Personalized Learning Plan

The concept of a Personal Learning Plan (PLP) is to tailor educational experiences to meet individual needs. Courses are selected in consultation with the student's supervisor, dissertation committee, and the graduate advisor to ensure adequate breadth and depth.

Students take placement tests in physiology, cell/molecular biology, probability, and computer programming (student's choice of MATLAB, Mathematica, or Labview). Placements tests are offered at the start of the fall and spring terms. Students who do not pass a given placement test are guided by the graduate advisor in the selection of an appropriate undergraduate course to strengthen this aspect of their training.

Credit hour requirements

26 credit hours (approximately 8 technical 3-credit hour courses + 2 seminar 1-credit hour courses) of graduate coursework, of which five courses (3-credit courses, 15 credits total) MUST be as follows:

• A graduate-level course in the biological or clinical sciences.
• A graduate-level course in basic or applied mathematics: a course in     statistics is encouraged to meet this requirement, but another mathematics topic may be approved in some circumstances.
• A graduate-level course in technical area #1.
• A graduate-level course in technical area #2.
• A graduate-level course in technical area #3.

All eight of the technical courses must be taken for a letter grade.

Qualifying Exam

Students must pass a qualifying exam, typically at the end of their first year. This is required for students to continue in the Ph.D. program. This exam has both written and oral components. Detailed instructions for the qualifying exam are available at the graduate office and are provided to students in advance.

Dissertation Proposal

Students who pass the qualifying exam, must also pass a dissertation proposal before they can be admitted to doctoral candidacy. Students must identify a doctoral dissertation committee of at least five faculty members in consultation with their supervisor and the graduate advisor. This proposal exam includes both a written and an oral component. The written component involves submitting an NSF- or NIH-style proposal (maximum 15 pages) to the student’s dissertation committee two weeks prior to defending it orally to the same committee. The proposal exam typically takes places by the end of the second year or beginning of the third year.

Teaching Assistant Requirements

All Ph.D. students are expected to participate as a teaching assistant (TA) for two semesters. The department recommends that students serve sometime in their first and third years, but the timing of this service will depend on the needs of the department and the advice of the student's research supervisor.As long as they are in good standing with the program and their supervisor, Ph.D. students are provided full financial support, either as a Graduate Research Assistant, Teaching Assistant, or through one of many fellowships available to students.