Graduate Student
Handbook
2020-2021
Department
Of
Biological
Sciences
Tuscaloosa,
Alabama
Message
from the Chair:
Welcome! We are pleased that you are a
part of our Department. We hope that your years here will be both productive
and exciting. Our goal is to help you gain the skills and knowledge that you
will need to be competitive for the next step in your chosen career path. And,
if you are uncertain what that career path should be, we will introduce you to
the many exciting career opportunities in our rapidly advancing discipline.
The Biological Sciences faculty here at
the University of Alabama have a wide range of research interests and
expertise, including cell and molecular biology, computational biology, conservation
biology, ecology, evolution, genetics, marine science, neurobiology,
physiology, systematics, and more! While we want you to have a strong research
focus, I cannot emphasize enough the importance of acquiring breadth as well as
depth in your education here. Advances in technology and in biological
knowledge are breaking down the barriers between the many biology disciplines.
To be successful, you (and we) will necessarily become increasingly
interdisciplinary in our research expertise. Just as research and career
options 10-15 years in the past are quite different in many ways from Biology
today, I suspect that Biology 10-15 years in the future will have technological
capabilities that allow biologists to answer questions we cannot even imagine today.
So we encourage you to get to know the faculty and graduate
students throughout the Department. We also encourage you to be engaged and
active in your Graduate Student Association. Ultimately, your education and
research training are in your own hands, and you will learn, if you do not know
already, that the scientific enterprise is a communal affair. Your interactions
with other scientists, as much as your hard work and intelligence, are
essential for your success now, and in the future.
So whether your future lies in teaching,
applied or basic research, or any of the many other career options, you
officially set out on that path with your entry into our graduate program, and
we are excited to have the privilege of helping you navigate!
Behzad Mortazavi, Ph.D.
Department Chair, Professor
August 2020
The Capstone Creed of the University of
Alabama
"As a member of the University of
Alabama community, I will pursue knowledge; act with fairness, honesty, and
respect; foster individual and civic responsibility; and strive for
excellence.”
GRADUATE STUDENT
RESPONSIBILITIES
As a graduate student in the Department of Biological Sciences, each
student is responsible for his or her overall program of study and progress
toward degree. This includes adherence to all deadlines, milestones and
curriculum requirements. Their primary advisor and committee members will
advise students throughout their graduate tenure. However, it is incumbent on
each student to be familiar with all requirements and take the primary
responsibility of meeting these milestones. Failure to do so will result in
disciplinary actions as defined in the sections below.
*All appropriate graduate forms must be submitted through the
Graduate Program Office in SEC 1325. Scanned copies of each form submitted to
the Graduate Program Office will be placed in each graduate student’s UA-Box
folder. Students should confirm that these copies have been uploaded to their UA-Box
folder.
Graduate Handbook Waiver
As a graduate
student in the Department of Biological Sciences, I affirm that I have read in
its entirety and understand the requirements detailed in this Graduate Student
Handbook. I further acknowledge that I am the principle party responsible for
monitoring and adhering to the deadlines and requirements set forth within the
handbook.
Name (printed):
____________________________
CWID: ______________________
Signature:
________________________________ Date:
_______________________
This document
must be submitted to the graduate office within the second week of starting the
graduate program.
All students
should maintain a copy for their records and check their UA Box folder for an
additional copy of this document.
Table of
Contents
The Graduate Program............................................................................................................. 6
Expectations for Graduate Student Training ..................................................................... 9
GTA Overview …………...............................................................................................
10
Maintaining Good Standing ................................................................................................. 10
Description of Graduate Programs..................................................................................... 13
Degree requirements............................................................................................................... 14
A. M.S. Degree, Plan I (with thesis) .............................................................. 14
B. M.S. Degree, Plan II (without thesis) ...................................................... 21
C. M.A. Degree ………………………………………………………………..
29
D. Ph.D. Degree ................................................................................................. 35
Changing Programs ............................................................................................................... 46
Choosing a Research Mentor and Laboratory................................................................. 47
Financial Assistance .............................................................................................................. 49
Forms ......................................................................................................................................... 50
Examination Guidelines......................................................................................................... 52
Program Contacts ................................................................................................................... 57
The Graduate Program
The primary aim
of our graduate program in the Department of Biological Sciences is to foster
your development as a scientist by providing you with a strong technical
background, a sound grasp of current scientific problems and the analytical
skills needed to address such problems. We also want to instill in you a
motivation to continued learning, which we hope will permit you to define and
solve new kinds of research problems during your professional career. Upon
graduating, you will move on to positions in academia, industry, and
government. We welcome your input on our graduate program. Your suggestions
will assist us in further developing our program to remain at the cutting edge
of science.
Department of Biological Sciences Graduate Committee
The Department of
Biological Sciences (BSC) Graduate Committee consists of faculty members
representing diverse research areas in the department. The Chair of the BSC
Department also takes part in this committee as an ex officio member. This committee
has specific responsibilities for establishing and administering graduate
degree requirements, recommending admission of students into the program, and facilitating
and implementing new policies in conjunction with the Chair of the Department.
The Graduate Committee also coordinates graduate recruiting
efforts and serves as a resource and liaison for graduate students in the
department. BSC graduate students with concerns regarding any issues related to
curriculum, assistantships or progress toward degree should direct those
concerns directly to this committee.
Graduate School
The general rules and
regulations governing all UA graduate students are found at the Graduate School
web page: https://catalog.ua.edu/graduate. The
Department of Biological Sciences has additional requirements for all
biological science graduate students.
Any instance where the Graduate School website and the Biological
Sciences Graduate Student Handbook differ the Biological Sciences Graduate
Student Handbook will overrule the Graduate School website.
Courses Offered
Catalog descriptions of all
courses offered may be found online at: https://catalog.ua.edu/graduate. In general, courses numbered 400-499 are primarily for advanced
undergraduate students, while courses numbered 5xx or 6xx are intended for
graduate students.
Coursework below the 400 level will not be accepted for graduate
credit.
For MS students: A
maximum of 6 semester hours of 400-level course credit may be accepted for a
master's degree only if all the following apply:
1.
The
400-level courses taken are outside the Biological Sciences Department.
2.
The
department offering the 400-level course offers a graduate degree.
3.
The
400-level course must carry appropriate extra work to be counted for graduate
credit. Appropriate documentation from the course instructor must be provided
to and approved by the student’s committee.
4.
The
necessary Graduate credit transfer request form must be approved by the
department and Graduate School prior to the semester in which the 400-level
coursework will be taken. See: https://graduate.ua.edu/forms.
For Ph.D. students: No 400-level
courses may be accepted for a Ph.D. degree.
General Policies and Requirements
The BSC Department is constantly evolving and the graduate program
must occasionally change to meet any needs that may arise. As a result,
policies in this handbook may change during your graduate studies. BSC graduate
students will always have the option of graduating under the course
requirements in effect when entering the program. However, all other changes to
the policies outlined in the handbook (e.g., deadlines, disciplinary actions,
methods of progress review, administration of qualifying exams/defense etc.)
will pertain to all current graduate students.
Departmental Seminar (Graduate Research Seminar)
Regular departmental
seminars are an important part of graduate education and all graduate students
are required to register for and
attend the weekly departmental seminar, enrolling in BSC 601 (Biological
Sciences Seminar) each semester they
are in residence at the Tuscaloosa campus. The purpose of the weekly graduate
student seminar is to ensure that all graduate students are familiar with the
breadth of current biological research. Students receive pass/fail for each
semester. Additionally, sometime during each student’s last two semesters they
are expected to participate by presenting their research in consultation with
their faculty advisor and the BSC 601 course instructor.
It is incumbent on students to initiate this process and schedule
a presentation date with the seminar committee the semester prior to their
presentation.
Grades and Credit Hours
Each graduate student must maintain a minimum grade point average
of 3.0 to remain in good academic standing. All graduate students must maintain
a minimum of 9 credit hours during fall and spring semesters to maintain full
time status - excluding credit hours awarded for service as a Graduate Teaching
Assistant (GTA). Students may register for a maximum of 15 semester hours,
inclusive of credit hours awarded for service as a (GTA). Graduate Students
must be full time students in order to receive Graduate Teaching Assistantships
(GTA’s) and Graduate Research Assistantships (GRA’s). Please note that our
requirements differ from the minimum number of credit hours required by the
Graduate School.
Transfer of Credit from Other Institutions
M.S. students can request the transfer of up to 12 credit hours of
graduate courses taken at other institutions. Ph.D. students can request the
transfer of up to 24 credit hours of graduate courses taken at other
institutions. See the Graduate School Catalog for current
policies: https://catalog.ua.edu/graduate.
Overview of the Handbook
The handbook is divided into multiple sections. Please
read the section appropriate to your degree of study [M.S. (Plan I or Plan II),
M.A., or Ph.D.]. The specific sections
contain step-by-step descriptions of the milestones that must be completed to
obtain the degree. A timeline is
included showing when each milestone should be completed. It is each graduate student’s responsibility to be aware of these
milestones and their associated deadlines and make all preparations to complete
these critical steps toward degree completion. Links to the various forms
that must be filed to report completion of each task and milestone are provided
and are available on the departmental website (http://bsc.ua.edu) hardcopy examples are available in the graduate program office.
All graduate school forms are also available at http://bsc.ua.edu/forms-for-graduate-students. The final 3 sections provide general information on financial
aid and guidance for students on choosing a research mentor or seeking to
change between research laboratories or degrees.
This Graduate Student
Handbook is an essential supplement to the University of Alabama Graduate
Catalog and intended primarily to detail requirements specific to the
Biological Sciences Graduate Program. As such, students should also refer to
the Graduate Catalog for information regarding all general requirements of the
Graduate School (see http://catalog.ua.edu/catalog).
Expectations for Graduate Student Training
The following expectations
are given to ensure that students understand the importance of various
activities that span research, teaching, and service - the hallmarks of
academia.
·
All students are encouraged
to become active members of the Department of Biological Sciences by
participating in its various academic and social activities. In addition to the
required seminar attendance (BSC 601) students should also attend other
departmental seminars (e.g., faculty job seminars and visiting scholars). Such
seminars and research talks provide in-depth knowledge of the biological
sciences and provide opportunities to network with invited seminar speakers
(i.e., potential employers), fellow graduate students, and departmental
faculty.
·
All students should
endeavor to submit at least one peer-reviewed paper from their graduate studies
at UA to a research journal. M.S. advisors may make this a mandatory
requirement. Prior to the dissertation defense, all students in the Ph.D.
program must submit for
publication to a peer-reviewed journal at least one first-author manuscript
containing data produced by the student during enrollment in the Ph.D. program.
Students are required to submit proof of submission or publication to the
department at the time their dissertation is submitted for public review (see
PhD timeline).
MAINTAINING
GOOD STANDING
Scholastic requirements
Graduate students are required to meet high
standards of scholastic performance. A
minimum of 75% of all graduate course work must be passed with a grade of
"B" or better. A student whose
graduate GPA falls below 3.0 shall be placed on Academic Warning. While on warning, the student
is not eligible to apply for candidacy for a degree or hold a Graduate
Assistantship. Any student on Academic Warning must restore an
overall 3.0 GPA upon completion of the next 12 hours of graduate courses
following the semester in which the GPA drops below 3.0. Failure to do so will
result in Academic Suspension (dismissal) from the Graduate School.
Conditionally admitted students who fail to
establish a 3.0 GPA in their first attempted 12 hours of graduate course work
will receive Academic Suspension (dismissal) from the Graduate School. If the 12 hours are completed in a term
in which the total credits exceed 12, the evaluation is made on the basis of all graduate-level work completed at
the end of that term of enrollment.
