Steps to a Graduate Degree

Welcome to the Department of Biology at WVU! The Department of Biology's Graduate Program is dedicated to scholarship in academics and research.

The objectives of the program are to empower students to:

recognize important biological problems;
design, execute, and analyze experiments aimed at solving important problems; and
communicate their findings in oral and written form.

In addition, the program hopes to foster an awareness of the social and political issues of the day related to biology, and a desire to continue independent study after graduation. Importantly, we are dedicated to supporting you through the successful completion of your degree. In addition to the departmental procedures described in this handbook, below is a list of helpful resources to guide through your graduate experience:

Programmatic resources:

General resources for Graduate Students

The Department of Biology offers graduate courses and research that lead to M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Biology. These degrees share many programmatic details, but differences will be indicated throughout the handbook.

WVU Academic Catalog Links

Steps for the M.S. Degree (Academic Catalog) Steps for the Ph.D. Degree (Academic Catalog)

Step 1: Rotation: Selection of an Advisor (MS and Ph.D. students).

Note: Students who enter knowing who their advisor will be (by mutual consent of the student and faculty member), please skip to Step 2.

Choosing a faculty advisor is one of the most important decisions a student makes. Students may have identified more than one Advisor willing to support them and would like to spend time working with each advisor before making a decision. In this case, a student can take part in a formal process called 'rotation'. During this time the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies serves as the temporary advisor for the graduate student and the Graduate Committee will act as the student’s committee, should committee input be required on any issue.

Purpose: Rotation among laboratories serves both students and faculty. The intention of this activity is to acquaint the incoming student with research opportunities in the laboratories of their potential advisors and to give the student the information needed to make an informed choice. The student's activities will be directed by the faculty and may include informal discussions, assigned readings followed by discussions, lab tours, field trips, assisting graduate students, technicians, or postdoctoral associates with experiments, or other activities deemed appropriate within the time constraints of the rotation. For faculty, the rotation allows them to assess the existence of a good match for a mentor-student relationship in their laboratory. The goal by the end of the semester is for the student to select a consenting professor to be their permanent Advisor. If at the end of the rotation period the student does not wish to join either lab or no faculty member wishes to have the student join the lab, the student will have the next semester to find a faculty advisor willing to support them. During this time, the student will be supported by a graduate teaching assistantship. If they cannot find a faculty advisor, they will be dismissed from the program.

Student responsibilities: Students in consultation with the potential advisors will set the rotation order. After these arrangements are made, they must be communicated, in writing, to the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies within the 1 ^st two weeks of their first semester. Students are expected to do all assignments on time and keep appointments with potential faculty advisors. The student is expected to spend 3 - 4 hours per week per credit hour of BIOL 797 on rotation-related activities.

Faculty role: Faculty participating in a rotation will coordinate rotation activities in their lab. If the student selects an advisor prior to rotating in another faculty member’s lab, that faculty member may choose to 'opt out' of the rotation. Opting out may occur at the faculty member's prerogative but is not a choice the student may make once the rotation is underway. Faculty will jointly help the student generate a 797 workload plan for the rotation semester.

Duration: The whole rotation will last for one semester . The duration in each person's lab will be either 1 mo. (for a 3-lab rotation) or 1.5 mo. (for a 2-lab rotation). By the end of the rotation semester, students must select a faculty advisor.

Credit: The student must sign up for a minimum of 2 credits of Biol. 797.

Step 2: Selection of an Advisory Committee (for MS and Ph.D. students)

The Advisory Committee must be formed by the start of the first Spring semester. Before the end of the first Spring semester the Advisory Committee must have reviewed and approved the student’s Program of Study (POS). It is the job of the Advisory Committee to meet with the student to plan coursework, discuss the student’s research project, approve the POS, provide feedback and advice as a result of progress reports on the research and career goals, and conduct the thesis defense. The faculty advisor is the Chairperson of the Advisory Committee and must be a member of the Biology Department. Exceptions to this rule may be granted in individual cases by the Biology Graduate Committee. Additional committee members from West Virginia University must be members of the Graduate Faculty (as defined here). Committee members who are not members of West Virginia University, or are otherwise not a member of the Graduate Faculty, may be requested to submit their qualifications to the Biology Graduate Committee for approval.

