Ph.D. Program in Endocrinology & Animal Biosciences

Assessment of student achievement in Goal 1:

• Grades in graduate courses
• Qualifying examination assessing depth and breadth of knowledge
• Review by faculty of student progress with close advising and mentoring
• Placement in positions and careers related to animal and human health that require ability and scholarship in aspects of endocrinology and integrative physiology

Role of the program in helping students to achieve Goal 1:

• Close advising to assure that students are being prepared in a coherent and academically rigorous fashion
• Effective monitoring of student progress
  • Includes annual reports on research progress from both the student and the student’s committee chair
• Evaluations of teaching effectiveness of instructors in graduate courses
  • If effectiveness is below expectations, work with instructors to improve effectiveness
• Periodic review of curricular offerings and assessment tools
  • By program faculty
  • In consultation with the office of the dean of the graduate school and/or the unit dean

Assessment of graduate student achievement of Goal 2:

• Preparation and defense of Ph.D. dissertation proposal
• Assessment of quality of Ph.D. dissertation:
  • Public defense of dissertation
  • Critical reading of dissertation by committee of graduate faculty members and a committee member from outside of the Endocrinology and Animal Biosciences graduate program
  • Submission and acceptance of peer-reviewed articles and conference papers based on the dissertation
• Achievement of students as evidenced by professional placements, selection for conference presentations, peer-reviewed publications and individual grant attainment

Role of the graduate program in helping students achieve Goal 2:

• Provide early introduction to research methods and opportunities for research
• Provide opportunities to present research and receive feedback
• Maintain adequate funding levels through research phase
• Provide comprehensive advising and assist in the identification of mentors

Assessment of graduate student achievement of Goal 3:

• Review evidence of papers presented, publications and professional networking
• Evaluations of teaching effectiveness of graduate student instructors
• Collection of placement data
• Review by external advisory committees, both inside of and external to the academy
• Survey alumni/ae

Role of the program in helping students achieve Goal 3:

• Develop discipline-specific programs in concert with the Teaching Assistant Project and/or Carnegie Academy for Scholarship on Teaching and Learning programs
• Encourage enrollment in Introduction to College Teaching I and II
• Encourage participation in professional development programs in such areas as human subjects research, library use, course management software, interview skills, presentation skills, development of CVs, use of research tools, training in the responsible conduct of research, and proposal writing.
• Host discipline-specific training when appropriate
• Teach students how to do assessments in their future professional capacities
• Provide flexible options for students with interdisciplinary interests related to endocrinology and integrated physiology as they relate to animal and human health
• Develop or enhance programs related to job and networking skills, including activity in professional societies
• Acquaint students with non-academic career opportunities

You should try to complete your course credit requirements during your first two years so that you can concentrate on research in later years. If you are a TA or GA, plan to take two courses per semester. Your most productive research time will be during the summer months.

• Meet with your advisor to select courses and to plan your initial research activity. If you are rotating through different labs, you may ask the Graduate Program Director for help.
• Determine who your dissertation advisor will be and finalize the designation of this faculty member as your graduate advisor and dissertation committee chair.
• Explore possibilities for external funding and fellowships.
• Each spring you will be asked to complete an electronic progress report. You may be asked to meet with your advisor, the Graduate Program Director and/or the Chair of the Academic Standards Committee to review progress and outline plans for the coming year depending on where you are in your program.

• First semester: Start to focus on your dissertation research topic; designate your dissertation committee in consultation with your advisor. Meet with your dissertation committee to discuss research plans.
  • After your committee is established, complete the committee composition form and obtain the Graduate Program Director’s signature.
  • When the outside member of your committee has been decided upon, their name and professional address and affiliation must be submitted to the Graduate Program Director and School of Graduate Studies (SGS) for approval along with a copy of their CV.
• Second semester: Continue developing your research project and completing your course work. Hold your first committee meeting. You are required to submit minutes to your committee for approval with a final copy to the Graduate Program Director. Start thinking about when you want to take the written comprehensive exam for the qualifying exam.

TO RECAP: By the end of the second year, you should have:

• Completed approximately 24 course credits.
• Established your dissertation committee and held a first committee meeting.
• Formed a clear idea of your dissertation research topic and begun collecting preliminary data.
• Thought about a time frame for completing the written comprehensive exam for the qualifying exam. This could be taken over the summer between your second and third years, or during your third year.

This is the year that you should make significant progress on completing all components of your qualifying exam. You should first complete the written comprehensive exam. Next you should start working on your research proposal. Your goal should be to present your proposal to the department and your committee no later than the end of your third year. Remember, your proposal forms the framework of your thesis work, which is subject to modification as the research progresses. THIS IS NOT YOUR DISSERTATION DEFENSE: you should not be defending your thesis proposal when most of the work has been completed!!

• You should be working on your written proposal in close consultation with your advisor.
• Determine the date that you will present your departmental seminar and defend your research proposal to your committee. It is desirable that these two events take place on the same day with the seminar preceding the defense. To facilitate this, talk with the faculty coordinator of the Seminar in Endocrinology and Animal Biosciences series prior to the semester you anticipate presenting your proposal seminar so that it can be included on the schedule. If your proposal seminar cannot be part of the regular Friday Seminar series, ask the Program Coordinator’s help in scheduling a room for your proposal seminar and a room for your proposal defense with your committee.
• Prior to your proposal defense, get a “Doctoral Qualifying Examination Form (Admission to Ph.D. Candidacy Application)” from the SGS forms website. Remember to obtain your committee members’ signatures in the appropriate section while all are assembled.

At this point, you will be concentrating your efforts on your dissertation research, in close consultation with your advisor and, as needed, other members of your committee. SGS Submission Instructions: Application for Doctorate of Philosophy (Ph.D.).

Complete your research, write your dissertation (according to SGS style guidelines), present a dissertation seminar, defend your dissertation to your committee, and submit your dissertation with any required revisions to the SGS.

• Talk with the faculty coordinator of the Seminar in Endocrinology and Animal Biosciences prior to the semester you anticipate presenting your defense seminar so that it can be included on the schedule. If your defense seminar cannot be part of the regular Friday Seminar series, ask the Program Coordinator’s help in scheduling a room for your defense seminar and a room for your actual committee defense.
• Make all required revisions to your dissertation. Submit your dissertation electronically.
• Submit your completed candidacy form with signatures along with one original title page (with signatures in black ink) to SGS before the degree deadline. Send the EAB Program Coordinator a copy of your completed candidacy form for your student file.
• Submit required “Graduate Diploma Application” online to the Graduate Registrar.
• Complete additional items listed in the submission instructions.

In most cases, students admitted with a B.A. or B.S. will complete their Ph.D. within 6 academic years. Students admitted with an M.S. degree may finish in a shorter period. SGS will allow 7 years after initial registration before they question your progress.