Graduate Handbook

Dissertation Advisor Selection
Report of Committee Meeting
Approval of Research Proposal Topic for Written Preliminary Exam
Final Approval of Research Proposal for Written Preliminary Exam
Dissertation Prospectus Approval

The following forms are available after you log in on the Graduate College website at https://grad.arizona.edu/gc/

Doctoral Plan of Study
Application for Oral Comprehensive Examination for Doctoral Candidacy
Advancement to Candidacy
Announcement of Final Oral Examination

Summary of Important Graduate Student Deadlines

YEAR 1

Please see either of your first-year faculty mentors for clarification of any requirements. Marilyn Kramer or Olivia Mendoza can register for you if you need help. Marilyn is located in Life Sciences South 248 (phone number is 621-1519) and can register you for MCB courses. Olivia is in Biological Sciences West 362B4 (phone number is 621-3868) and can register you for BIOC courses.

FALL

1. Enroll in:

First-year students must take 595c one semester during the first year - either the Fall or Spring.

Genomics IGERT students should enroll in 553L and 553R and one other core course.

*For the BMCB degree, you must take the three required courses and one other course from the optional courses listed.

Physical chemistry is required for both the BMCB and Biochemistry degree, but not for the MCB degree. If you have not taken physical chemistry, you should take it in the Fall semester if you wish to follow the Biochemistry or the BMCB track.

2. Arrange and do laboratory rotations.

Rotation Schedule and Rotation Symposia
The four periods of rotation are standardized, and students make a brief presentation of their work to the departments at the conclusion of the rotation period. This brief 10-minute report should provide some background in an introduction and summarize findings and conclusions. An overhead projector and a computer are available.

Rotation 1: August 20 - October 5, 2007
Rotation 2: October 8 - December 7, 2007
Rotation 3: January 16 - March 7, 2008
Rotation 4: March 10 - May 7, 2008 (if necessary)

Students should arrange the first rotation immediately. The student's first-year advisor will help with this choice. Students should give the next rotation advisor plenty of advance notice so that they have time to prepare for the student's experiments.

3. Attend Faculty Research Talks - Attendance is required. (NOTE:  THE FACULTY RESEARCH TALKS ARE NOT SCHEDULED FOR FALL 2007.)
Alternate Tuesday evenings, 6:00 - 7:30 p.m.

4. Attend BMCB Student Forum - Attendance is encouraged.
Alternate Tuesday evenings, 6:00 p.m.

5. Attend seminars and journal club - It is required to attend at least one seminar and one journal club per week.

6. Attend retreat October 6-7, 2006 (Saturday - Sunday)

SPRING

1. Enroll in:

First-year students must take 595c one semester during the first year - either the Fall or Spring.

*For the BMCB degree, you must take the three required courses and one other course from the optional courses listed. This means that in the Spring you can take any two of the courses listed for Fall and Spring.

2. Choose an advisor at the completion of research rotations.

3. Choose a supervisory committee and have first committee meeting. This should be done by the end of May at the latest. The committee will be very helpful in recommending second-year course work.

4. Attend BMCB Student Forum - Attendance is encouraged.

5. Attend seminars and journal club - It is required to attend at least one seminar and one journal club per week.

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YEAR 2

FALL

1. Enroll in elective coursework.

2. Meet with committee to discuss preliminary exam topics and set date to pick up preliminary exam questions. Questions should be received from your committee early in the Spring semester. Students will have three weeks to complete the questions.

3. Secure approval of topic for the written preliminary exam (research proposal). A two- to three-page description of the written proposal needs to be distributed to the supervisory committee members and approval of the research proposal topic must be obtained before writing the preliminary proposal.

4. Submit the Doctoral Plan of Study form to the Graduate Degree Certification Office. Go to the Graduate College website at http://grad.arizona.edu/current-students/forms and log in to complete this form online, print it, and then obtain signatures.

5. Attend seminars and journal club - One of each required per week. Sign up for MCB 595A (both sections) or other journal club and seminar course.

6. Attend retreat.

SPRING

1. Take elective coursework.

2. Take the written preliminary exam. A draft of the ten-page proposal should be given to the supervisory committee no later than April 15; the final version should be approved by the committee by May 15.

3. File the Application for Oral Comprehensive Examination for Doctoral Candidacy. Due in the Graduate Degree Certification Office at least seven working days prior to the scheduled oral exam.

4. Take the oral preliminary exam. Prior to the second summer in the program; target deadline is June 15. This may be extended to December 1 under certain circumstances and only after approval from the supervisory committee.

5. Attend seminars and journal club - One of each required per week. Sign up for MCB 595A (both sections) or other journal club and seminar course.

6. Attend retreat.

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YEAR 3 AND BEYOND

1. Dissertation research talks. Students are required to give a 30-minute talk on their dissertation research each year until they complete their Ph.D. degree. This dissertation research talk will be scheduled during the normal MCB/Biochemistry seminar or journal club slots. It is advisable that the students schedule one of their committee meetings right after their dissertation research talk. A talk given at the annual BMB/MCB Retreat can be used as a substitute for this 30-minute talk.

