A. Major Professor and Thesis, Study, or Dissertation Committee

1. During the first two long semester of residence, each student is required to select, by mutual agreement, a regular or adjunct member of the faculty of the Division of Ecology and Evolution as a major professor who, with the thesis (M.S. Plan I), study (M.S. Plan II), or dissertation (Ph.D.) committee, will supervise the student's graduate studies.

The student’s choice of faculty advisor and committee must be approved by the Chair of the Department of Biology and Biochemistry.  If a student wishes to work jointly with more than one professor, an understanding as to who is primarily responsible for supervision of the student's graduate studies must be reached.

2. In consultation with the major professor the student shall select, by mutual agreement, faculty members to serve on his/her committee.  The committee shall be chosen before the end of the second long semester of residence.  The membership is subject to approval by the Chair of the Department and Dean of the College.  The major functions of this committee are to approve a program of studies for the student, to administer qualifying examinations and final examinations, and to evaluate the student's progress.  In the event that a member of the committee leaves the University or is not available for qualifying or final examinations, the committee and student can recommend a suitable substitute.  The appointment to committees of faculty members from other institutions is encouraged.

3. The composition of the committees shall be as follows:

A master's thesis (Plan I) or study (Plan II) committee shall consist of the student’s major professor and three other members, one from the Department of Biology and Biochemistry, one from outside the Department, and the other unspecified.

A dissertation committee shall consist of the student’s major professor and four other members, two from the Ecology and Evolution division, one from outside the Department of Biology and Biochemistry, and the other unspecified.

 

B. Course Requirements

1. The minimum semester hour requirements, based on University regulations, are:

M.S. Plan I - 30 semester hours

M.S. Plan II - 36 semester hours

Ph.D. - 24 semester hours beyond the M.S. Plan I requirement.

2. M.S. students are required to take or have taken Introductory Biometrics or the equivalent. Students must take at least one formal graduate level course during their first year, and a total of at least 3 formal graduate level courses for at least 8 hours of credit.  All students are required to take at least one seminar course per year (excluding the departmental seminar). Additional courses may be required by the committee.

Ph.D. students are required to take or have taken Introductory Biometrics or the equivalent. Students must take at least one formal graduate level course during their first year, and a total of at least 4 formal graduate level courses, for at least 12 hours of credit.  All students are required to take at least one seminar course per year (excluding the departmental seminar). Additional courses may be required by the committee.

3. No more than nine semester hours of 3000 or 4000 level courses can count toward graduate degrees.

4. The minimum cumulative grade point average in course work, exclusive of thesis, dissertation, research, and special problems, must be 3.00.  No grades lower than a B will count toward course requirements.

5. Courses taken outside the Department:

a. Courses that do not promote the student’s academic development in Biology & Biochemistry, or do not contribute directly to the current research program of the student, will not be allowed.

b. Students who wish to take courses outside the Department need the approval of their thesis or dissertation committee.

c. Students may not pursue another degree program concurrently with a M.S. or Ph.D. in Biology and Biochemistry

d. Students taking approved courses at other institutions need to notify the Graduate coordinator prior to the start of the semester in order for the appropriate paperwork to be processed in time by the Registrar’s office and the Office of Graduate and Professional Studies.

 

C. Advancement to Ph. D. Candidacy

1.A student advances to candidacy for a Ph.D. degree after successful completion of the Ph.D. qualifying examinations.  The qualifying exams must be completed by the end of the fourth semester. An additional semester is allowed in the case of failure (see 3 below).

2.The qualifying examination will be administered by the student's committee, and will consist of a written examination from at least 3 of the committee members followed by an oral examination from at least 4 committee members. Both the written and oral qualifying examination will take place within two years of enrollment, at the latest.   The student must pass the written exam before undertaking the oral exam (i.e., a failed written exam cannot be retaken as part of the oral).  The qualifying exam will cover general knowledge in the field, specialized knowledge in the area of research, and a defense of the research plan.  A dissertation proposal will be due to the student's committee at least three weeks before the date of the oral exam. The dissertation proposal should follow the format of a NSF doctoral dissertation improvemnet grant.

