Integrative Biology Graduate Program Handbook-Doctoral Degree Requirements

Doctoral Degree Requirements

• Doctoral Degree Requirements
  • Choosing Advisor/Co-Advisor, Committee, and Topic/Project 
  • Certification 
  • Qualifying Exam 
  • Preliminary Exam 
  • Dissertator Status 
  • Dissertation and Oral Defense 
  • Evaluation and Assessment 
  • Teaching Requirement 
  • Course Requirements 
  • Minor/Doctoral Breadth Options 
  • Time to Completion 
  • Statement of Rights and Responsibilities
  • Additional Program Requirements/Opportunities 
  • Checklist for Dissertation/Defense/Graduation

Program expectations and the timeline for completion are described below.

Choosing Advisor/Co-Advisor, Committee, and Topic/Project 

Certification 

During the first year, students assemble an advisory committee in consultation with their major advisor. PhD students must have 5 committee members and at least one must be from outside the Department of Integrative Biology (4 members are acceptable for the certification meeting and qualifying exam). At least 3 members must be UW-Madison Faculty. For more information, see Advising portion of handbook.

Choosing Advisor/Co-Advisor, Committee, and Topic/Project 

Preliminary Exam 

During the first year students meet with the advisory committee to complete the graduate Certification Form.

This is a formal venue in which the student and committee discuss the student’s broad research interests and goals. The committee reviews the student’s background and identifies areas to be strengthened during the course of the degree program and makes recommendations. Note: Some committees ask students to combine the certification meeting with the qualifying exam. 

Choosing Advisor/Co-Advisor, Committee, and Topic/Project 

Dissertation and Oral Defense 

During the first or second year, PhD students are expected to take a Qualifying Exam. This is a test (typically an oral examination) of a student’s knowledge in their chosen field of research and in Biological Sciences more broadly. The test is used diagnostically by the student’s committee to assess whether the student is prepared to pursue the PhD and to identify deficiencies and strengths. The committee then recommends or requires courses or suggests other methods to fill knowledge gaps or to provide needed skills (e.g., a student may be asked to serve as a teaching assistant for a particular course to fill knowledge gaps and improve scientific communication skills). Should a student perform poorly on this exam, the committee may fail the student. If a student fails they may retake the exam once (within 2 semesters). Note: Some committees ask students to combine the qualifying exam meeting with the preliminary exam.

Choosing Advisor/Co-Advisor, Committee, and Topic/Project 

Teaching Requirement 

By the end of the third year, PhD students meet with the advisory committee to defend a written dissertation research proposal. The proposal defense is referred to as a “preliminary examination” or Prelim. Students must demonstrate sufficient background and understanding needed to complete the proposed research. Normally the proposal will contain preliminary data indicating feasibility of the project; however the Prelim exam should be taken prior to completion of the bulk of the work so that the committee is able to critique, suggest modification to, and agree upon the proposed work. Specific guidelines and requirements are specified by the advisory committee. Should a student perform poorly on this exam, the committee may fail the student. If a student fails they may retake the exam once (within 2 semesters). Prior to taking the prelim exam students must request a “warrant” available here https://uwmadison.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9uZeeZ84x1mOxKZ and detailed below under Checklist for Dissertation/Defense/Graduation. As part of proposal and defense meetings the advisory committee completes the rubric.

Choosing Advisor/Co-Advisor, Committee, and Topic/Project 

Minor/Doctoral Breadth Options 

Dissertator Status is achieved in the semester following the Preliminary Exam. Once students have achieved dissertator status, they must enroll continuously (every fall and spring semester) for exactly 3 9 credits (no more, no less). Dissertator is a unique fee status for students who have completed all requirements for a doctoral degree except for the dissertation. To be eligible for dissertator fee status, a student must:

• Pass the Preliminary Exam; 
• Satisfy the 32 credit minimum doctoral graduate residence requirement; 
• Complete all minor requirements; 
• Complete all program requirements except the dissertation and teaching requirement;
• Clear all Incomplete grades or Progress grades in non-research courses (progress grades in 990 research may remain); 
• Earn at least a 3.0 cumulative graduate GPA;
• Return the signed and dated Preliminary Exam warrant to the Graduate School.