2. Arrange annual committee meetings. Schedule a committee meeting every Fall. A summary report of the meeting must be submitted to the BMCB graduate program coordinator.

Note: Students who fail to meet program deadlines may be asked to give an explanation to the Biochemistry and Molecular & Cellular Biology (BMCB) Committee in person to determine the cause of the delay; the dissertation advisor and department heads will be notified.

3. Attend seminars and journal club - One of each required per week. Sign up for MCB 595A (both sections) or other journal club and seminar course.

4. Attend annual retreat.

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FINAL YEAR

1. Complete Advancement to Candidacy form. Due in the Graduate Degree Certification Office no later than six months before student schedules the final oral examination.

2. Secure approval of the dissertation prospectus. Obtain approval of the dissertation prospectus no later than six months before the final defense.

3. Submit a polished draft of the dissertation. Due eight weeks prior to final defense. It is the responsibility of the student and their committee to be sure that the dissertation document conforms to Graduate College and Program requirements.

4. File the Announcement of Final Oral Examination. Due in the Graduate Degree Certification Office at least seven working days before final defense; the student is responsible for scheduling the seminar room.

If at all possible, students should schedule the dissertation defense presentation during normal journal club/seminar times (except during the summer).

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A. General Description of the BMCB Graduate Program

Overview
The goal of the BMCB graduate program is to foster student colleagues by helping you develop intellectual tools and by sustaining a research environment conducive to attacking critical questions at the forefront of modern biology.

The major emphasis in the program for Ph.D. candidates is laboratory research culminating in the writing of a dissertation. With the help of the Ph.D. advisor, the supervisory committee, and the BMCB Committee, successful students complete the BMCB Graduate Program with solid training in experimental research science and an emphasis on academic scholarship. Depending upon the track that they choose, on completion of the program students receive a Ph.D. in Biochemistry or Molecular & Cellular Biology or a joint Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular & Cellular Biology.

Mentoring
The BMCB program has several mechanisms to provide you with guidance during completion of your degree. During your first year and prior to choosing a dissertation advisor, you will be assigned two faculty members of the BMCB Committee or other knowledgeable faculty members as contact persons to answer your questions and help you make important decisions, such as choosing rotations. However, you should feel free to discuss any questions about your graduate training with other members of the BMCB Committee or any other faculty members with whom you feel comfortable. The faculty are here to help train you to become their colleagues in the scientific endeavor. In addition to obtaining guidance from the faculty, you should utilize any resources the Graduate College makes available, including the online Graduate Catalog (http://grad.arizona.edu/catalog) and BMCB Graduate Program Handbook. This Handbook is designed to assist you through the maze of graduate school requirements, but is not all inclusive. Also take advantage of the expertise of the graduate program coordinators, Marilyn Kramer and Olivia Mendoza, who know all the ropes with regard to the bureaucratic machinations of the Graduate College and the University at large – much better than do any of the faculty. (Remember, the faculty did not have to complete a degree here!)

After you have chosen a dissertation advisor and a supervisory committee (at the end of the first year), these individuals should offer you scientific and professional guidance. Use them to your advantage! Feel free to consult with your committee members at any time about your project.  Have timely committee meetings a minimum of once per year. Interaction with your advisor and your committee can give you important experimental insight and save you time toward your degree. These individuals will also be your major advocates in the future, writing recommendations and promoting your talents to future employers. It is to your advantage for them to get to know you well. Do not feel, however, that your committee is your only faculty resource. Search out other faculty members for advice on special techniques or topics that interest you.

If at any time you come to an impasse in communication with your advisor, you should first discuss these issues with other members of your committee. If no resolution is found through these avenues, you may discuss things further with any member of the BMCB Committee and subsequently with the department head of Molecular & Cellular Biology or Biochemistry, depending on the home department of your advisor. We strongly encourage you to take prompt action if such problems arise and to be assured that your success is our goal.

Although we aim to provide an optimal environment to foster your scientific and professional growth, it is important to realize that successful completion of the Ph.D. program is ultimately your responsibility. All of the necessary steps you need to take to finally receive the degree are important. Your dissertation advisor and supervisory committee guide you in becoming a professional scientist, but you are still the one doing the research at the bench which will earn you the degree. No advice or guidance will substitute for the self-motivation that will be required to reach your final goal.

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B. BMCB Committee - Structure and Function

The BMCB Committee has several important roles with regard to overseeing the graduate program. These include new student recruitment, advising students, and monitoring student progress. The committee consists of six faculty, two staff, and two graduate student representatives. The student representatives are chosen by their peers on an annual basis at the research retreat. One of the goals of the committee is to help you “fit” into the academic side of graduate school with the understanding that the dissertation advisor and supervisory committee will guide the research component of your training. To this end, the BMCB Committee tracks each student during their entire time in the program and meets periodically to discuss a variety of issues which impact the program. If a student has a problem that cannot be solved by their advisor or they are unsure about what they need to do to meet program or Graduate College requirements, they should talk to any of the faculty or student representatives on the BMCB Committee.

