Progress Toward Degree
Program of Study and Forming a Graduate Committee
During your first semester of graduate school you should declare your program of study and form a graduate committee that is composed of your faculty advisor, a second faculty member from biology, and an outside faculty member from a department other than biology. Additional faculty members or external scientists/faculty can be added as approved by the faculty advisor. You must submit a form indicating the composition of your committee. Work with your advisor and committee to identify the electives that are relevant for your career goals and degree. Necessary forms are completed digitally and must be initated by the student. For directions on how to complete the various forms please follow the link below.
Culminating Project Option 1 - Comprehensive Exam
The Comprehensive Exam is a written examination designed to demonstrate understanding and integration of learning in the program. Following the completion of the exam your committee will grade it and you will need to submit a Final Evaluation Committee form indicating the result of the exam. The format of the exam is outlined below.
- On-campus or Online exam
- Exam consists of 10 core concept questions (i.e., Evolution; Structure and Function; Information Flow Exchange and Storage; Pathways and Transformation of Energy and Matter; Systems) and 10 coursework- based exam questions from 500 and 600 level graduate courses taken by the student.
- Graduate Director chooses core concepts and coursework-based questions from a question bank provided by the graduate faculty and maintained by the Graduate Committee.
- Each question is graded individually as pass/fail.
- A student passes the exam with 75 percent passed answers (i.e., 15 of 20 answers are graded “pass”). A student who received a pass grade on 10-14 questions (50-70 percent) will be given one chance to retake the exam within six months of receiving the grades for the first exam. A student who received a pass on 0-9 exam questions will be considered failed and will not be given an opportunity for a retake of the exam.
- Students retaking the exam will receive 10 new core concepts and 10 new course-work based questions from the question bank.
- Only one retake of the exam is permitted.
- Necessary forms are completed digitally and must be initated by the student. For directions on how to complete the various forms please follow this link: Graduate Studies Forms
Culminating Project Option 2 - Starred Paper
During your third and fourth semester of graduate school you should begin writing your starred paper, which is a literature review on a topic of your choice of significant depth and breadth. While it depends on the faculty advisor, you will typically need to prepare a written document outlining your starred paper plan and discuss this with your advisor and committee prior to writing.
You will need to upload your starred paper into the institution repository and have it finalized for approval by the graduate school. The School of Graduate Studies provides detailed instructions on the formatting of the starred paper document and how to upload your final submission. Follow these formatting instructions carefully, as it will greatly expedite the final submission of your starred paper if it is in the proper formatting style. Also do not forget to apply for graduation in the semester you intend to graduate.
Culminating Project Option 3 - Thesis (Advisor Approval Required)
Proposal Defense (M.S. Students)
During your second semester of graduate school you should organize a committee meeting to discuss your proposed thesis research and your plan for how you will accomplish this work. While it depends on the faculty advisor, you will typically need to prepare a written document outlining your thesis plan and give a presentation about this plan. Following the completion of this meeting you will need to submit a form indicating the committee's decision regarding your thesis plan.
Public and Private Thesis Defense (M.S. Students)
Typically during your fourth semester of graduate school you should begin to finalize writing your thesis and preparing for your final public and private thesis defense. A public defense is a requirement for the Biology M.S. program and your public defense must be advertised at least a week in advance. In addition to a public defense, you will need to schedule a final committee meeting for your private defense.
Submission of the Thesis (M.S. Students)
After the completion of your public and private defense and the acceptance of your thesis by your graduate committee, you will need to upload your thesis into the institution repository and have it finalized for approval by the graduate school. The School of Graduate Studies provides detailed instructions on the formatting of the thesis document and how to upload your final submission. These instructions also include information on how to order bound copies of your thesis. Follow these formatting instructions carefully, as it will greatly expedite the final submission of your thesis if it is in the proper formatting style. Also do not forget to apply for graduation in the semester you intend to graduate.
Timeline of your Final Semester (M.S. Students)
The final semester of your graduate program includes numerous forms and deadlines (discussed above). Keep track of when all the relevant dates these forms and milestones must be completed by checking this calendar of the current academic years deadlines.