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| Division of Anatomy & Cell Biology |
For the PhD degree, the usual period of study is 3 to 4 years after completion of a Master's program or 4 to 6 years following direct admission to the PhD program following an undergraduate degree. It should be noted that the Faculty of Graduate Studies states that the maximum number of years in a PhD program is 6 years although, in exceptional circumstances, an extension can be requested for up to 12 months. During a PhD program, students are expected to take courses, pass a comprehensive examination, undertake an in-depth research project, and write and defend a research thesis.
Courses
Students accepted directly from a Bachelor's program must, during the first year of graduate study, complete 18 credits of course work with a first class average, of which at least 10 credits must be at the 500 level or above and at least 10 credits must be of first class standing. Students entering PhD studies with a MSc will take courses as recommended by their research supervisor in consultation with the Supervisory Committee. Courses may include those offered not only by the Division of Anatomy & Cell Biology but also by other Departments and Graduate Programs at UBC (see Courses). It should be noted that the Faculty of Graduate Studies states that no "Pass" standing is accepted; marks in all courses must be at least 68% (or B-). Students are also expected to participate in the Departmental Seminar Program by attending all seminars and to present a formal research seminar to the Department on one or more occasions during their graduate studies.
Research
The candidate's research project is an extremely important component of the PhD training program. The doctoral candidate must demonstrate proficiency in undertaking and completing an original, timely and rigorously executed research project. The planning, design and implementation of the research project should be done under the continual guidance and approval of the research supervisor in consultation with the other members of the student's Supervisory Committee. The student's provisional thesis research proposal should be approved by the student's Supervisory Committee before the end of the first year in the program. The key criterion to be applied by the student's Supervisory Committee is whether the student has a viable and well-considered research program, likely to lead to the generation of a high quality PhD thesis. If the research program is sufficiently well designed, the research proposal is accepted and this should be indicated in the annual report which is forwarded to the Graduate Studies Committee. The final research proposal is a central component of the Comprehensive Examination (see below), which usually takes place at the end of the second year in the program (by the end of the third year, at the very latest). Note, however, that although the research proposal is used as a vehicle for the Comprehensive Examination, passing the exam does not necessarily indicate acceptance of the proposal.
During their training, PhD students will be encouraged to present aspects of their research at national or international scientific meetings; some financial support for attendance at scientific meetings is available from The Faculty of Graduate Studies and the Anatomy & Cell Biology Graduate Student Travel Fund.
Teaching Experience
The PhD candidate is strongly encouraged to gain teaching experience. The opportunity to act as a Teaching Assistant usually begins in the second year of the student's program and includes demonstrating in teaching laboratories and the presentation of such lectures, tutorials and seminars as the policies of the Department permit. As noted above, financial support in the form of a Teaching Assistantship may be available from Departmental funds if a student has completed at least one of the departmental 'core' anatomy courses or its equivalent. Under normal circumstances, no student will take a course and teach the same course or a parallel course at the same time.
Comprehensive Examination
The PhD candidate is expected to complete successfully a Comprehensive Written and Oral Examination by the end of his/her second year in the program (by the end of the third year, at the very latest). This examination is organized by the Departmental Graduate Studies Committee in consultation with the candidate's research supervisor. The purpose of the Comprehensive Examination is to have the student demonstrate to the Examination Committee that he/she has a solid understanding of those areas relevant to the written research proposal, can expand upon and defend those ideas orally, and has attained sufficient intellectual understanding of the subject matter to proceed with research likely to lead to the submission of a competent PhD thesis. The Comprehensive Examination has both a written and an oral component.
The written component of the Comprehensive Examination will consist of a CIHR Operating Grant application for the proposed PhD research project. Specific guidelines for completion of the grant application are available from the Graduate Studies Secretary. The student's research supervisor may provide guidance and feedback to the student in the preparation of the research proposal. However, the research proposal and the essential experimental design should be written by the student. The written CIHR Operating Grant Application will provide the basis for the oral component of the Comprehensive Examination. Candidates should note, however, that questions may extend beyond the material presented in the written grant application itself and candidates should contact each of the members of their Examination Committee who will, in turn, suggest pertinent reading materials.
The oral component of the Comprehensive Examination will be held within 14 days of the student submitting a copy of the completed grant application to each member of the Examination Committee. It normally lasts 2 to 3 hours and normally begins with a brief oral presentation by the student. The exam will be closed to general faculty and students. However, in addition to the Examination Committee, members of the Departmental Graduate Studies Committee and the Head of the Department will be invited to attend. The Examination Committee is to consist of a Chairperson (to be a member of the Departmental Graduate Studies Committee) and a minimum of three additional examiners, each of whom must be familiar with at least one aspect of the student's doctoral research. At least one of the examiners must be external to the Division of Anatomy & Cell Biology and at least one of the examiners must not be on the student's Supervisory Committee; these criteria can be satisfied by a single examiner. The student's research supervisor will attend but will not play a role in the examination; only members of the Examination Committee will ask questions and evaluate the student. The Chair ensures that questioning is fair and relevant, and that the student has adequate opportunity to demonstrate his/her knowledge.