The following people are serving on the BMCB Committee in 2007 – 2008:

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C. Participating Faculty

Click here to go to list of faculty and their research.

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D. Financial Assistance

Basic stipend
The basic graduate stipend is $20,772. As a graduate student supported on a teaching or research assistantship, out-of-state tuition is waived, and single only health insurance is paid for by the University. Depending on the source of funding, you may receive this stipend in the form of bi-weekly paychecks or in larger lump-sum amounts three to four times per year. NOTE THAT AFTER THE FIRST YEAR, students should save a little each pay period in the Fall to pay the 10% unremitted registration fees due for the Spring (usually due near the end of December), and in the Spring save the extra amount for the subsequent Fall. (Check the Schedule of Classes for the exact due date for payment of fees.) It should be noted that it is the institution’s intention to cover 100% of the registration fees for graduate students by the 2008-2009 academic year. For the 2007-2008 academic year, the 10% unremitted registration amounts to $277 per semester. Most graduate students do not register for classes during the summer sessions. See Marilyn Kramer or Olivia Mendoza for clarification or questions on registration.

Direct deposit (SurePay) for paychecks is an available benefit for those compensated through the payroll system. This can be done on the web via Employee Link at https://emplink.arizona.edu/pls/portal30/ELINK.DYN_ELINK_LOGIN.show by logging in and then selecting the payroll information link. See Rita Eubank in LSS 427 if you have any questions. Paychecks or SurePay advice statements may be picked up on payday (every other Friday) in LSS 4th floor mail room.

Health insurance
All graduate students in the BMCB program are required to maintain student only health insurance. Funds permitting, the program can provide supplemental assistance to help offset the cost of family coverage. See Barbara Johnson or Kriss Pope in the program business offices to make arrangements. Note that health insurance premiums paid during the Spring semester also covers the summer months. If you have health insurance coverage through another source (such as through a spouse’s employment), you must provide proof of coverage to Marilyn Kramer (MCB) or Olivia Mendoza (BMB) before they can complete your registrationn.

Sources and duration of funding
All first-year students are fully funded from departmental sources. This funding can be derived from a number of sources which include NIH/NSF training grants, institutional fellowships, and other discretionary funds.

By the end of the second semester, students should have identified a dissertation advisor. From that point forward, financial responsibility for the student resides with the dissertation advisor. During dissertation research, students are typically paid as graduate research assistants for a period of up to five years, contingent on the availability of funds and continued satisfactory progress. Efforts will be made to identify funding opportunities for students entering unfunded labs; however, support cannot be guaranteed. Only under exceptional circumstances will students exceeding a six-year program of study receive financial support.

In the event an advisor suffers a funding hiatus, the BMCB graduate program will make every effort (but cannot legally guarantee) to identify alternative funding sources for students in good standing. Alternative sources could include special training grants, fellowships, as well as teaching assistantship positions.

Competitive fellowships
All eligible students are encouraged to submit applications for pre-doctoral fellowship support from external sources, such as the National Science Foundation and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Pre-doctoral fellowship support is available from these agencies; however, in some instances eligibility is limited to students I their first semester of graduate school. Information about these applications and their deadlines will be made available early in the Fall semester. Deadlines are typically early November. Be alert for availability of application information.

Funding to attend scientific meetings
The BMCB program, through the two departments, will provide travel funds up to $1,000 to help defray the cost of attendance at scientific meetings during a student’s work toward the degree. Students requesting such support must be presenting their work at the meeting in either a poster or oral format. When coordinating travel arrangements for attendance at a meeting, students should contact the appropriate MCB or Biochemistry business office staff for access to this funding. Students should first discuss travel plans with their advisor. Note that students are strongly encouraged to attend more than one meeting during their career, but will need to do so under support from their advisor or through travel grants that are often available from scientific associations that convene the meetings. Limited travel support funds are also available at times through the Graduate College.

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E. Required course work for the Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular & Cellular Biology

General description of course work
Students will take core courses during their first year. Students must take one semester of Current Topics in Biochemistry & MCB Research (595c) their first year (Fall or Spring). Planning the second-year curriculum will be aided by the student’s dissertation advisor and supervisory committee. Requirements include enrolling for a journal club and a seminar course every semester until graduation (MCB/BMCB track) or 595b (Biochemistry track), and a 1-unit course in ethics, MCB 695e. A minimum of 36 units (excluding dissertation) are required in the major. An additional 9 units of course work are required for the minor. The student must have passed the required core courses in the program with a grade of B (3.0) or better in each course; failure to do so could result in dismissal from the program. Students must choose a minor area either in Biochemistry or Molecular & Cellular Biology or in some other single discipline. Nine units, referred to on the following page as “Minor electives,” are applied to the minor. See a full description on page 16, section F. Completion of a minor is a requirement of the Graduate College.