The committee is expected to meet with the student at least once per year after the student and advisor complete the annual Individualized Development Plan (IDP). Each Spring, the student and advisor will respond to a departmentally provided series of questions evaluating the student’s progress in the technical aspects of their development as a researcher and the professional aspects of their development as an academic. Student and advisor will then meet to discuss both assessments and provide a summary of student strengths and areas for development. The student will then have their annual committee meeting the second week of the fall semester. The student will first meet with the advisory committee to discuss their general progress without their advisor present and then the advisor will meet with the advisory committee without the student present. This will then be followed by a short presentation on research progress, future research directions for the next year and discussion of any missed benchmarks.

In the M.S. degree program, the Advisory Committee consists of at least three people; the Chairperson (the student’s faculty advisor) and at least two additional members who are chosen by the student in consultation with their advisor. One of the additional members may be (but does not have to be) from outside the Department of Biology. No more than one person may be a non-member of the graduate faculty at WVU.

In the Ph.D. program, the Advisory Committee consists of four or more people: The Chairperson (Advisor) and three or more additional members chosen by the student in consultation with the Advisor. One, but not more than two, of the additional members must be from outside the Department of Biology. No more than one person may be a non-member of the graduate faculty at WVU.

University guidance on committee composition can be found here: Degree Regulations in the Academic Catalog

Step 3: Program of Study (for MS and Ph.D. students).

For an M.S. student, the POS is a written document consisting of two parts: 1) an outline of past, present, and future course work for their graduate student career; and 2) a written plan of a student's proposed research project. A written POS must be approved by an M.S. student's Advisory Committee no later than two semesters after entering the program. Students are required to take BIOL 681 (Research Project Development) which ensures that students complete this benchmark as scheduled. Students starting in the Summer semester may complete the POS by the end of the Spring semester so that they can take BIOL 681.

A student’s plan for future coursework will be based on expected course offerings in the coming years, but if those courses are not offered, or the timing is different than proposed, then changes/adjustments to the POS can be submitted to the student’s committee for approval. The coursework summary must follow a standard format (See Appendix C), and any changes/adjustments to the planned course schedule must be approved by the Advisory Committee and then submitted to the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies.

The Research Plan contained in the POS is intended to enable students to begin their research in a timely fashion with the benefit of input from the Advisory Committee. The research plan must be no more than 5 single-spaced pages in length and follow a standard format (See Appendix C). It must be written by the student and approved by the student's Advisory Committee. A student's research project is selected according to their interests and goals through consultation with the student’s faculty Advisor and Advisory Committee. The Research Plan in the POS, however, is separate from the Ph.D. Research Proposal (see below).

Upon approval of the entire POS by the student's Advisory Committee, a signed copy is e-mailed by the Research Advisor to the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies, the Student and the Advisory Committee to be placed on file.

Late Programs of Study are detrimental for both students and their committees. If you fall behind, you will be asked to complete this task within a prescribed time or you will need to provide a letter of explanation to the Graduate Committee at least two weeks before the end of the semester which (a) outlines the reasons you believe this goal is unattainable, and (b) proposes an alternative timeline. The Graduate Committee will then make a decision, and may, at its option, grant a 1-semester grace period. Alternatively, the Graduate Committee will call for a meeting with you and your advisor to discuss your future in the graduate program. Secondary appeals of such decisions to the Departmental Chair will be possible.

Purpose: The POS ensures that the student receives guidance on their course work and research project as early as possible and that the student’s committee becomes actively involved in guiding their education.

Timing: The POS should be completed by the end of the 2 ^nd semester and approved by the student’s advisory committee at the first meeting of the committee with the student.

Criteria for Approval: The student meets course-credit expectations, and their advisory committee approves the student’s coursework plan. The coursework plan should adequately support the student’s research and career-development goals.

Step 4: Curriculum Requirements for M.S. students

MS students are required to complete a minimum of 27 graduate credits at the 400 level or above. Only 6 credits at the 400 level may be used. Students must be registered for 9 credits each semester (i.e. be considered “full-time”) to hold an assistantship in the Fall and Spring. Number of credits required for the Summer semester depend upon the situation of the individual student (student loans, international vs. domestic).