These are Graduate School requirements, as
specified in the Graduate Catalog (https://catalog.ua.edu)
"I" (incomplete) or "N" (no grade submitted)
grades
"I" and "N" grades are
calculated in the student's overall grade point average as an
"F." They must be removed
within four weeks during the next term of
enrollment if the student's overall grade point average drops below a 3.0
as a result of the “I” or “N” grade(s).
Conditionally admitted students in their first year who fail to bring
their overall GPA back up to a 3.0 or better by removing the "I" or
"N" within the four weeks will earn Academic Suspension (dismissal)
from the Graduate School. Graduate students
with good academic standing who fail to bring their overall GPA back up to 3.0
or better by removing the "I" or "N" grade(s) within the
four weeks will earn Academic Warning.
Academic Warning must be removed by raising the overall grade point average
to 3.0 or better during the 12 hours of graduate work immediately following the period in which the warning was earned. Failure to do so will result in Academic
Suspension (dismissal) from the Graduate School (https://catalog.ua.edu).
Graduate School Workshop, Legal Training and Orientation
The
first activity for all new GTAs is the Graduate School’s Workshop for New
Graduate Teaching Assistants. New students will be contacted by the Graduate
School to schedule participation. All students supported by Graduate Teaching
Assistantships (GTAs) are expected to perform diverse professional duties. Examples include but are not limited to
attending laboratory prep meetings, meeting all proctoring assignments, and
grading exams in a timely manner. To ensure that all
graduate students begin this phase of their career with appropriate instruction
in research methodology, practices and ethics, all first year students are required to enroll in the Intro
to Grad Studies course (BSC 505).
Additionally,
the College of Arts and Sciences requires that all GTAs receive legal training
every other year. At the beginning of each Fall semester, legal training
sessions will be conducted by the College. Announcements and invitations to
participate will be e-mailed at this time.
In addition to departmental orientation that
takes place at the beginning of each Fall semester for new graduate students,
the University of Alabama Graduate School conducts an annual Graduate
Orientation and Welcome (GROW) program the first week of school in both August
and January. This orientation process familiarizes students with resources
beyond the department and is strongly recommended for all incoming graduate
students. Each semester an e-mail invitation will be sent to all new students
and more information concerning the scope of GROW can be found here: https://graduate.ua.edu/about/our-students/grow.
Seminar courses
All graduate students are required to register
for BSC 601 Biological Sciences Seminar every semester during their enrollment
in the program when in residence at the Tuscaloosa campus. In addition,
students also have the option to attend and participate in literature-based
seminar courses (examples are BSC 603 [Current Topics in Molecular Biology], BSC
584 [Aquatic Biology Seminar]). Formal
registration for these courses is not mandatory for participation. However, with approval of his/her graduate
committee, a student may register for credit in these courses and apply up to
but no more than a total of four credits hours towards the letter grade based coursework required for the completion of an
M.S. or Ph.D. degree.
Withdrawal
The University’s withdrawal policies can be found
on the Student Account Services website (https://studentaccounts.ua.edu/withdrawal-from-the-university/). For a medical withdrawal, the student must contact University
Health Service (https://shc.ua.edu). A medical withdrawal cannot be granted if the graduate student
has taken any final examinations or equivalents (final papers, final projects,
or similar assignments) for the semester for which a withdrawal is being
requested. The procedures for a medical withdrawal are available by contacting
University Health Service (348-6262) and here: https://shc.ua.edu/medical-withdrawal/.
Research progress
Students
are required to make consistent progress toward research goals as defined by
their research proposal and their Graduate Advisory Committee. As detailed in
the appropriate sections (below) yearly progress reviews, committee evaluations
and completion of required milestone achievements by prescribed deadlines will
serve as indicators of appropriate progress.
DESCRIPTION
OF GRADUATE PROGRAMS
There are four graduate degree programs in the Department of
Biological Sciences:
·
Master’s degree in Biological
Sciences (M.S.)
·
Master’s degree in Marine
Science (M.S.)
·
Master of Arts in
Biological Sciences (M.A.)
·
Doctor of Philosophy degree
in Biological Sciences (Ph.D.)
Each of the M.S. degrees can be accomplished
either by enrolling in Plan I (with thesis) or in Plan II (without thesis).
Master’s degrees can also be accomplished by enrolling
in either Plan I or Plan II through the Accelerated Masters
Program. The Accelerated Masters Program is a closely
integrated undergraduate and graduate program in which qualified undergraduate
students begin graduate study in their senior year; such a program may lead to
simultaneous or sequential completion of requirements for both Master's and Bachelor's degrees. The Program is for highly
motivated candidates for the B.S. Degree in Biology, Microbiology, or Marine
Science. More information regarding the
Accelerated Masters Program can be found in the
Graduate Catalog (https://catalog.ua.edu/graduate/about/academic-policies/admission-criteria/).
DEGREE
REQUIREMENTS
A. Master’s Degree, Plan I (with thesis)
1. Course Requirements:
A minimum of 30 credit hours of graduate
coursework is required including:
Coursework and Requirements |
Credit Hours |
BSC 599 (Thesis Research) |
6 |
24 credit hours other than BSC 599,
including: ·
At least 19 credit hours
with a letter grade (i.e., not Pass/Fail) ·
A maximum of 6 credit
hours with a letter grade may be taken from BSC 507 (Research Techniques in
Biology) and/or BSC 607 (Advanced Research Techniques in Biology) combined NOTE: Up to
5 hours of Pass/Fail credit can be applied toward fulfillment of degree
requirements. Pass/Fail hours can
include up to a total of 4 credit hours of BSC 601 (Biological Sciences Seminar). Of the 30 required credit
hours, 18 must carry the BSC or MS designation. |
24 |
All courses taken for MS graduate
credit hours must be numbered 400 and above, and no more than six credit hours
can be at the 400 level. A maximum of 6 semester hours of 400-level
course credit may be accepted for a master's degree only if all the following
apply:
1. The 400-level courses taken are outside
the Biological Sciences Department.
2. The department offering the 400-level
course offers a graduate degree.
3. The 400-level course must carry
appropriate extra work to be counted for graduate credit.
4. The student must have the consent of
his/her major advisor.
5. The necessary Graduate School form must be
approved by the department and Graduate School prior to the semester in which
the 400-level coursework will be taken. See: https://graduate.ua.edu/student/forms.
There are no preconditions
to enrolling in BSC 599, and there are no limits to the number of hours of BSC
599 taken – However, only 6 hours can be applied toward degree requirements.
BSC 598 (Non-Thesis
Research) may not be applied toward this degree.
Transfer credits: Up to 12
credit hours of graduate courses taken at other institutions and meeting
Graduate School requirements may be transferred. Transfer credits are considered Pass/Fail for
calculation of grade point average, but are included
in the 19 required credit hours with a letter grade, provided they are from
graded courses.
*All graduate forms must be submitted through the Graduate Program
Office in SEC 1325.
A Plan I M.S. coursework checklist
to assist in tracking progress toward meeting course requirements is available
on the Department of Biological Sciences website (http://bsc.ua.edu/forms) and in the forms tab of this manual.
Marine Science: The guidelines cited above
regarding credit-hour requirements are applicable.
2. Residency Requirements: A
student's program at the M.S. level must provide sufficient
association with the resident faculty to permit individual evaluation of the
student's capabilities and achievements.
The student’s Advisory Committee, with the approval of the Department
Chair, will determine residency requirements.
3. M.S. Plan I Advisory Committee: A student must form a M.S.
Advisory Committee prior to their first annual review meeting. The first committee
meeting is to be held after completion of the first semester of studies (by
January 31st for students entering in the fall semester and by June 30th
for students entering in the spring semester) to evaluate progress toward a
degree. In subsequent years of study, the committee will meet prior to December
15th to review progress during the previous academic year. It will also meet as needed to administer all
qualifying and final examinations, and to examine and approve the thesis.
The M.S. Advisory Committee must consist of at
least three members. All members of a
M.S. Advisory Committee must be members of the Graduate Faculty and one member
must be from outside the student’s major department and may be from another
institution. The Department Chair is a non-voting, ex officio member of all graduate student committees.
The student’s major professor will nominate M.S.
Advisory Committee members to the Department Chair using the form “MS APPOINTMENT
OR CHANGE OF COMMITTEE FORM” (http://bsc.ua.edu/forms). The Graduate
Program Office will forward this nomination to the Dean of the Graduate School
who will make formal appointments. Nominations of outside members from other
institutions require the nominee’s CV, a letter of support explaining the need
for temporary graduate faculty status submitted by the student’s major
professor and a formal request for the temporary graduate faculty appointment
from the Department Chair. Nominations should be submitted to the Graduate
Program Office who will direct the form to the Department Chair, who will then
relay the formal request to the Graduate School.
Marine Science: The guidelines cited above
for M.S. Advisory Committees are applicable.
In addition, at least one member of the student’s M.S. Advisory
Committee must be a qualified member of the Biological Sciences faculty resident
on the UA Tuscaloosa campus. If a student admitted as either a Masters in Biology or PhD in Biology wishes to change to a
Masters in Marine Science program during their graduate career, the student
will need to re-apply through the Graduate School specifically to the Masters
in Marine Science program. The Masters of Marine Science
is considered to be an interdisciplinary degree and therefore is not housed
solely within the Department of Biological Sciences which is why a separate
application is required. Only an application and a statement outlining the
rationale for changing the degree being sought are necessary; all supporting
documents (e.g., test scores, transcripts) should be in place from the original
application.
4. Degree Time Line:
Students must meet the following milestones by
the dates indicated in order to maintain the highest priority for financial
assistance and achieve an acceptable evaluation score at annual performance
reviews.
1.
Rotation (if necessary) |
Complete prior to first semester review |
2.
Choose M.S. Advisor |
Complete prior to first semester review |
3.
Choose M.S. Advisory Committee |
Complete prior to first semester review |
4.
First semester review |
After completing the first semester of studies (Jan. 31 for
students entering in fall, June 30 for students entering in spring) |
5.
M.S. research proposal |
Complete by end of second semester |
6.
First annual review |
Prior to Dec. 15 of 2nd academic year, and subsequent
year[s] of study |
7.
Coursework |
Complete by end of fourth semester |
8.
Apply for graduation |
No later than the first week of classes of the intended semester
of graduation |
9.
Submit Thesis to Committee |
At least 2 weeks prior to Oral Defense |
10.
Formal Departmental Seminar and
Final Oral Defense |
Complete by end of the second year |
11.
Submit Thesis (final form) to Grad
School |
At least 6 weeks prior to graduation- Graduate School deadlines
are listed on the Graduate School website (https://graduate.ua.edu/current-
students/student-deadlines) |
12.
Submit Committee Acceptance Form
for Electronic Thesis or Dissertation and Publication Form for Electronic
Thesis or Dissertation |
See Graduate School Deadlines for last day to submit |
All departmental forms can be found at: http://bsc.ua.edu/forms
In accordance with Graduate School policy, all
requirements for the M.S. degree must be completed during the six calendar
years immediately preceding the date on which the degree is to be awarded. The
Department expectation is that M.S. students complete their degree in accordance
with the Plan I M.S. timeline as outlined in this section. A Plan I M.S.
timeline checklist is available on the Department of Biological Sciences
website (http://bsc.ua.edu/forms) and at
the end of this handbook. Each student’s checklist will be updated at each
annual progress review and appended to the report submitted by the advisor to
the Department Chair.
*All graduate forms must be submitted through the Graduate Program
Office in SEC 1325.
5. Annual Progress Review: First year students must
meet with their committee after completing the first semester of studies (by
January 31st for students entering in the fall semester and by June
30th for students entering in the spring semester) Subsequently, Each graduate student will meet annually prior to December 15th
with her/his M.S. Advisory Committee for the purpose of reviewing the student's
progress toward a degree during the previous academic year.