Sample schedule for student without deficiency

Note: except for the last semester in the program, the student should register for 12 credits every semester as a matter of BMCB policy (except as noted for students who have family insurance).

*Enroll in either the MCB journal club or another journal clubin your area of research.

In their final semester, the student can enroll in minimal units (6) if all requirements have been met. All students are required to take the ethics course (MCB 695e) before graduating. Students who have entered graduate school through the BMCB Graduate Program take this course in their second year.

Course listings
Non-core courses in Biochemistry, Molecular & Cellular Biology, and other departments are described on the web (http://www.arizona.edu/). For up-to-date offerings, check the website for the Fall and Spring Schedule of Classes.

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F. Requirements for the Minor Specialty Area

Minor in Biochemistry or Molecular & Cellular Biology
A minor in Biochemistry or Molecular & Cellular Biology consists of three advanced (500-level or above) courses or a minimum of nine units. The nine units required for the Biochemistry or Molecular & Cellular Biology minor can be from any department that the faculty advisors (first-year students) or supervisory committee (second-year students) approve. (Non-majors who wish to minor in Biochemistry or Molecular & Cellular Biology must take nine units of classes cross-listed in Biochemistry or Molecular & Cellular Biology, i.e., have a BIOC or MCB prefix.)

Minor in a specialty area other than Biochemistry or Molecular & Cellular Biology
Students should check with the respective departments to verify minor degree and course prerequisite requirements.

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G. Teaching Assistantships

Teaching as an important component of graduate training
Teaching is a valuable component of the graduate program. First, it gives you the opportunity to develop the skills needed to be an effective communicator, and, second, it provides stipend support for students who are not on a fellowship. In general, all students will teach two semesters as part of their overall training. One semester must be done in the second year. The second semester should be completed before the end of the third year of study.

Teaching assignments
Teaching assignments are made through the MCB and Biochemistry departments. Assignments are made in May or June for the following Fall semester and October or November for the Spring semester. Every effort will be made to accommodate your interests when course assignments are made. However, the Program has a major responsibility to staff upper-division undergraduate majors courses in Biochemistry and Molecular & Cellular Biology and participation in these courses is preferred. The course instructors give final approval to all assignments.

Responsibilities and duties of a teaching assistant
The amount of time spent on this activity varies depending on the course and the type of assistantship (lecture T.A. or laboratory T.A.) with an average of about 10 hours per week. You are expected to abide by all University rules with regard to conduct and to perform your duties in a professional manner. The course coordinator is the T.A. supervisor and provides direction. Students awarded a teaching assistantship must take the training course offered by the Graduate College in mid-August, and in some cases, a specialized training program may be required for a course, depending on the course coordinator. International applicants must have scored 600 or higher on the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) and must take the TSE (Test of Spoken English) and score 50 or better to qualify as a teaching assistant with student contact; students who score below 50 are allowed to T.A. but cannot have student contact.

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H. Laboratory Rotations

During each rotation, you have full status as a member of the laboratory and participate in all activities normally expected of lab personnel. Laboratory rotations are an important opportunity not only to discover the “fit” between the student and advisor but also to experience a variety of scientific approaches and philosophies. For these reasons, the faculty suggest that students immerse themselves in the research experience during rotations and maximize their time in the lab. Laboratories are available to students at all hours, and it is expected that students will take advantage of this availability on evenings and weekends.

Upon completion of each rotation, students are evaluated by the faculty mentor. The written evaluation should be reviewed at a meeting between the faculty mentor and student. Both parties should sign the evaluation to insure that adequate exchange of information has occurred. The report is then forwarded to the BMCB graduate program coordinator’s office where it is placed on file to become part of the student’s record.

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I. Choosing Laboratories for Rotations (see also choosing an Advisor)

Students are encouraged to choose rotation mentors based on information they obtain from faculty and other students in the program. It is the student’s responsibility to arrange the various rotation experiences based on information provided with regard to faculty availability. While it might be necessary to arrange one or two of the rotations in advance, you are not expected to arrange all four at one time. Additional perspective for future rotations will be gained as the year progresses.

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J. "Three-plus" Rotation System

The rotation schedule for all BMCB students will consist of three mandatory half-semester rotations with an optional fourth rotation in the second half of the Spring semester. Two of the first three rotations must be in laboratories of primary faculty in the Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics or Molecular & Cellular Biology departments. A matching process will take place at the end of the third rotation. If a successful match is made at this time, the student may spend a fourth rotation period working in the laboratory of their newly chosen dissertation advisor or alternatively may arrange an “internship” in a different lab if the PI of that lab is agreeable. If no match is made, the fourth rotation period will be a “real” rotation in which the student is seeking a potential dissertation advisor.

