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Degree Requirements

General Coursework Requirements

The minimum number of units of course work depends upon the degree (see acceptance for MS or PhD Degrees). The list of courses selected will vary to some extent with the background and interests of the applicant. Often students take more than the minimum number of units required. Course work is divided into core requirements that must be taken by all students and electives that accommodate special interests within the broad field of comparative pathology. It is the intent of the graduate group that the course work be selected to provide each student with an area of specialization in a field of principal interest and some competence in one or more related topics. Examples of fields of specialization are virology and infectious disease, immunology, pulmonary biology, environmental disease, neurobiology, cancer biology, toxicology, cell biology, and molecular pathobiology.

At the beginning of the program, each student should meet with his/her major professor and gradute adviser to develop a plan of course work to achieve the student's objectives and satisfy the degree requirements. The course plan may cover at least two years because of the alternate-year offering of some graduate courses. The plan of study will be reviewed and approved by the master adviser. Any subsequent changes must be discussed with, and approved by the Master Adviser.

Acceptance for MS or PhD Degree

The emphasis of the program is the Ph.D. degree. Most applicants with a professional medical degree or a M.S. degree are accepted directly into the Ph.D. program. Applicants with a baccalaureate degree may be accepted for either the M.S. or Ph.D. degree, depending upon their previous academic performance. Students in the M.S. program may change the degree objective to Ph.D. if they have outstanding progress and endorsement from their major professor.

All graduate advisers of the group are appointed by the Dean of Graduate Studies to serve as deputies in matters affecting individual graduate students and their academic programs. This adviser provides assistance in planning the overall program of study to ensure that all requirements are met. The master adviser maintains records of each student's performance. Forms and petitions used by graduate students must be signed by an adviser.

The major professor is the faculty member who provides detailed supervision of a student's program and whose laboratory is usually the setting for most of the student's research activities. The major professor advises on details of course work and other aspects of the academic program that are tailored to suit the individual student's programmatic needs and career goals. The major professor is the chair of the dissertation committee for a PhD or MS Plan I degree and the chair of the examination committee for a MS Plan II degree.

Requirements for the MS Degree

The minimum registration time required by the university is three regular quarters, but the amount of time spent by most students in this program is one to three years. The degree of Master of Science is given under MS Plan I or MS Plan II. The student may fulfill the requirements for the master's degree under either plan.

MS Plan I - The student is required to take a minimum of 30 quarter units of upper division and graduate course work and submit a thesis based on original research. At least 12 of the 30 units must be in graduate courses in the major field as defined by the graduate adviser and major professor. The course requirements must be fulfilled by taking the required core courses and such additional elective courses as are needed.

MS Plan II - The student is required to take a minimum of 36 quarter units of upper division and graduate courses and pass a comprehensive final examination. At least 18 of the 36 units required must be graduate courses in the major field as defined by the graduate adviser and major professor. No more than 9 units of research (299 courses or the equivalent) may be used in satisfying the 18-unit graduate course requirement. The course requirements must be fulfilled by taking the required courses and such additional elective courses as are needed.

Choice of MS Plan - Before starting the M.S. degree program, the student must discuss with the major professor whether Plan I or Plan II best meets the student's career goals. The decision must then be presented to the Master Adviser for review and approval.

Advancement to Candidacy - The student must file an Application for Advancement to Candidacy with Graduate Studies after the completion of at least one-half of the course requirements for the degree. This should be done at least one academic quarter before completion of all degree requirements.

Students obtaining the MS by Plan I (thesis) must have the candidacy application signed by the thesis chairperson (major professor) and the master adviser. At the time the student submits the form to the master adviser, there should be an accompanying letter from the major professor recommending names of two other faculty members to serve as additional members of the three-person thesis committee.

Students obtaining the MS by Plan II (examination) need to have the Application for Advancement to Candidacy signed only by the Master Adviser. The student submits the form to the master adviser together with a letter from the major professor containing the names of four faculty members who would be suitable members of the Committee for the comprehensive examination. The master adviser selects two of those plus the major professor in recommending the membership of the three-person committee to the Dean of Graduate Studies.

The normal graduate group policy is for the comprehensive examination to be conducted orally and for the candidate to defend one or two major fields of specialization within comparative pathology in addition to the field of general pathology.

It is the responsibility of the student to contact the chair of the committee and, in consultation with the entire committee, to arrange a time for the examination.