Curriculum requirements & constraints for an M.S. student include the following:

Coursework: Students are required to complete a minimum of 12 credit hours of graduate coursework at the 400 level or above. Only coursework where the grade earned is A, B, C, P, or S can be counted, and only 6 credits of coursework at the 400 level may be used (50% of the 12 hours required). M.S. students will enroll in courses in any area that the Advisory Committee feels that the student is deficient or any courses necessary to further the knowledge of the student in their chosen field of study. Teaching practicum credit cannot be used towards the 12 credit hours of coursework. However, credit for teaching practicums may be used to count towards up to 2 hours of the 3 needed for Professional Development.
Thesis Research: Six (6) credit hours of thesis research credit (BIOL 797) are required for the 27 graduate credits needed. Grades of satisfactory (S) or unsatisfactory (U) for BIOL 797 will be assigned by the student’s faculty advisor. Students and their advisor must provide a workload plan for each semester in which their student is enrolled in BIOL 797 (Please see Appendix F).

Graduate Seminar & Professional Development Seminars

- Graduate Seminar: All M.S. students must register for, and attend, the graduate seminar (BIOL 796) every Fall semester while they are in residence. A minimum of 2 credit hours of BIOL 796 is required for the 27 graduate credits needed. The Fall Graduate Student Seminar will consist of one section coordinated by a single faculty member. This seminar is run as a mini conference where every student presents their research to the department and will receive feedback on their presentation. This seminar is intended to enhance the professional presentation skills of our graduate students.
- Professional Development: All M.S. students are required to take BMS 700 (Scientific Integrity) for 1 credit hour, or a like course. All M.S. students must also take BIOL 681 (Research Project Development) for 1 credit hour in the Spring semester of their first year in residence. This course gives guidance on developing their POS document. In addition, all M.S. students must take a minimum of 1 additional credit hours of professional development from the approved list (see Appendix D) or equivalent course approved by the student’s committee. BIOL 588 and GRAD 710 are listed as options in the graduate catalog, but any course approved by the student’s committee can suffice. Teaching Practicum (BIOL 790) can be used for this purpose.
Departmental Seminars/Colloquium: To become acquainted with research being conducted within and outside the department, M.S. students are required to take 3 semesters (3 credits) of BIOL 788 (the Departmental Seminars/Colloquia). When taking BIOL 788 for course-credit, more than two unexcused absences will result in a failing grade. None of the credit hours for Departmental Colloquium (BIOL 788 Seminar) can be counted towards the 12 credit hours coursework requirement .
Students must earn a minimum overall GPA of a 2.75, and a minimum GPA of 3.00 in coursework applied to their graduate program. A student who fails to maintain this average is expected to make up the grade point deficiency in the following semester in order to continue in the program. The summer term is not considered as a semester in the above requirements. If a second semester (at any time) with a substandard cumulative grade point average occurs, the Graduate Committee will call for a meeting with you and your advisor to discuss your future in the graduate program. A grade of "D" or “F” in any course will not be counted as fulfilling graduate degree requirements but will be used in calculating the graduate grade point average.
M.S. students are not required to serve as a teaching assistant (T.A.) but can do so if they wish or if their advisor does not have sufficient funds to cover their stipend.

Summary:

Coursework: 12 credit hours (6 credit hours max. at 400 level)
Research: (BIOL797) 6 credit hours
Prof. Development:

BMS 700 & BIOL 681: 2 credit hours (1 credit hour each)
Other: 2 credit hourd

Grad Fall Seminar (BIOL 796): 2 credit hours
Dept. Colloquium (BIOL 788): 3 credit hours

Total = 27 credit hours

Example semester: Fall: BIOL 796 (1cr), BIOL 788 (1cr), BMS 700 (1cr), BIOL 420 (3cr), GEN 521 (3cr) = 9cr.