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K. Process for Advisor/Student Matching

During a student’s rotation in a lab, s/he is encouraged to discuss prospects for future work in the advisor’s lab regarding projects, funding, and space availability. However, to give all students an equal opportunity to join the laboratory of their choice, no commitments should be made by either the student or advisor before the end of the third rotation (middle of the second semester), except under special prior arrangements of direct first-year sponsorship of students by an affiliated professor. Near the end of the third rotation, all students will indicate up to three choices (in order of preference) for dissertation advisor by submitting the Dissertation Advisor Selection form. Matches between a student and a lab will then be made by the relevant department heads in consultation with the faculty and student. During this process, the potential advisors will be consulted by the department heads for their preferences and approval to insure that the match is mutually satisfactory. Potential advisors will not be compelled to agree to take on students whom they see as a poor match. Efforts will be made to match students with their first choices, but this will not always be possible. Since the final decisions are made for all students simultaneously, each student has equal opportunity to join the lab of their choice regardless of when they rotate through each laboratory. This policy will also ensure that the students will be in labs by the end of the second semester.

Points to consider when choosing a lab and advisor:

Choosing a dissertation advisor is one of the most important decisions that you will make in your graduate career. Since the laboratory rotations are the mechanism through which you will narrow down your choice of advisors, it is very important that you consider the following issues at the very beginning of your graduate career.

Does your potential advisor work in a field that truly fascinates you? Does he or she have a project that you are passionately interested in? Having a passion for your research subject will motivate you to expend the effort that is necessary for completing your studies. Does your potential advisor have a personality that you believe to be compatible with yours? Do you consider him/her to be approachable and easy to talk to? What is his/her mentoring style? How often does s/he meet with students? Can you pop into his/her office or do you need to make an appointment? Is s/he away a lot? Would s/he value your opinion and grant you some degree of autonomy on your research project? Be aware that you will be reliant upon your advisor to guide your professional development during this phase of your career and that you will probably need your advisor’s assistance in developing your career well beyond the completion of your degree.

Ask what your potential advisor expects and requires of you in order for you to complete your dissertation. What is the nature of the feedback you will receive on your work? Are there regular lab group meetings? Is there an intellectual climate in the lab? Does the advisor send students to meetings?

You should discuss with your potential advisor how you will be financially supported during your stay in his or her laboratory. Sources of support may come from research grants to the advisor, student fellowships or other awards, institutional training grants, and teaching assistantships. Note that few labs can guarantee a consistent period of funding from the same source. Thus, it is likely that your support may be derived from different sources during your graduate years. You should also be aware that teaching assistantships frequently are quite demanding of one’s time. Consequently, you may not be able to devote as much time to your research project, and the length of time required to complete your degree may be extended if much of your support is based on a teaching assistantship. However, teaching assistantships do provide relevant experience that contributes toward your professional development.

Talk to other students, postdocs, and faculty about a potential advisor. Their familiarity and knowledge of a potential advisor’s capabilities and personality can be enormously important in helping you to come to a decision about an advisor. However, different individuals interact in different ways. Be aware of your own strengths and needs and make your own final decision.

If your potential advisor has a primary appointment in a department other than Biochemistry or Molecular & Cellular Biology, make sure that he or she is aware of the requirements of the BMCB program. Choosing an advisor who is based in another department can provide a unique opportunity for obtaining a broad and interdisciplinary research experience. But keep in mind that if your advisor’s department and laboratory are located elsewhere on the campus, it may require a bit of extra effort on your part to maintain regular contact with other students and faculty within your degree-granting program.

Should the student or the advisor come to feel that the relationship is not productive, either can terminate it. In such circumstances (and when such a course of action is being considered), the student should consult with their committee formally or individually in order to determine the best course of action (continuation in the program or termination with or without a Master’s degree). Should the student continue, a meeting with the committee (modified, if necessary, to include the new advisor) should take place as soon as possible to map out a plan of study. Changing advisors does not entail an extension of the funding guarantee.

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L. Selecting a Supervisory Committee and Committee Meetings

Selecting a committee
Selection of a supervisory committee is a matter worthy of both careful thought and investigation. The committee’s role goes beyond that of simply evaluating you, and includes challenging you to excellence, providing fresh insights for your project, and integrating you as a colleague in the intellectual life of the program. The committee can also serve as a valuable source of external evaluation of differences of opinion between you and your advisor. For these reasons, it is essential that you not only pick a committee that commands your respect but also one with which you can interact fruitfully. It is recommended that you interview prospective committee members to determine their views on what constitutes Ph.D.-level research, expectations on the content of the oral examination and dissertation, etc. You should also aim to choose committee members that complement each other in their range of experience.

