Biology Graduate Program Policy and Student Handbook

Table of Contents

Section 1 - Introduction

The policies outlined in this document are intended to align with those of the Utah State University School of Graduate Studies as published in official catalogs, bulletins, and codes. However, as noted on the School of Graduate Studies Admissions Requirements web page, Department policies may set minimum requirements that exceed those of the School of Graduate Studies.

The Department of Biology offers two advanced degrees, the Master of Science (MS) Plan A and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). The Department of Biology does not award degrees under the non-thesis programs – Plans B and C.

Section 2 - Roles of Co-Directors of Graduate Programs Committee and Graduate Program Coordinator

Section 3 - Admission to Graduate Programs in Biology

Students are admitted to the Department of Biology after the approval by the Graduate Programs Committee and with agreement of a Biology Faculty and with agreement by the Department Head.

Section 4 - Maintaining Matriculated Status, Probationary Status, and Transferring a Degree

A graduate student must meet the following requirements to maintain matriculated status in the Department.

Section 5 - Study and Research

5.3 - Graduate Credit Requirements, Restrictions, and Grading

5.3.1 - Graduate Credit Requirements

1. The minimum requirement for a master’s degree is 30 approved semester credits of which 6-15 of thesis research credits (BIOL 6970) are required.
2. The minimum requirement for a doctoral degree is 60 (For students with a BS only) or 30 (For students with an MS) approved semester credits of which at least 18 (BS) or 12 (MS) dissertation research credits (BIOL 7970) are required.
3. For students within the Neuroscience Program only 12 research credits are required.

5.3.2 - Graduate Credit Restrictions

1. Continuing Graduate Advisement (BIOL 6990 or BIOL 7990), Continuing Registration credits, or Teaching Assistantship Workshop credits will not be used to fulfill any degree credit requirements. These credits are not to be listed on the Program of Study.
2. For a master’s degree, no more than 15 credits of courses at the 3000-5990 level may be used. Of those 15 credits, no more than 3 credits can be 3000-4999 level courses. To be used they must not be Biology courses, prerequisites for Biology courses, or courses required for Biology B.S. degrees. No courses below 3000 can be used towards the MS degree.
3. For doctoral students with a master’s degree, no more than 15 credits of 5000-5990 level courses may be used. No courses below 5000 can be used for the PhD degree.
4. Audited courses may not be used for the degree program or towards status as a full-time student.
5. No more than the required number of graduate credits (see above) may be listed on the Program of Study.
6. After the completion of coursework on a student’s Program of Study the Full Time at 3 Credits form can be submitted through ServiceNow.
7. Course credits in modern languages that may be taken in preparation for a language requirement will not be used to meet minimum credit requirements for advanced degrees.

5.3.3 - Graduate Credit Grading

1. Graduate students are required to maintain at least a 3.0 GPA for courses on their Program of Study. Grades below a B will not be accepted for a graduate degree.
2. Thesis and Dissertation Research credits (6970 and 7970) will be graded as Pass (P) or Fail (F).
3. Continuing Graduate Advisement (BIOL 6990 and 7990) will be graded as Pass or Fail (F).
4. A Pass (P) grade will only be accepted for seminars, special circumstances, interdisciplinary workshops, thesis or dissertation research, and continuing graduate advisement.

5.4 - Foreign Language

5.4.1 - The Department of Biology has no foreign language requirement; however, individual Supervisory Committees may require expertise in a language based on the research or personal objectives of the student.

5.5 - Master's Degree Procedures

5.5.1 - First Supervisory Committee Meeting: After the appointment of the Supervisory Committee, a meeting should be held to establish the required course work and consider the student’s research program.

1. The student will enter their proposed Program of Study plan in D egreeWorks through Banner by following the steps below:
1. Prepare a proposed list of courses with the aid of your Major Professor for discussion at the first meeting.
2. Once approved by the entire Supervisory Committee, complete a plan in DegreeWorks.
3. The GP Coordinator will review the plan within Degreeworks. Following review, the Program of Study will be submitted to SGS for required approvals.
4. Courses required for the degree must be listed on the Program of Study. Any changes in courses used for the degree requires approval of the Supervisory Committee, the GP Committee, and submission of the Program of Study Revision form by the GP Coordinator.
5. All committee members must digitally sign the Program of Study. This is done via ServiceNow initiated by SGS. The approved Program of Study is due by the end of the second semester.
2. A formal research proposal is submitted to the committee before the meeting, which forms the basis for most of the discussion of this meeting. A formal research proposal is typically a document including a title page, hypotheses, objectives, background, methods, and references following the format of a standard grant proposal chosen at the discretion of the student and their Major Professor. A copy of the Master’s Proposal Approval form must accompany the completed Program of Study form when it is submitted to the GP Coordinator for the Department Head’s signature and SGS approval.
3. The comprehensive examination schedule and Committee Members' responsibilities are determined at this meeting.