Application for review: Upon completion of each
annual review, each graduate student must initiate the committee review process
by completing the application for committee review through the following link: https://biograd.as.ua.edu.
When prompted,
enter your CWID then complete all requested information, including selection of
all departmental committee members.
These evaluations are a part of the data used to
establish priorities for assistantships.
The student is expected to make a formal presentation to the committee
during the annual meeting. This
presentation shall include a description of progress made with respect to
research and completion of other degree requirements. When the presentation has
been completed, the student will be asked to leave the room and the committee
shall then evaluate the student's progress.
This evaluation will be in the form of a ranking from 1 to 5. Guidelines for these rankings are given
below:
1. A score of 1 indicates
the student’s progress is unacceptable for reasons such as a GPA of less than
3.0 for the year in all (both graduate and undergraduate) courses attempted,
insufficient research progress, or not completing the degree within time limits
without an acceptable/approved reason.
2. A score of 2 must be
given to students who have fallen behind schedule with respect to such
requirements as formation of a committee, literature search and submission of a
research proposal, writing of the thesis or dissertation, etc. (see timeline
under Section A.4). Little or no
research progress during the year may also result in a score of 2. It may apply to a student receiving less than
a B in a course during the previous year even though the (overall) GPA is 3.0
or higher. Committees awarding a score
higher than 2 for students who have fallen behind schedule must provide a
written rationale to the Graduate Committee and the Department Chair.
3. A score of 3 indicates that the student has
made satisfactory research progress commensurate with his/her time in the
program, has maintained at least a 3.0 GPA, and has met other requirements of
the program (e.g., formed a committee, presented a research proposal, etc.) in
a timely manner.
4. A score of 4 is assigned
only when there is clear evidence of above average or unusual accomplishments. Accomplishments
deserving of a score of 4 would include one of the following:
a. Presentation of research
at a national or international meeting.
b. Submission of a research
proposal for funding external to the University.
c. Fellowship award
external to the department.
d. Any honor or award
reflecting outstanding achievement.
e. Having a junior
authorship on a paper published or accepted/in press for publication.
5. A score of 5 is reserved
for truly exceptional achievements made during the previous year. Accomplishments would include two or more of
those listed under criterion 4 (above) or one of the following:
a. Having a research
proposal funded.
b. Having a first-authored
paper published or accepted/in press for publication.
c. Receiving an invitation
to speak at a symposium or conference.
GRADUATE STUDENTS RECEIVING A RANKING OF 1 FOR ANY ANNUAL REVIEW,
OR TWO RANKINGS OF 2 FOR ANY TWO ANNUAL REVIEWS, WILL BE DISMISSED FROM THE
BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES GRADUATE PROGRAM.
The major professor shall inform the student in
writing of the committee's evaluation within 2 weeks of the meeting. A copy of this report shall be sent to the
Department Chair, Graduate Directors and the student’s committee members via https://biograd.as.ua.edu. Since the committee evaluations are taken into consideration when
assigning teaching assistantships and awarding research/travel funds, it is
imperative that they be completed and submitted by January 10th of each year (March
1 or August 1 for first year students beginning in the fall or spring semesters
respectively)
If the student is progressing satisfactorily
toward a degree, no further action is necessary. If the committee determines the student is
not making satisfactory progress and awards a score below 3, the student shall
be informed in the committee evaluation of
specific deficiencies and of the committee's recommendation(s) for correcting
them.
It is the primary
responsibility of the student to see that these deadlines are met. Failure to complete evaluations by this date
will result in the student not being considered for graduate teaching
assistantships.
6. M.S. Research Proposal: A formal research proposal is required and
should be completed by the end of the student’s second semester in the program.
This proposal should include:
1. A full but concise statement
of the specific goals of the research.
2. A review of the relevant
literature to place the proposed work in a solid theoretical context.
3. A discussion of the significance of the proposed research and
how it addresses a novel question.
4. A description of the experimental design, including
experimental methods, procedures, and methods used in analysis and
interpretation of results.
5. Literature citations.
The M.S. Advisory Committee can establish
additional requirements such as page length and format. The proposal should be
submitted to and approved by the student's M.S. Advisory Committee no later
than the end of the student’s second semester enrolled in the Graduate Program.
A new proposal will be required if the thesis research changes significantly.
7. Research Expectations: A formal thesis, prepared in accordance with
university regulations, is required. The
thesis shall be based upon research approved by the student's M.S. Advisory
Committee and conducted under the supervision of the major professor. See http://services.graduate.ua.edu/etd/ for formatting and submission guidelines.
8. Formal Departmental Seminar and Final Oral Defense: A publicly announced
formal departmental seminar concerning the student's research is required. The seminar is scheduled immediately
preceding the final oral examination.
All students are required to notify departmental office personnel of the
date, time and room location of their formal seminar a minimum of 14 days prior to the seminar. A title
and an abstract must be submitted to the departmental office at the time of
seminar notification so that a public announcement can be made. In addition, a copy of the final draft of
your thesis must be made available in the departmental office for those wishing
to review it. The thesis copy will be
kept at the front desk during the 2-week period. When you deliver your draft to
the office, you will be required to enter it into a logbook, which will be kept
in the office. Failure to meet any of
these requirements will result in a delay of the thesis defense.
All students must pass a final oral examination
(defense) related to their thesis. Final
oral examination questions may also include other subjects beyond the student's
research that the M.S. Advisory Committee or other faculty consider
relevant. Final oral examinations for
the M.S. Plan I must be taken not less
than six weeks prior to the proposed graduation date (Note: This deadline
does not include time required for revision of the thesis after the defense). The
outside member of the student’s committee must attend and participate in the
final defense; this may be a virtual presence if the member can see and hear
the presentation and actively participate in questioning of the candidate.
All departmental faculty members have the right
to attend the final oral defense, and have the right
to ask questions of the student that are relevant to the goals of the
examination. Only faculty on the
student's committee may vote on whether the student has passed or failed the
examination.
Each candidate
for a master's degree must apply for graduation through the Office of the
Graduate School no later than the registration period for the semester or the
first session of the summer term in which requirements for the degree are to be
completed. The Application for Degree
can be accessed via your myBama portal and
instructions are available on the University’s Graduate School webpage: https://graduate.ua.edu/students/forms/.
B. M.S. Degree, Plan II
(without thesis)
1. Course Requirements:
A minimum of 30 credit hours of graduate
coursework is required including:
Coursework and Requirements |
Credit Hours |
·
At least 25 credit hours
with a letter grade (i.e., not Pass/Fail) ·
A maximum of 6 credit
hours with a letter grade may be taken from BSC 507 (Research Techniques in
Biology) and/or BSC 607 (Advanced Research Techniques in Biology) combined
and students must select either option A, B or C as their culminating “Capstone”
experience (see section 6).
· Of the 30 required credit hours, 18 must carry the BSC or MS
designation. |
30 |
All courses taken for MS graduate
credit hours must be numbered 400 and above, and no more than six credit hours
can be at the 400 level. A maximum of 6 semester hours of 400-level
course credit may be accepted for a master's degree only if all the following
apply:
1. The 400-level courses taken are outside
the Biological Sciences Department.
2. The department offering the 400-level
course offers a graduate degree.
3. The 400-level course must carry
appropriate extra work to be counted for graduate credit.
4. The student must have the consent of
his/her major advisor.
5. The necessary Graduate School form must be
approved by the department and Graduate School prior to the semester in which
the 400-level coursework will be taken. (https://graduate.ua.edu/student/forms).
Candidates for the M.S. degree under Plan II must
complete a culminating or “Capstone” experience (see # 6.A on page 35).
BSC 599 may not be applied
toward this degree.
Transfer credits: Up to 12
credit hours of graduate courses taken at other institutions and meeting
Graduate School requirements may be transferred. Transfer credits are considered Pass/Fail for
calculation of grade point average, but are included
in the 25 required graded course hours, provided they are from graded courses.
A Plan II Masters Course Checklist to
assist in tracking progress toward meeting course requirements is available on
the Department of Biological Sciences website (https://bsc.ua.edu/forms-for-graduate-students)
and under the forms tab of this handbook on page 59.
*All graduate forms must be submitted through the Graduate Program
Office in SEC 1325.
Marine Science: The guidelines cited above regarding
credit-hour requirements are applicable.
2. Residency Requirements: A student's program at the M.S. level must
provide sufficient association with the resident
faculty to permit individual evaluation of the student's capabilities and
achievements. The student’s Advisory Committee, with the approval of the
Department Chair, will determine residency requirements.
3. M.S. Plan II Advisory Committee: A student must form a M.S. Advisory Committee prior to their
first annual review meeting. The first committee meeting is to be held after
completion of the first semester of studies (by January 31st for
students entering in the fall
semester and by June 30th
for students entering in the spring semester) to evaluate progress toward a
degree. In subsequent years of study, the committee will meet prior to December
15th to review progress during the previous academic year. It will also meet as needed to administer all
qualifying and final examinations, and to examine and approve the culmination
Capstone Experience.
The M.S. Advisory Committee must consist of at
least three members. All members of an M.S. Advisory Committee must be members
of the Graduate Faculty. For Plan II M.S. degree-seeking students the three
committee members may all be Graduate faculty in the Department of Biological
Sciences. One of the three committee members may be from outside of the
department and University. The Department Chair is a non-voting, ex officio member of all graduate
student committees.
The student’s major professor will nominate M.S.
Advisory Committee members to the Department Chair using the form “MS APPOINTMENT
OF PLAN II COMMITTEE FORM” (see https://bsc.ua.edu/forms-for-graduate-students/). The Graduate Program Office will forward this nomination to the
Dean of the Graduate School who will make formal appointments. Nominations of outside
members from other institutions require the nominee’s CV, a letter of support
explaining the need for temporary graduate faculty status submitted by the
student’s major professor and a formal request for the temporary graduate
faculty appointment from the Department Chair. Nominations should be submitted
to the Graduate Program Office who will direct the form to the Department
Chair, who will then relay the formal request to the Graduate School.
Marine Science: The guidelines cited above for a M.S.
Advisory Committee are applicable. In
addition, at least one member of the student’s M.S. Advisory Committee must be
a qualified member of the Biological Sciences faculty at the Tuscaloosa campus.
4. Degree Time Line:
Students must meet the following milestones by
the times indicated in order to maintain the highest priority for financial
assistance and achieve an acceptable evaluation score at annual performance
reviews.
1.
Rotation (if necessary) |
Complete prior to first semester review |
2.
Choose M.S. Advisor |
Complete prior to first semester review |
3.
Choose M.S. Advisory Committee |
Complete prior to first semester review |
4.
First semester review |
After completing the first semester of studies (Jan. 31 for
students entering in fall, June 30 for students entering in spring) |
5.
Capstone Experience proposal |
Complete by end of second semester |
6.
First annual review |
Prior to Dec. 15 of 2nd academic year, and subsequent
year[s] of study |
7.
Coursework |
Complete by end of fourth semester |
8.
Apply for graduation |
No later than the first week of classes of the intended semester
of graduation |
9.
Submit Capstone Experience Report
to Committee |
At least 2 weeks prior to final Oral Examination |
10.
Formal Departmental Seminar and
Oral Examination |
Complete by end of the second year |
11.
