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overview of the requirements for the MS
and PhD degrees in the programs
in biochemistry and biology that
reside in the Department of Biology and
Biochemistry
is presented below. The department
is divided into three divisions with
respect to its graduate programs:
Biochemistry, Cellular and Molecular Biology,
and
Ecology and Evolution. Each of these
has similar, although not identical,
requirements for its MS and PhD degrees.
Each division has a Policy Leader,
who is a faculty member whose responsibilities
include overseeing the progress of
students before they have chosen
a thesis or
dissertation advisor.
Course requirements differ
somewhat among the divisions, so that
entering students should have chosen a
division
before arrival. A change in division,
if deemed desirable by a student,
should
be discussed with the appropriate
Policy Leader and made during graduate
student
orientation so that students can
be enrolled in the appropriate courses.
A
description of the various requirements
follows. They are then listed with
their respective deadlines.
- Thesis
or
dissertation
advisor
Students
must enter into a mutual
agreement
with a regular or jointly
appointed
faculty member of the department
who will be responsible
for
directing
the student's research.
The
advisor
(also called the major
professor)
will normally provide support
for
his/her students from research
grants,
usually after the first
year
in
the
program.
- Thesis
or
dissertation
committee
Students
are responsible for getting
appropriate faculty members
and "outside" individuals
to serve, with the advisor,
as members of the student's
committee. Details
of committee composition
are in the requirements
of the
respective divisions.
- Program
of
studies (Biochemistry
only)
Students must provide
background information, courses taken/to
be taken, a brief description of
the proposed research, and other
items. See biochemistry requirements
for details.
- Laboratory
rotations
Students
in all divisions are required
to
carry out research work
in
two
different
laboratories, usually those
of
faculty
members in the student's
division.
One of these rotations
typically
will be in the laboratory
of
the
faculty member later named
the
student's
advisor.
- First
year
evaluations
The
student's progress will
be
evaluated
using criteria such as
courses
taken
and grades earned, attendance/participation
in seminars, reports from
laboratory
rotation advisors, and
acceptance
into a laboratory (advisor
chosen).
- Written
comprehensive
examination (Biochemistry
only)
Students must pass a written
examination to test mastery of the
fundamentals of biochemical sciences.
- Qualifying
examination
PhD
students in all divisions
must
submit
a written research proposal
(dissertation
proposal in the the Ecology
and
Evolution
division) and defend it
orally.
In
the Ecology and Evolution
division,
a written examination is
also
required.
This is the major examination
for
those seeking the PhD.
See
the
requirements
of the respective divisions
for
details.
- Defense
of
thesis
or
dissertation
All
students must defend orally
the
thesis
or dissertation after it
has
been
deemed acceptable for defense
by
the student's thesis or
dissertation
committee.
The deadlines for the various requirements
can differ from division to division
and also depend on whether a student
enters the program in a fall (F)
or a spring (S) semester.
Students entering in the summer are
treated as if they entered the following
fall for deadline purposes.
|
Requirement |
Entry |
Biochemistry |
Cell and
Molecular |
Ecology
and Evolution |
| Choose advisor |
F |
End of second
semester |
End of second
semester |
End of second
semester |
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S |
End of first
fall semester |
End of first
fall semester |
End of first
fall semester |
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| Form committee |
F |
End of second
semester |
End of second
semester |
End of second
semester |
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S |
End of first
fall semester |
End of first
fall semester |
End of first
fall semester |
| Program of
studies |
F
S |
End of second
semester
End of first fall semester |
N/A
N/A |
N/A
N/A |
| Laboratory
rotations |
S |
End of second
semester |
End of second
semester |
End of second
semester |
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F |
End of first
fall semester |
End of first
fall semester |
End of first
fall semester |
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| First year
evaluation |
F
S |
End of second
semester
End of first fall semester |
End of second
semester
End of first fall semester |
End of second
semester
End of first fall semester |
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| Written comprehensive
examination
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F,S |
Within three
weeks of end of second semester of
residence, excluding summers. Students
will be notified |
N/A |
N/A |
Qualifying
examination
(Ph.D. only)
|
F,S |
Proposal topic
to be approved by dissertation committee
by November 15 of second year. Written
proposal due February 15 of second
year. Oral exams to be completed by
end of March. If not passed and retaken,
must be completed by end of spring
semester above |
Written proposal
due to dissertation committee February
15 of second year. Oral exams to be
completed by end of March. If not passed
and retaken, must be completed by end
of spring semester above |
Dissertation
proposal due to dissertation committee
March 15 of second year. Exams to be
completed by end of April. If not passed
and retaken, must be completed by end
of subsequent fall semester |
| Thesis or
dissertation seminar |
F,S |
Immediately
prior to defense of thesis or dissertation
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Immediately
prior to defense of thesis or dissertation
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Immediately
prior to defense of thesis or dissertation
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| Defense of
thesis or dissertation |
F,S |
When submitted
thesis or dissertation has been deemed
acceptable for defense by student's
committee. This should be before the
end of the third and sixth years for
MS and PhD candidates, respectively |
When submitted
thesis or dissertationhas been deemed
acceptable for defense by student's
committee. This should be before the
end of the third and sixth years for
MS and PhD candidates, respectively |
When submitted
thesis or dissertationhas been deemed
acceptable for defense by student's
committee. This should be before the
end of the third and sixth years for
MS and PhD candidates, respectively |
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| © University of Houston Department of Biology
and Biochemistry |
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