Degree Requirements  |  GPB Handbook  |  Graduate School Policies

Adviser and Graduate Committee

During the first year, the student will form a graduate committee and submit the Plan of Study to the Graduate School. The committee must include the student's major adviser, at least one other faculty member of the Genomics and Bioinformatics program, and a third member from outside the student's home college. For Ph.D. students only, a fourth member of the committee serves as the Graduate School Representative (GSR). The GSR must be a full member of the graduate faculty, AND be either a tenured faculty member outside the committee chair’s/co-chairs' home department(s) OR a faculty member outside the primary college of the committee chair/co-chairs. For this interdisciplinary program, the GSR must ALSO be outside of the program. Additionally, the GSR must be clear of any conflicts of interest with either the student or the committee chair/co-chairs. Examples of possible conflicts of interest may include budgetary relationships, family or financial, personal relationships, or research and/or publication relationships between the GSR and either the student or the committee chair.

Examinations

Qualifying Exam (Ph.D. only): This exam consists of written and oral portions. The student will complete a written exam that emphasizes the application of materials presented in the core courses. The members of the genomics graduate program will submit these questions. The oral exam will be administered by the student's graduate committee and will focus on material beyond the core courses that are specific to the research of the student. Upon completion of the qualifying exam, the student will be accepted as a Ph.D. candidate.

Final Exam: The final exam will be an oral defense of the student's research results. The student's graduate committee will administer the exam.