PROCEDURES FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS IN BIOLOGY (Effective Fall 2000)

PROCEDURES FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS IN BIOLOGY

(Effective Fall 2000;

wording revised in Fall 2001,

in accord with the Graduate Bulletin 2001-2002).

I. APPLICATION FOR ADMISSION

In applying for admission, applicants must select either the Master's or the Ph.D. track.

Students with an appropriate B.S. degree may seek direct entry to either M.S. track or Ph. D. track.

Applicants who were admitted on the Master's track may apply for admission to the Ph.D. program before the end of the second semester. Letters of support from three U of M Biology faculty, including a major advisor, should be added to the applicant's file. The file must be current. Such applicants will be judged by the same criteria applied to regular Ph.D. applicants.

Applicants must send the following to the Director of Graduate Studies in Biology:

A. completed application form;

B. all undergraduate and graduate transcripts;

C. scores from recent Graduate Record Examinations (within five years), including the aptitude portion; the Biology subject matter test is also recommended.

D. international applicants whose native language is not English must additionally submit the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) score;

E. letters of recommendation, from three science instructors/ supervisors that address:

1. nature and duration of relationship to applicant

2. motivation

3. ability to conceptualize and deal quantitatively with biological problems

4. research potential

F. cover letter that identifies interests, suggests possible research projects and states career goals;

G. copies of any research papers(e.g., publications, manuscripts, senior reports, etc. ) ;

H. written confirmation of a faculty sponsor; applicants MUST secure the sponsorship of a faculty member as a condition for admission.

I. application fee of $50.

A limited number of applicants to the Ph.D. program may be invited to interview at departmental expense.

Materials submitted in support of an application cannot be released for other purposes or returned to the applicant.

II. DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

All students are required to satisfy the general requirements for the appropriate degree that are listed in the Graduate Studies Bulletin, whether or not they are listed among the Biology requirements.

All students on degree tracks in Biology are required to serve satisfactorily at least one semester as a teaching assistant in one of the courses offered as part of the Department's training program.

MASTER OF SCIENCE -This degree may be attained by either of the two following routes.

M.S. with thesis

1. 24 course credits. These must include four courses from the core study areas listed under the Ph.D. requirements; no more than two courses from any one area may be used to fulfill the core requirement. No more than 6 credits from the independent study series (BIL 671-675) may be used to fulfill the 24 course credits. Course selection requires committee approval.

Students are required to obtain at least a "B" in each course taken to fulfill the core curriculum requirement. If a grade lower than a "B" is received in a core course, the student may retake the same course or substitute another one from the same required area of the core curriculum. The minimum acceptable grade average in all coursework towards the degree is a "B (3.0)" and no grade may be below a "C."

2. 6 research credits ( BIL 710)

3. Presentation and successful defense of written research proposal.

4. Admission to candidacy: application is made on a form available in the grad school.

5. A well-written and successfully defended thesis of publishable quality; a successful defense is indicated by all members of the committee signing the grad school form and the signature page of the dissertation.

6. Other requirements described under “The Master’s Degree,” including but not limited to:

a. a total of at least 30 credits (course credits plus research credits).

b. once a student has completed all required credits, she/he must enroll in

“Research in Residence” (BIL 720) status until the degree is granted. This

course carries 0 credits, but is considered full-time enrollment.

7. About the committee:

A single committee will combine the responsibilities of the supervisory and dissertation committees.

The supervisory committee will be determined by the student in consultation with his or her advisor. The committee will consist of a minimum of three faculty, one of whom must be from outside the department, and one of whom must be a member of the graduate faculty. There is no sub-disciplinary representation requirement.

The dissertation committee is formed officially when the student is admitted to candidacy. It may be comprised of the same individuals as are on the supervisory committee, or it may be formed anew. The dissertation committee is nominated by the department, but it must be approved and appointed by the Dean of the Graduate School. There is a special form that must be filed with the graduate school. Committee meetings are required at least once a year ( recommended at least once a semester); the student is responsible for arranging meetings; the student should consult with the committee about major changes in research goals and about problems. Memos summarizing each meeting should be in the student’s file. .

8.About the time table:

a. A written thesis proposal is due no later than the middle of the second semester.

b. Admission to candidacy normally occurs after completion of one year or 12 credits of graduate work.

c. Analysis of data and a polished draft of the dissertation should be completed and in the hands of the committee by the middle of the fourth semester.

d. Defense of the thesis and its submission to the Graduate School must meet or precede the deadline for graduation immediately following the fourth semester unless an extension has been approved by GAAC upon recommendation of the thesis committee. Notice of the defense must be submitted on a special form to the graduate school in advance of the defense.

e. The oral defense of the thesis must be given during regular sessions of the Fall or Spring semesters, not during summer sessions, intersessions, reading days or finals weeks.

f. No student may receive the degree in the same semester in which she/he is admitted to candidacy.

g. The indicated dates form firm deadlines. A student's committee, however, may submit a written petition to GAAC for an extension of time detailing reasons for the request. An extension will only be granted under extraordinary circumstances and will be effective upon written approval by GAAC.

e. Proposals to change the schedule for any reason should be preceded by a study of the graduate bulletin sections on leaves of absence, full time student status and recency of credit and explicitly address how the proposed change of schedule relates to these matters. The memo requesting the change should also address the proposed financial support.

