G2 (Second Year) Preliminary Qualifying Examination
Students are required to successfully complete the a Preliminary Qualifying Exam by end of fall semester of their G2 year, and show evidence of scientific progress by the end of the G2 spring semester. Satisfactory completion of both will advance the student to PhD candidacy. The candidacy examination committee is composed of three faculty members from the MCO training program, which students will select in consultation with their dissertation advisor. The examination places emphasis on the following scholarly abilities: a superior knowledge of the specific topic they are working on and a broad familiarity of how it connects to neighboring areas of biology; firm grasp of the paradigms and open challenges in their chosen field of study; and, most critically, the ability to design and correctly interpret decisive experiments aimed at falsifying competing hypotheses,
Dissertation Advisory Committee
MCO PhD candidates report their progress to a dissertation advisory committee (DAC) at the beginning of each academic year to encourage forward thinking. The DAC may require more frequent meetings depending on the student’s progress, especially in the completion phase. The student invites three to four faculty members to join the DAC. The committee members may be the same as the candidacy exam committee, or the student may elect to choose new members. Membership must include at least two faculty members from the MCO training program.
DAC meetings serve as an opportunity for the student and advisor to assess progress and plans and receive feedback for the year (next DAC) and longer term (Defense). Integral to these meetings is the preparation of a DAC report that summarizes progress, challenges, and future directions. The substance and format of the report will evolve as students progress through the program. The advisor should be involved in the planning, drafting, and finalizing stages of the DAC report.
The DAC has four main missions:
- To serve as an advisory committee that will provide professional advice on all aspects of the dissertation project—from experimental paradigms to project feasibility and timing to the scientific impact of the work.
- To help monitor the student’s progress and ensure that major objectives and standards for completion of the dissertation are being met. In this capacity, the DAC determines whether the student’s research meets the requirements of the program and when the student may begin writing the dissertation.
- To help resolve any conflict between student and advisor or other lab members.
To serve as liaison to the department and training program leaders as well as graduate administration.
The Dissertation
When the DAC determines that a student has met the requirements for the Ph.D. and is ready to begin writing their dissertation, candidates proceed in close consultation with a faculty advisor. Once a completed dissertation has been submitted to both the advisor and the DAC, each student delivers their dissertation defense as a capstone presentation open to the public and followed by questions from faculty, peers, and guests. To schedule a defense, students are required to have submitted or published at a minimum, one first author manuscript.