a summary of what the student has done so far; (4) a brief description of the plans for future research, including the methodology to be employed; (5) references.
Criterion for Passing the Dissertation and the Defense.
A majority vote plus one is required of the Doctoral Dissertation Examining Committee in order to pass the Dissertation defense. The major advisor must vote in the majority in order for the student to pass the defense. In the event of a failure, a report in writing must be provided to the student by the Doctoral Dissertation Examining Committee. A dissenting report may be filed by one or more members of the Doctoral Defense Examining Committee.
Dissertation Defense Scheduling
At least 3 weeks in advance of the final examination (defense), all examiners must receive a typed copy of the dissertation in near final form.
Announcing the Dissertation Defense
At least 2 weeks before the final examination, the student should notify the Chair of the Department about the date and place of the examination and the examiners for the final. This announcement must be provided at least 10 days in advance to all members of the Department and to the Dean of the Graduate School, and must be posted in the School of Medicine.
