Doctor of Philosophy in Biomedical Science
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The Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (GSBS)
offers a comprehensive doctoral training program
for graduate students, preparatory to careers in
research, teaching, and industry. The following
regulations and policies supplement those of the
GSBS (see Student Handbook). The Program in Biomedical
Sciences is administered by a committee of faculty
members of the GSBS.
Admission and Entry
Admission is made through application to the GSBS
(http://www.umdnj.edu/gsbsnweb/).
Deadline for applications for the Fall semester
is February 1. Prospective students are evaluated
primarily on the strength of past academic achievement,
GRE scores, research experience, and letters of
recommendation. Interviews will be conducted with
qualified applicants following review of the application
documents and approval by the Admissions Committee.
Entry into the program is in the Fall semester.
Upon entrance, each student is assigned an Academic
Advisor who provides guidance about course work
and academic scheduling.
Financial Support
Fellowships are currently awarded by the GSBS
for two years to incoming full time students,
providing tuition and a stipend. After the second
year, students are expected to obtain support
from their Thesis Advisor, external agencies,
or other sources.
Academic Requirements
1. A total of 40 credits of course work is required.
GSBS requires a full time load of at least 20
credit hours per year during the first two years.
The 40 credits of course work must be completed
prior to taking the qualifying exam (see below).
2. Required courses are: Molecular and Cellular
Biology (Core Curriculum Course), and four semesters
of a Departmental Seminar.
3. Laboratory rotations are selected by the student,
with approval by the advisor. Three laboratory
rotations are required (2 credits each; rotations
may be either 6-8 weeks, full-time in a summer
or a part time equivalent during a single semester
per rotation). Rotations must be completed by
the end of the first summer). Each rotation features
hands-on research experience and requires the
submission of a written report to the principal
investigator of the laboratory.
4. A maximum of 12 credits may be transferred
from other institutions towards the Ph.D. degree.
The grade received for such transfers must be
at least 3.0 (B). Requests for transfer of credits
must be submitted to the GSBS Dean's office within
18 months of matriculation, and must also be approved
by the GSBS. Prior UMDNJ credits can be applied
to the total required.
5. An overall GPA of 3.0 (B) is required by the
GSBS. The performance and progress of each student
will be evaluated after every semester by the
program committee in consultation with the academic
advisor. Failure to maintain these standards may
result in loss of stipend, academic probation,
or dismissal from the program, subject to the
rules of the GSBS.
6. All students are required to attend and participate
in departmental seminars and journal clubs throughout
their graduate training, in the department in
which their laboratory is located.
7. It is recommeded that students participate
in a Basic Science Department’s teaching
program.
Advancement to Candidacy
A student becomes eligible for advancement to
candidacy for the Ph.D. upon satisfactory completion
of all course requirements, laboratory rotations,
and a qualifying examination administered by the
program committee. Prior to taking the qualifying
examination a student must be in good academic
standing as defined by GSBS, and must obtain the
formal approval of the Program Director.
Qualifying Examination
The examination consists of two components: (a)
a research proposal, patterned after NIH applications;
(b) an oral examination, to allow follow up questioning
on the written proposal.
As specified by GSBS guidelines, the purpose
of the qualifying exam is to assess the student's
general knowledge in biomedical sciences, and
ability to reason and communicate. As such, it
is intended to be interdisciplinary; it should
be separate from, and not based upon, the thesis
proposal. This process should begin immediately
after the student finishes the fourth semester
of coursework., and should take no more than two
months to complete.
1. Selection of the Qualifying
Examination Committee.
The program director, in consultation with the student
and Academic Advisor, will select a committee consisting
of at least five members, no more than three of
whom shall be from the same department. The chair
of the committee is usually the Academic Advisor.
2. Guidelines
for the Qualifying Examination.
(a) The research proposal will be selected by the
program director from a list of at least three topics
submitted by the student. The proposal cannot be
on the thesis topic per se, although it can have
some bearing on the thesis. The purpose of this
exam is to evaluate the student's ability to identify
a significant research problem, formulate a hypothesis,
and design a logical series of experiments. The
student should also demonstrate an understanding
of the broader biomedical significance of the project.
The proposal must be written independently by the
student. The completed proposal must be submitted
within three weeks of its assignment. Suggestions
for revisions, if deemed necessary by the committee,
must be returned to the student within one week.
A final version of the proposal must be submitted
within ten days after receiving the comments.
(c) The oral examination will be scheduled to take
place within three weeks of submission of the final
version of the proposal. This exam will involve
detailed questioning in specific areas suggested
by the written proposal and the student’s
coursework; it will also test general knowledge
and ability to think scientifically. The examination
will begin with a brief oral presentation of the
research proposal, and will be followed by questions
from the committee. Satisfactory performance on
this part, as determined by a majority vote of the
committee, will result in advancement to candidacy.
For students for whom additional coursework or tutorial
sessions in a particular area is deemed necessary,
the committee may also decide on a conditional pass;
a student in this category will be admitted to candidacy
once the required remedial steps have been taken.
Thesis Advisor and Thesis
Advisory Committee
Students will select their Thesis Advisor on the
basis of lab rotations. Following successful completion
of the qualifying examination, a Thesis Advisory
Committee will be nominated by the thesis advisor
according to GSBS guidelines in consultation with
the student. The Thesis Advisor will chair the
Thesis Advisory Committee. The Thesis Advisory
Committee will meet formally with the student
at least once every semester and will submit a
written report to the program director and GSBS.
Students are encouraged to consult with members
of the advisory committee for guidance at any
time.
Preparation of Thesis
Proposal
The purpose of the thesis proposal is to outline
the general direction of the student's research
project. Within three months after successfully
completing the qualifying examination, each student
must prepare a written proposal that outlines
the nature of the doctoral research project. The
length of the proposal cannot exceed 25 double
spaced pages, including references.
The proposal should include
the following sections:
1. Question(s) and hypothesis to be addressed
by the proposed research.
2. Specific aims of the research project.
3. Introduction and background information concerning
the nature of the problem to be investigated.
This should include a relevant, but not exhaustive,
review of the literature.
4. Plan of study providing an outline of the experimental
approach and the proposed sequence of experiments
to be performed.
5. Methods, describing in general terms the nature
of the proposed methods. Experimental techniques
need not be described in great detail.
6. Significance, giving a brief description of
potential importance for biomedical science.
7. References
The thesis proposal requires approval by majority
vote of the Thesis Advisory Committee; the program
director then will notify the GSBS of approval.
Presentation of Research
Seminars
Within one year after approval of the thesis proposal,
and yearly thereafter, each student will present
a seminar on his/her ongoing research. The purpose
of these seminars is for students to obtain feedback
from the faculty on their research. The venue
for these seminars should be the GSBS seminar
series or a Basic Science Departmental seminar
series.
Final Stages
Preparation of the dissertation, appointment of
the examination committee, and the thesis defense
proceed strictly according to GSBS guidelines
(see Student's Handbook).
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