Revised June 25, 2009
Time course of PhD Program. The length of time it takes to obtain a PhD varies among students depending upon how rapidly their research progresses.
PhD students. (5 years is typical)
Year 1. IGPBS course work, select a lab and mentor
Year 2. Begin research work, select a Student Advisory Committee (SAC)
Year 3. Continue research, take comprehensive exam
Year 4. Continue research
Year 5. Complete research, prepare and defend dissertation..
MD/PhD students enter the PhD program after completing their first two years of medical school. They typically spend 3 years to complete their PhD. Then they return to the final two years of medical school.
Year 1. Select mentor, begin research, select a Student Advisory Committee (SAC)
Year 2. Continue research, take comprehensive exam
Year 3 . Complete research, prepare and defend dissertation.
Faculty Oversight: Student Advisory and Dissertation Committees.
A Student Advisory Committee (SAC) is selected by the student and mentor during the first year in the lab. The committee evaluates progress, sets future goals, and addresses any issues and concerns. The committee assists in preparing the student for the comprehensive exam. The committee consists of at least five faculty members selected by the student and mentor. The committee may include faculty members from institutions other than KUMC. The SAC typically becomes the Dissertation Committee following successful completion of the comprehensive exam. Rules governing membership in these committees is provided in the PhD Checklist.
The Comprehensive Examination
The comprehensive exam is typically taken in the Spring semester during the second year in the lab. It consists of two parts: a written proposal (Departmental requirement) and an oral examination (University requirement).
Written Proposal: Learning to write a clear proposal is an important component of preparation for a research career. The process of preparing the research proposal is designed to mimic the process of writing and revising a NIH grant, This is accomplished by the submission of an NIH-style research proposal, which describes the dissertation research project. The scientific problem and general research approaches are identified, developed, clarified and refined by frequent discussions with the mentor and the SAC, discussions with other faculty and students, and reading of relevant literature. The written proposal must be the student's own work, though clearly the direction of the research will be determined in conjunction with the mentor. The student can and should seek feedback from faculty and other students regarding the written proposal.
Format of written proposal. The first step in preparing the written proposal is to develop an abstract describing the project. Upon approval of the abstract by the SAC, the student expands the abstract into an NIH-style grant proposal. The proposal can be no more than 24 pages, double spaced, excluding title page, abstract, figures, figure legends, and references. The student should not feel compelled to use the full 24 pages permitted; conciseness and clarity carry far more value than length in judging these proposals. The NIH provides useful information for writing a good grant proposal http://www.niaid.nih.gov/ncn/grants/cycle/part05.htm . Examples of written proposals that were successfully defended by students are available from the Director of Graduate Affairs.
The proposal contains the following sections:
Title page
Abstract An abstract 1-2 pages in length, double spaced, describes an original research problem, the experimental hypotheses to be tested, and a brief description of the planned approach to test the hypotheses, without going into excessive experimental detail.
Specific Aims: This should state concisely: 1. The broad, long-term research objectives, 2. What the research in this application is intended to accomplish, and 3. hypotheses to be tested. Limit 1-2 pages.
Background and significance: Briefly sketch the background to the present proposal, critically evaluate existing knowledge, and specifically identify gaps which the project is intended to fill. State concisely the importance of the research described in this application by relating the specific aims to the broad long-term objectives and to health relevance. Limit 3-6 pages.
Preliminary results (optional): Depending on progress with your project, you may want to include the relevant data you have generated in this section. Alternatively if the data shows your ability to perform specific protocols/experiments, you may want to include it in the Experimental design and methods section.
Experimental design and methods: Describe the research design and the procedures to be used to accomplish the specific aims of the project. Include the means by which the data will be collected, analyzed, and interpreted. Describe any new methodology and its advantage over existing procedures and alternative approaches to achieve the aims. Your own experimental results, if any, may be included in this section. For each specific aim, the aim should be restated and subsections concerning rationale, experiments, predicted results, and interpretations added.
References: Include complete references to all cited literature, including titles of relevant papers.
Oral exam. Once the written proposal has been approved by the SAC the student proceeds to the oral exam. The oral exam is scheduled two weeks in advance by the Departmental Director of Graduate Affairs who fills out a do-all form and sends it to KUMC Graduate Studies for approval. The purpose of the oral examination is to test the student's ability to defend the written proposal and knowledge of appropriate background material, including IGPBS and/or medical school course work, advanced graduate courses, and command of the relevant scientific literature. A block of time of no less than 3 hours should be reserved for the examination in order to allow for an adequate question and answer period.
