Graduate Student Manual

Cellular and Molecular Biology Group

Qualifying Examination
The Qualifying Examination must be taken at the beginning of the fifth semester (Fall, Spring, Summer, Fall, Spring) and will consist of an oral examination based on a student's presentation of a project relevant to one of his/her's rotations. The student may contact the Evaluation Committee for guidance on exam preparation. The exam will be held in March. No student may be excused from taking this exam in the prescribed time without prior written consent from the Evaluation Committee.

The Qualifying Examination Committee will consist of three members of the Biology Graduate Group, one of who will be a member of the Qualifying Committee whose expertise is in the area to be discussed. Students should submit the topic on which they wish to be tested to the Graduate Coordinator at the beginning of the Spring semester of their second year. The Qualifying Committee Chair will select appropriate examiners and arrange the time of the exam. Once decided, the student must notify the Graduate Coordinator of the examiners, location, date, and time of exam.

One week prior to the exam, students will submit a paper to the members of their Qualifying Examination Committee, consisting of approximately 10 pages, outlining the topic of their presentation. It should be emphasized that the student has the option of selecting any area of research in which they feel comfortable. This paper should include:

1. An introduction to the general area of a research project;
2. Results of a project (if appropriate), or anticipated results;
3. A description of one or two future projects and the experimental approaches that will be taken.

The Qualifying Examination Committee will base their questions on this paper, on the student's presentation, and on the general subject area of the research (e.g., cell biology, genetics). A written evaluation will be provided to the student within a week of the exam.

The Qualifying Examination Committee Chair must notify the Graduate Coordinator the results of this examination in writing. If passed, form 150 will be submitted to the Graduate Division of the School of Arts and Sciences for notation on transcript.

Evaluation Committee's Decision
At the end of the second year spring semester, the Evaluation Committee will evaluate the student’s overall performance in the graduate program, based on course grades, lab rotation performances, and the outcome of the Qualifying Examination. The Evaluation Committee will make the decision as to whether or not a student will be permitted to continue in the program. Students who are permitted to remain in the program are expected to choose a laboratory for their thesis work no later than the beginning of their third year, and to assemble and meet with his/her thesis committee by the middle of the third year.

Students who are asked to leave the program will not be permitted to enroll for the third year, but may leave with a terminal Masters degree if the Evaluation Committee feels this is appropriate.

Thesis Committee
At the beginning of the semester in which a student will complete the required 20 credit units, the student should begin assembling his/her Thesis Committee. The Thesis Committee should consist of at least five voting members (of who at least three must be from the Biology Graduate Group). The student's Thesis Advisor shall not be a voting member of the Thesis Committee. The Chair of the Thesis Committee must be a member of the Biology Graduate Group and cannot be the student's Thesis Advisor. The names of the Thesis Committee members must be submitted to the Graduate Chair for approval, as well as any subsequent changes that are felt necessary to this Committee. In addition, the Graduate Coordinator must be notified of the committee members and any future changes for notation in file.

First Thesis Committee Meeting (Preliminary Examination)
Once the thesis committee has been assembled, the student should then arrange for their first meeting. This meeting should take place sometime during the semester when they are completing their final course work (usually the spring semester of the third year). One week prior to the meeting, students will submit their thesis proposal to the members of their Thesis Committee:

The proposal, 10 to 15 pages in length, should include:

1. A 200 word abstract emphasizing the main objectives of the research and its broad significance
2. An introduction to the general area of the research project
3. Preliminary results
4. A description of future objectives and the experimental approaches that will be taken.

The proposal should follow the standard NIH format:

1. Body of paper should be between 5,000 and 10,000 words
   (This does not include abstract, figures, references, and bibliography).
2. Font should be 12 Times, document should be double-spaced

For information on the standard NIH format, Form PHS 398 can be downloaded. Please refer to Research Plan and Format Section (pages 17-18) of this document.

It is very important to discuss specific requirements with regard to the desired format and presentation with one's committee. It is also helpful to speak with students who have previously taken their preliminary examination.

After presentation of research project, the thesis committee may approve the student’s plan as presented, suggest modifications, or recommend that a new project be considered. Please note that the student's thesis advisor shall not participate in the evaluation of the student, except when solely requested by the Chair of the Preliminary Committee. The advisor's participation is limited to attendance only and shall have no vote.

The Graduate Coordinator should be advised of the time and date of the thesis committee meeting/preliminary examination. The Thesis Committee Chair should report the decision of the committee to the Graduate Coordinator, in writing, as soon as possible. If project is approved, the student has passed the preliminary examination. Form 150 will then be submitted to the Graduate Division of the School of Arts and Sciences for notation on transcript.

If the project is not approved, the student has not passed the preliminary examination and will be allowed one more attempt. The Committee will provide feedback and time frame for completion of the exam. After second failure, the student must leave the program. It is possible that the student will be granted a Master's degree depending up the Committee's recommendations.

While completing research, all students are expected to meet with their thesis committee at least once a year.

Final Examination and Dissertation Seminar
The procedure for appointing the Final Examination Committee is the same as for the above Preliminary Examination except that one member of the Final Examination Committee should be from outside the Department or the University. Again, the Graduate Group Chair must approve the committee selection, and the Graduate Coordinator must be notified for notation in the student's file.

Each student must give a public seminar on the dissertation research preceding the exam. After determining the time and date when all committee members can be present, the student must arrange for a seminar room (it is recommended that students use 109 Leidy Lab if at all possible). Students can reserve this room through the Online Classroom Request form, http://www.isc-cts.upenn.edu/finder/schedule.asp. Students must notify the Graduate Coordinator of the time, date, location, and title of Dissertation; a notice will then be posted on departmental bulletin boards.

After completion of the final examination and defense of dissertation, students must complete Forms 150 and 152 for graduation. Please see web page on graduation preparations for details.

Graduate Student Manual Index