Progression from MS to PhD Degree - A student accepted for the MS degree will not automatically be accepted into the Ph.D. degree program. An MS student wanting to pursue a Ph.D. degree must be scholastically excellent in the MS degree program. Normally the student will be expected to complete the M.S. degree before proceeding for the Ph.D. degree. However, if the student and the major professor agree that the student's research is more appropriate for a Ph.D. degreee, the student may be admitted to the Ph.D. program without completing the M.S. degree. The student may be required to complete additional course work for the Ph.D. degree.

Requirements for the PhD Degree

The minimum registration time required by the university is six regular quarters, but the amount of time spent by most students in this program is four to five years. The degree of Doctor of Philosophy is given under thesis Plan B. Within the framework established by Graduate Studies, the group's requirements are as follows:

Coursework - The student is required to take a minimum of 30 quarter units of course work, including 299 (research) units. In practice, students take more than the minimum number of units. The required core courses must be taken. Additional elective courses are taken as determined by the field of specialization and the need to prepare for the qualifying examination. The major professor and the adviser should provide the student with guidance in selecting appropriate elective courses in order to assure that the student is prepared for the qualifying examination and the areas of specialization.

The Qualifying Examination - The student must pass a qualifying examination before being advanced to candidacy. The student must satisfy the course work requirements before taking this examination. It is recommended that the student take the examination by the end of the second year in the program.

In addition to general pathology, the student must defend two fields of specialization within the broad scope of comparative pathology (see examples of fields of specialization listed in General Course Work Requirements. The major professor notifies the Master Adviser of the fields the student will defend and includes a list of ten faculty members who would be suitable members of the qualifying examination committee. The majority of the qualifying examination committee must be members of the Graduate Group in Comparative Pathology. Others, including scientists within or outside the university, may be nominated for the committee. In some cases the major professor may be required to justify such nomination. The master adviser uses these names in recommending the membership of the five-person committee to the Dean of Graduate Studies. The Dean of Graduate Studies appoints the qualifying examination committee.

It is the responsibility of the student to contact the Chair of the committee and, in consultation with the entire committee, arrange a time for the examination.

Generally, the qualifying examination is oral and includes:

[1] Examination of thesis research proposal.

[2] Examination in general pathology.

[3] Examination of specialty fields.

By mutual consent of the qualifying committee and the candidate, a portion of the examination may be written.

A thesis research proposal must be prepared by the student and distributed to the committee at least one week prior to the examination. The proposal is to include background information, hypothesis to be tested, specific aims and a brief discussion of the experimental methods. It should not exceed six typed pages.

The committee that guides in the research and preparation of the dissertation is not formally appointed until the student has successfully completed the qualifying examination and advances in candidacy.

Advancement to Candidacy - The Application for Advancement to Candidacy is sent to the candidate after the qualifying examination has been passed. It must be signed by the major professor (chair of the dissertation committee) and the master adviser. When the form is submitted for the adviser's signature, it should be accompanied by a letter from the major professor recommending two faculty members to serve as the other members of the dissertation committee. Normally the disertation committee is made up of three faculty members (major professor and two faculty members). Committees may be composed of more than three members and qualified outside scientists may also serve provided they are justified by the major professor and apporved by the Dean of Graduate Studies. The committee that guides in the research and preparation of the dissertation is not formally appointed until the student has successfully completed the qualifying examination.

Dissertation - The dissertation is on a subject chosen by the candidate and must contain an original contribution to knowledge on that subject. Generally the subject of the dissertation is an extension of the type of research conducted by the major professor. The dissertation committee guides the candidate's research and approves the dissertation before it is submitted to Graduate Studies for approval.

The candidate must present an outline of proposed research to the dissertation committee at the beginning of the research program and must keep them informed regularly on progress and any changes in direction. It is recommended that the candidate and major professor occasionally meet with the other members of the dissertation committee in order to discuss progress, changes, etc.

The graduate group leaves to the discretion of the dissertation committee whether the candidate is required to defend the dissertation in a formal oral examination. The group does, however, strongly recommend that at least one manuscript derived from the dissertation be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal before the dissertation is finally approved. In addition, the group recommends that the student present a seminar on some part of his/her research.

Detailed instructions on the form for the dissertation can be obtained from Graduate Studies. The graduate group recommends that the dissertation be written in chapter format with a general introduction, complete literature review, one or more chapters consisting of journal-ready manuscripts and overall conclusions. Material from recently published manuscripts can be used in the body of the dissertation. Co-authored material can be used as part of a dissertation, providing the candidate is the senior author and principal source of the material presented.

This site last updated on October 10, 2007

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