Graduate Board Oral Examination, Thesis Proposal, and Thesis Advisory Committee Guidelines

Graduate Board Oral Examination, Thesis Proposal, and Thesis Advisory Committee Guidelines

 Last Updated:June 18, 2008

Brief Summary

Graduate Board Oral Examination -- The Graduate Board Oral Examination is conducted by five faculty members – two “inside” members who must be from the list of faculty of the Pharmacology Graduate Program, two “outside” members who must not be on the list, and a fifth that may be either. Two alternates must also be selected, one from inside and one from outside the Program. At least one examiner from outside the department must be an Associate or Full Professor. Your advisor is not to be included on this committee but should be present at the beginning of the exam to discuss your progress with the committee. With the help of your preceptor, propose members for this committee, a list of which must be submitted for approval by the Program Director. Since the mandate of the committee is to test the breadth and depth of your knowledge, there must be a diversity of expertise on your committee, including expertise in Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Cell Biology, Bioorganic Chemistry and Biophysics. Faculty members whose research spans disciplines may fill the requirement of any of their areas of expertise. If you propose a committee which the Director feels is too narrowly focused, you will be asked to broaden the scope by replacing prospective members on your list and resubmitting.

Thesis Proposal --  The Thesis Proposal has two goals:  (i)  To give you the opportunity to fully consider and articulate the background, significance, and design of your thesis research; and (ii) To provide you with additional viewpoints and suggestions on how best to reach your research goals (through review of your proposal by the Thesis Advisory Committee).

Thesis Advisory Committee  --  This committee consists of experts in your field and related fields who can help you with research direction and technical challenges, and who will oversee your progress until your research is complete and your doctorate is awarded.

Graduate Board Oral Examination

• The deadline for taking the exam is June 30 of the second calendar year after your matriculation.
  
  
• The Graduate Board Examination is conducted by five faculty members, the majority being from outside the Department of Pharmacology.  Two alternates must also be selected, one from inside and one from outside the department.  At least one examiner from outside the department must be an Associate or Full Professor.  Your advisor is not to be included on this committee but should be present at the beginning of the exam to discuss your progress with the committee.  Under the guidance of your preceptor, you should propose members for this committee, a list of which must be submitted for approval by the Program Director.  Since the mandate of this committee is to test the breadth as well as the depth of your knowledge, the members must represent most or all of the various disciplines in your required coursework, including Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Cell Biology, Bioorganic Chemistry and Biophysics.  If you propose a committee which the Director feels is too narrowly focused, you will be asked to broaden the scope by replacing prospective members on your list and resubmitting.
  
  
• Provide a list of proposed committee members and alternates to Mimi Guercio on the attached form no later than March 1 of the second calendar year after your matriculation.   Once approved, the committee list will be returned to you.  It is then your responsibility to contact the faculty members and arrange a mutually-convenient time for the oral exam.  Exams may be scheduled any time prior to June 30 of the second calendar year after your matriculation.  If, for some reason, a suitable day and time cannot be reached within this timeframe, one or more new members of the committee may be selected, subject again to approval by the steering committee.
  
  
• The examiners are instructed to test the "breadth and depth" of your knowledge.  Questions may cover general principles of biochemistry, cell biology, molecular biology, bio-organic mechanisms, and/or biophysics.  There is no preset time limit or specific format for the examination.  The senior outside faculty member will serve as Chair of the committee (as determined by the Graduate Board).  At the time of the examination the Chair, with consent of the committee, will decide on the format and timing of the exam.  Typically, the candidate is asked to say a few words about their research (at the discretion of the Chair), then is questioned for 10-15 minutes by each committee member.
  
  
• The result of the examination will be either Unconditional Pass, Conditional Pass, or Fail.  An Unconditional Pass is self-explanatory.  A Conditional Pass means that the committee noted a deficit in your background that needs to be addressed to ensure you have the necessary foundation for success.  Such a condition should not be taken as a negative judgement on your capacity to succeed, but an opportunity for you to firm up knowledge in a key area.  A Fail does not mean immediate dismissal.  Instead, the student is typically given an opportunity to retake the exam with the same or a new committee.  A second Fail is reason for dismissal.

Thesis Proposal

• Following the successful completion of your graduate board examination, you should begin preparing your thesis proposal.  You may turn in your proposal at any time before or after your comprehensive graduate board oral examination; however, the deadline for submission of your thesis proposal is November 30 of the second calendar year after your matriculation.
  
  
• It is not necessary to have preliminary data before you begin to write.  If you would find it helpful to review recent thesis proposals, please contact the program office.  Once you have completed the writing of your proposal and it has been approved by your preceptor, submit it to the program office. 
  
• Format:
  • Your proposal should be a minimum of 12 double-spaced pages and an absolute maximum of 25 double-spaced pages.   Font size must be 10 or 12 point throughout. As with the NIH Grants Referral Office, proposals which do not conform to these size requirements will be returned without review.
    
    
  • The items listed below should be organized in a fashion similar to an NIH research grant and should answer these questions:  (1)  What do you intend to do?  (2)  Why is the work important?  (3)  What has already been done? and (4)  How are you going to do the work?
    
    
  • Specific Aims.  List the broad, long-term objectives and describe concisely and realistically what the specific aims described in this application are intended to accomplish and the hypothesis to be tested.  One page is recommended.
    
    
  • Background and Significance.  Briefly sketch the background to your proposal, critically evaluate existing knowledge, and specifically identify the gaps which the project is intended to fill.  State concisely the importance of the research described in this application by relating the specific aims to the broad long-term objectives.  Two to three pages are recommended.
    
    
  • Preliminary Results.  Provide an account of the laboratory’s preliminary studies pertinent to the proposal and your preliminary results, if any.  Six pages, including any tables and figures, are recommended.
    
    
  • Research Design and Methods.  Describe the research design and the procedures to be used to accomplish the specific aims of the project.  Include the means by which the data will be collected, analyzed, and interpreted.  Describe any new methodology and its advantage over existing methodologies.  Discuss the potential difficulties and limitations of the proposed procedures and alternative approaches to achieve the aims.  Provide a tentative sequence or timetable for the investigation.  This section should not exceed 15 pages.
    
    
  • References.  References should include the complete title of each publication.  References may be single spaced, and do not count toward the minimum or maximum page length restrictions.

Thesis Advisory Committee

• When you turn in your proposal, you should submit the names of your Thesis Advisory Committee.  This committee should consist of your thesis advisor and a minimum of three additional faculty knowledgeable in your field of study and whose expertise may be beneficial to you in performing the research you have proposed.  Regardless of its size ³50% of your committee members should be from outside the department.  The committee must be approved by the Graduate Program Steering Committee.  Once the committee is approved, you should contact each of the individuals to confirm that they are willing to serve and arrange a mutually agreeable date and time for your first thesis meeting.  The thesis meeting must take place within two months after submitting your proposal.
  
  
• The thesis meeting, in conjunction with the thesis proposal, is intended to help you consider the broader concepts on which your thesis research is based, to assist you in focusing your thoughts on your research problem, and to clarify any questions that the committee may have concerning your experimental approach.  The thesis meeting generally begins with an oral presentation of the proposal by the student followed by a period of questions, comments, and discussion.  These meetings are generally very productive and usually last an hour or two.