Step 4: Curriculum Requirements for Ph.D. students

A Ph.D. student must enroll in courses that the Advisory Committee feels are needed to adequately prepare the student for their research and career-development goals. Additionally, the Advisory Committee may recommend courses to further the knowledge of the student in their chosen field of study. Ph.D. students are required to complete a minimum of 37 graduate credit hours in Biology and/or related areas at the 400 level or above. Only 8 credits at the 400 level may be used. Students must be registered for 9 credits each semester (i.e. be considered “full-time”) to hold an assistantship in the Fall and Spring. Number of credits required for the Summer semester depend upon the situation of the individual student (student loans, international vs. domestic).

Curriculum requirements and constraints for a Ph.D. student include the following:

Coursework: Students are required to complete a minimum of 18 credit hours of graduate coursework at the 400 level or above. Only coursework where the grade earned is A, B, C, P, or S can be counted, and only 8 credits of coursework at the 400 level may be used (44% of the 18 hours required).

If considered applicable by the Advisory Committee, courses taken within the past 5 years for an M.S. degree (8-hour maximum; 44% of the 18 hours required) may be counted towards the Ph.D. degree.

Dissertation Research: Six (6) credit hours of satisfactory thesis research (Biol. 797) are required for the 37 graduate credit hours needed. Grades of satisfactory (S) or unsatisfactory (U) for Bio. 797 will be assigned by the student’s faculty advisor.

Professional Development & Graduate Seminars
- Professional Development:
  All Ph.D. students are required to take BMS 700 (Scientific Integrity) for 1 credit hour, or a like course that is clearly related to scientific ethics/integrity. All Ph.D students must also take BIOL 681 (Research Project Development) for 1 credit hour in the Spring semester of their first year in residence. This course gives guidance on developing their POS document. In addition, all Ph.D. students must take a minimum of 1 additional credit hours of professional development from the approved list (see Appendix D) or an equivalent course approved by the student’s committee. BIOL 588 and GRAD 710 are listed as options in the graduate catalog, but any course approved by the student’s committee can suffice. Total = 3 credit hours counted towards the total of 37 credits needed.
- Graduate Seminar:
  All Ph.D. students must register for, and attend, the graduate seminar (Biol. 796) every Fall semester while they are in residence. Three (3) hours of Biol. 796 are required for the 37 graduate credits needed. The Fall Graduate Student Seminar will consist of one section coordinated by a single faculty member. This seminar is run as a mini-conference and every student who has been in the program for ≥ 1 year will present their research to the department and will receive feedback on their presentation. This seminar is intended to enhance the professional presentation skills of our graduate students.

Departmental Seminars/Colloquium: To become acquainted with research being conducted within and outside the department, Ph.D. students are required to take 5 semesters (5 credits) of Biol. 788 (the Departmental Seminars/Colloquia) that will be counted towards the total of 37 credits needed. When taking Biol. 788 for course credit, more than two unexcused absences will result in a failing grade. None of the hours for the Departmental Colloquium (Biol. 788 Seminar) can be counted towards the 18-hour coursework requirement.

Teaching Practicum: Ph.D. students are required to serve a minimum of two semesters as a teaching assistant (T.A.) and register during those semesters for teaching practicum credit. A maximum of 2 credit hours of Teaching Practicum (Biol 690/790) are required to count towards your total of 37 graduate credits.

Students must earn a minimum overall GPA of 2.75, and a minimum GPA of 3.00 in coursework applied to their graduate program. A student who fails to maintain this average is expected to make up the grade point deficiency in the following semester in order to continue in the program. The summer term is not considered as a semester in the above requirements. If a second semester (at any time) with a substandard cumulative grade point average occurs, the Graduate Committee will call for a meeting with you and your advisor to discuss your future in the graduate program. A grade of "D" in any course will not be counted as fulfilling graduate degree requirements but will be used in calculating the graduate grade point average.