5.5.2 - Comprehensive Examination—MS

1. All MS candidates are required to take a comprehensive examination. The exam may be written, oral, or both at the discretion of the Supervisory Committee. The exam will be administered by the student’s Supervisory Committee and should be completed within the first year-and-a-half of study, and at least one semester before defense of the thesis. The oral exam cannot be part of the thesis defense.
2. The examination should assess the breadth and depth of the student’s knowledge requisite to the student’s professional goals. The maximum time for the written portion of the examination may not exceed four hours per committee member.
3. If two exams are given, a written and an oral, they must be given within two weeks of each other. A majority vote by the committee is necessary for passage of the comprehensive examination.
4. The Graduate Programs Committee should be notified immediately by the Major Professor, in writing, if a student fails the comprehensive examination. The student may elect to retake the examination within six months. Failure to retake the test within the specified time period, or a second failure, results in a recommendation for dismissal of the student from the graduate program.
5. The Major Professor should then notify the GP Coordinator of the student passing and a signature will be obtained through the Comprehensive Exam form.
6. Comprehensive Examination Guideline - MS

5.5.3 - The MS ThesisThe following procedures are required by both the School of Graduate Studies and the Department of Biology:

1. The student should refer to the Thesis/Dissertation Requirements section of the SGS website for standards of writing.
2. The thesis may be prepared in a format that is suitable for publication in a referred journal, but the suitability of the thesis for the degree is judged by the Supervisory Committee without considering if it has been submitted or reviewed by a journal. The format must meet the criteria of the Supervisory Committee and the School of Graduate Studies.
3. Drafts of thesis sections should be submitted to the Major Professor and, if applicable, Research Director for critiquing while the research is in progress. Primary responsibility for the thesis resides with the student and the Major Professor, but other committee members should be consulted on sections involving their special expertise.
4. When the completed thesis has been approved by the Major Professor, the Supervisory Committee members may request up to four weeks to review it prior to the final oral defense.
5. Committee members who believe the thesis is not ready for defense will notify the student and Major Professor prior to the oral defense. The defense may be postponed in order to make revisions in the thesis.
6. The oral examination is a defense of the thesis document. Only minor, usually editorial, changes may be made following the defense. If major changes are needed, another defense will be scheduled.
7. If the student fails to complete all degree requirements (e.g., submission of the thesis to Digital Commons) within two years of the successful defense, the student will be required to re-defend.

5.5.4 -Oral Thesis Defense—MS
The oral defense of the thesis will usually concern thesis-centered topics. At the examination, the student answers questions about the area of specialization. Advanced notice must be given if topics outside the thesis are to be included. The results of the defense and any additional requirements are recorded on the Record of Examination form, which is submitted to the GP Coordinator for submission to the School of Graduate Studies.

1. The oral defense should be scheduled at least eight weeks prior to the expected date of graduation. It should ordinarily be held during the fall or spring semester.
2. Obtain an Appointment for Examination form from the SGS website. Submit this form to the GP Coordinator for the required signatures at least ten business days before the scheduled defense.
3. The oral defense will consist of two separate parts, one immediately following the other.
   1. A formal Department seminar is required immediately preceding the defense before the Supervisory Committee. The Supervisory Committee is expected to attend this seminar as part of the defense. Announcement as to time, place, and topic must be made through department communication channels (typically an e-mail announcement sent by the GP Coordinator) the week preceding the seminar. It is the student’s responsibility to see that the seminar is publicized.;
   2. The formal oral defense before the Supervisory Committee immediately follows the seminar. A unanimous vote of the committee is required to pass the defense. If a vote is contested, the Graduate Programs Committee will meet to discuss a recommended procedure for action to the Department Head.
   3. A recommendation regarding the Committee’s evaluation of the student’s potential to continue work toward a PhD will be made at this meeting.
   4. Major Professor notifies GP Coordinator of the Defense outcome. The Record of Exam form is then submitted by the GP Coordinator.
   5. The student will receive an email from the SGS Thesis Reviewer announcing the creation of the student’s thesis folder. In this email there will be specific instructions on the process of submitting forms and the thesis. Since the student does not have editing access to this folder, all forms should be submitted to the GP Coordinator. The thesis will not be accepted until all required forms are complete and in the student’s, SGS Thesis folder.
   6. The Major Professor will serve as the Departmental Thesis Reviewer. The student should work with their Major Professor to ensure that the thesis format conforms to SGS requirements. Once ready, a pdf. of the thesis will be forwarded by the GP Coordinator to the SGS Thesis Reviewer.