Arranging meetings
Committee meetings need to be scheduled by the student (Spring of first year), and after the first year they should be held in the Fall of every year. SCHEDULE A TWO-HOUR BLOCK OF TIME. Arranging a time for committee meetings can be one of the most difficult tasks of a graduate student. Faculty often have well over 20 hours of their week committed to classroom teaching, meetings, and seminars. In addition, faculty may make frequent out-of-town trips for seminar engagements and attendance at scientific meetings or national service committees. Therefore, it can be difficult to corral all five members of your committee in the same room at the same time. However, it is well worth the effort to have five people focusing all of their attention on you and your research question.

Two approaches seem to work well for finding a mutually satisfactory time: (1) Email all of your committee members with a list of days and times that they might make a meeting over the course of a four-week period. They can check off when they are (or are not) available, and you can match up everybody’s schedules. (2) If you prefer a hard copy approach, visit each faculty member with a xeroxed calendar page for the four weeks you would like to try to schedule a meeting and have each one mark the calendar to indicate when they are available. For either approach, it is best to aim at least a month in advance.  Use email to confirm the final date, time, and place. Send out an email reminder the week of the meeting.

If over the course of two months you cannot find a time during which all members of your committee can meet, it is acceptable to have a meeting with as few as three members present, rather than to have no meeting at all. However, you should then make an appointment to meet with each of those members that could not attend to discuss the status of your research and other issues, such as attending scientific meetings, submission of manuscripts, future career decisions.

Meeting agendas
The following guidelines should be used by the student in arranging the agenda for the annual meetings with their supervisory committee. The student should bring a Report of Committee Meeting form, which will be filled out by the appointed chairperson and signed by the attending committee members. The original form should be submitted to the BMCB program coordinator for inclusion in the student’s file.

After the scientific and programmatic/career discussions of the meeting are completed, all committee meetings should include a time in which the student can meet briefly with the committee in the absence of the advisor. This time offers the opportunity for the student to discuss any issues between the student and the advisor with the committee. The committee meeting should also include a brief time at the end during which the committee can meet in the absence of the student.

The following suggestions should make your committee meetings productive ones:

(1) Meetings should include time during which the advisor leaves the room and the student is able to discuss concerns in the absence of the advisor.

(2) Meetings should include time during which the student leaves and the advisor can speak to the committee in the absence of the student.

(3) Committee meetings should block out a two-hour slot on the committee's schedule. This meeting is intended to discuss the entire results of one year of research, generate ideas and suggestions, and also to leave time for reasonable discussion of other issues, as might arise in (1) and (2) above.

First Meeting (end of second semester)

• Provide a general discussion of the proposed research for the dissertation.
• Discuss course work taken and planned.
• Discuss possible preliminary exam topics for the written exams (see below).

Second Meeting (first week of third semester)

• Discuss preliminary exam topics and set date to pick up preliminary exam questions.

Subsequent Meetings

• Provide an outline of your research progress to the committee members at least one week before the meeting.
• Briefly present (30 minutes) your present and future research.
• Describe future research objectives and discuss any problems.

Final Meeting before the dissertation defense (at least 6 months prior to defense)

• Write a dissertation prospectus (see below) and give to the committee members at least two weeks before the meeting.
• Thoroughly discuss the prospectus and come to a consensus on what research needs to be completed to satisfy the committee.
• The prospectus and a detailed summary of the meeting need to be sent to the graduate program coordinator for inclusion in the student's file.

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M. Preliminary Examinations

Description of the written and oral preliminary exams
Before advancing to formal candidacy for the Ph.D. degree, you must pass a preliminary examination, which is prepared concurrently with course requirements. The examination consists of a written and oral portion. To satisfy the requirement of a qualifying examination (a Graduate College prerequisite to the preliminary examinations), the BMCB program stipulates that you must have passed the required core courses in the program with a grade of B (3.0) or better in each course. The written preliminary examination consists of two parts and is described in more detail below. The written preliminary exam must be completed at least three weeks prior to taking the oral examination. It is strongly suggested that the written and oral examinations be completed before June 15 (prior to the start of the second summer in the program). This deadline can be extended to December 1, but only with approval of the supervisory committee, which requires a written request from the dissertation advisor. An acceptable reason for granting an extension is when the student entered the program with deficiencies and/or when the required course work is not yet completed. As early as possible, you need to determine when the members of your supervisory committee are going to be out of town between May 1 and September 1. If a committee member is unavailable or is on sabbatical leave, a substitute member must be found.

General guidelines for preparing the written preliminary exam

General examination on areas outside of the dissertation research topic. The first part of the written portion of the examination consists of three questions outside of the area of the student’s research topic. The general areas of questioning are determined by consultation of the student with the members of the supervisory committee. The student is encouraged to suggest areas of interest from which questions might be generated. Each member of the committee generates one question. After consultation with the committee members, the student then selects three of the five questions to answer.

The goal of this part of the written exam is to teach the student to: (1) rapidly assimilate a body of information from the primary literature; (2) critically evaluate the data within the body of information, summarize the key concepts, and define unsolved problems; (3) formulate models or hypotheses; (4) devise experimental approaches to test the predictions of the models or hypotheses; and (5) communicate the approaches and results in a concise and informative manner.