Summary:

Coursework: 18 credit hours (8 credit hours max. at 400 level)
Research: 6 credit hours
Prof. Development:
- BMS 700 & BIOL 681: 2 credit hours (1 credit hour each)
- Other: 1 credit hour
Grad Fall Seminar: 3 credit hours
Dept. seminar/Colloquium: 5 credit hours
Teaching Practicum: 2 credit hours (two separate semesters)

Total = 37 credit hours

Step 5: Directed Readings. (For Ph.D. students ONLY)

Once a student’s advisory committee has been formed (no later than the end of the 2 ^nd semester), each committee member will provide the student with 5-10 critical readings (chapters or papers) that will serve as the basis for the Preliminary Written & Oral Examination. This is the milestone that advances a student to doctoral candidacy and can be taken in one of two formats (see below).
Course Credit: During the semester of the Written and Oral Examination (Semester 3), students should sign up for at least 3 credits of Biol. 797 (Graduate Research) which will be used to prepare for this examination. The student will schedule meetings with each faculty member on their committee to discuss questions concerning the assigned readings. The student’s faculty advisor will assign grades based on data provided by the student regarding their time spent studying and the students’ meetings with their committee members.

Step 6: The Preliminary Examination & Promotion to Candidacy. (For Ph.D. students ONLY)

The Preliminary Exam (or qualifying exam) is considered as one exam, with two parts. The information in the readings provided by the committee members will serve as the basis for the 2-part Preliminary Exam, both of which must be passed before moving on to Step 7.

All members of the Advisory Committee must be present at the examinations. However, special arrangements for conference calls or videoconferencing are allowable in special cases, such as a committee member being out-of-town and/or on sabbatical.
The Advisor will communicate the results of the Preliminary Examination e-mail to the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies and the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences.

The Written Exam (Part 1)

Purpose: The Written Qualifying Examination determines whether a student understands various biological processes and abstractions covered in the readings provided by the student’s committee members and whether they are able to solve problems based on these concepts. Each member of the Advisory Committee will contribute a component of the written test. The precise format of the exam is to be determined and agreed upon by the Advisory Committee prior to administering the exam. The standard practice is that the exam is given over a period of 5 days with the exams from each committee member being given on separate days. In this case the entire exam must be completed within a one-week (7-day) period.
Alternatively, rather than the standard written and oral examination, the student and committee may elect to have the student write a review article of sufficient quality that could be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal. In this case the entire committee must agree a priori on the scope of the review, identify the target journal and its formatting requirements, and contribute guidance in readings. While it is not required to submit the manuscript, prior to the oral exam, the committee must nevertheless be provided a completed and “ready for submission” manuscript formatted for a target journal for internal review prior to scheduling of the oral defense. As with the standard practice, the writing must be exclusively the student’s own, and not a collaboration between any of the committee members or other outside individuals. In either case, the approach taken for the written portion of the exam must be determined during the plan of study meeting so that in the event a review article option is chosen, the student will have adequate time.
Timing: This exam will occur by the end of the fifth semester (which includes summer as one semester).

The Oral Exam (Part 2)

Purpose: The Oral Qualifying Examination tests the student’s understanding of the literature and fundamental concepts in their area of research emphasis. Mastery of this basic knowledge indicates a readiness of the student to proceed with original research. Normally, the Oral Exam will last 3 hours. All members of the Advisory Committee must be present at the examination (note: special arrangements for conference call presence or videoconferencing are allowable in special cases, such as a committee member being out of town and/or on sabbatical).
Timing: This exam will occur within 1 week of completing the Written Exam.

Criteria for Passing

For both portions of the exam (written & oral), students must demonstrate a working knowledge of their area of research emphasis, and an ability to respond appropriately to questions in a logical and poised manner. After the oral examination the student will leave the examination room and the committee members will vote on whether the student has passed the entire exam. Two or more negative vote constitutes failure of the exam (See Requirements in the WVU Academic Catalog).

Failure of the Preliminary Exam

If a student fails the Preliminary Exam, they must repeat the examination in the next academic semester. The Advisory Committee may, at its own discretion, choose to re-administer either the entire exam (both the entire written & entire oral exams) or only the entire oral exam. WVU policies on repeating the candidacy exam can be found by reading the Requirements in the WVU Academic Catalog.
Failure of the Preliminary examination a second time constitutes a dismissal of the student’s Ph.D. program. The student then may, at the discretion of the Graduate Committee, pursue a thesis-based MS degree.