Submit Completion of Requirements
for the Plan II Degree Documentation Form |
After successful completion of final Oral Examination (but no
later than 3 weeks prior to Commencement) - see Graduate School deadlines on
the Graduate School website (https://graduate.ua.edu/current-
students/student-deadlines) |
All departmental forms can be found here: http://bsc.ua.edu/forms
According to Graduate School policy, all
requirements for the M.S. degree must be completed during the six calendar
years immediately preceding the date on which the degree is to be awarded. The Department expectation is that M.S.
students complete their degree in accordance with the Plan II M.S. timeline as
outlined in this section. A Plan II Master’s
timeline checklist is available on the Department of Biological Sciences
website (http://bsc.ua.edu/forms)
and at the end of this handbook. Each student’s
checklist will be updated at each annual progress review and appended to the
report submitted by the advisor to the Department Chair.
*All graduate forms must be submitted through the Graduate Program
Office in SEC 1325.
5. Annual Progress Review: First year students must
meet with their committee after completing the first semester of studies (by
January 31st for students entering in the fall semester and by June
30th for students entering in the spring semester) Subsequently, Each graduate student will meet annually prior to December 15th
with her/his M.S. Advisory Committee for the purpose of reviewing the student's
progress toward a degree during the previous academic year.
Application for review: Upon completion of each
annual review, each graduate student must initiate the committee review process
by completing the application for committee review through https://biograd.as.ua.edu.
When
prompted enter your CWID then complete all requested information, including
selection of all departmental committee members.
These evaluations are a part of the data used to
establish priorities for assistantships.
The student is expected to make a formal presentation to the committee
during the annual meeting. This
presentation shall include a description of progress made with respect to
research and completion of other degree requirements. When the presentation has
been completed, the student will be asked to leave the room and the committee
shall then evaluate the student's progress.
This evaluation will be in the form of a ranking from 1 to 5. Guidelines for these rankings are given
below:
1. A score of 1 indicates
the student’s progress is unacceptable for reasons such as a GPA of less than
3.0 for the year in all (both graduate and undergraduate) courses attempted,
insufficient research progress, or not completing the degree within time limits
without an acceptable/approved reason.
2. A score of 2 must be
given to students who have fallen behind schedule with respect to such
requirements as formation of a committee, literature search and submission of a
research proposal, writing of the thesis or dissertation, etc. (see timeline
under Section A.4). Little or no
research progress during the year may also result in a score of 2. It may apply to a student receiving less than
a B in a course during the previous year even though the (overall) GPA is 3.0
or higher. Committees awarding a score
higher than 2 for students who have fallen behind schedule must provide a
written rationale to the Graduate Committee and the Department Chair in the
annual committee report.
3. A score of 3 indicates that the student has
made satisfactory research progress commensurate with his/her time in the
program, has maintained at least a 3.0 GPA, and has met other requirements of
the program (e.g., formed a committee, presented a research proposal, etc.) in
a timely manner.
4. A score of 4 is assigned
only when there is clear evidence of above average or unusual accomplishments. Accomplishments
deserving of a score of 4 would include one of the following:
a. Presentation of research
at a national or international meeting.
b. Submission of a research
proposal for funding external to the University.
c. Fellowship award
external to the department.
d. Any honor or award
reflecting outstanding achievement.
e. Having a junior
authorship on a paper published or accepted/in press for publication.
5. A score of 5 is reserved
for truly exceptional achievements made during the previous year. Accomplishments would include two or more of
those listed under criterion 4 (above) or one of the following:
a. Having a research
proposal funded.
b. Having a first-authored
paper published or accepted/in press for publication.
c. Receiving an invitation
to speak at a symposium or conference.
GRADUATE STUDENTS RECEIVING A RANKING OF 1 FOR
ANY ANNUAL REVIEW, OR TWO RANKINGS OF 2 FOR ANY TWO ANNUAL REVIEWS, WILL BE
DISMISSED FROM THE BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES GRADUATE PROGRAM.
The major professor shall inform the student in
writing of the committee's evaluation within 2 weeks of the meeting. A copy of this report shall be sent to the
Department Chair, Graduate Directors and the student’s committee members via http://biograd.as.ua.edu.
Since the
committee evaluations are taken into consideration when assigning teaching
assistantships and awarding research/travel funds, it is imperative that they
be completed and submitted by January
10th of each year (March
1 or August 1 for first year students beginning in the fall or spring semesters
respectively)
If the student is progressing satisfactorily
toward a degree, no further action is necessary. If the committee determines the student is
not making satisfactory progress and awards a score below 3, the student shall
be informed in the committee evaluation of
specific deficiencies and of the committee's recommendation(s) for correcting
them.
It is the primary
responsibility of the student to see that these deadlines are met. Failure to complete evaluations by this date
will result in the student not being considered for graduate teaching
assistantships.
6. Culminating “Capstone” Experience: In addition to earning a
minimum of 30 semester hours of credit, candidates for the M.S. Plan II degree are
required to complete one or more of the following:
7. Culminating “Capstone” Experience Proposal: A formal Capstone
Experience proposal is required and should be completed by the end of the
student’s second semester in the program. This proposal should include a full
but concise statement of the specific goals of the Capstone Experience. M.S.
Plan II option A candidates must also include in their proposals the following:
1.
A full but concise
statement of the specific goals of the research.
2.
A review of the relevant
literature to place the proposed work in a solid theoretical context.
3.
A discussion of the
significance of the proposed research and how it addresses a novel question.
4.
A description of the
experimental design, including experimental methods, procedures, and methods
used in analysis and interpretation of results.
5.
Literature citations.
The M.S. Advisory Committee can establish
additional requirements such as page length and format. The proposal should be
submitted to and approved by the student's M.S. Advisory Committee not later
than the end of the second semester. A new proposal will be required if the
thesis research changes significantly.
8. Formal Departmental Seminar (M.S. Plan II Options A and B
only): A publicly announced formal departmental seminar of the student's
research is required for students selecting M.S. Plan II Options A and B. The seminar is scheduled immediately
preceding the final oral examination. All
students are required to notify departmental office personnel of the date, time
and room location of their formal seminar and exam a minimum of 14 days prior to the date. A title and an abstract must be submitted to
the departmental office at the time of defense notification so that a public
announcement can be made. In addition, a
copy of the final draft of your written report must be made available in the
departmental office for those wishing to review it. The report copy will be kept at the front desk
during the 2-week period. When you deliver your draft to the office, you will
be required to enter it into a logbook that will be kept in the office. Failure to meet any of these requirements
will result in a delay of the Plan II M.S. defense.
9. Final Oral Examination: All M.S. Plan II students must pass a final oral examination
related to their research or literature survey topic. Final oral examination questions may also
include other subjects beyond the student's research that the M.S. Plan II Advisory
Committee or other faculty members consider to be relevant. Final oral examinations must be taken not
less than two weeks prior to the proposed graduation date. All committee members must attend and
participate in the oral examination, either in-person or by electronic means
(e.g., Skype). All students are required to notify the departmental office of
their final oral examination 14 days prior to the exam.
All departmental faculty have the right to
attend the oral examination, and have the right to ask
questions of the student that are relevant to the goals of the
examination. Only faculty on the
student's committee may vote on whether the student has passed or failed the
examination.
For M.S. Plan II as a transitional degree (pre-Ph.D.): In order to qualify for the M.S. degree, Ph.D. students must
fulfill all requirements of the M.S. Plan II culminating “Capstone” experience
option A, namely (i) submit a written report detailing
the research experience, (ii) present a formal departmental dissertation and
(iii) pass a final oral examination).
Research applied toward fulfillment of the M.S. Plan II degree
requirements may not be applied toward fulfillment of requirements for the
Ph.D. degree.
Each candidate
for a master's degree must apply for graduation through the Office of the Graduate
School no later than the registration period for the semester or the first
session of the summer term in which requirements for the degree are to be
completed. The Application for Degree
can be accessed via your myBama portal and
instructions are available on the University’s Graduate School webpage: https://graduate.ua.edu/students/forms/.
C. M.A. Degree, (without
thesis)
1. Course Requirements:
A minimum of 30 credit hours of graduate
coursework is required including:
Coursework and Requirements |
Credit Hours |
·
At least 26 credit hours
with a letter grade (i.e., not Pass/Fail) ·
A maximum of 6 credit
hours with a letter grade may be taken from BSC 696 (Resident Study). ·
At least one course
designated as laboratory must be completed. ·
Additionally, M.A.
students must enroll in either BSC 505 (Scientific Writing and Presentation)
or BSC 695 (Pedagogy in Biological Sciences).
· Of the 30 required credit hours, 18 must carry the BSC or MS
designation. |
30 |
All courses taken for MA graduate
credit hours must be numbered 400 and above. A maximum of 6 semester hours of 400-level course
credit may be accepted for a master's degree only if all the following apply:
1. The 400-level courses taken are outside
the Biological Sciences Department.
2. The department offering the 400-level
course offers a graduate degree.
3. The 400-level course must carry
appropriate extra work to be counted for graduate credit.
4. The student must have the consent of
his/her committee chair.
5. The necessary Graduate School form must be
approved by the department and Graduate School prior to the semester in which
the 400-level coursework will be taken. See: http://services.graduate.ua.edu/academics/forms/approve_400.pdf.
Candidates for the M.A. degree must complete a
culminating “Capstone” experience – a written review of a relevant topic in
Biological Sciences and give a public presentation on the scope of this review
(see Section 6, below).
BSC 598, 599, 507, 607, or 698 may not be applied toward this
degree.
Transfer credits: Up to 12
credit hours of graduate courses taken at other institutions and meeting
Graduate School requirements may be transferred. Transfer credits are considered Pass/Fail for
calculation of grade point average, but are included
in the 26 required graded course hours, provided they are from graded courses.
2. Residency Requirements: A student's program at the M.A. level must
provide sufficient association with the resident
faculty to permit individual evaluation of the student's capabilities and
achievements. The student’s Advisory Committee, with the approval of the
Department Chair, will determine residency requirements.
3. M.A. Advisory Committee: A
student must form an M.A. Advisory Committee prior to their first committee
meeting. The first committee meeting must be held no later than one month after
completion of the first semester of studies (by January 31st for
students entering in the fall
semester and by June 30th
for students entering in the spring semester) to evaluate progress toward a
degree. Earlier meeting dates may be held at the student’s request. In
subsequent Fall and Spring semesters of study, the committee will meet prior to
April 15th or December 15th to review progress during the
previous semester. It will also meet as needed to administer all qualifying and
final examinations, and to examine and approve the culmination Capstone
Experience.
The M.A. Advisory Committee must consist of at
least three members. All members of an M.A. Advisory Committee must be members
of the Graduate Faculty. The Department Chair is a non-voting, ex officio member of all graduate
student committees. The Chair of the M.A. advisory committee may be any
tenure/tenure-track member of UA Biological Sciences faculty. By default, the
Chair will be the director of the M.A. program, unless the student selects
another faculty member who agrees to this responsibility.
The M.A. Advisory Committee chair will nominate
M.A. Advisory Committee members to the Department Chair using the form “MA APPOINTMENT
OF PLAN II COMMITTEE FORM” (http://bsc.ua.edu/forms-for-graduate-students/). The Graduate Program Office will forward this nomination to the
Dean of the Graduate School who will make formal appointments. Nominations of outside
members from other institutions require the nominee’s CV, a letter of support
explaining the need for temporary graduate faculty status submitted by the
student’s major professor and a formal request for the temporary graduate
faculty appointment from the Department Chair. Nominations should be submitted
to the Graduate Program Office who will direct the form to the Department
Chair, who will then relay the formal request to the Graduate School.
4. Degree Time Line:Students must meet the following milestones by the dates indicated in
order to achieve an acceptable evaluation score at semesterly performance
reviews.
1.
Choose M.A. Advisor |
Complete within first 4 weeks of first semester |
2.
Choose M.A. Advisory Committee |
Complete prior to first committee meeting |
3.
First committee meeting |
After completing the first semester of studies (Jan. 31 for
students entering in fall, June 30 for spring) |
4.
