Thesis and Dissertation Procedures
In the final semester of the degree program, students need to register for PHDA 666 (if enrolled in the M.S. program) or PHDA 777 (if enrolled in the Ph.D. program). Submit a “Thesis/Dissertation Advisory Committee” form, available at http://graduate.louisville.edu/pubs/theses-dissertations, to the Department of Bioinformatics and Biostatistics office. This form requires the signatures of the faculty members chosen for the thesis or dissertation committee. Students need to choose a Principal Advisor (i.e., Major Professor) and at least two other people for a thesis committee and at least four additional members for a dissertation committee. The Principal Advisor must be a Senior Member of the UofL Graduate Faculty, and the other members of the committee must be members of the Graduate Faculty (each faculty member should know if they have or have not been approved as Graduate Faculty). Once the committee has been appointed and approved by the Department Chair and the Dean of the Graduate School, any changes to your committee membership must be approved by the Department Chair.
Once the thesis or dissertation is complete ready to be defended, it is Department policy that all faculty and students of the Department of Bioinformatics and Biostatistics be invited to attend your defense. The defense shall be scheduled at the convenience of the members of your committee.
The University of Louisville and the Graduate School have very specific rules regarding the format and presentation of thesis and dissertation submissions. Information on these rules can be found at www.graduate.louisville.edu The student is responsible for scheduling the thesis or dissertation defense day and time with committee members. The student will need to submit a “Thesis/Dissertation Final Oral Examination Schedule” form to the Department of Bioinformatics and Biostatistics no later than two weeks before the scheduled date of the oral defense. The form can be picked up from the Department of Bioinformatics and Biostatistics office or at http://graduate.louisville.edu/pubs/theses-dissertations. The committee should be given sufficient time to complete its review of your thesis or dissertation at least one week prior to the final oral defense.
