Requirements for admission to Ph.D. Candidacy are: (i) completion of the core curriculum, (ii) carrying a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above, and (iii) satisfactory completion of Parts I and II of the qualifying examination.
The qualifying examination is divided into two parts: (I) a comprehensive written examination of the student’s general knowledge in cell and molecular biology, biochemistry, and cognate disciplines, and (II) an evaluation of the student’s research potential and dissertation potential.
Part I - Written Qualifying Examination A
All Ph.D. students are required to take part I of the examination upon completion of the core curriculum.
To be held in June of the first year or after completion of the set of core courses. The students will be given a selection of journal articles at least 14 days prior to the exam. There will be a series of written exams related to these articles to test basic knowledge, comprehension of the papers, and experimental design. The questions can be specific as well as wide-ranging.
The examination will be prepared and graded on a pass/fail basis by a committee of faculty members. A student must have a GPA of at least 3.0. to sit for the examination and must pass the examination to remain in the Ph. D. program.
If the performance of a student on the examination is unsatisfactory, the student may be given another chance. If that examination is still unsatisfactory the student will be required to terminate from the program.
Part II - Oral Qualifying Examination B
Oral Qualifying Proposition. After passing the written Qualifying Examination, each student is required to prepare and defend a proposition by the end of the second year in the Program. A proposition is an assertion concerning some current biochemistry and molecular biology questions. The student proposes an original mechanism or theory that could serve to explain a biological phenomenon in molecular terms. In connection with the proposition, the student also presents all relevant background and devises hypothetical experiments designed to test the proposal. The proposition may be in any area of biochemistry and molecular biology which interests the student, including the areas of the Ph.D. thesis.
Although there is no required format for the proposition, it is recommended to follow the NIH R01 or NSF GRFP proposal formats. These formats familiarize students with common mechanisms for seeking grant funding, requiring a structured presentation of a research proposal, and can also serve as a foundation for external fellowship applications.
Oral Qualifying Examination Committee. The proposition is submitted to an Oral Examination Committee, which consists of four members, at least three of whom are full members of the Biochemistry Graduate Program. This committee is typically chosen by the student in consultation with the Thesis Advisor who has the option of serving as one of the four committee members, and the Graduate Program Director. When present, the Thesis Advisor is expected to act as an observer. In the absence of the Thesis Advisor, Examination Committee members are chosen by the student in consultation with the Program Director or his/her designee. One member of the Oral Examination Committee must be an outside member: see the policy on what is considered an outside member in the section on Annual Research Advisory Committee. The Chair of the Oral Qualifying Examination committee must be a full member of the Biochemistry Graduate Program.
The student presents to this Committee a detailed write-up of the background and logic of the proposition, as well as the experiments to test the proposed hypotheses. Although the topic of the proposal is flexible, it is typically based on the research topic that will form the foundation of the student's thesis. At the discretion of the Thesis Advisor, the student's proposal may address a topic not directly related to the student's research. In this case, the chairperson of the Oral Examination Committee will assist the student in developing a proposal distinct from the student's research.
Oral Qualifying Defense. The oral examination should take the form of a presentation that explores the proposal in-depth, along with other areas related to the subject matter of the proposition, followed by a question period for the Committee to clarify details and to assess the preparedness of the student and the merit of the proposal. The committee chairperson is to submit a written report to the Program Director describing the result of this examination (pass/fail).
Two forms documenting the completion of the Oral Qualifying Exam are filed with the School of Graduate Studies Office: a Qualifying Exam B Form and an Annual Research Advisory Committee Meeting Form.
Deadlines. Part II of the Qualifying Examination must be completed with a passing grade by August 31 of the student's second year in the Program. Failure to complete Part II by this deadline is grounds for termination by the Graduate School due to non-compliance with Program requirements. Extensions to this deadline may be granted by the Graduate Program Director in special cases if requested by the student with the support of the Thesis advisor.