Promotion to Candidacy

Promotion to candidacy is awarded by the student’s Advisory Committee. Candidacy is dependent upon having an approved POS and passing the Preliminary Exam. When a doctoral student is approved as a candidate, the student must complete the Eberly College Doctoral Candidacy Form and send it to the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies. The completed form is then submitted to the Eberly College Director of Graduate Studies within two business days following formal admission to candidacy. Any changes to the committee after the Doctoral Candidacy Form has been accepted require college approval. Once promotion to candidacy is awarded, doctoral students have no more than five years in which to complete the remaining degree requirements.

Step 7: The Proposal Examination. (For Ph.D. students ONLY)

The Proposal Exam consists of two parts; the written proposal and the oral presentation.

All five members of the Advisory Committee must be present at the examinations. However, special arrangements for conference calls or videoconferencing are allowable in special cases, such as a committee member being out-of-town and/or on sabbatical. The Advisor will communicate the results of the Proposal Examination by e-mail to the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies.

The Written Proposal

The Written Proposal is a written plan of the student’s proposed research project. A student’s research project is selected in accordance with their interests and goals through consultation with the Advisor and the Advisory Committee. The Written Proposal is to be prepared with the assistance and guidance of the faculty Advisor. It should be written in a format comparable to that of a proposal to the NIH or NSF and include: a statement of the problem to be researched, background information (including references to pertinent literature), proposed experiments (even if some of these have already been completed), proposed methods of data analysis, and the expected significance of the work.

Purpose: The Written Proposal determines whether a student can formulate a coherent, convincing research plan.

Timing: The Written Proposal should be completed by the end of the 7th semester (including summer semesters) and the final version must be submitted to the student’s Advisory Committee no later than two weeks prior to the date of the oral presentation.

The Oral Presentation

The Oral component of the Proposal Examination is a presentation of the student’s research dissertation proposal as a seminar to the Biology faculty and graduate students. The student’s Advisory Committee must be present, and the Advisor is expected to remain silent during the public seminar. Following the public seminar, the student will meet with their advisory committee and answer questions concerning the proposed research.

Purpose: To determine whether the student can present and defend a research proposal before a group of scientists.

Duration: The seminar should last 50 minutes. The defense of the proposal to the advisory committee, following the seminar, should last 1-2 hours.

Timing: The seminar and its defense should take place within two weeks of submitting the written proposal to the Advisory Committee .

Criteria for Passing

The Written Proposal must be suitable for submission to an extramural fellowship such as the NIH as an F31 proposal or a fellowship program offered by other Federal funding institutions. The written proposal will be judged based on the student’s understanding of the problem, its possible solutions, and its biological significance. If the proposal is funded by an agency equivalent to NIH (as determined by the Advisory Committee) prior to being evaluated by the student’s committee, then this portion of this exam will be waived.

The oral presentation must be a competent professional presentation of the written proposal and the student must demonstrate a clear understanding of the research problem and its significance in the field as judged by responses to questions from the audience at the seminar and questions of the Advisory Committee after the seminar.

The student's Advisory Committee votes to determine if the student passes or fails. Two or more negative vote constitutes failure of the examination.

Failure of the Proposal Exam

If a student fails the Proposal Exam, they must repeat the examination in the next academic semester and are given an extra semester to complete the examination sequence without penalty. The Advisory Committee may, at its own discretion, choose to re-administer the entire exam or only one portion (the written proposal or the oral presentation).

Failure of the proposal examination a second time constitutes termination of the student's Ph.D. program. The student then may, at the discretion of the Graduate Committee, pursue a thesis-based MS degree (see section on changing degree programs below).

Step 8: Writing an MS Thesis or Ph.D. Dissertation.

The MS thesis or Ph.D. dissertation must demonstrate an ability to carry out independent research. Research chapters of either the thesis or dissertation must meet the standards required for publication in a reputable biological journal. Both should include a short (2-10 page) Introductory chapter that provides an overview of the research chapters. Following the chapters, a Conclusions chapter (also 2 - 10 pages) should summarize overall findings of the student’s work and synthesize the conclusions from each research chapter in a broader context. A MS thesis typically consists of an introductory chapter, a single research chapter and a conclusions chapter. A Ph.D. dissertation typically consists of an introductory chapter, 2-3 research chapters and a conclusions chapter. The format of the thesis should be discussed with the advisory committee before it is written. If any of the chapters are published, they can be included in the thesis following journal-specific guidelines for inclusion.

