Doctor of Philosophy in Biology

The degree of Doctor of Philosophy is granted for proven ability, independent investigation, and scholarly attainment in a special field. It is primarily a research degree and is not granted solely on the completion of a certain number of credits. There is not a fixed total credit requirement for this degree. Credits for the dissertation and the research upon which it is based should comprise a substantial portion of the program and involve original work. It is understood that the research for and writing of the dissertation will require the equivalent of at least one year of full-time work.

Requirements

Candidates must have at least a 3.0 GPA for the last two years of undergraduate work. Scores in the verbal, quantitative, and analytical portions of the GRE must be submitted; scores above the 50th percentile on the verbal and quantitative portions of the GRE are required, but this may be waived if the average of the two scores is above the 50th percentile and a Master's degree has been obtained. Acceptance by a member of the faculty is required for admission.

The program of study shall consist of courses in the major field as determined by an advisory committee and shall include a minor of at least 12 credit hours. Up to four credit hours of the minor may be selected from a complementary subdiscipline in biology. At least two full-time consecutive semesters must be taken in residence after the first 30 hours of graduate work is completed.

Candidates complete a qualifying examination during the first semester of the program and a comprehensive examination when course work is essentially complete. A final defense of the dissertation is required.

Language Requirements

Those students whose native language is English must satisfy at least one of the following:

1. be able to read work related to their special field of study in two foreign languages,
2. have the ability to read fluently and to translate one foreign language into English and vice-versa, or
3. read work related to their special field of study in one foreign language and complete formal course work in areas related to learning research tools such as computer programming and statistics. The choice of foreign language is within the discretion of the major department. For a candidate whose native language is not English, proficiency in English shall be determined by the major department. Language examinations passed at other accredited colleges may satisfy the language requirements, subject to the recommendation of the department Chair and approval of the Dean of Graduate Studies and Research. Such requests and approvals must be in writing.