Capstone experience topic |
Submit to committee two weeks prior to first committee meeting |
5.
Coursework |
Complete by end of fourth semester |
6.
Submit Capstone Experience outline |
No later than two weeks before second committee meeting |
7.
Submit first draft of Capstone Experience |
No later than two weeks before the third committee meeting |
8.
Submit penultimate draft of Capstone
experience |
No later than the 15th of third month of the
student’s final semester |
9.
Apply for graduation |
No later than the first week of classes of intended semester of
graduation |
10.
Formal Departmental Presentation and Oral
exam |
Complete by end of the second year |
11.
Submit Completion of requirements for MA
degree documentation forms |
After successful completion of final Oral exam (But, no later
than 3 weeks prior to commencement (see Graduate School Deadlines) |
All departmental forms can
be found here:
http://bsc.ua.edu/forms-for-graduate-students
According to Graduate School policy, all
requirements for the M.A. degree must be completed during the six calendar
years immediately preceding the date on which the degree is to be awarded. The Department expectation is that M.A.
students complete their degree in accordance with the M.A. timeline as outlined
in this section.
*All graduate forms must be submitted through the
Graduate Program Office in SEC 1325.
5. Annual Progress Review: First year students must
meet with their committee after completing the first semester of studies (by
January 31st for students entering in the fall semester and by June
30th for students entering in the spring semester) Subsequently, Each graduate student will meet each semester prior to December 15th
or April 15th with her/his M.A. Advisory Committee for the purpose
of reviewing the student's progress toward a degree during the previous academic
year.
Earlier committee meetings may
be held at the request of the student or the committee chair.
Application for review: Upon completion of each
semesterly review, each graduate student must initiate the committee review
process by completing the application for committee review through the
following link. http://www.as.ua.edu/biograd/. When prompted enter your CWID then
complete all requested information, including selection of all departmental
committee members.
The student is expected to make a formal
presentation to the committee during the semesterly meetings. This presentation
shall include a description of progress made with respect to scholarly work and
research toward the literature review. When the presentation has been
completed, the student will be asked to leave the room and the committee shall
then evaluate the student's progress. This evaluation will be in the form of a
ranking from 1 to 5. Guidelines for
these rankings are given below:
1. A score of 1 indicates
the student’s progress is unacceptable for reasons such as a GPA of less than
3.0 for the year in all (both graduate and undergraduate) courses attempted,
insufficient progress on Capstone report, or not completing the degree within
time limits without an acceptable/approved reason.
2. A score of 2 must be
given to students who have fallen behind schedule with respect to such
requirements as formation of a committee, literature search and submission of a
research topic, writing of the draft or report, etc. (see timeline under
Section 4). It may apply to a student receiving less than a B in a course
during the previous year even though the (overall) GPA is 3.0 or higher. Committees awarding a score higher than 2 for
students who have fallen behind schedule must provide a written rationale to
the Graduate Committee and the Department Chair in the annual committee report.
3. A score of 3 indicates
that the student has made satisfactory progress commensurate with his/her time
in the program, has maintained at least a 3.0 GPA, and has met other
requirements of the program (e.g., formed a committee, presented a Capstone topic
or draft, etc.) in a timely manner.
4. A score of 4 is assigned
only when there is clear evidence of above average or unusual accomplishments. Accomplishments
deserving of a score of 4 would include one of the following:
a. Presentation of research
at a national or international meeting.
b. Submission of a research
proposal for funding external to the University.
c. Fellowship award
external to the department.
d. Any honor or award
reflecting outstanding achievement.
e. Having a junior authorship
on a paper published or accepted/in press for
publication.
5. A score of 5 is reserved
for truly exceptional achievements made during the previous year. Accomplishments would include two or more of
those listed under criterion 4 (above) or one of the following:
a. Having a research
proposal funded.
b. Having a first-authored
paper published or accepted/in press for publication.
c. Receiving an invitation
to speak at a symposium or conference.
GRADUATE STUDENTS RECEIVING A RANKING OF 1 FOR ANY
ANNUAL REVIEW, OR TWO RANKINGS OF 2 FOR ANY TWO ANNUAL REVIEWS, WILL BE
DISMISSED FROM THE BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES GRADUATE PROGRAM.
The committee chair shall inform the student in
writing of the committee's evaluation within 2 weeks of the meeting. A copy of this report shall be sent to the
Department Chair, Graduate Directors and the student’s committee members via http://www.as.ua.edu/biograd/.
If the student is progressing satisfactorily
toward a degree, no further action is necessary. If the committee determines the student is
not making satisfactory progress and awards a score below 3, the student shall
be informed in the committee evaluation of
specific deficiencies and of the committee's recommendation(s) for correcting
them.
It is the primary
responsibility of the student to see that these deadlines are met. Failure to complete evaluations by this date
will result in the student not being considered for graduate teaching
assistantships.
6. Culminating “Capstone” Experience: In addition to earning a
minimum of 30 semester hours of credit, candidates for the M.A. degree are
required to complete the following Capstone Experience:
In-depth topical literature survey. Students must prepare a
formal paper, publically present and pass an oral
exam on a literature topic approved by the M.A. Advisory Committee. During the
semesterly committee meetings the student and committee members will establish
specific timelines, due dates, a topic and parameters of the written review
(page length, style, citation number etc…). The
timelines will address when the topic must be selected and approved, when a
first draft of the outline and citation list must be provided to the committee,
as well as when the first and penultimate drafts of the document must be
submitted to the committee and comments returned to the student. The general
dates detailed in section 4 (above) should serve as guides for establishing
these deadlines.
7. Formal Departmental Presentation: A publicly announced formal departmental presentation on the topic
of the student's literature review is required for M.A. students. The presentation is scheduled immediately
preceding the final oral examination. All students are required to notify
departmental office personnel of the date, time and room location of their
formal presentation a minimum of 14 days
prior. A title and an abstract must
be submitted to the departmental office at the time of notification so that a
public announcement can be made. In
addition, a copy of the final draft of your literature review must be made
available in the departmental office for those wishing to review it. The report copy will be kept at the front
desk during the 2-week period. When you deliver your draft to the office, you
will be required to enter it into a logbook that will be kept in the office. Failure to meet any of these requirements will
result in a delay of the M.A. examination.
8. Final Oral Examination: All M.A. students must pass a final oral examination related to
their literature survey topic. Final
oral examination questions may also include subjects beyond the student's literature
review and reflect material pertinent to graduate level coursework undertaken
by the student. Final oral examinations must be taken not less than two weeks
prior to the proposed graduation date.
All committee members must attend and participate in the oral
examination, either in-person or by electronic means (e.g., Skype). All
students are required to notify the departmental office of their final oral
examination 14 days prior to the exam.
All departmental faculty have the right to
attend the oral examination, and have the right to ask
questions of the student that are relevant to the goals of the
examination. Only faculty on the
student's committee may vote on whether the student has passed or failed the
examination.
Each candidate
for a master's degree must apply for graduation through the Office of the
Graduate School no later than the registration period for the semester or the
first session of the summer term in which requirements for the degree are to be
completed. The Application for Degree
can be accessed via your myBama portal and
instructions are available on the University’s Graduate School webpage: http://graduate.ua.edu/students/forms/.
D. Ph.D. Degree
1. Course requirements:
At least 72 credit hours of
graduate coursework are required including:
Coursework and Requirements |
Credit Hours |
BSC 699 (Dissertation Research)* |
24 |
At least 39 graded semester hours
(i.e., not Pass/Fail), which may include: ·
Up to 6 graded hours of
BSC 507 (Research Techniques in Biology) ·
Up to 6 graded hours of
BSC 607 (Advanced Research Techniques in Biology) ·
Letter graded courses
including BSC 695 (Special Topics) Up to 9 hours of
Pass/Fail credit can be applied toward fulfillment of degree
requirements. Pass/Fail hours can
include BSC 698 (Non-Dissertation Research) and up to a total of 4 semester
hours of BSC 601 (continuous enrollment in BSC 601 is required). NOTE: Of the
48 semester hours other than BSC 699, 24 must carry the BSC
designation. |
48 |
* All students must pass the Preliminary Examination and gain degree
candidacy before enrolling in BSC 699.
Once a student has enrolled in BSC 699, they must continue to
enroll in at least 3 semester hours of BSC 699 every semester until they
graduate.
As per the Graduate School Catalog, all doctoral
students must have a completed OUTLINE of Ph.D. PLAN OF STUDY approved by the
Graduate School no later than the semester during which the student will
complete 30 semester hours of UA and/or transfer credit toward the doctoral
degree. Otherwise a “hold” may be placed on future course registrations. This
document is available on the Department of Biological Sciences website (https://bsc.ua.edu/forms).
All graduate credits taken in the doctoral
program must be in courses numbered 500 or above.
BSC 599 may not be applied toward this degree.
A Ph.D. coursework fill-in sheet to assist in
tracking progress toward meeting course requirements is available on the
Department of Biological Sciences website (https://bsc.ua.edu/forms).
*All graduate forms must be submitted through the Graduate Program
Office in SEC 1325.
Transfer credits: With the approval of the
student's Ph.D. Advisory Committee and the Dean of the Graduate School, up to
24 of the required course hours may be transferred from another
institution. Submit the form, “REQUEST
FOR TRANSFER OF GRADUATE CREDIT” (see https://bsc.ua.edu/forms) to the Graduate Office who will submit it to the Graduate School
during the first semester enrolled at the University of Alabama. If the student earned an M.S. at the
University of Alabama, all applicable hours (i.e., course hours for which
graduate credit has been received in the same department or in a closely
affiliated department, but not including BSC 598 or BSC 599) may transfer to
the Ph.D. program. The number of hours
that qualify for transfer is at the discretion of the Department of Biological
Sciences, as recommended by the student's Ph.D. Advisory Committee and as
approved by the Dean of the Graduate School.
Subject to the approval of the student's Ph.D. Advisory Committee,
graduate courses in allied departments may be taken to meet the remainder of
the requirements. Transfer credits are considered Pass/Fail for calculation of
grade point average, but are included in the 48
required graded course hours, provided they are from graded courses.
2. Residency: The student must spend an academic year (two
semesters) in continuous residence on the campus of The University of Alabama
as a full-time student in the Graduate School.
However, the student can meet the requirement with any one of the
following four enrollment options:
1.
a full-time fall semester
plus full-time enrollment the next spring;
2.
a full-time summer
(consisting of 2 full-time summer terms) plus the following full-time fall
semester;
3.
a full-time spring semester
plus the next full-time summer semester (consisting of 2 full-time summer
terms); or
4.
a full-time spring semester
plus the following full-time fall semester.
To meet this requirement, only non-dissertation
coursework can be applied. Dissertation
or thesis research (BSC 599 or BSC 699) cannot be used. Distance-learning courses delivered online or
by any other distance-learning format may not be used to satisfy the doctoral
residency requirement.
The minimum period in which the doctoral degree
can be earned is three full academic years of graduate study after completion
of a baccalaureate degree, although in most disciplines the period is
longer. Graduate teaching assistants
(GTA) or graduate research assistants (GRA) whose work assignments are 3
semester hours (i.e. 10-12 work hours or 0.25 FTE) per week or more should
expect to spend more than the minimum period of three academic years to earn a
doctoral degree.
3. Advisory committees
a. Ph.D. Advisory Committee: A
student must form a Ph.D. Advisory Committee prior to their first semester
review meeting. The first committee
meeting is to be held after completion of the first semester of studies (by
January 31st for students entering in the fall semester and by June
30th for students entering in the spring semester) to evaluate
progress toward a degree. In subsequent years of study, the committee will meet
prior to December 15th to review progress during the previous
academic year. It will also meet as
needed to administer all qualifying and final examinations, and to examine and
approve the dissertation.