At the end of the examination, everyone except the Examination Committee and the student's research supervisor will be asked to leave. The supervisor will be asked for a verbal evaluation of the student, then he or she will also be asked to leave. The Examination Committee will then evaluate the student's performance during the examination and come to a consensus on whether the student should pass or fail the written and/or oral components. Decision to pass or fail either component is by simple majority; in the case of a tie, the Chair casts the deciding vote. If all members of the Committee rate the student's performance in both the written and oral components as passing, the student is called back to the room and informed of the Committee's decision. At this time, the student will also be given constructive feedback on specific areas of strength and weakness. If a minority of members of the Examination Committee rates the student's performance as failing, the student will be informed that he/she has attained a conditional pass, and that further examination on a subset of the topics covered is required. If a majority of members of the Examination Committee rates the student's performance as failing, the Examination Committee will request a second oral exam, with or without a written component. The exam must be repeated within three months, unless there are extenuating circumstances. The student will be given one attempt to improve his/her standing; if the student fails the second sitting of the Comprehensive Examination, he/she will be required to withdraw from the Program immediately.
Admission to Candidacy
The basic requirements for a doctoral student to be admitted to candidacy are:
a) all required course work has been successfully completed
b) the comprehensive examination has been passed
c) the research supervisor has certified that the thesis proposal has been approved
Students are normally expected to complete their comprehensive examination within 24 months from the date of initial registration. A student who is not admitted to candidacy within 36 months from date of initial registration must withdraw from the program. Extension of this period may be permitted by the Dean of Graduate Studies in exceptional circumstances. As soon as a student has satisfied all requirements, the Department will recommend to the Faculty of Graduate Studies that the student be admitted to candidacy. This status is then entered on the University’s Student Information System (SIS).
The Doctoral Thesis
Before preparing their thesis, students must consult the memorandum of the Faculty of Graduate Studies on the "Instructions for the Preparation of Graduate Theses." The Graduate studies website has complete thesis guide information online. The supervisor should read the complete thesis in draft form, and the appropriate revisions should be made before the other members of the student's Supervisory Committee read the thesis. The examination copy of the thesis should not be prepared before the revisions suggested by the rest of the Committee have been incorporated. The formal defence of the Doctoral Thesis is organized by the Faculty of Graduate Studies and a successful defence is essential for final completion of the candidate's Program. |
| Division of Physiology |
PhD Program
Students accepted into the program with a MSc, or transferring from a MSc program are not required to take courses, but may do so at their discretion. Students entering the PhD directly from a BSc program must, during the first year of graduate study, complete 18 credits of course work with a first class average, of which at least 10 credits must be at the 500 level or above and at least 10 credits must be of first class standing.
PhD Oral Comprehensive Examination
All PhD students must pass an oral comprehensive examination within three years of entering the program. The basis of the exam is a CIHR grant encompassing the student’s research, but without the CV and budget modules. The grant is distributed to the examining committee at least one week prior to the examination. The examination begins with the student presenting a 15-20 minute summary, followed by an initial round of questions lasting 15-20 minutes for each examiner. Any aspect of the proposal is subject to questioning; the background literature, the data acquisition and analysis techniques, and the interpretation of preliminary data. A brief, final, round of questions may be held if necessary. The committee meets, in camera, immediately following the examination to determine the grade; pass, fail, or pass with provisions. The candidate is called back into the examination room and is notified of the results. Clear explanations for a fail or pass with provisions must be given.
No further action is required in the event of a pass. A pass with provisions signifies a marginal knowledge base that must be augmented with either a course specified by the committee, or an essay (approx 10 pgs excluding references) on a specified topic(s) that will be evaluated by the committee. In the event of a fail, the candidate may re-take the exam, but this examination cannot be held more than twice. A second failure requires that the candidate withdraw from the program. In all cases, the Chair provides the student, the supervisor and the graduate advisor with a written summary of the proceedings and a clear explanation of the deficiencies in the event of a fail or a pass with provisions.
The examination is conducted by the advisory committee, but the supervisor is replaced by a faculty member familiar with either the research area and/or the techniques. The supervisor is specifically excluded from the examination and its discussion of the candidate. The functions of the Chair are to enforce time limits, and to determine the relevance of all questions. The Chair may, but is not required to, ask questions of the candidate. The Chair will ensure the examining committee is aware of the guidelines and potential outcomes for the examination. It requires approximately one month to prepare for the exam, and students should be up-to-date in the relevant literature.
Admission to Candidacy
Admission to candidacy for the PhD degree requires:
1) Successful completion of the comprehensive exam.
2) Course work, if required, has been successfully completed.
3) The advisory committee has accepted the thesis proposal.
Doctoral Thesis
The guidelines for preparing and formatting the thesis are set by FOGS (Masters and Doctoral Thesis Preparation and Submission). The supervisor must read and edit the thesis prior to submission to the advisory committee. Upon approval of the advisory committee, the thesis is submitted to FOGS with recommendations for the external examiner. Guidelines for the final oral examination, membership of the examination committee and the exam location are set by FOGS (Final Doctoral Oral Examination).
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