GRADUATE PROGRAM

Requirements

Course of Study

Qualifying Examination

Dissertation

Financial Aid

The interdepartmental graduate program in Cell and Molecular Biology offers a PhD degree emphasizing contemporary research in cellular, developmental, molecular and neural biology. The program, which is administered by the Department of Cell Biology, Neurobiology and Anatomy, involves more than 70 faculty members from 18 departments. The program in Cell and Molecular Biology is active, intellectually stimulating and congenial. Research interests of the faculty are varied, including cellular, developmental and molecular biology; reproduction and endocrinology; neurobiology and neurophysiology, including a center for chemical senses; electron microscopy; and histochemistry. Although this research covers a wide range of subjects, the use of cellular and molecular approaches provides a common theme. The program typically involves four to five years beyond the bachelor's degree, varying according to the background and special interests of each student.

Requirements

Undergraduate preparation should include courses in biology, chemistry and physics. All applicants must take the Graduate Record Examination and foreign applicants must also take the TOEFL exam and Test of Written English (TWE). New students are admitted either to the summer quarter in July or at the start of the academic year in September.

Course of Study

During the first year, students take a series of core curriculum courses and carry out laboratory rotations with two or three faculty members. At the end of this year, students select a thesis adviser. During the second year, students begin their thesis research and attend advanced courses or special topics seminars. By the end of the second year, students take the qualifying examination, which is in the form of a written proposition and an oral exam. The last two to three years are devoted exclusively to research.

Students are required to complete 135 quarter credit hours beyond the baccalaureate degree, 45 of which are in course work. Additionally, they will be required to complete and successfully defend a research dissertation.

The course requirements for the Ph.D. degree are:

1. One quarter of Mol. Biol. of the Cell I. (Biochemistry) (26-GNTD-872), one quarter of Introduction to Molecular Genetics (26-GNTD-862), and two quarters of Cell and Molecular Biology (26-GNTD-862 and 26-GNTD-863). These courses must be passed with a grade of B or better by the end of the second year in the program.

2. Six quarters of Graduate Student Journal Club (which must be passed with a grade of B or better).

3. Students must take the Cell Biology Seminar each quarter throughout their graduate career.

4. The Ethics in Research course, which may be taken in the Winter quarter of the first or second year.

5. Additional courses to complete the program may be required by the First-Year Advisory Committee or the Qualifying Exam Committee; these additional requirements must be approved by the Graduate Committee. These courses must be passed with a B or better.

6. Additional electives, to make a total of 45 credit hours of didactic course work.

Summary:

45 total units of didactic coursework are required:

Therefore, 10 (45 minus 36) additional units of electives are required.

NOTE: Prior to registering for electives offered by Progams/Departments outside The College of Medicine, students must receive approval from their Thesis Advisor or the Director of the Program in Cell And Molecular Biology

During the second year in the Program, students must complete course requirements, begin work on the thesis research, and prepare for and take the Qualifying Examination. The Doctoral Qualifying Examination, a requirement of the University of Cincinnati, represents one of the most careful evaluations of students' intellectual development and capability by the University and the Program. This section lists the rules by which the examination will be conducted by the Graduate Program in Cell and Molecular Biology.

Rules

1. The Doctoral Qualifying Examination must be taken by the end of the second year in the Program.

2. The Exam consists of the preparation of an NIH-style research proposal on a topic of the student's choice, followed by an oral examination. The subject of the research proposal must be clearly distinct from the area of the student's thesis research. Topics that are considered "too close" to the topic of the thesis in either their intellectual or technical content may be rejected by the Qualifying Examination Committee at the stage of the initial proposal.

3. The Examination will be conducted by one of two standing committees of three members, augmented by two members selected by the student and approved by the Graduate Committee. Standing committee members will be appointed by the Graduate Director, from faculty belonging to the Program in Cell and Molecular Biology, for three-year, staggered terms. The student's advisor may not serve as a committee member, but may be present during the examination. The advisor is not permitted to ask questions, make comments or participate in the final deliberations of the Committee. The six standing committee members may be re-distributed at the discretion of the Graduate Committee.

4. When the student has chosen the topic for his/her research proposal, he/she should consult with the Director to establish an appropriate Qualifying Examination Committee. The student then will call a meeting of the Exam Committee and present a brief summary of his/her plans. All members of the student's Committee, including the advisor, may ask questions and offer advice. If the Committee approves the topic and plans, the student has four weeks to prepare and submit the final paper. The oral examination must be held within one to two weeks of submitting your final research proposal.

5. At the Examination, Committee members will question the student on all aspects of the proposal and may also ask questions about related issues or fundamental concepts in any area of Cell and Molecular Biology. The Thesis Advisor will be present during the examination, but must remain silent during the proposal defense unless specifically asked questions by other Committee members. At the end of the defense both the student and the advisor leave the room, while the rest of the Committee discusses the student's performance.