The Ph.D. Advisory Committee must consist of at
least five members. All members of a
Ph.D. Advisory Committee must be members of the Graduate Faculty. The Ph.D.
Advisory Committee may include one member from outside the student’s major
department and may be from another research institution. The Department Chair
is a non-voting, ex officio member of
all graduate student committees.
b. Ph.D. Dissertation Committee: Once a Ph.D. student has passed his/her preliminary examinations and
been admitted to candidacy the advisory committee must be modified to include
at least one member from outside the student’s major department. This external
member may be from another institution. This external Ph.D. Dissertation
Committee member may replace an existing Ph.D. advisory committee member. However, the Ph.D. Dissertation Committee
must consist of at least five members including the external member: All of who
are voting members regarding the candidate’s progress toward degree.
The student’s major professor will nominate Ph.D.
Advisory Committee members to the Department Chair using the form “Ph.D. APPOINTMENT
OR CHANGE OF COMMITTEE FORM” (see https://bsc.ua.edu/forms). The Graduate Program
Office will forward this nomination to the Dean of the Graduate School who will
make formal appointments. Nominations of outside members from other institutions
require the nominee’s CV, a letter of support explaining the need for temporary
graduate faculty status submitted by the student’s major professor and a formal
request for the temporary graduate faculty appointment from the Department
Chair. Nominations should be submitted to the Graduate Program Office who will
direct the form to the Department Chair, who will then relay the formal request
to the Graduate School.
The Department Chair will remain a non-voting, ex officio member of all graduate
student committees.
In accordance with Graduate School policy, this
external committee member must be
nominated and in place within one year of the projected dissertation date.
4. Degree Time Line: Students must meet the following milestones by the times indicated
in order to maintain the highest priority for financial assistance and achieve
an acceptable evaluation score at annual performance reviews.
1. Rotation (if requested/
recommended) |
Complete prior to first semester review |
2. Choose Ph.D. Mentor |
Complete prior to first semester review |
3. Choose Ph.D. Advisory
Committee |
Complete prior to first semester review |
4. Plan of Study |
Present
to committee at 1st annual evaluation (no later than the semester during
which the student will complete 30
semester hours of UA and/or transfer credit |
5. First semester review |
After
completing the first semester of studies (Jan. 31 for students entering in
fall, June 30 for students entering spring) |
6. Dissertation research proposal |
Present to committee for approval prior to or
during 2nd annual review |
7. Annual reviews |
Prior
to Dec. 15 each year of study |
8. Preliminary exams |
Complete
by end of fifth semester |
9. Establish PhD Dissertation
Committee |
Prior to one
year before expected dissertation date, establish one external committee member
and submit Appointment or Change of Doctoral Dissertation Committee Form |
10. Take Dissertation credits
(BSC 699) |
Beginning of
sixth semester (but not before completion of preliminary exams) |
11. Apply for graduation |
No
later than the first week of classes of the intended semester of graduation |
12. Submit Dissertation to
Committee |
At
least 2 weeks prior to Oral Defense |
13. Formal Departmental
Seminar and oral defense |
Complete
by end of the fourth or fifth year (depending on highest degree upon entering
program) |
14. Submit Dissertation (final
form) to Grad School |
Submit
electronically to the Graduate School along with the Committee Acceptance
Form for Electronic Thesis or Dissertation and the Publication
form for Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
All departmental forms can be found at: https://bsc.ua.edu/forms
Once the
preliminary exam is completed, the Continuous Dissertation Registration for Doctoral
Students requirement applies. Once a student has met the requirements for admission
to candidacy, received approval for the dissertation research proposal, or
initiated enrollment in 699 (dissertation research for a doctoral degree), the student
must pursue completion of the dissertation without interruption by enrolling
each fall and spring semester of the academic year for at least 3 hours of
dissertation research. See the Graduate School Catalog for details.
In accordance with to Graduate School policy,
all requirements for the doctoral degree must be completed within a period of
seven years following admission to the doctoral program. Credits earned towards a M.S. degree may be
applied to the doctoral degree if they were earned during the 6-year period
prior to admission to the doctoral program.
If a student fails to register for three consecutive years, the student
must reapply for admission. The Department expectation is that Ph.D. students
complete their degree in accordance with the Ph.D. timeline as outlined in this
section. A Ph.D. timeline checklist is available on the Department of
Biological Sciences website (http://bsc.ua.edu/forms) and at the end of this handbook. Each student’s checklist
will be updated at each annual progress review and appended to the report
submitted by the advisor to the Department Chair.
*All graduate forms must be submitted through the Graduate Program
Office in SEC 1325.
5. Annual Progress Review: Each graduate student will meet annually
prior to December 15th with her/his Ph.D. Advisory Committee for the
purpose of reviewing the student's progress toward a degree during the previous
academic year. First year students must
meet with their committee after completing the first semester of studies (by
January 31st for students entering in the fall semester and by June
30th for students entering in the spring semester). These evaluations are a
part of the data used to establish priorities for assistantships. The student is expected to make a formal
presentation to the committee during the annual meeting. This presentation shall include a description
of progress made with respect to research and completion of other degree
requirements. When the presentation has
been completed, the student will be asked to leave the room and the committee
shall then evaluate the student's progress.
This evaluation will be in the form of a ranking from 1 to 5. Guidelines for these rankings are given
below:
1. A score of 1 indicates
the student’s progress is unacceptable for reasons such as a GPA of less than
3.0 for the year in all (both graduate and undergraduate) courses attempted,
insufficient research progress, or not completing the degree within time limits
without an acceptable/approved reason.
2. A score of 2 must be
given to students who have fallen behind schedule with respect to such
requirements as formation of a committee, literature search and submission of a
research proposal, writing of the thesis or dissertation, etc. (see timeline
under Section C.4). Little or no
research progress during the year may also result in a score of 2. It may apply to a student receiving less than
a B in a course during the previous year even though the (overall) GPA is 3.0
or higher. Committees awarding a score
higher than 2 for students who have fallen behind schedule must provide a
written rationale to the Graduate Committee and the Department Chair.
3. A score of 3 indicates that the student has
made satisfactory research progress commensurate with his/her time in the
program, has maintained at least a 3.0 GPA, and has met other requirements of
the program (e.g., formed a committee, presented a research proposal, etc.) in
a timely manner.
4. A score of 4 is assigned
only when there is clear evidence of above average or unusual
accomplishments. Accomplishments
deserving of a score of 4 would include one of the following:
a. Presentation of research
at a national or international meeting.
b. Submission of a research
proposal for funding external to the University.
c. Fellowship award
external to the department.
d. Any honor or award
reflecting outstanding achievement.
e. Having a junior
authorship on a paper published or accepted/in press for publication.
5. A score of 5 is reserved
for truly exceptional achievements made during the previous year. Accomplishments would include two or more of
those listed under criterion 4 (above) or one of the following:
a. Having a research
proposal funded.
b. Having a first-authored
paper published or accepted/in press for publication.
c. Receiving an invitation
to speak at a symposium or conference.
GRADUATE STUDENTS RECEIVING A RANKING OF 1 FOR
ANY ANNUAL REVIEW, OR TWO RANKINGS OF 2 FOR ANY TWO ANNUAL REVIEWS, WILL BE
DISMISSED FROM THE BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES GRADUATE PROGRAM.
The major professor shall inform the student in
writing of the committee's evaluation within 2 weeks of the meeting. A copy of this report shall be sent to the
Department Chair, Graduate Directors and the student’s committee members via https:biograd.as.ua.edu/. Since the committee evaluations are taken into consideration when
assigning teaching assistantships and awarding research/travel funds, it is
imperative that they be completed and submitted by January 10th of each year (March
1 or August 1 for first year students beginning in the fall or spring semesters
respectively)
Since the committee evaluations are taken into
consideration when assigning teaching assistantships, it is imperative that
they be completed and submitted to the Department Chair by January 10th of each
year. It is the responsibility of the
student and committee to see that this is done.
Failure to complete evaluations by this date will result in the student
not being considered for graduate teaching assistantships.
6. Dissertation research proposal: A formal research proposal is required. The proposal should be defended no later than
the second annual progress review held in the fall semester of the student’s
third year in the Graduate Program. A
new proposal will be required if the dissertation research changes significantly. This proposal should include:
1. A full but concise statement of the specific
goals of the research.
2. A review of the relevant literature to place
the proposed work in a solid theoretical context.
3. A discussion of the
significance of the proposed research and how it addresses a novel question.
4. A description of the
experimental design, including experimental methods, procedures, and methods
used in analysis and interpretation of results.
5. Literature citations.
6. Budget.
7. Preliminary Exams: Ph.D. students must pass
both a Written Preliminary Exam and an Oral Preliminary Exam before candidacy
is granted. Both Preliminary Exams
should be completed by end of the fifth semester in the Graduate Program.
a. Written Preliminary Exam:
The department uses two forms of the written exam. The advisor must approve which exam
the student will take.
i. Option 1 – Traditional - The examination shall be arranged and
administered by the major professor.
Each member of the Ph.D. Advisory Committee shall contribute five
questions. The outside member of the
committee is encouraged but is not required to participate in the exam. However, if they do not, then the student’s
committee for the purpose of this exam must consist of at least 5 members from
inside the department. The examination shall
be administered over no more than 14 consecutive days with one day allowed for
each set of questions. Each answer will be graded "Pass" or
"Fail." Questions may involve intellectual synthesis as well as basic
concepts. Each examiner will award
grades without prior knowledge of the student's performance on other parts of
the examination and report the results to the student's major professor within
five days of the examination. The student must pass at least 19 of 25
questions, or 76% of the questions asked in cases of committees with more than
five members.
ii. Option 2 – Proposal based - The examination shall be arranged and
administered by the major professor.
Each member of the Ph.D. Advisory Committee shall contribute to the
review of the proposal. The outside
member of the committee is encouraged but is not required to review the
proposal. However, if they do not, then
the student’s committee for the purpose of this exam must consist of at least 5
members from inside the department.
Students will be expected to demonstrate the following:
1. The ability to identify a substantive proposal topic
2. The ability to formulate valid and testable hypotheses
3. The ability to identify
the importance of and justification for the proposed research, by preparing a
comprehensive review of related research literature and presenting the proposed
project in that context
4. The ability to prepare a
sound research plan that includes both appropriate techniques and approaches
suitable for the testing of the hypotheses and alternative strategies and
hypotheses.
The procedures for the proposal-based
Written Preliminary Exam are:
1.
Students should submit to
their committees one or more topics, as required by their committees, with a
one-paragraph justification of the topic.
The committee will approve proposal topics prior to initiation of
proposal preparation. If a submitted
topic is not acceptable, the student will be asked to revise and resubmit
topics.
2.
The topics may be
completely distinct from ongoing research in the student’s lab, may build upon
current or previous work in the lab, or may be related to the topic of the
student’s doctoral research, as long as the proposed research
demonstrates scientific independence and does not simply reproduce an
experimental plan already proposed in the doctoral adviser’s research grants or
in the students dissertation research proposal.
3.
The term of the proposed
research should be consistent with federal funding opportunities, contingent on
committee approval.
4.
The proposal should be
written following the format of research proposals as described on page 62. Failure to comply with any formatting
requirement will result in return of the proposal to the student. Corrected copies must be resubmitted one day
later.
5.
Students will have a
maximum of two months to prepare the proposal after the committee’s
notification of topic selection.
Evaluation of the proposal will be based on the
following considerations:
1.
Scope of the proposal (10%). Is the research topic novel and important? Is the proposed
project appropriate for the approved term (e.g. 3 years, 5 years)?
2.