Thus, the format of each question should require the student to learn a concept or principle from a field within the primary literature and then to use the concept or principle to solve a problem or test a hypothesis. The scope of each question should be limited so that it can be concisely answered within no more than ten double-spaced typed pages. The student is allowed three weeks to answer the chosen questions. At the end of the three-week period, the answers to the three questions are turned in to the supervisory committee members. Students are encouraged to use not only library resources but also to discuss the question with colleagues or researchers on campus or elsewhere who study related problems or topics although the synthesis of material and final answers must be the student’s own.

The faculty members who wrote the questions that the student chooses to answer will serve as the primary reviewers. Prior to starting the exam, the student is encouraged to discuss with each primary reviewer what is expected in terms of answering the question and to discuss any portions of the question that may not be clear to the student. The other faculty will serve as secondary reviewers. After consultation, the supervisory committee will grade each question as a pass or fail within one week of receiving the student’s written answers. All three questions must be answered satisfactorily in order to pass this portion of the written examination. If the student fails one or more of the questions, the student will be asked to answer one or more of the remaining questions generated by the committee. If the student cannot satisfactorily complete three of five questions, the student’s continued participation in the program must be discussed with the supervisory committee.

General examination on areas within the dissertation research topic. This portion of the written examination consists of a research proposal related to the student’s dissertation topic. The proposal must originate with the student and should be an independent synthesis of ideas and experimental design from within the student’s field of interest. However, the proposal is not expected to serve as a “contract” for research to be accomplished and may substantially differ from the final dissertation project. The topic and scope of the research proposal must be approved by the supervisory committee prior to writing the proposal.

The student is advised to develop a well-focused proposal which is not overly ambitious and that can be completed in a timely manner. The responsibility for the quality of the proposal, which includes originality, practicality, significance, and methodology, rests entirely with the student. The student may seek general advice from members of the supervisory committee and the dissertation advisor, but should not expect them to be active participants in the generation and completion of the proposal. The topic for the original research proposal must be approved by the supervisory committee prior to the student’s devoting a substantial commitment of time and effort to writing the proposal. Once the research proposal topic has been approved, the Approval of Written Preliminary Exam Topic for Research Proposal form should be completed, signed, and then submitted to the BMCB program coordinator for inclusion in the student’s file. The proposal description that your supervisory committee reads for approval should be a concise two- to three-page draft of the proposal emphasizing the problem being addressed and the experimental approaches proposed. In general, this document should contain an abstract, a brief description of the background material, and specific aims. Try to focus the proposal on no more than three specific aims. In addition, the specific aims need to be independent of one another. For example, if A precedes B, which precedes C, and the experiments in A do not work, then B and C cannot be done. These types of proposal are a trap and should be avoided.

Once the topic of the research proposal has been approved by the supervisory committee, the student then proceeds to write the complete document. Be prepared to spend at least two to four weeks writing this draft. Like any other good grant proposal, quality will come from spending a lot of time thinking about the potential flaws in the proposal and then finding solutions. It is advisable to ask fellow students and colleagues to critique the document before it is distributed to the supervisory committee. When the proposal has been written as well as possible, a copy should then be given to each member of the committee (this includes the “extra” BMCB faculty member on the actual examining committee and your dissertation advisor). The committee will need two weeks to critique the proposal and to give feedback.  Don’t be surprised if major revisions are requested. The committee member will not sign off on this part of the preliminary exam until the document is acceptable.

The proposal should have a title that accurately describes the major hypothesis. This should be followed by an abstract (<200 words) that concisely summarizes the problem being addressed and the proposed experimental approaches (specific aims). The body of the proposal should include background information, enumerated specific aims, methods of approach, and an appraisal of the significance of the proposition. An excessive bibliography should be avoided. However, it needs to include all pertinent references in which the methods are described and any relevant papers that support the goals of the proposal. Use primary references where possible, avoiding excessive reliance on reviews. The total written proposal, including figures and tables but excluding references, should be limited to 20 double-spaced typewritten pages.  Detailed descriptions of established methods can be left to the oral defense. The submitted document should be proofed carefully for grammar and spelling. A general format which can be used is given below:

I. Title Page
II. Abstract
III. Research Plan (10 pages total)
A. Hypothesis/Specific Aims (1/2 page)
B. Background and Significance (2 - 3 pages)
C. Experimental Design (6 - 8 pages)
IV. References (include full article titles)
V. Appendix (figures, tables, flow diagrams)

You may also find that the proposal is easier to read if the figures and tables are included in the text of the research plan rather than as a separate appendix. The above format should be taken as a suggestion with the exception of the total length of the text. A well-written, defensible proposal is the major requirement for passing the written preliminary exam. Once the preliminary exam is passed, submit the appropriate form to the BMCB Committee.