6. The outcome of the exam is determined by a private vote of the committee. A pass will require the vote of the majority of the committee. The written and oral presentations are judged separately; a student may pass or fail either or both. Possible outcomes of the examination include: (1) Pass without stipulations. (2) Pass with the stipulation that additional requirements must be completed. For example, a student may be required to rewrite the proposal if the English composition is not satisfactory. A course in public speaking may be required. Academic work to remedy a deficit revealed by the examining process may be required. Other requirements may be mandated by the committee. (3) Fail. A failing performance may be reversed by the completion of additional requirements set by the committee which can include but are not limited to complete formulation and defense of a new independent proposal. Lesser requirements may be set as necessary. Requirements for retaking the proposal are governed by University policies.

7. After the vote, the student and the Advisor return to be informed of the decision by the committee chair. The chair will discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the written proposal and oral defense of the proposal as well as any other suggestions or requirements of the student with both the student and the advisor. In addition, copies of a short written report of the student's performance will be prepared by the chair for the student, advisor, and the student's file.

8. Second examinations for candidacy must not be held until at least one quarter has elapsed, but must be taken within six months after the original exam. Should the student fail to pass the examination on the second attempt, he/she will be dismissed from the program.

Sometime during a student's second or third year, as the his/her thesis research begins to take shape, the student should form a Thesis Committee. The student is required to form this Committee within three months after passing the Qualifying Exam. The Thesis Committee monitors the progress of your dissertation research on a continuing basis and provides valuable advice on technical questions, new research directions, or alternative approaches. The Thesis Committee includes the Thesis Advisor, at least three additional faculty in the Cell and Molecular Biology Program and one faculty member from another program (or from another University or appropriate unit). The chair of the thesis committee is ordinarily the Thesis Advisor, but the chair must be a member of the University of Cincinnati Graduate Faculty. Therefore, if your Thesis Advisor is not a member of the Graduate Faculty, the Committee must be chaired by another thesis committee member who is a Graduate Faculty member.

Committee meetings must occur at least every six months. Within one week after the meeting, the student must submit a summary of the meeting that is signed by both the student and the thesis advisor. These summaries should include a description of progress since the last meeting; plans for the next few months; and a projected target date for completion of the thesis work.

Submission of Thesis

As a student's research progresses, meetings with the Thesis Committee will indicate a logical end point for the thesis work. As the student approaches this point, he/she should begin writing the thesis, or dissertation. The Program in Cell and Molecular Biology permits two possible formats for the thesis:

a. Traditional Model:

Introduction - presents the research problem, the background which critically evaluates existing knowledge and specifically identifies gaps that the research has attempted to fill.

Materials and Methods - complete description of materials and methods employed in carrying out research.

Results - presentation of most or all of the relevant graduate research incorporating necessary tables, illustrations and photographs, and diagrams.

Discussion - discussion of results, conclusions drawn, relevance to existing knowledge, difficulties of interpretation of particular data.

Bibliography - listing of all cited literature references, including all authors, titles, dates, volume and inclusive pages.

Appendix - additional materials including tables or figures, if desired.

b. Combination of Published and Supplementary Material:

This mechanism allows the inclusion of material previously published by the student in the dissertation without substantial rewriting. The bound dissertation consists of reproductions of work published or in press and also any additional literature review, methods, results, and/or discussion deemed necessary by the student's advisor and committee. This second option can be selected by the student with the approval of the research advisor and a majority of the Thesis Committee.

Under normal circumstances reproductions of two scientific papers written by the student on which the student is first author and also additional material as deemed necessary will then constitute the dissertation. The papers must represent, in the view of the student's Dissertation Research Committee, significant contributions to the scientific literature and must appear in peer reviewed journals. Publications which do not meet these criteria include abstracts, brief notes, preliminary communications, book chapters, review articles. Papers under review for publication may be accepted at the discretion of the Thesis Committee.

Final Defense of Thesis

The final defense of the dissertation consists of the presentation of a seminar that is open to all members of the academic community and the public, followed by an oral examination by your Thesis Committee. After the seminar, the general audience is free to ask questions and make comments. After the audience leaves the room, members of the Thesis Committee will ask pertinent questions of the candidate. At the conclusion of the defense, the student will withdraw, and the Thesis Committee votes to accept or reject the dissertation and its defense. Then, the student returns to the room to receive the decision of the Thesis Committee. Because the Thesis Committee has closely monitored the thesis research, acceptance of the thesis at this stage is generally a formality. Upon a favorable decision, the approval form is signed by the committee members and transmitted to the appropriate office of the Graduate Division. At least 4/5 of the voting members of the dissertation committee must approve the dissertation. The defense is followed by a reception in honor of the student.

All students receive full tuition scholarships and an annual stipend of $18,500. Health insurance costs also are covered.