Departments & Programs
Department of Biology
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy—Indiana University
The degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), the highest earned degree conferred by Indiana University, can be pursued in the Department of Biology at IU Indianapolis. The doctoral degree is restricted to those scholars who have demonstrated superior ability in a recognized academic discipline. The Ph.D. degree is not awarded on the basis of time spent in residence or following the completion of any specific number of formal courses, nor is the degree granted on the basis of miscellaneous course studies and research effort. The entire Ph.D. program must be rationally related, should be highly research oriented, and should culminate in a thesis of scholarly merit indicative of the candidate’s ability to conduct original research in a recognized field of specialization.
Ph.D. programs are directed by professors who work in close association with selected graduate students. In practice, doctoral programs are composed of formal courses, guided individual study in a chosen field or discipline, study in such cognate subjects as may be required by the candidate’s advisory committee, and original research that serves as the basis of a scholarly thesis.
As part of their graduate training, all Ph.D. candidates are expected to teach at least quarter time for one year.
Ninety (90) credit hours of registration are required for the Ph.D. degree. Students entering with advanced standing from another graduate school are given residence credit commensurate with the graduate work accomplished.
Fields of Study
Ph.D. degrees are offered in most of the fields described for the M.S. degree. Until a major professor is named, a student is counseled by a temporary advisor. In order to help familiarize students with the department and to assist the student in the selection of a major professor, a series of laboratory rotations is available.
Admission and First Year Review
To enter the Ph.D. program, a student must satisfy the admission requirements for the M.S. with thesis option and also submit a critical review at the end of the first year of graduate study. In their second semester students write a critical review paper detailing a problem/knowledge gap in their area of research, along with an assessment of this literature to propose a specific answer to this problem. In the fall of their second year the students present the review to their graduate committee. For this first committee meeting, the student will prepare a presentation to recap the review for the committee. In addition, they may incorporate some of their preliminary data from the laboratory either linked to, or separate from, the review. As with other committee meetings, the committee will vote to pass or fail. If the student fails the committee meeting, the student will have to re-write the critical review and pass a committee meeting prior to taking the preliminary examination.
Plan of Study
Each prospective candidate for the doctoral degree, with the approval of the head of the Department of Biology, shall select a major professor from the department who will act as the chairperson of the student’s advisory committee and who will direct the research. The student, in consultation with the major professor, will arrange an advisory committee of at least four faculty members (including the major professor) who have been approved to guide graduate students.
The plan of study shall include required core Biology courses and may include additional courses in the primary area of study. The plan will be appropriate to meet the needs of the student in a chosen field as determined by the advisory committee. All Ph.D. students must also complete a minor which is composed of at least 6 credit hours of coursework in a related area. The minor is chosen in consultation with the research committee. The plan will include the core and minor courses that the student is expected to complete, additional specific courses relevant to the field of research, language (if any) requirements, and 2 credit hours of BIOL-I 696 Seminar.
The department head and the Dean of the IU Graduate School Indianapolis, must approve the plan of study.
Qualifying Examination
After the student has completed most of the formal study to the satisfaction of the advisory committee and met any language requirement(s), the student becomes eligible to take the qualifying examination in order to advance to candidacy. The qualifying examination must be taken within one year of, and at least six months after passing the first committee meeting. The examination requires a research proposal to be written by the student in consultation with their major professor. The results of these written and oral examinations will be reported to the graduate school by the examining committee with an appropriate recommendation for the student’s admission to candidacy, continued preparatory study, or discontinuation. The graduate school associate dean reserves the right to appoint additional members to the qualifying examining committee. No examining committee shall have fewer than three faculty members.
If the student does not pass the qualifying examinations, a second meeting must be convened within 6 months. Should the qualifying examinations be failed twice, the student may not be given a third examination, except upon the recommendation of the examining committee and with special approval of the Graduate Council.
Ph.D. Dissertation
After admission to candidacy, the candidate must devote at least two semesters to research before the final examination.
The special research carried on as part of the doctoral work is expected to make a definite contribution to the candidate’s chosen field of knowledge–a contribution of sufficient importance to merit publication. Each candidate must, therefore, prepare a dissertation showing the research results.
After the research has been completed and the dissertation written, the candidate shall be given a final examination in which the candidate defends the dissertation and demonstrates to the examining committee all of the capabilities for which the Doctor of Philosophy degree is awarded. The examining committee shall consist of no fewer than four members. The dean of the graduate school reserves the right to appoint additional committee members and must be informed of the place and time of the final examination at least two weeks in advance.
