Eligibility

Students are eligible for the comprehensive examination when they have met the following requirements:

• Completed the Research Skills and Ethics requirements
• Completed lab rotations and selected a research mentor
• The student's grade point average must be 3.00 or better

Examination Committee

The Examination Committee is the same as the Research Advisory Committee. This committee is chosen by the Student and Mentor and must be approved by the Departmental Graduate Studies Committee. The Committee must contain at least 5 members, including:

• 1 member of the Graduate Studies Committee, who will serve as the Committee Chair.
• 2 additional members from the Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, including the Research Mentor.
• 1 member from outside the department, to ensure that the rules and policies of the Office of Graduate Studies are followed.
• The 5th member may be from either the Department of Cell Biology and Physiology or another department.
• The student's Research Mentor may not be the Committee Chair. The Chair will be responsible for ensuring that the Department rules and policies are followed.

Written Component

The mentor and student will develop a Specific Aims Page or Outline of an NIH-style proposal, which they will present to the examination committee for approval at the student’s 2nd committee meeting. The topic of the proposal is typically related to their area of research interest. If the committee approves the proposal Specific Aims/Outline, the student then begins to work on this proposal with the input of his/her mentor. View the Modified NIH-format Grant Application page for more details.

The final version of the Written component of the Exam must be PASSED, by majority vote, at least two weeks before the Oral component of the Exam may take place. Possible outcomes of the written component of the Exam include:

• PASS without modification
• PASS with modification
• FAIL

A majority vote must be reached to PASS WITHOUT MODIFICATION for the oral exam to proceed as scheduled. If the Written Exam is PASSED WITH MODIFICATIONS, the Examination Committee will give specific instructions as to what revisions to the written proposal must take place, and the oral exam may need to be rescheduled. The revised version of the Written component of the Exam must be PASSED by majority vote before the Oral component of the Exam may take place.

If the Written Exam is failed, the Graduate Studies Committee, with input from the student’s Examination Committee, will review the outcome on a case-by-case basis to determine whether or not the student will be allowed to re-attempt it. If the student is not allowed to re-attempt the Written Exam, they will be terminated from the program. The Graduate Studies Committee may deem that the student qualifies for a Master’s degree upon completion of the requirements for that degree.

Oral Component

Passing of the Written Exam will lead to the University-required Oral Candidacy Examination. The Oral Examination is a test of the breadth and depth of the student's understanding of: 1) the department's core courses; 2) the student's elective courses; and 3) their research area (cell biology, neurobiology, etc., as reflected by the student's NIH-style proposal). It is designed to be a rigorous evaluation of the student's knowledge base in the biological sciences and should be treated as such. Students are expected to have acquired a sufficient understanding of the fundamentals and details of the biological sciences to function as a Doctoral Candidate after the examination and to carry out their research project.

All faculty members of the Department of Cell Biology and Physiology are invited to attend the examination and ask questions, but only the comprehensive examination committee will vote on the performance of the student.

The Oral Exam generally lasts 2-3 hours and consists of:

• An Oral presentation. Students should prepare and present slides based on their written proposal. It is recommended that this presentation can be completed uninterrupted in 20-30 minutes.
• Questioning by the Examination Committee and Departmental Faculty. Questioning to the student may occur during or after the oral presentation, or both.

At the conclusion of the Exam, the Student is asked to leave the room. A discussion of the student's performance will be carried out by the Committee. Each Committee member will then submit a written score of Pass or Fail to the Chair by private ballot. A majority in favor of passing must be reached for the Exam to be Passed.

If the student fails the Exam based on a deficiency in any core course area, their elective course areas, or their research area, the committee may either:

• Allow the student to repeat the exam. The student may not re-take the exam earlier than 90 days after the initial attempt but must complete the exam within 180 days of the initial attempt. In this case, the student will be counseled by the Mentor and the Examination Committee as to what areas need to be strengthened before the exam is rescheduled.
• Not allow the student to repeat the examination. In this case, the student will be terminated from the program. The Committee may recommend to the Department Graduate Studies Committee that the student qualify for a Master's degree, upon completion of the requirements for that degree.

Timeline

The Comprehensive Exam must be held by December 31 in Year 3 of graduate study.

During the Summer/Fall prior to the intended date of the Comprehensive Exam, the Student will coordinate the date, time, and location of the Oral Exam with the Mentor and Committee. When this date is set, the student will inform the Chair of the Graduate Studies Committee.

Scheduling

It is the responsibility of the Student to schedule the time and location of the Oral Comprehensive Exam. The student may do this using e-mail or online scheduling programs. The Department administrator may assist the student in reserving a room for the Exam.

Scheduling should be done well in advance of the intended date of the exam to ensure both room availability and availability of all committee members.