M. S. without thesis

1. 36 course credits. These must include six courses from the core study areas listed under the Ph.D. requirements; no more than two courses from any one area may be used to fulfill the core requirement. No more than 9 credits from the independent study series (BIL 671-675) may be used to fulfill the 36 course credits. Course selection requires committee approval

2. Admission to candidacy (application is made on a form available in the grad school).

3. Passing an oral or written comprehensive exam given by the committee.

4. About the committee

A single committee will combine the responsibilities of the initial supervisory and the comprehensive examination committees. The committee will be determined by the student in consultation with his or her advisor . The committee will consist of a minimum of three faculty, one of whom must be from outside the department, and one of whom must be a member of the graduate faculty. There is no sub-disciplinary representation requirement.

The examination committee is formed officially when the student is admitted to candidacy. It may be comprised of the same individuals as are on the supervisory committee, or it may be formed anew. The examination committee is nominated by the department, but it must be approved and appointed by the Dean of the Graduate School. There is a special form that must be filed with the graduate school.

Committee meetings are required at least once a year (recommended at least once a semester); the student is responsible for arranging meetings;

the student should keep the committee advised of major changes in the graduate program plan; memos summarizing each meeting should be in the student’s file.

5. Other requirements described under “The Master’s Degree,” including but not limited to:

a. a total of at least 30 credits (course credits plus research credits).

6. About the time table:

a. Admission to candidacy normally occurs after completion of one year or 12 credits of graduate work.

b. The comprehensive exam must be passed by the end of the fourth semester.

c. No student may receive the degree in the same semester in which she/he is admitted to candidacy.

d. The indicated dates form firm deadlines. A student's committee, however, may submit a written petition to GAAC for an extension of time detailing reasons for the request. An extension will only be granted under extraordinary circumstances and will be effective upon written approval by GAAC.

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

1. At least 36 course credits. These must include six courses from the core study areas listed below; no more than two courses from any one area may be used to fulfill the core requirement. No more than 6 credits from the independent study series (BIL 671-675) may be used to fulfill the 36 course credits. Course selection requires committee approval. The committee may decide that students with Master’s Degrees may be exempt from some of the core requirements, if previous course work covers the same material.

The core distribution requirement of six courses must be selected from the list below. No more than two courses from anyone of the five study areas may be used to fulfill the core requirement.

BEHAVIOR

BIL 540 Ethology and Behavioral Ecology

BIL 640 Neuroethology

BIL 641 Hormones and Behavior

ECOLOGY

BIL 531 Advanced Field Ecology or an approved field course (approval of the student's committee and GAAC required).

BIL 532 Plant Population Biology

BIL 537 Ecosystems Ecology

BIL 630 Population and Community Ecology: Theory

BIL 631 Population and Community Ecology: Empirical Studies

EVOLUTION

BIL 520 Evolution

BIL 521 Biosystematics

BIL 522 Plant Evolution

BIL 619 Evolutionary Mechanisms

BIL 621 Biogeography

GENETICS

BMB 509 Molecular Biology of the Gene

BIL 530 Population Genetics

BIL 654 Molecular Evolution

PHYSIOLOGY AND CELL BIOLOGY

BIL 566 Plant Physiology

BIL 567 Animal Physiological Ecology

2. At least 12 research credits ( BIL 730)

3. Additional credits (either course credits or research credits) to bring the total number of credits beyond the Bachelor’s Degree to 60 credits. Students who already have a Master’s Degree in the same field may not need additional credits beyond the 36 course credits, but at least 24 credits must be taken in residence at UM.

4. Presentation and successful defense of written research proposal.

5. Admission to candidacy: (application is made on a form available in the grad school).

6. A well-written and successfully defended dissertation containing an original contribution to the field and of quality appropriate for publication in a scientific journal; a successful defense is indicated by all members of the committee signing the grad school form and the signature page of the dissertation.

7. Other requirements described under “Doctor of Philosophy,” including but not limited to:

a. a total of at least 60 credits (course credits plus research credits).

b. once a student has completed all required credits, she/he must enroll in

“Research in Residence” (BIL 750) status until the degree is granted. This

course carries 0 credits, but is considered full-time enrollment.

8. About the committees:

There are two official committees: the supervisory committee and the dissertation committee. The supervisory committees will be determined by the student in consultation with his or her advisor. The committee will consist of a minimum of four faculty, which includes the committee chair, who must be a member of the Graduate Faculty. Of the remaining members, it is also required that two shall be from the Graduate Faculty and one from outside the department of concentration.

