Doctor of Philosophy in Biomedical Science

The Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (GSBS) offers a comprehensive doctoral training program for graduate students, preparatory to careers in research, teaching, and industry. The following regulations and policies supplement those of the GSBS (see Student Handbook). The Program in Biomedical Sciences is administered by a committee of faculty members of the GSBS.

Admission and Entry

Admission is made through application to the GSBS (http://gsbs.umdnj.edu/newark_campus.htm). Deadline for applications for the Fall semester is February 1. Prospective students are evaluated primarily on the strength of past academic achievement, GRE scores, research experience, and letters of recommendation. Interviews will be conducted with qualified applicants following review of the application documents and approval by the Admissions Committee. Entry into the program is in the Fall semester. Upon entrance, each student is assigned an Academic Advisor who provides guidance about course work and academic scheduling.

Financial Support

Fellowships are currently awarded by the GSBS for 18 months to incoming full time students, providing tuition and a stipend. After 18 months, students will be supported by their Thesis Advisor, external agencies, or other sources.

Academic Requirements

1. A total of 40 credits of course work is required. GSBS requires a full time load of at least 20 credit hours per year during the first two years. The 40 credits of course work must be completed prior to taking the qualifying exam (see below).

2. Required courses are: i) Molecular and Cellular Biology (Core Curriculum Course; GSND5200Q); ii) Critical readings (BIOC 5290Q); iii) BMS Program seminar series (PHMS 5910Q).

3. Laboratory rotations are selected by the student with approval from the Program Director. Students are required to do three laboratory rotations (12 weeks each). The student can request a waiver for the 3rd rotation which will only be granted upon approval from the program committee (each rotation = 2 credits). The three rotation schedules are i) October-December; ii) January-March; iii) April-June. The student has the option of a rotation in the summer semester of the first year (July-August). Rotations must be completed by the beginning of the second year. Each rotation features hands-on research experience and requires the submission of a 2 page written report to the principal investigator of the laboratory and a copy to the Program Director.

4. A maximum of 12 credits may be transferred from other institutions towards the Ph.D. degree. The grade received for such transfers must be at least 3.00 (B). Requests for transfer of credits must be submitted to the GSBS Dean's office within 18 months of matriculation, and must also be approved by the GSBS. Prior UMDNJ credits can be applied to the total required.

5. An overall GPA of 3.00 (B) is required by the GSBS. The performance and progress of each student will be evaluated after every semester by the program committee in consultation with the academic advisor. Failure to maintain these standards may result in loss of stipend, academic probation, or dismissal from the program, subject to the rules of the GSBS.

Transfer into the program from within UMDNJ-GSBS

A student who is a member of a GSBS Department-based Graduate Program may transfer into the Biomedical Sciences Ph.D. Program provided that:

1. The student is making satisfactory progress in their current program, and has not failed a class requirement or examination requirement that would jeopardize their standing in that program.

2. The transfer is made between semesters and not during a semester. This minimizes academic discontinuities and allows the most current class grades to be utilized in the evaluation of the student's progress and standing.

3. The student is accepted by the Admissions Committee of the Biomedical Sciences Ph.D. program, in consultation with the Department or Program from which the student wishes to transfer. Acceptance by the Admissions Committee is governed by the same standards and guidelines used in selecting first year students. As transfer students may utilize stipends that would otherwise be used for first year GSBS students, the transfer students will be expected to be competitive with the first year GSBS students in their academic records, qualifications and achievements.

4. If the student has been a member of a GSBS Department-based Graduate Program for over two semesters, the student must find an appropriate thesis advisor who can provide immediate stipend support. The Admissions Committee will generally not approve the transfer of a student into the Biomedical Sciences Ph.D. program who is beyond their first year unless a mentor with stipend support has been already found.

5. A student who transfers into the Biomedical Sciences Ph.D. program may not remain in the same laboratory (if the faculty advisor has multiple departmental appointments) or in the same academic department following the transfer, without approval of the both the BMS program and the Department chair.

6. A student in the Thesis Phase who wishes to transfer into the Biomedical Sciences Ph.D. Program from another University due to relocation of mentor to NJMS will have to have credits transferred and also fulfill any additional requirements of the BMS Graduate program. If the student is not yet in the thesis phase then the student has to obtain permission from the Dean of the Graduate School in order to be admitted into the Program. The Dean has to provide written documentation of stipend support for the student in the event the mentor is unable to do so.

Advancement to Candidacy

A student becomes eligible for advancement to candidacy for the Ph.D. upon satisfactory completion of all course requirements, laboratory rotations, and a qualifying examination administered by the program committee. Prior to taking the qualifying examination a student must be in good academic standing as defined by GSBS, and must obtain the formal approval of the Program Director.