Information and guidelines for the oral preliminary exam
The student’s supervisory committee is responsible for administering the oral examination. Together, the student and the dissertation advisor will decide whether the director will be present at the oral exam. If the director attends, he/she must leave prior to the discussion of the student’s performance by the supervisory committee. Any other interested faculty from the joint program can attend if they wish. To schedule the preliminary oral exam, the student is required to submit the Application for Oral Comprehensive Examination for Doctoral Candidacy to the Graduate Degree Certification Office. This form can be completed online and printed by going to the Graduate College website at http://grad.arizona.edu/current-students/forms. No student will be allowed to officially schedule the oral exam unless the written exam has been passed although a tentative date can be arranged at any time with the supervisory committee. The student is responsible for scheduling the room for the oral exam. The oral portion of the preliminary exam generally will consist of two components: (1) a defense of the original research proposition; and (2) questions concerning general knowledge within the field of biochemistry and/or molecular and cellular biology. The defense of the research proposal will test the student’s ability to generate original ideas and to defend the adequacy of the proposal for solving the problems addressed. It is expected that the student will demonstrate a reasonable knowledge of the literature and special techniques of the field.

The general questioning portion may account for up to 50% of the oral examination. The general questions will primarily be derived from both the core and elective courses that the student has taken. Additional questions pertaining to the questions from the written portion of the exam may also be asked.

The exam must last a minimum of two hours but cannot exceed three hours. It is common for the student to give a five- to ten-minute overview of the research proposal followed by questions from the committee centered about a defense of the research proposal (one to one and a half hours). The best way to study for the exam is to: (1) know the proposal thoroughly, including all related topics; (2) review all class notes and lecture material from all the classes taken as a graduate student up to that point, especially the core course material; (3) review the general principles of biochemistry and molecular and cellular biology; and (4) be familiar with the recent literature (particularly in the fields represented by the committee members). It is important to plan your studying so that you do not get “burned out” before the exam. Know what material you want to cover and then systematically go though it. It is an excellent idea to have at least one “practice oral exam” with other graduate students and postdocs about two weeks before the scheduled exam. This can be very helpful in identifying your weaknesses and give you practice thinking on your feet.

Recommended time frame for the preliminary exam:

*Requires that a minimum of three supervisory committee members be present. If necessary, you may also meet with the committee members individually.

**The written portion of the preliminary examination can be completed in either the Fall or Spring semesters of the second year. It is recommended that the questions be received no later than January 10 and completed no later than January 31. (You will have three weeks to complete the questions).

***This includes presenting a mini-research proposal to your committee prior to writing your inside proposal, writing the proposal, and scheduling your oral examination. Remember that the Graduate College requires three weeks between applying for and taking the oral examination.

****It is strongly recommended that you do not TA during the Spring semester of your second year. If however, you must for financial reasons, you may, with the approval of your committee, postpone your oral preliminary examination until the Summer following your second year or the Fall semester of your third year. Under no circumstances can the oral prelim be postponed past the end of the Fall semester of the third year.

BMCB program and University policies regarding the oral preliminary exam

If the oral exam is passed with no deficiencies:

• you will be advanced to Doctoral Candidacy by the Graduate College.

If the oral exam is failed on the first attempt:

• you may be given a chance to retake all, or part, of the exam after four months.
• you may be asked to leave the program with no chance for a second attempt.

If the oral exam is failed on the second attempt the supervisory committee will decide on one of the following options:

• dismissal from the Ph.D. graduate program and Graduate College.
• dismissal with a recommendation that a Master's degree be given.
• dismissal with a recommendation to write a Master's thesis.

If option 2 or 3 is decided upon, the student must file a Change of Degree request with the Graduate College. To obtain a Master's, students must have completed 30 units of coursework. No minor is required.

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N. Dissertation and Final Defense

General description of the dissertation and final oral defense
There are two formats possible for the dissertation. Option 1 follows the more traditional style with an introduction, materials and methods, results, and discussion sections. Option 2 is available to students who have published papers in which they are the primary author. The format for Option 2 is based on inclusion of the published article(s) as the actual dissertation. Both of these options are described on pages 27-30. A formal defense of the dissertation research constitutes the final examination. This consists of a public seminar by the candidate followed by an oral examination by the candidate’s committee and other interested faculty. Be sure to bring all the necessary paperwork to the exam that requires signatures from members of the supervisory committee. This includes the multiple cover pages to the dissertation if all of the final revisions have already been made.

There are a number of requirements that need to be met to satisfy both the departments and the Graduate College. Ultimately, you will earn your degree by meeting all the requirements of the Graduate College, which by design incorporates program requirements. It is very important to familiarize yourself with the most current Graduate College guidelines, specifically with regard to preparation of the dissertation. Students now submit the dissertation to the Graduate College electronically. Go to the following website to learn more about this process: http://dissertations.umi.com/arizona/.

List of specific steps necessary for graduation
The following list shows the major steps that need to be taken once your dissertation advisor and supervisory committee agree that your dissertation research is defensible: