Doctoral Degree in Biological Engineering
Steps as a Ph.D. Student
Preparation of a Research Proposal
Each student will prepare a research proposal following a standard format similar to those required by NIH, NSF or USDA. The subject of the proposal will be determined in consultation with the student's faculty adviser and the Doctoral Program Committee.
The student will submit a copy of the proposal to each member of the Doctoral Program Committee. If the proposal is unacceptable to the committee, the student will be informed of the deficiencies within two weeks after submitting the proposal to the Doctoral Program Committee. The proposal will be revised and resubmitted until the Doctoral Program Committee is satisfied. Failure to successfully complete a research proposal will result in dismissal from the Ph.D. program.
The research proposal must be presented to, defended to, and accepted by the Doctoral Program Committee within 18 months after starting the doctoral program.
Completion of the Plan of Study
A student must substantially complete the course work outlined in the plan of study (exclusive of research, problems or readings courses) to the satisfaction of the Doctoral Program Committee and the Graduate School before being declared ready to take the comprehensive examination.
In some unusual circumstances, it may become necessary to change a plan of study after it has been developed by the student and the Doctoral Program Committee. Any substitutions, deletions or modifications of a student's plan of study must be approved by the Doctoral Program Committee. The student's academic adviser should inform JoAnn Lewis, 256 William Stringer Wing, in writing, of any necessary changes as soon as possible to assure that the proper paperwork is filed with the graduate dean.
Successful academic progress on the plan of study includes an acceptable grade point average (GPA). For graduate work, the Biological Engineering Program faculty and the MU Graduate School require all students to maintain at least a cumulative 3.0 GPA (on a four-point scale). A student receiving a cumulative or semester GPA of less than 2.0 is subject to immediate dismissal from the Biological Engineering Program and MU.
Students falling below a 3.0 cumulative GPA in any semester will be put on academic probation for the following semester. If at the end of the first probationary semester the student's cumulative GPA is greater than or equal to 3.0, the probationary status is removed. If the cumulative GPA has not reached 3.0, the student is allowed one more probationary semester. Failure to achieve a cumulative 3.0 GPA in two successive probationary semesters will result in the immediate dismissal of the student from the Biological Engineering Ph.D. Program. Unsatisfactory academic performance may also result in a student being dismissed from the University of Missouri.
The Graduate School has a comprehensive policy covering the requirements and procedures to be followed when it becomes necessary to dismiss a student. They also have developed procedures for appeal of any decision by the Biological Engineering Program. Students should consult the Graduate Catalog for further details.
Completion of a Written and Oral Comprehensive Examination
The comprehensive examination will be conducted by the Doctoral Program Committee as specified by the Graduate School. This examination is designed to measure the student's knowledge of Biological Engineering and related areas. In addition, students are expected to show the ability to think clearly and critically and to express themselves adequately in both written and spoken English.
Students must be enrolled in MU at the time of the comprehensive exam. In addition, MU must be officially in session (fall, winter or summer semesters) when the comprehensive exam is administered. The entire exam, both written and oral sections, must be completed within 30 days. The comprehensive exam must be completed at least seven months before the final defense of the dissertation.
Expect the comprehensive exam to be the most difficult exam you will ever take. The exam will consist of a written and an oral section. Your major adviser will be responsible for organizing the written section of the exam. Each of your committee members will be allowed to ask questions in their area of expertise or any areas in Biological Engineering of their choice. You should expect to take from four to 48 hours to complete each individual exam section. Generally, you should expect to complete the entire written exam within 14 days.
After completing the written section of this exam, it is the student's responsibility to make an appointment with each committee member to go over the results of the written exam. Frequently, the written exam will serve as the basis for the oral exam.
After completion of the written exam, the student, in consultation with his or her major adviser and Doctoral Program Committee should schedule the oral exam. The oral exam is designed to determine whether students can think quickly and clearly and express themselves in English. The oral exam generally takes two to three hours. The student will be expected to defend his or her answers on the written portion of the comprehensive exam as well as any other areas the committee wishes to explore.
At the end of the oral examination, the Doctoral Program Committee will determine if the student has performed adequately to become a Ph.D. candidate in the Biological Engineering program. For the comprehensive examination to be successfully completed, the Doctoral Program Committee must vote to pass the student on the entire examination, both written and oral sections, with no more than one dissenting or abstaining vote. Two or more dissenting or abstaining votes will result in a determination that the student has failed the comprehensive examination. A report of this decision must be sent to the Graduate School and the student no later than two weeks after the comprehensive exam is completed.
Failure on either the written or oral section of the exam constitutes failure of the entire comprehensive exam. If a failure is reported, the committee must also include in the report an outline of the general weaknesses or deficiencies observed in the student's work. The student and committee members are encouraged to work together to identify steps the student might take to become fully prepared for the next examination. If, at any time, the student believes that the advice given by the committee is inadequate, the student may send a written request for clarification to the committee. A copy of this request should be sent to the Graduate School as well. The committee must respond to this request in writing within two weeks and have a copy of the response filed with the Graduate School.
A student who fails the comprehensive exam may take a second exam, no sooner than 12 weeks after the first oral exam. Failure to pass the second comprehensive examination will automatically prevent a student from becoming a Ph.D. candidate. This will result in dismissal from the Biological Engineering Ph.D. program.
Once the Comprehensive Examination process is completed, the student or the major adviser should prepare the form D-3, Doctoral Comprehensive Examination Results (PDF).
The D-3 form should be submitted to the graduate coordinator, even if the student fails the comprehensive exam. The coordinator will submit the completed form to the director of graduate studies and the graduate dean.