Note: Once a student achieves dissertator status there is a substantial reduction in university segregated fees (SEG fees) that students are required to pay (see Tuition Remission and Payment of Segregated Fees Below).

For more information on dissertator status visit: https://grad.wisc.edu/documents/dissertator-status/

Choosing Advisor/Co-Advisor, Committee, and Topic/Project 

Statement of Rights and Responsibilities

PhD students are expected to meet with their committees to defend a written dissertation during year four or five. Students are also required to present their dissertation research in a public venue (e.g., in the Biology Seminar series). Students must defend the dissertation within 10 years (see Time to completion below). Dissertation guidelines and requirements are provided by the advisory committee and samples can be requested from the committee or found in the UW-Madison Library Catalog https://www.library.wisc.edu/find/dissertations/.

Graduate School Doctoral Dissertation Format Guidelines can be found at this link https://grad.wisc.edu/current- students/doctoral-guide/

After completion the Dissertation must be deposited with the Graduate School https://grad.wisc.edu/current- students/doctoral-guide/

Choosing Advisor/Co-Advisor, Committee, and Topic/Project 

Checklist for Dissertation/Defense/Graduation

As part of proposal and defense meetings the advisory committee completes the rubric. 

Choosing Advisor/Co-Advisor, Committee, and Topic/Project 

PhD Students are required to teach at least one semester.

Choosing Advisor/Co-Advisor, Committee, and Topic/Project 

PhD students must take courses and seminars to fulfill required research credits established by the Graduate School. For those students entering the Department of Integrative Biology during or after Fall 2014, more than 50% of credits (26 for a Ph.D.) applied towards the graduate degree credit requirement must be with courses designed for graduate work. Specific courses (listed below) are approved by the student’s advisor or advisory committee and depend on the student’s research area, interests and goals. In keeping with the diverse areas of research and training for students in Integrative Biology, students may additionally take other courses that have been identified as graduate-level to meet this requirement. Graduate work in Integrative Biology may include any courses numbered 700 and above, there are some courses in 300-600 that are designated as graduate level. Graduate level coursework is identified with an attribute of “G50%” in the University’s Course Guide and Class Search. Below is a link to common courses students in iBio have taken in the past. Common Courses

Choosing Advisor/Co-Advisor, Committee, and Topic/Project 

Students earning a PhD must also select one of three doctoral breadth options; “external”, “distributed”, or Certificate. The Graduate School’s minimum course requirements for the minor include:

• Earn a cumulative GPA of 3.00 across all doctoral minor or graduate/professional certificate courses,
• Enroll in graded (non-audit/pass/fail) courses numbered 300 or above,
• Limit enrollment to 3 credits of independent study (e.g., 699, 799, 899, 999),
• Omit research and thesis courses (e.g., 790, 890, 990) as these do not satisfy doctoral minor or graduate/professional certificate requirements,
• Limit credits earned more than five years prior to admission to the doctoral program to 5 credits,
• Omit credits earned 10 or more years ago as these do not satisfy doctoral minor or graduate/professional certificate requirements

The Option A (“external”) minor requires 9 or more credits taken in a department other than the Department of Integrative Biology, as specified by that department. The Option A minor must be approved by the minor professor or the departmental chair of the minor department (see Graduate School Catalog). These are part of the total credits required to graduate (not in addition to those credits). Every external Minor varies regarding their requirements and declaration please check out the guide for external minors.

The Option B (“distributed”) minor requires 9 credits taken in one or more departments forming a coherent topic and can include coursework done in the Department of Integrative Biology. The Option B minor requires approval of the chair of the Department of Integrative Biology (see Graduate School Catalog). These are part of the total credits required to graduate (not in addition to those credits).

