Selection of a Research Advisor, Dissertation Committee and Research Proposal:
Selection of the Research Advisor and specific research area is one of the most important decisions of the student’s entire graduate training program, and is a joint decision by the student and faculty member. Students must select a Research Advisor for their dissertation research by Dec. 20th of their first year. Selection of the Research Advisor and formation of the Dissertation Committee must be approved by the Graduate School Dean. Upon approval of the Research Advisor, the student will formally decide upon a dissertation research project. The student, Research Advisor, and Departmental Chairperson will form a Dissertation Committee with a minimum of five (5) graduate faculty members by March 1 of their second year. The Committee will be composed of the Advisor, three faculty members of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, and one additional graduate faculty member from another department.  At least 3 members of the committee must have primary appointments in the Department of Microbiology & Immunology.  If the Advisor does not have a primary appointment in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, one of the three other department members with primary appointments in the department must serve as Co-Advisor. The Chairman of the Department may serve as an ex-officio member of the Committee. The student will submit a written proposal cosigned by the Dissertation Advisor to the Department chair on the planned Ph.D. dissertation topic by April 1st, at the end of the first year in the program.  The proposal should be a one page abstract of the proposed research with a preliminary title.

Qualifying Examination for Ph.D. Candidacy:
The Qualifying Exam should be completed before July 25 of the first year of study. It is highly recommended that students complete their qualifying exam as early as possible.  Students will submit a title and abstract of this second research proposal to the Graduate Committee prior to May 19th first year of study. By July 14 students must submit an original clearly written research proposal (10-20 pages, single-spaced, 12 point type font, with no more than 1.25 inch margins) in an area of Microbiology or Immunology that is clearly different from the chosen topic of dissertation research.  The oral exam on this research proposal should be scheduled before July 25. The purpose of this exam is to evaluate the student’s ability to independently interpret research literature and integrate material from the graduate curriculum into a research proposal. Consequently, the oral examination may encompass several of the areas in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology (e.g.… microbial physiology, microbial genetics, microbial pathogenesis, virology, immunology) appropriate to the proposal and to the proposed experimental technology. Three to five faculty with expertise in the area of the proposal will be selected by the Chairman to serve as the Examining Committee. The majority opinion of the Committee will stand as record of the student’s performance. If the student’s performance is judged to be unsatisfactory by the majority of the committee, the student may petition the Examining Committee for re-examination. Re-examination, if approved, must occur by Aug. 29.  Failure to pass the qualifying exam after two attempts will result in dismissal from the Ph.D. program.  If extenuating circumstances exist, such as medical or family problems, the student and/or students's faculty advocate, may petition the Executive Graduate Faculty for a postponement of the qualifying exam (first or second trial) for a period of time which must be specified in the petition.  Following completion of required course work with a minimum 3.0 GPA (with a grade no lower than a B- in MBIO 601), Pass grades in all required courses with Pass/Fail grading, and a satisfactory judgment from the Examining Committee on the Qualifying Exam, a student may enter degree candidacy.

Dissertation Research Proposal and Student Evaluation:
All Ph.D. candidates will prepare a dissertation research proposal in NIH grant format. The research proposal will be submitted to the student’s Dissertation Committee by April 15th of the second year. The Dissertation Committee and student will meet approximately one month later, to discuss the proposal, and provide the student with a written critique.  If a Ph.D. Candidate changes to a new, unrelated research project, the Graduate Committee may require a replacement dissertation research proposal and approval by the student’s Dissertation Committee. Following approval of the research proposal, the Dissertation Committee should meet at least annually to evaluate the progress of the Ph.D. candidate on her/his research project. Students are expected to maintain satisfactory progress in his/her research project each semester. The student will also be required to present a research seminar to the Department each year until completion. The student will present a research seminar to the Department early in the first semester of their third year, based upon her/his research proposal and preliminary experimental results. It is anticipated the student will complete the degree program in the fourth or fifth year of study.

