PhD Programs

Requirements

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PhD Programs: General Requirements

At least 88 hours of graduate credit are required to obtain a Ph.D. in the biological sciences. To satisfy this minimum requirement for the degree, the student must successfully complete:

Twenty-eight hours of graduate classroom coursework, which must include:
a.Discipline-specific core courses (8 hours)
b.Discipline-specific electives (8 hours)
c.Topics, concepts, and seminar courses (10 hours), which must include at least six hours of discipline-specific topics and/or concept courses, Bio 8550 (1 hour, taken during first Fall Semester for new students), and Bio8550B(1 hour)
Proficiency in biochemistry. This can be accomplished by examination or by completion of Chem 6600 and 6610. Substitution of an equivalent discipline-related subject (appropriate to the student's program of study) will be considered on a case-by-case basis and requires the prior written approval of the Biology Graduate Committee.
Sixty hours of biology research (Bio 8800 or 9999). At least thirty hours must be Dissertation Research (Bio 9999) after the student has chosen a research advisor and had a Dissertation proposal approved by their Dissertation Committee
A qualifying examination.
A dissertation.
A final oral presentation, directed primarily to the defense of the dissertation.

Specific Requirements:

The following course work constitutes the minimum core requirements for each discipline. Substitutions in the curriculum may be made based on the recommendation of the student's research adviser, and require the prior written approval of the Biology Graduate Committee. However, students will be expected to demonstrate knowledge of all material covered in discipline-specific core courses (below) during the qualifying examination. Discipline-specific courses are listed under each program.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology:Bio 6458 and 8410.
Cell Biology and Physiology: Bio 8248 and 8220.
Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry:Bio 8610 and 8620.
Neurobiology and Behavior:Bio 8010 and 8020.