The thesis or dissertation is expected to be revised from the first writing and may require several revisions before it is acceptable to the Advisor. The draft approved by the Advisor must be given to the members of the Advisory Committee at least three weeks before the thesis defense for MS students and four weeks before the dissertation defense for Ph.D. students. If more than one committee member believes the thesis or dissertation is not ready for the defense at the scheduled date, then the defense must be rescheduled for a later date. Additional revisions may be required following the defense.

The final document must follow the Electronic Thesis and Dissertations (ETD) policy guidelines regarding the format and organization of the thesis or dissertation. Complete program policy and collection access information are available online. Within the University’s constraints on format, students are encouraged to format chapters of their thesis or dissertation for submission to peer-reviewed journals.

Step 9: The Thesis or Dissertation Defense

The thesis/dissertation defense is the final examination given by the Advisory Committee after all other requirements have been satisfied. All forms and procedures for defending a thesis/dissertation and applying to graduate can be found at Eberly College Graduation Forms and Processes. Students must apply to graduate at the start of the semester in which they plan to defend and can do so (as well as find semester deadlines) at University Registrar Graduation and Diploma. Once a student has applied to graduate, they must fill out the “Eberly College thesis and dissertation defense date declaration form” which they will then submit to the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies, who will, in turn, submit the form to the ECAS office of graduate studies. The announcement of thesis or dissertation defenses must be posted on the WVU events calendar at least two weeks before the defense date.

The student must be registered for at least one credit hour in the semester of graduation (whether on- or off-campus). If the student has an assistantship in that final semester, they must be registered as a full-time student in order to receive a tuition waiver. If the student is an international student, they should consult with International Students and Scholars Services as the number of credits required may vary based on visa type and semester.

The thesis or dissertation defense must be held prior to the college deadlines that are announced every semester. The defense consists of two parts: 1) a public seminar in which the student gives an oral presentation of their research thesis or dissertation and responds to questions from those attending; and 2) a closed meeting with the student’s Advisory Committee during which the student addresses any questions and concerns the committee members may have. All members of the Advisory Committee must be present, although videoconferencing can be substituted if necessary and in emergency situations, a faculty member from the Biology Department can substitute for Advisory Committee members. To better evaluate the student’s understanding of their own research, the faculty Advisor is expected to be silent during the public portion of the thesis defense.

The Advisory Committee evaluates the final examination performance and makes the recommendation to pass or fail the student. More than one unfavorable vote from the Advisory Committee constitutes failure, and all voting is done without the student present after the committee has discussed the student’s performance. In the event that the student fails, they must re-take and pass the final examination before being awarded the degree. Re-examination may not be scheduled without approval of the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies ( Degree Regulations, Academic Catalog).

At the end of a thesis defense, the Research advisor should ensure that the Advisory Committee members sign the Eberly Thesis and Dissertation Oral Defense Form and then send the Oral defense form to the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies. The Associate Chair for Graduate Studies must then send the signed Oral defense form to the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences within 48 hours of the defense. The appropriate form can be found at Eberly College Graduation Forms and Processes. There may be corrections needed for the thesis and so all members of the Advisory Committee should also sign the ETD signature page required by the library ( Electronic Thesis and Dissertations (ETD) policy guidelines) This signature page should be held by the student’s advisor until all corrections to the dissertation have been made to the satisfaction of their committee members.

Once all corrections have been completed, the signed signature page for the ETD must be submitted to the library at Electronic Thesis and Dissertations (ETD) and the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies notified.

To participate in commencement please go to Eberly College Commencement.

Students should also fill out the departmental exit survey which informs programmatic policy changes found on the Biology Graduate Forms and Policies webpage.

Steps to a Graduate Degree

Programmatic resources:

General resources for Graduate Students

WVU Academic Catalog Links