Dissertation and Final Oral Examination:
The dissertation is to be an original scholarly achievement in research conducted by the Ph.D. student, and should demonstrate a thorough understanding of research techniques in the specific area and the ability to conduct independent research. Following preliminary review and approval by the student¹s Advisor, the unbound dissertation will be submitted to the Dissertation Committee members, and a written request sent to the Graduate School Dean, at least two weeks prior to the scheduled date of the final oral exam. The final oral exam will be preceded by a research seminar open to all faculty, students and other interested persons. The oral exam will be administered by the Dissertation Committee, and will be open to any other interested graduate faculty members. To satisfactorily pass the oral exam, a student may not receive more than one unfavorable vote from a member of the Committee.
The approved dissertation must be signed by members of the Dissertation Committee prior to submitting to the Graduate School by the published deadline date. Please refer to the Graduate School Website and current Graduate Bulletin for specific dissertation guidelines.

Note: Students enrolled in the M.D./Ph.D. Joint Degree Program, who have completed step I of NBME, will have satisfied all of the required course requirements except seminar, Research Ethics, Research Methods and research. Three electives will be required.  They will be required to satisfactorily complete the Qualifying Exam and successfully defend a dissertation research project, in addition to attending all journal club sessions and seminars.

Master of Science in Microbiology and Immunology
Major: MBIO
Degree: MS
Unit: GM (Graduate Medical)

Required Courses:
BIOC 645, Graduate Biochemistry I.............................................(4 credit hours)
either --MBIO 601, Molecular Microbiology..................................(2 credit hours)
-- or -- MBIO 602, Introductory Immunology..............................(2 credit hours)
MBIO 606, Seminar/Journal Club.................................................(2 credit hours)
MBIO 690, Research Methods in Microbiology and Immunology...........(3 credit hours)

MBIO 619, Research..................................................................(1-12 credit hours)
MBIO 620, Thesis (optional)........................................................(1-6 credit hours)

Select two from the following list of suggested electives:

MBIO 618 Topics in Advanced Microbiology (1-3)
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor. Graded. Fall, spring and summer semesters.
Advanced Immunology : Innate and Adaptive Immunity (2 credit hours)
Advanced Immunology: Autoimmunity, Cancer, and Transplantation (2 credit hours)

MBIO 667, Cell Biology..............................................................(3 credit hours)
MBIO 687, Microbial Pathogenesis..............................................(2 credit hours)
Minimum Total .........................................................................30 credit hours

Program of Study

Research Advisor and Project:
Students in the M.S. program should select a Research Advisor, form a Thesis Committee, and decide upon an area of research early in the second semester of graduate study. The student, in consultation with her/his Advisor, should form a Thesis Committee of at least three (3) faculty; composed of the Advisor, one other graduate faculty member of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, and a third member with graduate faculty status in another department. One of the two faculty members with primary appointments in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology will serve as Co-Advisor, if the Advisor does not have a primary appointment in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology. Selection of the Research Advisor and formation of the Thesis Committee must be approved by the Graduate School Dean.

Evaluation of Student¹s Progress:
The Committee will meet at least annually to evaluate the student¹s progress. Students are expected to maintain satisfactory progress in his/her research project each semester. Students may proceed to degree candidacy provided they have successfully maintained an overall and program GPA of 3.0 or higher (with a grade no lower than a B- in MBIO 601), Pass grades in all required courses with Pass/Fail grading, and successful completion of all required coursework. It is anticipated the student will complete the degree program at the end of the second year of study.

Thesis and Final Oral Examination:
All students in the M.S Program are required to write and defend a Master¹s Thesis. Students, with the consent of the departmental graduate faculty, may elect to substitute a written research proposal instead of a traditional thesis, based on laboratory research performed by the student, describing successive research to be pursued.  The thesis must be a work of sufficient quality to demonstrate the student¹s ability to participate effectively in a laboratory. Following preliminary review and approval by the student¹s Advisor, the thesis should be distributed to the Committee members, and a written request submitted to the Graduate School Dean, at least two weeks prior to the scheduled date of the final oral exam. The final oral defense/exam will be preceded by a research seminar open to all graduate faculty, students and other interested persons. The oral exam will be administered by the Thesis Committee, and will be open to any other interested graduate faculty members. A signed unbound copy of the Thesis must be delivered to the Graduate School by the published deadline date. To satisfactorily pass the thesis defense, a majority of the committee members must approve it. Guidelines and requirements concerning the Thesis and final oral examination are set forth in the Programs and Publications section of the Graduate School Website and the current Graduate School Bulletin.

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