A smaller, temporary committee (three faculty) will be formed (without the outside member) to help the student choose courses during the first few weeks of the first semester. The temporary committee will decide whether students having a M.S. in biology (botany, zoology, etc. ) from another institution can substitute a graduate level course taken elsewhere for a core course requirement. The temporary committee, in consultation with the student, will also decide which additional courses should be taken to meet the core requirements.

The complete supervisory committee of four, including the outside committee member, should be formed by the end of the third semester; all four members should participate in the proposal defense/ qualifying exam. There is no sub-disciplinary representation requirement.

Committee meetings are required at least once a year (recommended at least once a semester in the early phases); the student is responsible for arranging meetings; the student should consult with the committee about any major changes in research goals and any problems; memos summarizing each meeting should be in the student’s file.

9. About the time table:

a. An informal oral presentation of research ideas must be presented to the department no later than the middle of the fourth semester (March 31 or Oct 31). This presentation is not to be graded but is intended to assist the student in completion of a final written research proposal. Students are encouraged to give the oral presentation well in advance of submission of the written proposal in order to have maximum opportunity to incorporate responses to comments and constructive criticisms.

b. A polished, written thesis proposal (which constitutes the written qualifying exam) must be defended to the committee in the fifth semester. At this exam, the student will receive either a pass or a fail. A grade of pass will be recorded if no more than one member of the committee votes to fail the student. If the student fails the proposal defense/qualifying exam , she/he will be given a second chance to defend no later than the sixth week of the sixth semester. If the defense is failed a second time, the student will be terminated from the program.

c. Admission to candidacy normally occurs after the qualifying exam is passed and the other departmental requirements are fulfilled, including

i. completion of the core and the 36 course credits

ii. completed or imminent submission of the proposal to a major funding agency (e.g., NSF, NIH, National Geographic, World Wildlife Fund, etc.) All students are required to seek outside funding for their research. This must be a research project proposal. Application for an NSF pre-doctoral fellowship does not meet this requirement, but application for an NSF dissertation improvement grant does qualify.

d. Analysis of data and a polished draft of dissertation should be completed and in the hands of the dissertation committee by the middle of the tenth semester.

e. Defense of the thesis and its submission to the Graduate School must meet or precede the deadline for graduation immediately following the tenth semester unless an extension has been approved by GAAC upon recommendation of the thesis committee. Notice of the defense must be submitted on a special form to the graduate school in advance of the defense

f. The oral defense of the thesis must be given during regular sessions of the Fall or Spring semesters, not during summer sessions, intersessions, reading days or finals weeks.

g. No student may receive the degree in the same semester in which she/he is admitted to candidacy.

h. The indicated dates form firm deadlines. A student's committee, however, may submit a written petition to GAAC for an extension of time detailing reasons for the request. An extension will only be granted under extraordinary circumstances and will be effective upon written approval by GAAC.

i. Proposals to change the schedule for any reason should be preceded by a study of the graduate bulletin sections on leaves of absence, full time student status and recency of credit and explicitly address how the proposed change of schedule relates to these matters. The memo requesting the change should also address the proposed financial support of the student beyond the 10 semesters of normal departmental support.

10. Public presentations must be during regular semesters

The informal oral presentation of the proposal and the public defense seminar of the dissertation must be given during regular sessions of Fall or Spring semesters, not during summer sessions, intersessions, reading days, or finals weeks.

11. Special timing considerations for students entering the Ph.D. program from the department’s M.S. program.

All the above requirements apply, however the timing of the informal presentation of research ideas and of the proposal defense/qualifying examination is different. . The informal oral presentation must be completed within 2 semesters after admission to the Ph.D. program (deadline either March 31 or October 31 in the second semester), and the written proposal presented and defended by the end of the third semester.

III. IMPLEMENTATION

All Graduate students will be reviewed early in each fall semester by GAAC.

A. The advisor will review the student's progress to date.

B. The student will provide updates for a student progress database every September.

C. The student will provide written evidence that the advisor and committee have reviewed her/his progress and plans.

D. Each student will receive a letter summarizing the results of the discussion concerning his/her progress.

E. All graduate students shall have the right to respond to GAAC, and, if necessary, the graduate faculty in matters pertaining to the review.

F. Possible outcomes of the review:

1. Student making satisfactory progress

2. Student not making satisfactory progress; recommendations for improvement

3. Student not making satisfactory progress; his/her tenure terminated

IV. FINANCIAL SUPPORT

A. The Department intends to support all doctoral students in good standing for up to 10 semesters. Support beyond 10 semesters is contingent upon GAAC approval.

B. Students who do not provide annual updates for the student progress database will not be eligible for continued funding. Students who will be off-campus are still responsible for making sure that GAAC receives the data.

C. Students holding full fellowships or research assistantships will not normally be given teaching assignments, nor will students be permitted to hold fellowships and research assistantships simultaneously. Exceptions require GAAC approval.