PhD Program

Ph.D. Program Timeline – Including Program Requirements and Suggested Goals

Disclaimer:  This PhD Program Timeline does not replace the “Procedures for Graduate Students in Biology”

 

Year

Semester

Requirements*

Suggested Goals

Suggested credit # distribution

1

1

·       Graduate Core I

·       Form Initial Committee

·       Meet with committee to plan 1st year of study

·       Sometime in your 1st year start contributing to a project in your group that will yield co-authorship on a publication in Year 1 or 2

·       Start your personal Endnote (or equivalent) library and start delving into primary literature to inform development of your dissertation research

9

 

2

·       Graduate Core II

·       By the end of your first year you must have formed and met with your committee

·       By the end of your 1st year have completed 12 of the 18 required course work credits

9

2

3

·       Qualifying Exam

·       Qualifying Exam SACS forms submitted to GAAC Director

·       Attend a local conference during 2nd year

·       Submit Research Fellowship Application(s) in Year 2

6

 

4

·       Proposal Defense

·       Proposal Defense SACS forms submitted to GAAC Director

·       Advance to Candidacy

·       By the end of the 2nd year have completed ALL 18 required course work credits (including the statistics requirement)

6

3

5

·       Meet with committee at least once in Year 3

·       Preparation and submission of 1st, 1stauthored manuscript in Year 3

·       Present research at professional meeting in Year 3

·       Start planning and submitting Grant Applications(s)

5

 

6

 

·       Submit Grant Applications(s)

5

4

7

·       Meet with committee at least once in Year 4

·       Preparation and submission of 2nd, 1stauthored manuscript in Year 4

·       Present research at professional meeting in Year 4

5

 

8

 

·       Start researching applying for postdocs fellowships/jobs

5

5

9

·       Meet with committee in 9th semester to demonstrate sufficiency and plan presentation and completion of the dissertation

·       Complete experimental work and data analysis in 9thsemester

·       Present research at professional meeting in Year 5 (if funds are available consider attending more than one professional meeting)

·       Start applying for postdocs/jobs

5

 

10

·       Dissertation Defense

·       Dissertation Defense SACS forms submitted to GAAC Director

·        

·       Focus on writing dissertation and final 1stauthored publications

·       Continue applying for postdoc/jobs

 

5

 

 

 

TOTAL CREDITS

60

* All Ph.D. students are also required to: (1) teach for at least one semester, (2) submit a grant proposal to an outside funding agency, (3) present at least one talk at the Annual Department of Biology Graduate Student Symposium, and (4) have a first-authored paper accepted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.

Ph.D. Program Timeline Notes:

  1. The timeline for the suggested goals will vary some across labs and disciplines. The important things to capture from the list of suggested goals are (1) the importance of publishing, (2) the value of publishing early and steadily, and (3) the importance of building your professional network by attending and presenting your work at meetings.  Use the suggested timeline to facilitate setting your professional goals and discussing your goals with your advisor and members of your committee.
  2. Contributing to research projects outside your main research project can be a valuable way to gain lab/field skills and skills in data analysis, presentation and writing.Thus, it is suggested that sometime in your 1styear you should start contributing to a project in your group that will yield co-authorship on a publication in Year 1 or 2.
  3. Meeting with your committee once each semester is strongly encouraged. Meeting with your committee once each year is a program requirement.
  4. TOTAL CREDITS must equal 60 at time of graduation and must not exceed 60. This means that if your time in the program goes beyond the 10 semesters of guaranteed support, you will need to plan and budget your remaining credits accordingly.
  5. One credit of an 800-level course qualifies as full-time enrollment. Thus, in your final years, enrolling in one credit of BIL840 is sufficient.
  6. Proposal and dissertation defenses must be advertised and scheduled at a time that does not conflict with departmental eventsincluding seminars, workshops and faculty meetings. Absolutely no defense should be scheduled to conflict with Monday Seminars (12:20-1:30), Wednesday Faculty Meetings (12:20-1:30), or to conflict with Friday Seminars (12:20-1:30; please note that scheduling defenses for presentation as part of the Friday Seminar Series is encouraged).  Defenses must be scheduled during regular term times, consult your program requirements for details.

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