Culminating
Events:
Culminating event for the degree program
Dissertation
Dissertation Advising Committee Information
The Dissertation Advising Committee is formed to
oversee the student's doctoral research and is initially comprised of at least three Graduate Faculty members who are resident in the Molecular Biology Program. The Chair of the Advisory committee is usually the Research Advisor. Committee compositions must
be approved by the departments Academic standards and the Program Director. The Chair is responsible for overseeing and guiding the student's progress, coordinating the responses of the Committee members, and informing the student of his or her academic progress. The Committee must meet at least once every six months to review the progress of the student's research.
Dissertation Examining Committee Information
The Dissertation Examining Committee evaluates the student's dissertation and oral defense. This committee determines if the dissertation is acceptable and if the student passes the final examination. This committee
is comprised of the Doctoral Advising Committee and at least two additional members. One additional graduate faculty member from the Molecular Biology program is added for the preliminary examination for elevation to Ph.D. candidacy. A fifth member from outside the Molecular Biology program should be identified during the semster in which the defense is scheduled. It is strongly recommended that the outside examiner is from an institution other than Temple University.
Advisor/Committee Information
If a student needs to change a member of a committee, the new member must be approved by the Academic Standards Committee and the program director. The new member will be registered with the Graduate Secretary and the Graduate School.
Preliminary Exam Description
The purpose of the preliminary examination is to demonstrate critical and interpretive knowledge and creativity by developing and defending an original research proposal. The examination evaluates the student's ability to critically interpret data, formulate a hypothesis driven research proposal and defend the experimental approach and significance of the prepared research proposal. The outside research proposal is a 12.5 page document developed from an area dinstinct from the area of the student's dissertation research. The proposal should be hypothesis driven, and specifically supported by two publications that provide the preliminary data. The proposal includes an Abstract, Specific Aims, Background and Significance, Preliminary Data, Research Design and Methods and Literature Cited sections. The format is the same as NIH proposals and a template will be provided. Methodological details are not the primary concern, rather the focus should be on the overall strategy, feasibility.
Subject Areas/Major Components of the Preliminary Examination
The preliminary examination consists of the preparation of a 12.5 page outside research proposal and its defense before the Preliminary Examination Committee. The subject matter for the proposal is chosen by the student and approved by the Committee and the program director. There is no limit on the subject other than it must be distinct from the area of the student's dissertation research.
At what point in the program is the student expected to take the preliminary examination
The preliminary examination should be completed before the end of the fifth semester.
Writing the Questions for the Preliminary Examination
The student selects a topic for his or her uotside research proposal. The topic must be distinct from the area of the dissertation research. The topic is approved by the Examination Committee and the program director. The examination committee that will evaluate the outside research proposal is composed of the two members of the Dissertation Advisory Committee and an additional member from the Molecular Biology. The Research Advisor does not participate in the defense of the Outside Research Proposal to the Examining Committe. The Research Advisor is expected to provide both advice and constructive criticism as the student devises a suitable experimental strategy for for testing the hypothesis. However, at no time prior to submission of the proposal to the Department should members of the Examining Committee be shown a written copy or be solicited for advice.
Evaluating the Preliminary Examination
The Examination Committee will evaluate both the written proposal and the oral presentation. Each member votes to pass or fail the student. In order to pass, a majority of the committee members must agree that the exam has been satisfactorily completed.
Criterion for Passing the Preliminary Examination.
The Examination Committee evaluates both the document and the oral presentation. At the completion of the exam a pass/fail vote is taken in executive session and the decision is reached by a majority vote. If the Committee has more than 3 members, a tie vote will be considered a fail.
Administering, Scheduling, and Proctoring the Preliminary Examination
The Preliminary Examination is completed during the student's second year in the fifth semester. The outside research proposal document must be submitted to the Department no later than September 15 of the fifth semester. If this date falls on a weekend then the proposal deadline is Monday. The defense of the outside research proposal must be scheduled and completed no later tha the end of October and no earlier than 2 weeks after the submission deadline.
Dissertation/Monograph Philosophy
The Doctoral Dissertation is an original empirical study that makes a significant contribution to the field. It should expand the existing knowledge and demonstrate the student's knowledge of both research methods and a mastery of his or her primary area of interest. Dissertations should be
rigorously investigated, uphold the ethics and standard of the field, demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the primary area of interest and the broader field, and be prepared for publication in a professional journal.
Philosophy of the Proposal
The dissertation proposal is a brief 5-page overview of the student's plan to execute the dissertation research project. The proposal places the project within the context of the field by including a review of the literature. This review should also clearly indicate the novelty and significance of the proposed studies. A short description of the student's preliminary results supporting the student's hypothesis is also provided. The experimental section of the proposal should include the aims of the proposed experiments, a description of the expected findings, how the results will be analyzed, and any alternative approaches that have been considered. Permission to write the proposal is granted following the completion of the Preliminary Examination. The proposal is reviewed and approved by the Advisory Committee before the end of the fifth semester. The approved proposal is then submited to the Graduate School.
The proposal should be completed and approved no
Criterion for Passing the Dissertation and the Defense.
The Committee will evaluate the student's ability to express verbally his or her research question, methodological approach, primary findings, and implications. The Committee will vote to pass or fail the dissertation and the defense at the conclusion of the public presentation.
Dissertation Defense Scheduling
It is the student's responsiblity to schedule the defense. All Examination Committee members must have a copy of the dissertation in its final form at least 2 weeks before the defense.
Announcing the Dissertation Defense
The student has the responsibility to announce the date, time and place of the defense. A notice should be given to each faculty member in the Department and posted in each of the four basic science buildings on the health science campus (OMS, MRB, Kresge, and AHB). The Graduate School also recieves the announcement of the defense. The defense announcements should be posted and delivered at least 1 week before the defense.