5.6 - PhD Degree Procedures

5.6.1 -First Supervisory Committee Meeting
After the appointment of the Supervisory Committee, a meeting should be held to establish the required course work and consider the student’s research program.

1. The student will enter their proposed Program of Study plan in DegreeWorks through Banner. Follow the steps below:
   1. Prepare a proposed list of courses with the aid of your Major Professor for discussion at the first meeting.
   2. Once approved by the Supervisory Committee, complete a Plan in Degreeworks.
   3. The GP Coordinator will review the plan within Degreeworks. Following review, the Program of Study will be submitted to SGS for required approvals.
   4. Courses required for the degree must be listed on the Program of Study. Any changes in courses used for the degree requires approval of the Supervisory Committee, the GP Committee, and submission of the Program of Study Revision form to the GP Coordinator.
   5. All committee members must digitally sign the Program of Study. This is done via Service Now initiated by SGS. The approved Program of Study is due by the end of the third semester.
2. The comprehensive examination schedule and Committee Member’s responsibilities are determined at this meeting.

5.6.2 - Comprehensive Examination—PhD

1. A comprehensive examination consisting of written and oral parts is required for PhD candidates.
   1. The comprehensive examination(s) will be required no later than two (2) years after beginning the program
   2. The examinations will be used to probe the breadth and depth of the student’s knowledge of his/her area of specialization and of designated areas of knowledge that are requisite to the student’s professional goals.
   3. Examinations will contain questions of a broad, synthetic nature and those more specific in design.
2. The maximum time for the written portions of the examination may not exceedeight hours per committee member.
3. The oral examination is required and must be completed within one month after the student is notified of the results of the written examination.
   1. The oral examination may cover any subject deemed appropriate by the committee.
   2. Students should discuss ownership of their research and copyright information with their committee and any co-authors.
4. After completion of the oral examination, the Committee will vote on the student’s performance on the entire comprehensive (written and oral) examination. Two or more dissenting votes results in a failure of the oral exam.
5. After completion of both parts of the comprehensive exam, the Record of Comprehensive Exam form must be filed with the GP Coordinator.
6. If a student fails the comprehensive examination, the student may elect to retake the examination within six months. Failure to retake the test within the specified time period, or a second failure, results in a recommendation for dismissal of the student from the graduate program.
7. A formal research proposal is submitted to the Committee at this time. A formal research proposal is typically a document including a title page, hypotheses, objectives, background, and references following the format of a standard grant proposal chosen at the discretion of the student and their Major Professor.
8. The student should fill out the Application for Candidacy form within ServiceNow. Students should attach their proposal to this form. This form must be submitted no later than three months prior to the final defense.
9. Comprehensive Examination Guideline - PhD

5.6.3 - The PhD dissertation
The following procedures are required by School of Graduate Studies and the Department of Biology:

1. The student should refer to the Thesis/Dissertation Requirements section of the SGS website for standards of writing.
2. The dissertation may be prepared in a format that is suitable for publication in a referred journal, but the suitability of the dissertation for the degree is judged by the Supervisory Committee without considering if it has been submitted or reviewed by a journal. The format must meet the criteria of the Supervisory Committee and the School of Graduate Studies.
3. Drafts of dissertation sections should be submitted to the Major Professor and, if applicable, Research Director for critiquing while the research is in progress. Primary responsibility for the dissertation resides with the student and the Major Professor, but other committee members should be consulted on sections involving their special expertise.
4. Any sections submitted for publication before the Final Defense should be reviewed by the Supervisory Committee before submission.
5. When the completed dissertation has been approved by the Major Professor, the Supervisory Committee members may request up to four weeks to review it prior to the final oral defense.
6. Committee members who believe the dissertation is not ready for defense will notify the student and Major Professor prior to the oral defense. The defense may be postponed in order to make revisions in the dissertation.
7. The oral examination is a defense of the dissertation document. Only minor, usually editorial, changes may be made following the defense. If major changes are needed, another defense will be scheduled.
8. If the student fails to complete all degree requirements (e.g., submission of the dissertation to Digital Commons) within two years of the successful defense, the student will be required to redefend.

5.6.4 - Oral Dissertation Defense—PhD
The oral defense of the dissertation will usually concern dissertation-centered topics. At the examination, the student answers questions about the area of specialization. Advanced notice must be given if topics outside the dissertation are to be included.