3.If the student fails either the written or oral examinations, his/her committee will prescribe a course of action. This may include (a) remedial courses; (b) repetition of the examination; or (c) termination of the student from the degree program.  In the case of the qualifying oral examination, such a prescription shall be given verbally immediately after the examination and followed by a written notification within one week. Any retakes must be completed by the end of the subsequent semester. Each examination may be taken no more than twice.  Failure after the second attempt will result in either award of a terminal M.S. degree or dismissal from the graduate program.

4. A student who fails to complete the written and oral parts of the qualifying exam within the Spring of the 2nd year will receive a grade of “U” (unsatisfactory) in 2 credit hours of research. Any further delay will result in additional “U” grades in: 6 research credit hours if the requirement is not completed by the end of the summer of the 2nd year, and 4 additional credit hours if the requirement is not completed by the end of the fall of the 3rd year. By that time, a student who has not yet taken his/her qualifier exam will have accumulated 12 hours of unsatisfactory grades, and will be automatically dismissed from the University.

Students who did not pass the qualifying exam in the Spring of the 2nd year and were given the recommendation to retake the exam but were unable to re-schedule within the Spring semester will receive a grade of “I” (incomplete) for 2 credit hours of research in the Spring. The grade will be changed to an “S” or “U” depending on whether the student re-takes or does not re-take the exam in the following Fall. Note that the “S” or “U” grades reflect only whether the student has taken or not the exam in the given semester. Failure to pass the qualifying exam will not result in an “F” in these research hours.

 

D.  Committee Meetings and Thesis/Dissertation

1.All students will meet with their committees at least once per calendar year to discuss their progress.

2.Preparation of Thesis or Dissertation:  guidelines regarding style, number of copies, binding, etc. are available from the college office.  The student is responsible for ensuring that each member of the committee has an opportunity to examine the thesis or dissertation, after approval for distribution by the major professor. The defense will not be held any sooner than two weeks after the distribution of a thesis or dissertation to committee members.  The student is responsible for the fees and cost of preparing the thesis or dissertation.

 

E.Final Examinations

1.Each student must submit and defend the thesis/dissertation when it is in final form. Although any member of the University community may attend the final examination, the committee has sole responsibility in deciding whether or not the examination is passed.  In order for a student to pass the examination, an affirmative vote by the major professor and no more than one negative vote by other committee members must be recorded.

2.M.S. Plan I candidates must defend a thesis.  The examination will emphasize research achievements.  In addition, competence in the candidate's field of research will be expected.

3.M.S. Plan II candidates shall present and defend a formal report to the study committee.  The candidate will critically evaluate and summarize a problem of interest and will be expected to be knowledgeable of general concepts in the fields of ecology and evolution.

4.Ph.D. candidates must defend a dissertation.  The examination will emphasize research achievements.  In addition, competence in the candidate's field of research and in the field of ecology and evolution in general will be expected.  If the candidate fails to successfully defend his/her dissertation the committee may (1) outline additional work to be completed and reassessed by the committee, or (2) recommend award of a terminal M.S. degree.

 

F.Special Academic Situations

l.Special academic situations occasionally arise.  These will be considered on an individual basis by the division at the request of the student or any faculty member in the division.

2.One special situation arises when a student wishes to change from a M.S. plan I to a Ph.D. plan before the completion of the M.S. degree.  The student shall submit a formal petition, including current records for graduate coursework and other supporting materials.  A decision concerning the petition will be made by the division. It, then, must be approved by the Graduate Recruitment and Admissions Committee.

If the change is approved in the student’s first year, the student shall follow the regular timeline for all Ph.D. objectives.  If the change is approved in the second year, the student shall have one extra year to complete Ph.D. objectives (but will still be subject to University regulations limiting total time spent in a degree program). Changes will normally not be approved after the second year.

3. A former student who has left the graduate program prior to the completion of all degree requirements may resume studies with approval of the Department and the Division. Such student will be subject to any other restrictions imposed by the College or University on students who have ceased to be enrolled.

 

G.  Recommended Time Table for Ph.D. Students entering in the Fall

 

First Semester.  Biometry, Population Biology Seminar, graduate electives.

Second Semester.  Graduate electives and seminars.  Deadline to choose major professor and committee.

Third Semester.  Graduate electives and seminars.

Fourth Semester.  Graduate electives and seminars.  Qualifying examinations.