The Examining Committee consists of the SAC members with the mentor excluded. The Director of Graduate Affairs appoints a tenure track Physiology faculty member to serve as the Examining Committee Chair. During the examination, the Examining Committee Chair acts as an impartial mediator (though he or she may ask questions). Students should discuss with members of the examining committee those particular areas of knowledge for which they will be held responsible. Students are strongly encouraged to practice their presentation during a mock exam using fellow students as examiners.
Conduct of the exam. Prior to the start of the oral examination, the student is excused and the Examination Committee meets with the student's mentor, who reviews the academic history and laboratory experience of the student. The mentor is then excused and the student returns.
At the beginning of the exam, the Chair of the Examination Committee instructs the student as to the manner in which the examination is to be conducted. The student begins with an oral presentation in which the essence of the proposal is presented to the examining committee; audiovisual aids are encouraged. The objective of the examination is to ascertain the student's facility with the chosen area of research and the ability to defend the rationale and scientific approach of the proposed research. It is fully appropriate for the examining committee to explore the depths of the student's knowledge of basic science relevant to the research proposal. The examination is not public.
At the conclusion of examination, the student is excused. The examination committee then evaluates the student's performance with respect to the following components: the formal presentation, the defense of the proposed research, and the general knowledge of science exhibited by the student during the examination period. Next, committee members cast votes to determine the student's performance. One of three grades is assigned: honors, satisfactory or unsatisfactory. The Committee Chair votes only in the case of a tied vote. The Committee Chair writes a brief summary of the performance in the Comprehensive Exam Report after a decision has been reached. The student and mentor return and are informed of the grade but not the distribution of voting. The Chair provides feedback to the student and mentor regarding areas of strength or any deficiencies.
In the case of a grade of unsatisfactory, the student may apply for reexamination on a date to be set no less than 90 days or more than 180 days from the date of the previous examination. The Qualifying Examination Committee determines the nature of the reexamination. In the event of a second failure, the student will not be allowed to continue in the Ph.D. program.
Upon successful completion of the qualifying examination the student is admitted to doctoral candidacy. The student must maintain continuous full time enrollment until completion of all requirements for the Ph.D.
Dissertation Format. The product of the student’s research forms the basis of the dissertation. Typically this consists of several manuscripts that have been published, submitted, or are in preparation. Each manuscript forms a chapter in the dissertation. Additionally, the student provides an introductory chapter that provides the background and significance of the research project, and a final chapter that summarizes the conclusions of the studies. Students may consult examples of previous dissertations that are on display in the Physiology Library.
The KUMC Office of Graduate Studies webpage entitled “Graduation and ETD information” http://www2.kumc.edu/aa/gradstudies/grad_grad.htm has links to two helpful documents, “ Dissertation Formatting Instructions” http://www2.kumc.edu/aa/gradstudies/grad_grad.htm and “KUMC Graduation Checklist for Graduate Students” http://www2.kumc.edu/aa/gradstudies/grad_grad.htm. The Director of Graduate Studies for KUMC, Marcia Jones (8-4876 or 8-1238) is an invaluable resource in providing guidance in this process.
Other Departmental Requirements:
1. Students are required to attend the weekly Physiology Departmental seminar.
3. Students are expected to participate in the Student Research Forum after one year in the laboratory.
Enrollment requirements:
1. Students shall enroll in a minimum of 6 credit hours during the Spring and Fall semesters, and a minimum of 3 credit hours during the Summer semester. Students who have completed 18 credit hours since passing the comprehensive exam (including the semester in which the exam was taken) may enroll in one credit hour per semester with permission of the Departmental Director of Graduate Affairs, Students may also enroll in 1 credit hour during the last semester with permission. Enrolling in one credit hour may cause student loans to become due. Also, international student may not be eligible to enroll in 1 credit hour per semester.
2. Students entering the PhD program after Jan 1, 2009 are required to take Comprehensive Human Physiology (PHSL 842), a five credit hour course. MD/PhD students are exempt from this requirement as they have studies systems physiology as a part of their medical school curriculum.
3. Students who have passed their comprehensive exam shall enroll in PHSL 851, Seminar, for 1 credit hour in the Fall and Spring semesters. Students enrolled in this course shall present a departmental seminar once a year. Students enrolled in the course shall receive a grade based on their presentation and participation in other seminars.
4. During the last semester a student must enroll in Dissertation Research 999, a 1 credit hour course.
5. All other course work shall be determined by the student’s mentor and advisory committee.
GRADUATE STUDENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE
updated 06/29/09
Thomas Imig, Ph.D., Director of the Graduate Program
Lane Christenson, Ph.D., Co-Director of the Graduate Program
Paige Geiger, Ph.D.
Leslie Heckert, Ph.D.
John Stanford, Ph.D.
Will Messamore,
Student, President of the Physiology Society
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The University of Kansas Medical Center