Graduate Studies
Timetable
1. Orientation of New Students
Approximately a week and half before classes begin in the Fall, the Biology
Department has an Orientation Week for incoming graduate students. It
is at this time that students are assigned a temporary advisor. At the
orientation, students are informed about departmental facilities, policies,
research interests of faculty, and teaching techniques, etc. Temporary
advisors assist students in planning course schedules, and course registrations
are completed.
2. Lab Rotations
We encourage all incoming Ph.D. graduate students with teaching assistantships,
training grants or fellowships to rotate through as many as 4 labs during
their first year. Each rotation lasts about two months. During laboratory
assignments, students are exposed to methods, equipment, and experimental
procedures currently in use in particular research laboratories. Each
student is given a list of available labs from which to choose rotations.
Lab rotations often provide valuable information for students in selecting
their Research Director.
3. Qualifying Examinations
All Ph.D. students must take one qualifying exam by the end of their first
year. By the end of their second year, students must pass one qualifying
exam with a grade of B or better. The exam areas are: Ecology, Evolution,
and Population Biology; Neurobiology and Physiology; Microbiology and
Molecular Genetics; Cell, Molecular, and Developmental Biology; and Biophysics,
Biochemistry, and Structural Biology. The goal of these exams is to indicate
that students have sufficient mastery of the important concepts in their
field to proceed on to the research stage of their program. Study guides
for examinations are available prior to the Fall semester. Exams are
given in May.
4. Selection of Research Director
After completing lab rotations near the end of the second semester, first-year
graduate students select their research director. The research director-student
relationship must be a mutually acceptable one.
5. Advisory Committee and the Plan of Study
By the November following the successful completion of a qualifying examination,
graduate students select an Advisory Committee which consists of their
research director, two additional members from within the Department
of Biological Sciences and one member from a Purdue Department other
than Biological Sciences. These committee requests are then approved
by the Biology Graduate and Advanced Studies Convener.
As soon as possible after forming their Advisory Committee, graduate students submit a Plan of Study. The Ph.D. plan of study must include two student participation seminars. The student and all Advisory Committee members sign the plan of study.
6. Preliminary Examination and Research Conferences
Six months after forming their Advisory Committee, graduate students take
their preliminary examination. The exam is based on a proposed research
project which is distributed to the Advisory Committee at least two weeks
prior to the meeting. The student must clearly outline the objectives
of the proposed research and indicate how these objectives would be met.
Students whose performance is not satisfactory may retake
their preliminary exam within six months.
After successful completion of the preliminary examination, students are
required to meet annually with their Advisory/Examining Committee.
7. Thesis and Final Examination
After students have completed writing their thesis, they must defend the
thesis to the Examining Committee. This examination consists of a public
seminar, during which the candidate summarizes his or her thesis research,
followed by an oral defense of the research that is attended only by
the Examining Committee members.
8. General Requirements
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Official transcripts showing previous college or university degrees must be on file in the Graduate School.
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No minimum number of hours are required for the Ph.D. degree. On average, most Ph.D. students take 30 credit hours.
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Each graduate student must teach 1/4-time for one semester before completion of their degree. All students whose native language is not English must have on file a minimum SPEAK/TSE score of 50 prior to assignment to a course that fulfills the teaching requirement.
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Each Ph.D. student is required to present a satisfactory seminar in each of two student participation seminar courses, BIOL. 696.
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Only grades of A, B, or C are acceptable on a plan of study. A cumulative index of 3.0 is expected to be maintained.