1. The oral defense should be scheduled at least eight weeks prior to the expected date of graduation. It should ordinarily be held during the fall or spring semester.
2. Fill out an Appointment for Examination form within ServiceNow at least 10 business days before scheduled defense date.
3. The oral defense will consist of two separate parts, one immediately following the other.
1. A formal Department seminar is required immediately preceding the defense before the Supervisory Committee. The Supervisory Committee is expected to attend this seminar as part of the defense. Announcement as to time, place, and topic must be made through department communication channels (typically an e-mail announcement sent by the GP Coordinator) the week preceding the seminar. It is the student’s responsibility to see that the seminar is publicized.
2. The formal oral defense before the Supervisory Committee immediately follows the seminar. A unanimous vote of the committee is required to pass the defense. If a vote is contested, the Graduate Programs Committee will meet to discuss a recommended procedure for action to the Department Head.
4. The results of the defense and any additional requirements are recorded on the Record of Examination form, which is submitted by the GP Coordinator within ServiceNow.
5. The student will receive an email from the SGS Dissertation Reviewer announcing the creation of the student’s dissertation folder. In this email there will be specific instructions on the process of submitting forms and the dissertation (as a pdf). Since the student does not have editing access to this folder, all forms should be submitted to the GP Coordinator. The dissertation will not be accepted until all required forms are complete and in the student’s SGS Dissertation folder.
6. The Major Professor will serve as the Departmental Dissertation Reviewer. The student should work with their Major Professor to ensure that the dissertation format conforms to SGS requirements. Once the dissertation is ready for submission it will be forwarded by the GP Coordinator to the SGS Dissertation Reviewer for approval.

5.7 - Teaching Experience

5.7.1 - Teaching is considered to be an important part of the education of a graduate student. For this reason, each candidate in the Department of Biology is advised to gain some teaching experience.

1. MS program—at least one semester of relevant experience is advised.
2. PhD program—at least two semesters of relevant experience are advised.
3. This experience may be obtained as an annual teaching assistant or by paid or unpaid assistance in an assigned class.

5.8 - Annual Professional Development Plan

5.8.1 - The Annual Professional Development Plan (APDP) documents a review of the student’s progress, identifies strengths and weaknesses, and sets goals for the coming year. This review must be completed yearly by the end of Spring Semester. The APDP form accompanies the Annual Professional Development Meeting (APDM). Students who are in their first year and have not yet formed a committee will complete the form with their major advisor only.

To complete the process:

1. The student completes the Individual Development Plan (IDP) within Canvas.
2. The student completes the student portion of the APDP within ServiceNow. The student should use the IDP to guide the completion of the form.
3. Members of the Advisory Committee complete their portion of the APDP within ServiceNow.
4. The Meeting:
1. The student arranges the APDM with the committee
2. During the APDM the student and committee should discuss the student’s progress, the student portion of the APDP, and facilitate the identification and completion of goals

5.8.2 - Why We Have Committees. Your committee is there to provide support for your dissertation (feedback, brainstorming, and guidance) and your future career goals (perspectives, guidance, and letters of recommendation). Although your committee will evaluate your work to help guide progress to your larger career goals, they are ultimately just a group of people that have experience in your current field and want to help you succeed. It is a rare opportunity in the professional world to have a full team of people established in your field and invested in your early success. It can be an incredibly empowering resource.
Committees are as useful as the relationships you form with your committee members. Putting more time into those relationships will build a more useful committee. All students must form a committee, have yearly committee meetings, set up and pass a qualifying exam that is administered by their committee, and present their dissertation to their committee for approval. But beyond these necessary committee interactions, the degree to which you will interact with and rely on your committee is up to you. There is no “right” amount of interaction and you get to decide when and how to build those relationships over time.

Ways to generate stronger relationships with your committee members include
1. Hosting effective and interactive committee meetings (see guidelines below)
2. Meeting with committee members to plan for, discuss, and take your qualifying exams
3. Reaching out to individual committee members when questions or opportunities arise that they can provide feedback on (these could be related to labwork, fieldwork, or more general career goals). In these emails or meetings, it can be helpful to send a brief summary/update of your research questions and work-to-date before the meeting. Faculty may have upwards of 10 research projects swirling in their brains, between projects in their own labs and thesis committees. Giving time for your committee members to re-wrap their heads around the specifics of your project will foster a more effective meeting.
4. Interact with your committee members during departmental events (seminars, coffee hours, etc.). Use these ‘water cooler’ moments to get to know them as people and as scientists. What was their path to science, or to their organism? Did they consider other careers as well? What are their favorite parts of being a faculty member? Swap questions about each others’ research; perhaps a committee member is developing a project of particular relevance to your own, or has read a new paper that is relevant. This is also an opportunity to practice talking about your research.

