Doctor of Philosophy
Course Requirements
Written Preliminary Exam
Oral Preliminary Exam
Thesis/Defense
Graduate School Degree Completion Procedures
Course Requirements
Effective Summer 2009: The Graduate School has approved a new set of course requirements for the Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering. Students entering the program Fall 2009 or Spring 2010 may choose to complete either the current set (Set 1) or the new set (Set 2) in order to satisfy the course requirements for their degree. All students joining the program Fall 2010 or later will be required to complete the new set (Set 2). Click the links below for a description of each set of course requirements:
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Written Preliminary Exam
The WPE, also known as the
dossier, is completed and submitted to the Graduate Program to assess the student’s
ability to successfully complete a Ph.D. thesis. The deadline for submission
of the dossier is July 15th of the second year of residence in the Ph.D. program
for students who began in fall semester, with the expectation that students
will schedule the OPE prior to the drop/add deadline for fall semester (ca.
Sept. 15th) so that registration for doctoral thesis credits can be made. These
dates are Nov 15th and ca. Jan 15th for students who began in spring semester.
More information on the dossier
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Oral Preliminary Exam
In order to meet the stated time schedule, arrangements for the Oral Preliminary Exam (OPE) should be
made upon submission of the dossier. The student's OPE committee typically serves
as the doctoral committee. It is the student's responsibility to schedule the
exam with the committee members and the Graduate School. In order to allow sufficient
time for the WPE examiners to read the dossier and to minimize scheduling difficulties,
the OPE should be scheduled sometime between the start of the semester and the
day preceding the drop/add deadline (so that doctoral thesis credits can be
added if the OPE is passed).
Please keep in mind the
following regulations regarding the OPE:
• Only OPE committee members may attend.
• The examination begins with a presentation, not to exceed 30 minutes,
about the proposed research to establish the ability to formulate, describe
and conduct an original research project.
• The OPE determines whether the student has mastered the material in
the major and minor/supporting fields at the level the committee deems appropriate
for advancement to doctoral candidacy. Thus, the examination is not restricted
to a discussion of the research proposal, but will include questions related
to coursework in the major and minor/supporting fields. For this reason students
are encourage not to delay the oral exam beyond the fall semester of the third
year.
• The adviser, who chairs the committee, is responsible for the conduct
of the exam (i.e. ensuring that a line of questioning is appropriate as well
as observing Graduate School procedures).
A Ph.D. student is deemed to be making satisfactory progress by completing most or all coursework, submitting the written preliminary examination (WPE), and successful completing the oral preliminary examination (OPE) within the first two academic years.
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Final Oral Examination and Thesis
Upon completion of the thesis, the Ph.D. candidate takes the final oral examination in defense of his/her thesis. The final oral exam may take place only after the thesis has been judged ready for defense by the readers. This exam consists of a public seminar in which the candidate presents the thesis and to which the scholarly community is invited.
The Ph.D. candidate must stand for a final oral examination in defense of his/her
thesis. The final oral exam may take place only after the thesis has been judged
ready for defense. This exam consists of a seminar in which the candidate presents
the thesis and to which the scholarly community is invited. A closed meeting
between the candidate and the appointed examining committee immediately follows
the thesis presentation. The candidate is then excused and the vote is taken
on whether he/she passed the exam. The final oral exam is limited to the thesis
subject and relevant areas.
The advisor is responsible for ensuring
the inclusion of the appropriate modifications and required revisions, if any,
in the final thesis. The final oral exam report form will not be signed and
submitted to the Graduate school until all reservations have been satisfied.
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