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What is the qualifying exam and when
should I take it?
This is the "Admission to Candidacy" exam
In June of the first year, students are required
to complete a written Admission to Candidacy examination in order to test the
student's overall ability to synthesize information in biomedical science. This
examination involves preparation of a 3-5 page typed summary of a for-credit
rotation in the fall or spring semester of the first year, including an overview
of the broad goals of the research and a description of laboratory methods or
techniques used to obtain experimental data. This examination is to be submitted
by June 1 to the Director of the Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program for
evaluation by the Graduate Advisory Committee. If the evaluation is not
satisfactory, a revision and re-evaluation will be required.
This applies to doctoral students only. There is
no qualifier for students in the Master of Biomedical Sciences program.
When should I choose a mentor?
As soon as possible. If you know with whom you would like
to work and if the mentor agrees, you may join the laboratory and need not do
any more rotations. Normally, however, incoming students do not have a mentor in
mind. To ensure the widest possible choice, you should choose a mentor for your
first rotation soon after joining the program since some laboratories will fill
up rapidly. If you wish to pursue your degree in the laboratory of your first
rotation, you should ask the head of the laboratory whether this is possible and
if the arrangement is mutually agreeable, you should inform the Graduate Office
of your choice. If you would like to gain experience in other laboratories, you
are free to pursue other rotations. Obviously, the longer you spend doing
rotations, the longer it will take to obtain you degree. Moreover, some mentors
will want you to take specific elective courses. These are offered in the spring
semester and if you have not chosen a mentor by the beginning of the spring
semester, this may delay the completion of the course requirements.
What happens if I do
not get a B average in my first semester or if my GPA subsequently drops
below a B average?
Academic
Standards
Graduate
courses may be passed for degree credit with a grade as low as C,
but a student's cumulative grade point average must be at least B (3.00
on a 4.00 scale). Additionally, the student's average on all courses
numbered 700 or above must be no less than 3.00 at the time of
graduation. Grades earned on credits transferred from other universities
do not count in the grade point average. Also note that if you have
taken a course below the 700 level this will not count to your final GPA
for graduation.
Academic
Suspension Policy ("3.00 Rule")
Graduate
students whose cumulative grade point average drops below 3.00 (B)
will be placed on academic probation and allowed one calendar year
in which to raise the grade point average to at least 3.00. Students who
do not reach a cumulative 3.00 grade point average during the grace
period will not be permitted to enroll for further graduate course work
in that degree program.
Colleges and
departments may impose more stringent requirements than The Graduate
School’s Academic suspension policy. Students should consult their
advisors to ensure familiarity with departmental regulations.
Appeals
for Reinstatement
Appeals for
reinstatement from students who have been suspended should be reviewed
first by the department and/or college and then forwarded to the dean of
The Graduate School for review by the Graduate Council.
Reports of
grades are not sent directly to graduate students unless requested or if
the student is suspended.
Master's Students
Candidates
for the master's degree must achieve and maintain a minimum overall GPA
of 3.00 on all courses taken for graduate credit, including those
courses not included on the student's program of study. Failure to
maintain this minimum GPA on all course work will prevent the student
from graduating, and inability to maintain it over two consecutive
semesters (18 hours) will result in suspension from The Graduate School
and loss of academic eligibility
What courses do I need
to take to complete my degree requirements?
There are core courses that must be taken by all
Ph.D.
and Masters students.
These give you a background in biochemistry, cell biology and molecular
biology. In addition, you will be required to take additional courses in
consultation with your mentor. The requirements depend on the department
with which your mentor is affiliated and of which you are apart.
I am in the Master of Biomedical
Science program and wish to transfer to the PhD program. How can I do
this?
There are two ways that you can do this.
1) You may request a program transfer
with the agreement of your advisor and the Graduate Directors. The
Graduate Office can supply the forms which are sent to the Graduate
School. This costs $15. It will be necessary that your advisor agrees to
continue to pay your stipend. By following this route you will not get
the MS degree as you will not have finished the program. However, all
courses may transfer to your PhD credits. You will have to take
additional credits that are necessary for the PhD but not for the MS.
2) You can finish your MS degree and,
with your advisor's approval, apply to the PhD program in your
final semester as an MS student. If the Graduate Directors Committee
admits you to the program, you can join the PhD program as soon as you
finish your Master's.
Note that 30 hours of additional
courses are needed. Twelve hours of these may be 799 courses while
others can be made up of research credits and courses that your
departmental program and advisor deem are necessary.
When should I
form a committee and who may be on it?
