PhD Program Frequently Asked Questions

Thesis Proposal Defense

• When do I need to defend my Thesis Proposal?
  The program expects students to defent their Thesis Proposal the no later than the fall semester following their successful qualifier examination.
• How do I select my committee?
  Unlike for the Qualifying exam, you are responsible for selecting your own committee for your Thesis Proposal Defense. Your committee should consist of three faculty members. One (but ideally two) should be part of the Pharmacology Graduate Program and one must be an external member (i.e., not part of the program faculty). The program recommends that you consult with your advisor when selecting a committee.  If you pass your defense your committee will become your Thesis Advisory Committee, and although advisors will be part of if for subsequent meetings, they  should not participate in the proposal defense. The composition of your committee can change over time and does not need to be identical to your final thesis defense committee.  Please submit an email to the Graduate Program office by August 30 th with the names of your committee members.
• How do I prepare the written document?

  Your thesis advisor should help you with preparation of the proposal. The proposal should your full thesis project as you undeerstand it at presnet. A full thesis project will be sufficiently ambitious to encompass at least one (or more) publication(s) in leading journals. The proposal should represent your best current view of the goals of your project. However, as results are obtained, the focus of your project may evolve. During the course of research, you may find that some of your original aims were unrealistic, or you may uncover a new, more interesting line of experimentation.

  As you write your Thesis Proposal please observe a limitation of 8 single-spaced pages incorporating the following sections and page limits:

  1) Summary (including a clearly defined hypothesis) 1 page

  2) Specific Aims 1 page

  3) Research Strategy 6 pages

  4) Bibliography (not included in the page limitation)

  Committees will expect that you could submit this proposal to NIH as a fellowship (NRSA) application after minor modifications, if possible. The guidelines from NIH for the written document are listed below:

  Project Summary/Abstract (one page.) The Project Summary must contain a summary of the proposed activity suitable for dissemination to the public. It should be a self-contained description of the project and should contain a statement of objectives and methods to be employed. It should be informative to other persons working in the same or related fields and insofar as possible understandable to a scientifically or technically literate lay reader.

  Specific Aims are limited to one page. State concisely the goals of the proposed research and summarize the expected outcome(s), including the impact that the results of the proposed research will exert on the research field(s) involved. List succinctly the specific objectives of the research proposed, e.g., to test a stated hypothesis, create a novel design, solve a specific problem, challenge an existing paradigm or clinical practice, address a critical barrier to progress in the field, or develop new technology.

  Research Strategy is limited to six pages. Organize the Research Strategy in the specified order using the instructions provided below. Start each section with the appropriate section heading — Significance,  Approach. Cite published experimental details in the Research Strategy section and provide the full reference later in the Bibliography and References Cited section (Bibliography does not count towards the page limit).

  (a) Significance

  · Explain the importance of the problem or critical barrier to progress in the field that the proposed project addresses.

  · Explain how the proposed project will improve scientific knowledge, technical capability, and/or clinical practice in one or more broad fields.

  · Describe how the concepts, methods, technologies, treatments, services, or preventative interventions that drive this field will be changed if the proposed aims are achieved.

  (b) Approach

  · Describe the overall strategy, methodology, and analyses to be used to accomplish the specific aims of the project. Include how the data will be collected, analyzed, and interpreted.

  · Discuss potential problems, alternative strategies, and benchmarks for success anticipated to achieve the aims.

  ·  If the project is in the early stages of development, describe any strategy to establish feasibility, and address the management of any high risk aspects of the proposed work.

  · Point out any procedures, situations, or materials that may be hazardous to personnel and precautions to be exercised.

  If an applicant has multiple Specific Aims, then the applicant may address Significance, Innovation and Approach for each Specific Aim individually, or may address Significance, Innovation and Approach for all of the Specific Aims collectively.

  Preliminary Studies. Please include information on preliminary studies, if any. Discuss the preliminary studies, data and/or experience pertinent to this proposal. When applicable, provide a succinct account of published and unpublished results, indicating progress toward their achievement.

  Bibliography & References Cited. Provide a bibliography of all references cited. Each reference must include the names of all authors (in the same sequence in which they appear in the publication), the article and journal title, book title, volume number, page numbers, and year of publication. Include only bibliographic citations.

  You must complete this proposal and present it in print (and/or electronically) to your Research Advisory Committee at least one week before your defense. 

Thesis Defense

• When can I graduate?
  After your Research Advisory Committee gives you permission to write your Thesis and  schedule a defense date. You must have been advanced to candidacy for a full year before graduating.
• What do I need to do to schedule my defense?
  You must be registered for the semester in which you intend to graduate and let us know that you are planning to graduate. As soon as you know with reasonable certainty that you will graduate in the current or upcoming semester, you should apply for graduation. If you had applied for graduation for a previous semester but didn't graduate, you should request a change of graduation date to the Graduate School. You should schedule a defense date with your committee. Please try to avoid days in which other Pharmacology seminars are scheduled. You must get your committee approved by the Graduate School at least four weeks prior to the defense date (fill the "Request for Committee Appointment Form" and we will submit it on your behalf). You must submit a Doctoral Defense Announcement at least three weeks prior to your defense (this has to be approved and sent by the program director. Send me the announcement and your dissertation flyer before the deadline). 
• What happens after my defense?
  Hopefully everything went well and your committee requested no or minor changes to your Thesis document. You will have three months from the date of your defense to submit the final version of your dissertation (including signatures from each of your committee members). Once the Graduate School receives that you are officially a doctor and can request a letter of completion from the Graduate School. Your degree will eventually be cleared and appear in your official transcript (and after some more time your diploma will be sent to you). Congratulations!