Background (30%). Is the literature survey
comprehensive and appropriate? Does the literature survey identify a problem or
series of problems that justifies the direction of the proposal?
3.
Experimental plan (40%). Are there clearly stated
hypotheses for each section, or at least clearly stated expectations of
experimental outcomes? Are the proposed experiments appropriate tests of the
hypotheses? Does the author have
realistic expectations of the experimental methods? Are alternate hypotheses and experimental
approaches proposed to cover the possibilities that: (i)
the primary approaches prove to be inappropriate, (ii) the primary approaches
disprove the hypotheses?
4.
Presentation (20%). Is the proposal well organized
and clearly written?
Each of the above evaluation criteria will be
assigned a score of 1-5 as follows:
1 – Outstanding
2 – Excellent
3 – Good/Average
4 – Fair
5 – Poor
An average
weighted cumulative score of no greater than 3.0 must be earned in order to
pass the proposal-based written exam.
For the written examination (either option), the
student must demonstrate proficiency in technical writing. Note that if an answer is not formulated in a
technically acceptable writing format it may be marked as a fail.
The Advisory Committee is expected to notify the
student of their preliminary written exam score within 30 days after submission
of the exam to the committee. The submitted exam must be graded by the Ph.D.
Advisory Committee. It is against program
policy to permit a student to revise the submitted exam in any fashion prior to
grading it. The final graded version
of the written exam and a Biological Sciences Ph.D. Candidacy Exam Evaluation
Form (http://bsc.ua.edu/forms-for-graduate-students) should be placed in the student’s official departmental file.
A student who fails the traditional written exam
will be allowed to retake the entire examination (i.e., five questions from
each committee member) once. Any second
attempt must be made within three months of notification of failure of the
first attempt. A student who fails the proposal-based written exam will be
allowed to revise the proposal once. The revision must be submitted to the
Ph.D. advisory committee within two months of notification of failure of the
first attempt.
b. Oral Preliminary Exam:
To qualify to take the Oral Preliminary Exam the
student must have passed the Written Preliminary Exam. The Oral Preliminary Exam will follow the
written portion by not more than two weeks from the date of notification of
passing the Written Preliminary Examination.
It is a comprehensive examination intended to determine the student's
knowledge of basic principles of biological sciences, as well as specific
knowledge of the student's research area.
When a student has prepared a research proposal as their Written
Preliminary Exam (Option 2), the student may be questioned on that proposal as
well as on basic and specific information pertaining to their field of
study. The student's entire Ph.D.
Advisory Committee should attend the Oral Preliminary Exam and constitutes the
voting committee regarding the passage or failure of the examination (virtual
attendance is acceptable for outside members).
A student who fails the oral exam will be
allowed to retake the examination once (within three months of the original
exam) if they have not failed their written exam on the first attempt.
Any combination of 2 failed attempts at the written and/or oral
examinations will lead to dismissal from the program. In
other words, failing the written portion of the examination and subsequently
failing the rewrite will lead to dismissal. Similarly, failing the oral
component and the subsequent re-examination would lead to dismissal. Likewise,
failing both initial attempts at written and oral examinations will lead to
dismissal.
The graduate student, the Department Chair, and
the Dean of the Graduate School shall be notified by the major professor, in
writing, of the results of the preliminary exam within a week after the exam is
completed via the DOCTORAL QUALIFYING EXAMINATION form (see http://bsc.ua.edu/forms-for-graduate-students/), which is to be submitted first to the Graduate Program Office.
Upon successful completion of written and oral
preliminary exams, file form ADMISSION TO CANDIDACY FOR DOCTORAL DEGREE (see http://bsc.ua.edu/forms-for-graduate-students/) with the department office for routing to the Graduate
School. The student is now eligible to
enroll in BSC 699 Research Related to Dissertation.
8. Research Expectations: All Ph.D. students are
expected to make a meaningful contribution to their chosen research area. Prior to their dissertation defense, all
students in the Ph.D. program must
submit for publication to a peer-reviewed journal at least one first-author
manuscript containing data produced by the student during enrollment in the
Ph.D. program. Proof of submission (e.g.
confirmation e-mail from journal editor) must be submitted to the Graduate
Program Office.
Requests for exceptions to this policy must be
endorsed by a student’s Dissertation Committee and approved by the BSC Graduate
Committee Chairs and Department Chair prior to the dissertation defense.
9. Formal Departmental Dissertation Seminar and Oral Examination
(defense): A publicly announced formal departmental dissertation
seminar (or defense) of the student's research is required. The seminar is scheduled immediately
preceding the final oral examination.
All students are required to notify departmental office personnel of the
date, time and room location of their formal dissertation a minimum of 14 days prior to the dissertation defense. A title and an abstract must be submitted to
the departmental office at the time of dissertation notification so that a
public announcement can be made. In
addition, a copy of the final draft of your dissertation must be made available
in the departmental office for those wishing to review it. The dissertation copy will be kept at the
front desk during the 2-week period. When you deliver your draft to the office,
you will be required to enter it into a logbook, which will be kept in the
office. Failure to meet any of these
requirements will result in a delay of the dissertation defense.
All students must pass a final oral examination
related to their dissertation. Final
oral examination questions may also include other subjects beyond the student's
research that the Ph.D. Advisory Committee or other faculty deem relevant. Final oral examinations for the Ph.D. must be
taken not less than six weeks prior to the proposed graduation date. The outside member of the student’s committee
must attend and participate in the final defense; this may be a virtual presence
if the member can see and hear the presentation and actively participate in
questioning of the candidate. All departmental faculty have the right to attend
the oral defense, and have the right to ask questions
of the student that are relevant to the goals of the examination. Only faculty on the student's committee may
vote on whether the student has passed or failed the examination.
Upon successful defense of the dissertation,
file form PhD FINAL DEFENSE FORM (see http://bsc.ua.edu/forms) with the department office for routing to the Graduate
School.
Each candidate
for a doctoral degree must apply for graduation through the Office of the
Graduate School no later than the registration period for the semester or the
first session of the summer term in which requirements for the degree are to be
completed. The Application for Degree
can be accessed via your myBama portal and
instructions are available on the University’s Graduate School webpage: http://graduate.ua.edu/students/forms/.
CHANGING
PROGRAMS
Conditional M.S. to M.S. and Conditional Ph.D. to Ph.D.
All students admitted conditionally to the
Biological Sciences Graduate Program must maintain a 3.0 GPA for the first 12
hours of courses (both undergraduate and graduate) taken as a student in the
Department of Biological Sciences at The University of Alabama. All hours taken in the semester in which the
student reaches 12 hours will be considered even if the total exceeds 12
hours. In addition, the student must
maintain a 3.0 in the first 12 hours of graduate courses. Failure to meet either of these requirements
will result in Academic Suspension (dismissal) from the program. When a student satisfies both
of these conditions, the student is then given the status of a regularly
admitted student.
M.S. to Ph.D.
Students may apply to enter the Ph.D. program
while currently enrolled in the M.S. program without completing the M.S. if: 1)
they entered under a regular admission; 2) they are in good standing; and 3)
their current (or an alternative) major professor supports their application.
Students must complete an online expedited Master's to
Doctoral Program application form via the Graduate School website (http://graduate.ua.edu/prospective-students/apply-now/). The application must include at least three letters of
recommendation from among the faculty of the Department of Biological Sciences
and a brief statement concerning the proposed doctoral research. The student's academic record will be
reviewed. Additional pertinent information,
such as papers presented, meetings attended, and manuscripts submitted, in
press, or published, should be included in the application. The applicant is urged to retake the GRE if
the initial scores were low, as higher scores will enhance the chances of
acceptance of the application. However, this is not a requirement. Students in the Accelerated Masters Program cannot enter into
the Ph.D. program without completing the M.S.
Conditional M.S. to Ph.D.
All students that are conditionally admitted to
the M.S. program are required to complete a M.S. Degree (either Plan I
or II) prior to applying to enter the Ph.D. program. Requests for exceptions to this policy must be
endorsed by a student’s Supervisory Committee and approved by the BSC Graduate
Committee and Department Chair.
Plan II M.S. for Students Unable to Fulfill Requirements for the
Ph.D. Degree: Students in good standing who do not pass the
Ph.D. preliminary exam after two attempts, are dismissed from a laboratory by
their advisor and cannot identify a new advisor, or decide to leave the Ph.D.
Program after passing the preliminary exam but prior to completing the Ph.D.
dissertation can apply for a Plan II M.S. degree after (1) submitting a written
report detailing their research experience, (2) presenting a formal departmental
seminar on their research, and (3) passing a final M.S.-level oral exam.
Choosing a Research Mentor and Laboratory
Prior to admission
Most successful applicants will contact
potential mentors during the application process. The departmental website (see https://bsc.ua.edu/classification/faculty-and-instructors) lists faculty and provides a link to individual pages that
describe their research interests.
After admission
Students arriving without a specified research
mentor are required to do laboratory rotation(s). The student should meet with the appropriate
section coordinator for academic advising and coordination of rotations. Rotations are arranged by mutual consent
between the student and the potential mentor(s). A laboratory rotation is to be regarded as a
temporary arrangement by both the student and the potential mentor(s) and
typically lasts 1-2 months. The decision for a student to continue in a particular lab to perform their thesis/dissertation research
must be agreed upon by both the student and the faculty mentor. Rotations should be completed in the first
semester so that students can complete requirements on time for a successful
first annual review.
Changing research mentors
It is recognized that, on occasion, a student
may need to change research mentors.
This change may be either student or faculty mentor initiated. Students are advised that a change of mentor
can cause significant delay in their progress toward a degree.
a. Student Initiated: Students wishing to change research mentors
should complete the following steps:
1. Speak to Graduate
Program Director or Departmental Chair.
2. Contact other potential
advisors.
3. Choose new advisor by mutual
consent of student and new advisor.
4. Inform the Department
Chair, Graduate Program Director, and old and new research mentors.
5. Choose a new committee
(within 30 days) and file APPOINTMENT OR CHANGE OF MASTER’S THESIS COMMITTEE
form (https://bsc.ua.edu/forms) or the
APPOINTMENT OR CHANGE OF DOCTORAL DISSERTATION COMMITTEE form (https://bsc.ua.edu/forms).
b. Advisor Initiated: Faculty mentors may dismiss a graduate student from their lab by
completing the following steps:
1.
Document the problem with
the student and the changes requested of the student. Meet with the student to discuss the problem
and present the student with the requested changes. If the student fails to perform the requested
changes, repeat the documentation and meeting.
If the student again fails to perform the requested changes, the faculty
mentor may initiate the dismissal procedure.
2.
Send the above
documentation to the Graduate Program Directors and the Departmental Chair.
3.
Meet with the student and,
if appropriate, the Graduate Program Director or Departmental Chair to inform
the student of his/her dismissal.
4.
The student should contact
other potential research mentors.
5.
The student should choose a
new research mentor by mutual consent of the student and the new faculty
mentor.
6.
The student should inform
the Graduate Program Director or the Departmental Chair of the new faculty
advisor. The Graduate Program Director
or Departmental Chair will then officially inform all involved parties (the
Departmental Chair, the previous faculty mentor, and the new faculty mentor) of
the change.
7.
Within 30 days of the
official change in mentor, the student and the new faculty mentor should choose
a new graduate advisory committee and file the APPOINTMENT OR CHANGE OF MASTER’S
THESIS COMMITTEE form (see https://or
the APPOINTMENT OR CHANGE OF DOCTORAL DISSERTATION COMMITTEE form (see https://bsc.ua.edu/forms).
Financial Assistance
The
Department endeavors to maintain funding for all graduate students admitted
with an offer of a fellowship or assistantship, although the length of time of
this commitment is limited. The total
time period of this support depends on the previous degree(s) earned and the
degree sought. These are: Entering M.S. student – 2 years, Entering
Ph.D. student with a M.S. degree – 4 years, Entering Ph.D. student with a Bachelor’s degree – 5 years.
