Department of Biological Sciences
375 Dodge Hall (map)
(248) 370-3550 • Fax (248) 370-4225
www.oakland.edu/biology

Program Coordinator:
Sara Blumer-Schuette
biogradprograms@oakland.edu

Program Description

The Doctor of Philosophy in Biological and Biomedical Sciences allows the student to conduct research in any one of a variety of disciplines within biology. Areas of research include biochemistry, cell biology, cancer biology, developmental biology, ecology, evolution, genetics, immunology, microbiology, physiology, and stem cell biology. A student in the program will conduct dissertation research under the direction of a faculty member in or affiliated with the Department of Biological Sciences. For an overview of research opportunities in Biological Sciences, visit the faculty research web page (https://www.oakland.edu/biology/research).

Admission Terms and Application Deadlines

Applicants are primarily admitted for fall semester. Before an applicant’s file can be reviewed for full program admission, all application documents must be received in Graduate Admissions by the semester deadline listed below.

Typically, applicants to this program are admitted for the fall semester. Review of applications will begin on the following dates:

January 15 for fall semester
International students: January 15 for fall semester

Applications received after the program due date, but before University deadlines, may be reviewed, subject to space availability.

Application Requirements

To be considered for graduate admission, applicants must submit all Graduate Application Requirements and additional department requirements by the published application deadlines:

Graduate application requirements
Additional department application requirements

Additional Recommendation for Graduate Admission form
In addition to the two recommendations listed above, a third recommendation is required by the program.
Requirements for recommendations:
Three recommendation forms must be submitted directly by individuals who can evaluate the applicant's potential for graduate-level scientific research.
Applicants must have a strong academic background in biology, particularly in their field of interest. Undergraduate academic record should also typically include physics, calculus and statistics.
An essay describing their interest in the program, expectations of what graduate study entails, and career goals.

Admission Review and Assessment

Admission to graduate school at Oakland University is selective. In making admission recommendations to Oakland University Graduate School, each department assesses the potential of applicants for success in the program by examining their undergraduate records, goal statement, letters of recommendation, prerequisite courses and any other admission requirements established by the academic department.

Biological Sciences Ph.D. Committee

The Ph.D. in Biological and Biomedical Sciences is offered by the Department of Biological Sciences within the College of Arts and Sciences. This program is administered by the Biological Sciences Graduate Programs Committee, which is appointed by the chair of the Department of Biological Sciences. This committee is responsible for preliminary screening of applications for admission, approval of dissertation committees, approval of course selections by each student, certification of fulfillment of proficiency requirements by each student, administration of preliminary examinations for each student, and proposal of any modifications in degree requirements for students.

Credit Reduction

Accepted applicants who have previously earned a master’s degree from Oakland University or another regionally accredited university may request to apply up to 32 credits of lecture courses toward their doctoral degree. This petition must be approved by the Biological Sciences Graduate Programs Committee and Oakland University Graduate School. Any classes used for credit reduction must be graduate-level credits with a grade of 3.0 (B) or above in each course and be approved by the Biological Sciences Graduate Programs Committee and Oakland University Graduate School.

Degree Requirements

The Doctor of Philosophy in Biological and Biomedical Sciences degree is awarded upon satisfactory completion of 80 credits in an approved program of study, successful performance on an oral and written comprehensive examination, and successful completion of a dissertation.

Course Requirements (80 credits)

a. Core Requirements (34 credits)

b. Electives (26 credits)

Additional graduate-level courses and/or research credits (course or course) may be taken as electives mutually agreed upon by the student, adviser and dissertation committee (variable credits).

c. Dissertation (20 credits)

course Doctoral Research (1 to 12 credits per semester) (at least 20 credits required)

Satisfactory Academic Progress

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) is the term used to denote a student’s successful completion of coursework toward a certificate or degree. Federal regulations require the Office of Financial Aid to monitor Satisfactory Academic Progress for all financial aid recipients each semester.

Students who fall behind in their coursework, or fail to achieve minimum standards for grade point average and completion of classes, may lose their eligibility for all types of federal, state and university aid. Contact the Office of Financial Aid for additional details.

