Graduate Student Information

Dissertation Proposal

Formal "qualification" for the Ph.D. degree takes place by passing the Dissertation Proposal, a tripartite examination focused upon the student's dissertation research plans. This exam should be taken at a point at which the student has completed most course work and has research well underway, preferably by the end of the third year of graduate study. The three parts of the exam, each of which will be evaluated separately by the full Advisory Committee are:

I. A written proposal
II. A seminar presentation on the proposal
III. A closed door question and answer session with faculty

A student who demonstrates acceptable performance on all three parts of the examination, evidenced by majority vote of the full Advisory Committee to pass on all three sections, "qualifies" for the Ph.D. degree, and continues on that track of study. A student who does not make adequate progress, evaluated by majority vote of the Committee, may be asked by the Committee to repeat any sections of the examination to achieve a full pass. In cases of inadequate performance on the examination, the Committee may also recommend transfer to one of the Master's of Science programs.

GUIDELINES FOR PROPOSAL PREPARATION
(For Genetics and Genomics doctoral scholars in MCB)

The written proposal has a ten page limit (excluding references) and the following suggested sections:

I. Significance. What are the broad implications of the research that you propose? What is its importance? The significance section should "funnel" consideration from the global to the specific project at hand. One warning: everything you mention in this section is fair game for questioning. Keep focused to the issues you identify as really important. (1/2 - one page)

II. Specific Aims/Goals. Make use of numbered, concise statements of hypotheses/questions. This will immediately focus the reader on precisely what you will be doing, and place the background in context. Keep in mind that this does not have to reflect historical chronology, but rather should present a series of logical steps. (1/2 -one page)

III. Background. Provide a brief synopsis of the relevant background the reader needs to interpret your proposed research. (2 pages or less)

IV. Proposed Research. This section is the bulk of the proposal (6 or more pages). It is a good idea to have a subsection for each hypothesis/question posed in the specific aims, numbered the same. Include the following subsections under each:

A. Rationale. This is a statement of the logic behind your experiment. Include in this section any thinking that went into your hypothesis, any synthesis you might have made.

B. Experimental Plan. Include in this section the strategy you plan to use to address the hypothesis, as well as information about procedures and protocols in general terms. Your committee is more interested in the logic than in the details - reference common procedures. Focus on those aspects that are conceptual rather than technical, but be aware of any limitations of the methodology you select.