Qualifying Examination

The examination consists of two components: (a) a research proposal, patterned after NIH applications; (b) an oral examination, to allow follow up questioning on the written proposal.
As specified by GSBS guidelines, the purpose of the qualifying exam is to assess the student's general knowledge in biomedical sciences, and ability to reason and communicate. As such, it is intended to be interdisciplinary; it should be separate from, and not based upon, the thesis proposal. This process should begin in January of their 2nd year and be finished by June 15th of that year. Failure to pass the Qualifying exam is grounds for dismissal of the student from the program.

1. Selection of the Qualifying Examination Committee.
The program director, in consultation with the Academic Advisor, will select a committee consisting of at least five members, no more than three of whom shall be from the same department. The chair of the committee is usually the Academic Advisor, but not a voting member. If a Program Committee member is not already a member of the Qualifying Examination Committee, a Program Committee member should be present as a non-voting member to ensure that uniformity in grading is maintained.

2. Guidelines for the Qualifying Examination.
The research proposal will be selected by the program director from a list of at least three topics submitted by the student. The proposal cannot be on the thesis topic. The purpose of this exam is to evaluate the student's ability to identify a significant research problem, formulate a hypothesis, and design a logical series of experiments. The student should also demonstrate an understanding of the broader biomedical significance of the project. The proposal must be written independently by the student. The proposal should be no longer than 15 pages (double spaced, Ariel 11 font, 1” margins; Figures and references not included) and should include the following: i) Specific Aims and Hypothesis; ii) Background and Significance; iii) Experimental Design; iv) Pitfalls and Alternative strategies. For further details refer to “Instructions for Preparing for BMS Qualifying Exam”. Once the proposal is submitted to the Qualifying Examination Committee and prior to the Oral exam, the Committee will meet to discuss the proposal and provide a compiled recommendation to the student. Depending on the recommendations the student schedules the Oral exam or revises the document. At this stage the Advisor is encouraged to work with the student in preparing the revised proposal.
The oral examination will be scheduled to take place within three weeks of submission of the final version of the proposal. This exam will involve detailed questioning in specific areas suggested by the written proposal and the student’s coursework; it will also test general knowledge and ability to think scientifically. The examination will begin with a 15-20 minute oral presentation of the research proposal, and will be followed by questions from the committee. Satisfactory performance on this part, as determined by a majority vote of the committee, will result in advancement to candidacy. For students for whom additional coursework or tutorial sessions in a particular area is deemed necessary, the committee may also decide on a conditional pass; a student in this category will be admitted to candidacy once the required remedial steps have been taken.

Thesis Advisor and Thesis Advisory Committee

Students will select their Thesis Advisor on the basis of lab rotations. Following successful completion of the qualifying examination, a Thesis Advisory Committee will be nominated by the thesis advisor according to GSBS guidelines in consultation with the student. The Thesis Advisor will chair the Thesis Advisory Committee. The thesis advisory committee will consist of Mentor + a minimum of 3 additional members. The Thesis Advisory Committee will meet formally with the student once every six months. The committee submits a written report (research review Forms are available) to the program director and GSBS. Students are encouraged to consult with members of the advisory committee for guidance at any time.

Preparation of Thesis Proposal

The purpose of the thesis proposal is to outline the general direction of the student's research project. Within three months after successfully completing the qualifying examination, each student must prepare a written proposal that outlines the nature of the doctoral research project. The length of the proposal cannot exceed 10 double spaced pages (excluding references).

The proposal should include the following sections:
1.     Question(s) and hypothesis to be addressed by the proposed research.
2.     Specific aims of the research project.
3.     Introduction and background information concerning the nature of the problem to be investigated. This should include a relevant, but not exhaustive, review of the literature.
4.     Plan of study providing an outline of the experimental approach and the proposed
sequence of experiments to be performed.
5.     References

The thesis proposal requires unanimous approval by the Thesis Advisory Committee. The program director then will notify the GSBS of approval. The original copy of the thesis must be submitted to the Program Director.

Presentation of Research Seminars

Within one year after approval of the thesis proposal, and yearly thereafter, each student will present a seminar on his/her ongoing research. The purpose of these seminars is for students to obtain feedback from the faculty on their research. The venue for these seminars should be the GSBS Biomedical Seminar Series.

Final Stages

Preparation of the dissertation, appointment of the examination committee, and the thesis defense proceed strictly according to GSBS guidelines (see Student's Handbook).