5.8.3 - How to Run an Effective Committee Meeting
Created: 15 April 2024
By: Biology Graduate Programs Committee
Updated: 15 April 2024

1. Purpose - The purpose of this document is to help Biology graduate students think about the most effective way to get help from their committees
2. Why have committee meetings? - Meeting with your committee is a good way to get feedback on your research, ensure you are on the right trajectory to meet your educational and career goals, and get to know your committee members so they can write you good letters of recommendation.
3. How often should you have committee meetings? - The College of Science requires graduate students to meet with their committees at least once per year. However, you are welcome to call committee meetings or meet with individual committee members more frequently. You should feel free to go for them to request guidance or advice at any time.
4. How to schedule a committee meeting - Many students feel compelled to wait until the end of the semester/year to schedule committee meetings, because they want “more to show” for themselves. This leads to scheduling bottlenecks since many people are on multiple committees. Scheduling earlier in the semester may be useful. Also, please keep in mind that many faculty are on 9-month appointments and do not plan for committee work over the summer.
   It may be a good idea to first get a sense of weeks that would generally work for most members (i.e. no one is out of town). Then send out a poll with times spanning about two weeks. (Including more than two weeks can be cumbersome when filling out multiple polls.) Be sure to follow-up on polls quickly – within a couple of days, because everyone’s schedule changes quickly
5. How to prepare for a committee meeting
   1. Think about what you most want to get out of the meeting – make some goals
   2. Plan a time budget; Try to keep the meeting to one hour; Allocate the most time to whatever it is that you want to get the most help/feedback
   3. Complete the self-assessment portion of the APDP and any other forms appropriate for your stage (e.g. program of study, etc)
   4. Prepare a brief presentation or handout that includes
      • Introductions (if applicable – i.e. for first meeting of the committee)
      • Brief overview of your research [Include the rationale/objective, hypotheses/predictions where appropriate, methods, summary of results and their interpretation]
      • Justification for self-evaluation on the APDP
        • Provide committee members information they need to fill out the APDP (e.g., conferences you presented at, manuscripts you authored, collaborations you formed)
      • Timeline updates
   5. Send a copy of your CV to your committee
6. During the meeting - It is up to you how you run the meeting. We recommend providing an outline/agenda of the meeting at the start establishing what your main objectives are for the meeting, and letting everyone know where you want to prioritize time during the meeting to meet those goals. Your advisor can help you brainstorm appropriate goals for the meeting. After that, you may want to run through a presentation/handout to summarize your research questions and work so far. You will also want to make sure to take care of any business matters, such as approving a Program of Study or planning for comprehensive exams. Take notes to organize feedback from your committee. As your committee members discuss your project, note the unique strengths/areas of expertise of different committee members that you may want to follow up on later in 1:1 meetings
7. After the meeting - Review any notes you or your advisor made during the meeting, and follow-up on things you would like to discuss further. It is very reasonable to ask specific committee members for an additional meeting to go over suggestions in more detail. Set goals and make a plan for sticking to them
8. Additional things to consider
   1. Your committee wants to help you succeed!
   2. This is your time to get the help that you want!

5.9 - Duration of Degree Program

5.9.1 - Graduate study must be completed in a reasonable time. Students may use this section to guide their progress in the Department of Biology.

1. Under normal circumstances, a student entering the graduate program with a BS degree should complete a MS degree in two to three years of full-time study, or a PhD in four to six years of full-time study.
2. A master's degree must be completed within six years of matriculation. A doctorate must be completed within eight years of matriculation. Coursework for a graduate degree undertaken at USU or transferred to USU must be completed within eight years. Credit will be lost (if not revalidated) for work older than eight years.
   1. To revalidate coursework over eight years old, the Supervisory Committee must develop a plan for revalidation with approval by the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies. Procedures used may be:
      • Testing
      • Requiring the course work to be repeated, and/or
      • Other (must be clearly defined by the Supervisory Committee and is subject to approval by the Co-Directors of Graduate Programs, Department Head, and the Graduate Dean).

5.9.2 - The results must be verified in writing to the Graduate Dean, the Department Head and the Co-Directors of Graduate Programs by the student's Major Professor or other person(s) responsible for the testing. Work experience cannot be substituted for out-ofdate coursework or used for revalidation.