The Option C (Graduate/Professional Certificate Requires successful completion of a graduate/professional certificate in a program outside of the student's doctoral major program. Every Graduate/Professional Certificate varies regarding their requirements and declaration please check out the guide for Graduate/Professional Certificates.

Students must declare in the grad portal system of the type of minor or certificate they plan to complete you should declare the end of your first year or at least before the prelim exam. You must complete all breadth credits by the same semester as your preliminary exam. Below is a link with instructions to declare the distributed minor other options might require additional steps prior to declaring. You should check with on that specific certificate or minor’s guide page.

Choosing Advisor/Co-Advisor, Committee, and Topic/Project 

It is expected that a Ph.D. student will defend the dissertation by the end of the 5th academic year. If this is not accomplished by the end of the summer following the 6th academic year, the student’s mentor must present a written statement to the Director of Graduate Studies that explains why the Ph.D. has not been completed and describes plans that the student and the student’s advisory committee have agreed upon to ensure completion, including specific expectations, dates for completion and consequences should expectations not be met. Continuation in the program beyond 8 years will be at the discretion of the mentor and advisory committee. 10 years is the outside limit by which a student must complete the Ph.D. degree.

Choosing Advisor/Co-Advisor, Committee, and Topic/Project 

 It is the responsibility of the graduate student to make sure that all requirements, time targets, and time limits are met. Students can expect their advisor/major professor and advisory committee to be available for necessary and required meetings and exams. If the student encounters difficulty in assembling all designates for certification or examinations, other graduate faculty can readily be substituted by the student and their advisor/major professor. Students who experience problems in setting up meetings should seek assistance from the departmental Graduate Program Manager or the Director of Graduate Studies.

Supervision of progress is accomplished by requiring that at least once a year the student meet with their Major Professor and Advisory Committee to review the positive and negative aspects of their performance. The opinion of the Major Professor and or the Advisory Committee is recorded on the annual Student Progress Report and filed every spring semester. Students are barred from registering for classes until a completed report is on file that indicates that the student is making satisfactory progress. 

An average record of B or better in all work taken as a Graduate Student is required by the Department of Integrative Biology (grades of P and S are for this purpose considered to be satisfactory at the B level; grades of Incomplete are considered for this purpose to be unsatisfactory if they are not removed during the following semester of residence). For other requirements, such as residence and credit load, the Graduate School rules apply.

A student may be placed on probation or suspended from the Graduate School for low grades or for failing to resolve incompletes in a timely fashion https://grad.wisc.edu/documents/probation/. See Learning Goals listed in Program Overview portion of handbook. 

Choosing Advisor/Co-Advisor, Committee, and Topic/Project 

A goal of the graduate program is to provide students with diverse training that will prepare them for a range of flexible and sustainable careers (e.g., academia, industry, government, science policy and administration, science commerce, science writing, law, and science education and outreach at all levels). There are multiple opportunities for students to gain such training, including earning a Delta teaching certificate, through internships (e.g., in science writing), earning a master’s degree in another area (e.g., biostatistics, biotechnology) or collaborating with a nonacademic partner. Students will also have opportunities to attend multiple seminars on campus, to attend and present at scientific conferences, to publish, and to engage in scientific outreach and education. Students are welcome to seek such opportunities and should then discuss them with the advisory committee to incorporate them into the overall graduate training plan.

A warrant is a program’s recommendation that a student be admitted to doctoral candidacy (a preliminary examination warrant) or be granted a PhD and is the Graduate School’s notification that a student has met both the Graduate School and the program requirements. Warrants must be requested by students at least 3 weeks prior to the prelim exam and the dissertation defense meetings. To notify the Graduate Program Manager of intent to request a warrant follow this link https://uwmadison.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9uZeeZ84x1mOxKZ Once received from the Graduate School, the Graduate Student Manager will notify the student and provide them with instructions for their committee regarding how to sign it. The warrant must be signed by all committee members before submitting it to the Graduate School with faculty signatures upon completion of the degree requirements.