When you have selected an advisor and
have a thesis project, you and your advisor should select a thesis
committee. This should be done as soon as possible after you have
decided on your project. The potential committee members should be asked
to serve and their willingness to do so should be indicated to the
Graduate Office on the appropriate form (see the Ph.D.
or M.B.S.
manuals).
There are Graduate School regulations
regarding the composition of committees and the program has its own
additional rules.
The Graduate School regulations are:
1.
Thesis committees should be composed only of faculty from the Columbia
campus; only in extraordinary cases will faculty from another accredited
institution or holders of the terminal degree who are not associated
with the University be allowed to direct theses or to serve as committee
members.
2.
Tenure-track faculty at any rank who hold the doctorate or the
discipline's terminal degree, whose units offer graduate programs, and
tenured faculty at the rank of full professor who do not hold the
terminal degree may serve on or chair thesis committees.
3.
Research, clinical, and adjunct faculty at any rank, who hold the
terminal degree, may serve on and chair thesis committees with approval
of the unit and The Graduate School.
4.
Instructors and lecturers who do not hold the terminal degree may serve
as members of thesis committees with permission of the unit and The
Graduate School.
5.
Emeritus or emerita faculty, with permission of the unit and The
Graduate School, may continue to chair theses of students under their
direction at retirement and be appointed members of thesis committees.
For
Ph.D. students in the Biomedical Sciences at the School of Medicine, the
following composition of the committee is mandatory:
The
committee shall consist of a minimum of FIVE members
1) Your advisor
2) Two members of your home department, that is the department of which
your advisor is a faculty member
3) One member of another basic science department in the Medical School
4) A faculty member of a department outside the Medical School.
Faculty members in Biology, Chemistry or Psychology would be
appropriate.
Additional
members with special expertise may be added.
The
outside faculty member must have Graduate Faculty status or, if
necessary, the Graduate Program will petition the Graduate School for
permission to include someone with special expertise. An example would
be a member of the Clinical Faculty. In the latter case, it would be
preferable that the Clinical Faculty member be tenured or
tenure-track faculty.
Although
the Graduate School discourages committee members from outside the
university, the School of Medicine encourages this . Requests for such a
member should be addressed to the Graduate Directors Committee.
How long before my
defense should I submit my thesis to my committee?
Your thesis must be given to all members
of your committee at least TEN days before the committee meeting and the
defense seminar. Preferably TWO weeks should be allowed. Individual
committee members may request longer. In no case should the TEN day rule
be broken. You are required to certify to the Graduate Office that you
have given your thesis to the committee before the deadline.
I received a grade
lower than B in one of the core biochemistry courses. What must I do to
carry on in the program?
If you get a grade that is lower than a B
in any one of the three biochemistry courses but are still maintaining a
B average, you must take the qualifying exam at the end of your second
year in order to show that your knowledge of biochemistry is sufficient.
This examination consists of two three-hour written (essay) examinations
taken over a period of two days. All questions are marked on a pass-fail
basis. If you fail one question, you will be given an oral examination.
If you fail two or more questions, you will have one chance to repeat
the examination and failure to pass will result in suspension from the
program.
Of you obtain a grade of below a B in
more than one of the core courses or you get below a C in any core
biochemistry course, you must repeat those courses and take a qualifying
examination at the end of your first year. This will be before you
retake the courses. If you fail the qualifier, you will be suspended
from the program.
How many hours of
courses must I take as a M.B.S. or Ph.D. student?
The
Ph.D. in Biomedical Science requires a minimum of 62 credit hours beyond
the baccalaureate and a minimum of 30 hours beyond the master's degree,
including at least 12 credit hours of dissertation preparation. Course
work includes 28 hours of a core curriculum and at least 9 elective
credit hours in the area of specialization. Transfer of graduate credits
earned prior to admission into the doctoral program will be determined
by the student's doctoral advisory committee within limits determined by
The Graduate School.
The Master of
Science in Biomedical Science requires at least 32 graduate credit
hours, not more than 6 of which may be taken in thesis research. Of
these, at least 50 percent must be in courses numbered 700 or above,
exclusive of thesis credit. Not more than 6 hours of independent study,
special topics, or directed research other than thesis research are
permitted, unless justified by the program of study and approved by the
graduate dean. The remainder of the requirements may
include courses numbered from 500 to 699 taken for graduate credit. As
many as 12 hours of study may be taken in USC schools and colleges other
than the School of Medicine; this option provides great flexibility to
individually tailor programs and draw on the wider resources of a comprehensive university. At least 10 credit hours of graduate study
must be taken from basic medical science graduate courses.
Please address other
questions to Dr Richard
Hunt |