Good Academic Standing

All graduate students are expected to remain in Good Academic Standing throughout the entire course of their graduate program. To be in good academic standing, a graduate student must make satisfactory progress toward fulfilling degree requirements, including the completion of critical degree milestones as set forth by the academic program. The student must also maintain a minimum semester and overall GPA of 3.0.

Good academic standing is a requirement for:

Holding a Graduate Assistantship
Receiving a fellowship or scholarship
Advancing to candidacy for a graduate degree
Going on a leave of absence
Obtaining a graduate certificate or degree from Oakland University.

Additionally, graduate students must meet all department academic standards which may be more stringent than the minimum set forth by the University.

Graduate students who are not in good academic standing for any reason are subject to probation and/or dismissal from further graduate study.

Related Program Information

Plan of Study

All accepted applicants, in consultation with their assigned faculty program adviser, must develop a plan of study that details specific courses the students will use to satisfy their degree requirements. The plan of study must be approved by the Graduate Programs Committee and submitted to the Oakland University Graduate School by the Biological Sciences Graduate Advisor.

Preliminary Examination

Within two years after admission into the program, the student must pass a comprehensive written and oral examination. This examination consists of three written exams and an oral exam. The examination is intended to determine the extent of the student’s knowledge and fitness for the doctoral degree and will be designed and evaluated by the Biological Sciences Graduate Programs Committee. If the student does not pass the examination, the Graduate Programs Committee may allow the student to retake the ex- amination within one year.

Failure to pass the examination within two attempts shall constitute failure in the Ph.D. program.

Dissertation Committee

A dissertation committee consisting of at least three members, one of whom serves as dissertation adviser, will be chosen by mutual agreement of the student and his/her dissertation adviser, subject to approval by the Ph.D. program. The student’s dissertation adviser will be chairperson of the committee. The committee is charged with the guidance of the student in course selection, review of dissertation proposals before initiation of a project, and approval of the completed dissertation.

Research and Dissertation

An integral and major component of the program is the successful completion of original research using state-of-the-art experimental or theoretical methods to study a problem of current interest. Each student shall, in consultation with their adviser, and within two years of entering the program, prepare a dissertation proposal outlining the problem to be studied, a survey of the appropriate literature, a description of the appropriate techniques, and an outline of the experiments to be per- formed. The student shall, at the request of the dissertation committee, orally defend the proposal or elaborate on the methods for data collection and analysis. The project shall be deemed ready for preparation of dissertation at such time as the student’s committee agrees that the student has completed the project and that the student is an expert in the use of specific methods required by the project. At that time, the student shall prepare a doctoral dissertation for submission to the committee and shall defend the dissertation in a public oral examination conducted by the dissertation committee. Acceptance of the dissertation by Oakland University Graduate School requires favorable recommendations by the dissertation committee. All dissertations must conform to university standards (see Thesis and Dissertation).

Residence

All students are required to fulfill a residency requirement for this program. Although students may complete some of the program on a part-time basis, continuous full-time enrollment is highly preferred. The minimal residency requirement shall be full-time residency for at least three consecutive full semesters, with at least two of these devoted primarily to the student’s research project.

Continuous Enrollment

The continuous enrollment policy for doctoral students requires continuous registration of graduate students for at least 1 credit each semester in the academic year to maintain an active graduate student status. This includes semesters in which the comprehensive, preliminary, or qualifying examination is taken, defense, and each subsequent term (fall and winter) until the degree requirements are met, and the dissertation is submitted to Oakland University Graduate School.

Some agency and graduate assistantship eligibility may have course-load requirements that exceed the minimum registration requirements of the Continuous Enrollment Policy (e.g., Veterans Affairs, Immigration and Naturalization for international students, and federal financial aid programs). Therefore, it is the student’s responsibility to register for the appropriate number of credits that are required for funding eligibility and/or compliance as outlined by specific agency regulations under which they are governed.

Time Limits

The maximum time limit for completing a Ph.D. degree is no more than 10 years from the term of the first-course enrollment in the doctoral program.

The Time Limit for Completing a Ph.D. Degree policy requires a student to achieve candidacy within six years from the first-course enrollment in the doctoral program. After being advanced to candidacy, a student is expected to complete the remaining degree requirements within four years (including the dissertation defense).

Biological and Biomedical Sciences

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General

Requirements

Major Dependent Concentration(s)

Major Dependent Concentration Declaration