Ecology and Evolution Degree Track Requirements

Table of Contents

1. Major Professor and Thesis, Study or Dissertation Committee
2. Course Requirements
3. First Year Evaluation
4. Advancement to Ph.D. Candidacy
5. Committee Meetings and Thesis/Dissertation
6. Final Examinations
7. Special Academic Situations
8. Recommended Time Table for Ph.D. Students entering in the Fall
9. Graduate-Level Courses Offered
10. Interinstitutional Agreements

PROGRAM IN BIOLOGY: ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION DEGREE TRACK
DEPARTMENT OF BIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY
Degree Requirements for Master's and Doctoral Degrees

• MASTER OF SCIENCE PLAN I
• MASTER OF SCIENCE PLAN II
• DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

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

1. Major Professor
   During the first year, each student is required to select, by mutual agreement, a tenured or tenure-track 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 must be approved by the graduate committee chair. 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 should be reached.
2. Thesis or dissertation committee
   In consultation with the major professor the student shall select, by mutual agreement, faculty members to serve on their committee. The committee shall be chosen before the end of the second semester of residence. The membership is subject to approval by the chairman 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.
   
   Faculty with primary appointments in the Ecology and Evolution Division: R. Azevedo, B. Cole, T. Cooper, T. Frankino, D. Graur, E. Ostrowski, S. Pennings, D. Wiernasz, and R. Zufall.

back to the top

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 advised to take or have taken a course in Biostatistics or 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 in addition to the departmental seminar (typically, BIOL 7367 Population Biology Seminar). Additional courses may be required by the committee.
   Ph.D. students are required to take or have taken a course in Biostatistics or 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 in addition to the departmental seminar (typically, BIOL 7367 Population Biology 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 towards course requirements.
5. Courses that do not promote the student's academic development in Biology and Biochemistry, or do not contribute directly to the current research program of the student, will not be allowed. Students who wish to take courses outside the Department need the approval of their thesis or dissertation committee. Students may not pursue another degree program concurrently with a M.S. or Ph.D. in Biology and Biochemistry. 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.

back to the top

C. First Year Evaluation

During the second semester in residence (not counting summers) all students will undergo a first year evaluation administered by faculty in the division (typically, division members of the Graduate Committee). A positive evaluation must be received for the student to remain in good standing. The evaluation will consider the student's progress and take into account the following:

• Courses taken and grades.
• Seminar class performance.
• Attendance at departmental seminars.
• Research progress.
• Report from research advisor(s).

The evaluation committee shall be comprised of the Division of Biochemistry Policy Leader and the Division of Biochemistry Graduate Committee.

back to the top

D. Advancement to Ph.D. Candidacy

1. A student advances to candidacy for a Ph.D. degree after completion of 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 be written in the style of a project description section of an NSF grant describing the research plans for the student’s dissertation. The document should be 10-15 pages (single-spaced). It should state the objectives of the proposed research, explain why the research is significant in the context of the broader research field, describe the experimental methods and procedures and any preliminary results, and discuss how the results will be interpreted. For more information see the NSF Grant Proposal Guide http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/policydocs/pappguide/nsf09_1/nsf091.pdf).
3. If the student fails either the written or oral examinations, their 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 fall semester. Each examination may be taken no more than twice. Failure after the second try 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.

back to the top

E. Committee Meetings and Thesis/Dissertation

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

F. Final Examinations

• Permission to write and defend the dissertation
  Ph.D. students will need to obtain formal permission to write and defend their dissertation from their dissertation committee. The “Dissertation Committee Permission Form” will need to be signed by all committee members and turned in to the Graduate Coordinator no later than the end of the semester prior to the anticipated semester of the defense. It is recommended, but not mandatory, that the student have a committee meeting at that time in order for the committee to be aware of the student progress and make final recommendations before the defense. It is expected that the student make progress towards graduation within a year of filing the form.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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. Ph.D. candidates shall have at least one manuscript based on their dissertation submitted for publication before their defense.

G. Special Academic Situations

• 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.
• 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, and 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 not normally be approved after the second year.
• 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.

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

• First Semester
  Biostatistics or equivalent, Population Biology Seminar, graduate electives.
• Second Semester
  Scientific Communication. 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.

Students entering in the Spring semester should complete their requirements as soon as possible, but will have a one semester extension on formal deadlines.

I. Graduate-Level Courses Offered

• Advanced Animal Behavior
• Advanced Evolutionary Biology and Ecology
• Bioinformatics for Biologists
• Biostatstics
• Community Ecology
• Ecology
• Evolution of Development
• Microbial Evolution
• Molecular Evolution
• Population Biology Seminar (may be taken repeatedly for credit)
• Responsible Conduct of Research
• Scientific Communication
• Sexual Selection
• Theory for Experimentalists

No more than nine semester hours of senior-level courses can count toward a graduate degree.

back to the top

J. Interinstitutional Agreements

The University of Houston has reciprocal arrangements with Baylor College of Medicine and Rice University that enable graduate students to take a limited amount of graduate-level course work at these institutions for credit. There is no payment of fees and tuition at the host institution, and a simplified enrollment procedure is used. Courses may also be taken at other institutions in the Houston area, but additional paperwork and fees may apply. The student must notify the Graduate Coordinator prior to the beginning of the semester to fill out the appropriate forms. For more information, see the Associate Chair for Graduate Affairs.

back to the top