Support can be through fellowships, teaching assistantships, research
assistantships or any combination thereof.
The Graduate School’s website: (https://graduate.ua.edu/students/financial-support/) has assistance available to current graduate students. The Graduate Committee nominates incoming
students for many of the available awards (e.g. Graduate Council Fellowships,
NAA License Tag Graduate Fellowship, McNair Graduate Fellowships) while the
Awards Committee nominates current students for other available awards (e.g.
Research and Creative Activity Graduate Council Fellowships). The Department Chair awards Graduate Teaching
Assistantships (GTAs). The priorities
for awarding GTAs are:
1. Staffing laboratory sections that require
special skills or knowledge
2. Current students in good standing
3. Incoming students (faculty status and equity
among faculty influences priority among this pool of students)
4. Current students that have exceeded their
specific total period of support
*ALL
graduate
forms
must be
submitted
through the
Graduate
Program Office
in SEC 1325.
Students
should keep track of documentation on UA Box.
All
forms are available at https://bsc.ua.edu under
‘Resources’ and ‘For Graduate Students’
*If you
have any questions on forms, reach out to the BSC Office (SEC 1325)
EXAMINATION
GUIDELINES
Ph.D. Proposal-Style WRITTEN QUALIFYING
EXAMINATION EXPANDED GUIDELINES
GENERAL INTRODUCTION
Each student must successfully complete a qualifying examination (both written and oral) administered by his or her Ph.D. Advisory Committee. The written examination can be either 1) a set of questions given and graded by each member of the student’s committee, or 2) a proposal written using the strict guidelines given. It is understood that the student and his or her Ph.D. Advisory Committee will agree to the form of the written examination (i.e., whether it will be in the Option 1 [Traditional] format or the Option 2 [Proposal-based format]). The student’s major advisor will have the final authority to determine the type of exam taken by the student.
This proposal-based examination is to be written in a style typical of an NSF or NIH grant proposal. Your Ph.D. Advisory Committee will assess the quality of your proposal as if you were submitting the proposal to such an agency. In general, the proposal-based examination consists of a document that demonstrates the following:
1. The ability to identify a substantive proposal topic
2. The ability to formulate valid and testable hypotheses
3. The ability to identify the importance of and justification for the proposed research, by preparing a comprehensive review of related research literature and presenting the proposed project in that context
4. The ability to prepare a sound research plan that includes both appropriate techniques and approaches suitable for the testing of the hypotheses and alternative strategies and hypotheses.
There will also be a comprehensive literature cited section. Proposals must conform to all stated guidelines, including page limits, to be acceptable for review.
See below for the procedures for the proposal-based Written Preliminary Exam. All students should discuss with their major advisor whether to take the proposal-based examination and how to determine the specific topic of the proposal, especially if students have a major advisor that spans both EES and MCB.
Because one of the primary goals of the Written Examination is to test the student's competence in their general area of study, a satisfactory performance requires that the student demonstrate a comprehensive and in-depth knowledge of the concepts and methodologies of the disciplines comprising the major area of research interest. The student will also be expected to demonstrate an authoritative and up-to-date grasp of the literature in their area of specialization and to be able to discuss in detail the experimental design, rationale, and methodology used in their proposed research program. Proposals will be returned without review if guidelines are not followed and/or if the writing (irrespective of content) is unacceptable.
A. GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS
1. Read and follow the instructions carefully to avoid delays and misunderstandings.
In preparing the proposal, use English and avoid jargon. For terms not universally known, define the term the first time it is used, with the appropriate abbreviation in parentheses; the abbreviation may be used thereafter. When using scientific names, add the common name in parentheses during the first mention.
Observe type size and format specifications throughout the proposal, or the document will be returned without review.
Prepare the proposal using uniform 2.5 cm margins at the top, bottom, and sides of each page. Use Times or Times New Roman 12 point font and single space line spacing in the main text of the proposal. Figures, charts, tables, figure legends, and footnotes may be smaller than 12-point font, but everything must be readily legible. Use black letters that can be clearly copied. Do not use photo reduction. You should prepare all graphs, diagrams, tables, and charts in black ink. However, if a figure would be significantly clearer if presented in color, you may do so. You should not use color simply to make the document look “pretty”.
2. Observe page limitations, or the proposal will be returned without review.
The proposal must not exceed 15 pages, including text plus all figures, charts, tables and diagrams. This page limitation does not include Literature Cited (see Specific Instructions in Section B).
3. Make the proposal easy to read and follow.
The proposal must be well written using proper English grammar, but it also must be well organized and presented in an easy to read manner. You should imbed figures and tables within the document, next to the relevant section where they are first mentioned. Use bold, italics, boxes, etc. to highlight particular sections. Your submitted proposal should be written as if it will be submitted straight to NSF or NIH. Reviewers do not want to see a book report, and such proposals will be returned without review.
B. SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS Sections of the Proposal
For sections 1-4, do not exceed 15 pages. The face page, project summary, table of contents, and project description, tables, graphs, figures, diagrams, and charts must be included within the 15-page limit. Only the literature cited section (section 5) will not be included in the 15-page limit. This page limit will be strictly enforced. Proposals that do not conform to the guidelines as outlined in this document will be returned without review, thus resulting in a failed written examination.
1.
Title Page
Include the following information:
Title of Project: Do not exceed 56 characters, including the spaces between words and punctuation. Choose a title that is specifically descriptive, rather than general.
Your Name
Date
List of Ph.D. Advisory Committee Members (indicate major advisor).
2. Project Summary: The proposal must contain a summary of the proposed activity not more than one page in length. It should not be an abstract of the proposal, but rather a self-contained description of the activity that will take place during the research period. The summary should be written in the third person and include a statement of objectives, methods to be employed, and the significance of the proposed activity to the advancement of knowledge. It should be informative to other persons working in the same or related fields and, insofar as possible, understandable to a scientifically or technically literate lay reader.
3. Table of Contents: Provide the page number for each category listed on the Table of Contents. Number pages consecutively at the bottom of each page throughout the application. Do not include unnumbered pages.
4. Project Description (see Section C); The Project Description should include sufficient information needed for evaluation of the project, independent of any other document. Be specific and informative; avoid redundancies. The main body of the proposal should be a clear statement of the work to be undertaken and should outline the general plan of work, including the broad design of research activities and adequate description of experimental methods and procedures. Organize items in the Project Description to answer these questions: (1) What do you intend to do? (2) Why is the work important? (3) How are you going to do the work?
5. Literature Cited: List all references. (This is the only section that can be of any length and that is not included in the 15-page limit.) Each reference must include the title, names of all authors, book or journal, volume number, page numbers, and year of publication. They should conform to a standard format. The references should be limited to relevant and current literature. While there is no page limitation in this particular section, it is important to be concise and to select only those literature references pertinent to the proposed research. You should pick key papers to the field and review articles. NOTE: You should read every paper that is cited in this section. It is not ethical to simply cite what other people have cited.
C. RECOMMENDED PAGE DISTRIBUTION FOR THE PROJECT DESCRIPTION
1. Specific Aims; List the broad, long-term objectives and what the proposed research is intended to accomplish. State the hypotheses and predictions to be tested. One page is recommended.
2. Background and Significance: Briefly sketch the background leading to the present proposal, critically evaluate existing knowledge, and specifically identify the gaps that the project is intended to fill. State concisely the importance and scientific relevance of the research described in this application. Why and/or how will it lead to a significant advancement of the field? Three pages are recommended.
3. Preliminary Studies/Data: Describe or present data of any preliminary studies that suggested models/hypotheses presented in the specific aims or that support the feasibility of the proposed experimental approach. A proposal must present research that is both significant and feasible. Present only those studies that are directly relevant to the rationale and/or design of the proposed research. Usually you or your major advisor will have done these studies. Two to three pages are recommended.
4. Research Design and Methods: Describe the research design and the
procedures to be used to accomplish the specific aims of the project. Include
how the data will be collected, analyzed, and interpreted. Describe any new
methodology and its advantage over existing methodologies. Discuss the
potential difficulties and limitations of the proposed procedures and
alternative approaches to achieve the specific aims. As part of this section,
provide a tentative sequence or timetable for the project; this timetable
should be no more than ½ a page. Five pages are recommended.
NOTE:
Proper scientific writing is an extremely important part of science. Whether you become involved in teaching, academic or industrial research, or government policy, your job will include writing technical documents, proposals, and reports. The success of your career will depend not only on the creativity of your research, but also on your ability to communicate your ideas and results. The proposal-based Written Examination provides you the opportunity to work on your scientific writing, and garner the help and suggestions of experienced faculty members. We look at this proposal-based option as an opportunity to help you grow and mature in your chosen field, and as an important step in ensuring your success as an investigator.
PH.D. WRITTEN EXAMINATION PROPOSAL-BASED TIPS
Summary: Browse examples of abstracts of funded proposals at NSF: http://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/ or NIH: https://projectreporter.nih.gov/reporter.cfm
Specific Aims:
□ Somewhat of a misnomer, since you DO NOT want just a specific list of experiments to perform.
□ Need to convey critical scientific questions/rationale that prompt each set of experiments proposed.
□ Often easily expressed as questions.
□ Best if expressed as hypotheses to test.
□ Following each scientific question/hypothesis, cite experiment(s) that will answer/test.
□ Format as actual listing/outline.
□ Numbering/lettering of individual aims and experimental strategies should correspond to the numbering/lettering of subdivisions in Project Description.
□ Debatable point: For this section & throughout (except in Project Summary), first person writing is more readable than passive voice.
Project Description:
□ State explicitly what you plan to/will do.
□ Avoid conditional phrases, such as “We could…” or “Another experiment that could be done…”
□ For techniques that are not commonly performed, be sure to provide sufficient details to convince reviewers that you will be able to carry out the proposed experiments.
□ Avoid proposing significant bodies of work that would require making or acquiring any specific reagent.
□ For example, if your entire proposal depends upon having a specific antibody reagent, and your first step is to generate that antibody, your review committee will be skeptical of your likelihood of success.
□ Be sure to present predicted outcomes of experiments, together with their interpretation relative to your specific aims.
□ If alternative outcomes are possible, consider each and describe your subsequent experimental direction given either outcome.
□ Be sure to consider the possibility of experimental failure/malfunction.
□ Be realistic about what can be reasonably accomplished in the time proposed.
It is strongly recommended that each student
discuss in detail the format requirements and expectations of his/her major
advisor and committee members for the proposal.
PROGRAM
CONTACTS
Biological Sciences:
Dr. Behzad Mortazavi (Department Chair) 348-9810
Dr. Christina Staudhammer (Graduate Program
Director) 348-1538
Dr. John Yoder (M.A. Program Director) 348-1814
Dr. Todd Casanova (Lab Coordinator) 348-1802
Amy Banks (Accounting Assistant) 348-5971
Debbie Eads (Office Associate – Graduate
Program) 348-0984
Angela Flurry (Office Associate ll – Undergraduate Academics) 348-1807
Sherry Herring (Lab Service Assistant) 348-1804
Josh McCracken (Office Associate ll
– Budget) 348-5962
Catherine
Schmandt (Administrative Specialist) 348-8509
Kim Stidham (Accounting Specialist) 348-5961
Kimberly Tsoukalas (Office
Associate ll – Graduate Program) 348-8131
Student Services:
Graduate School – 348-5921 graduate.school@ua.edu
Student Account Services– 348-5350 studentaccounts@fa.edu
Parking Services – 348-5471
Action Card – 348-2288 actioncard@fa.ua.edu