Degree Requirements

A summary of the course and credit requirements for the program is given below. A minimum of thirty-two (32) credits are required for the doctoral degree, six (6) of which must be didactic course credits. In addition to satisfactory completion of course work, a preliminary qualifying examination and a research dissertation and defense in the student's field of research must be completed. The academic program runs year-round. It is expected that students continue research over the summer.

Students are required to take the two mandatory courses, Fundamentals of Animal Research I: Biostatistics and Fundamentals of Animal Research II: Ethics. In addition, depending on their area of research, students might be required to take one to several Veterinary Professional Curriculum core courses (physiology, microbiology, immunology, etc). Other courses may be required of each student and are determined by their Student Advisory Committee (SAC). Because some entering students already have post-graduate training, some recommended coursework may be waived. The great majority of the graduate courses listed in this program are taught on the Grafton campus of TCSVM. All graduate students are required to participate in the program's weekly journal club and attend seminars each semester. The faculty and scientific staff involved in the program actively contribute to the program by offering seminars and courses and by participating in journal club.

In acknowledging the importance of obtaining teaching experience as part of one's graduate education, students are strongly encouraged to participate in various teaching activities while they are in the program which will aid in the development of integral teaching skills. These may include small group Problem Based Learning (PBL), laboratory, and/or lecture-based instruction modalities within our existing professional veterinary curriculum

Year 1: Each student generally takes a few core courses that are offered as part of the Veterinary Curriculum each year. The two mandatory graduate courses, Fundamentals of Animal Research I: Biostatistics and Fundamentals of Animal Research II: Ethics are offered every year. At the same time students start research work as determined by the mentor in consultation with their Student Advisory Committee (SAC). Specialized graduate courses are offered every other year.

Year 2: The student continues research during this year, and participates in journal club and the seminar series. The student may take additional course work as recommended by the mentor and/or the SAC in order to fulfill the six (6) didactic credit requirements. The student should meet with the SAC at least once per semester to keep them informed of his or her overall progress, including progress towards the preliminary exam and dissertation.

In addition, the student takes a written qualifying preliminary examination, set by the Preliminary Examination Committee (PEC).

Years 3 +: The student continues his or her research, and participates in journal club and the seminar series. To complete a typical PhD dissertation generally requires 4-5 years of full-time research training.

Typical Degree Program

A typical degree program in the Infectious Disease focus area includes at least 24 research credits (between 6 and 10 credits per year), 6 didactic course credits, and at least 2 credits for attending seminars and oral presentations. The 6 didactic course credits may include, but not limited to:

• Two mandatory graduate courses (Fundamentals of Animal Research I: Biostatistics and Fundamentals of Animal Research II: Ethics) Each course is worth 0.5 credits
• At least one major graduate or veterinary course, worth 2 credits
• At least two elective graduate courses, each worth 1-2 credits (Animal Use in Biomedical Research, and Advance Molecular Biology).

Course Credits and Grading Scale

Credits for the PhD program are awarded based on the following:

• 0.5 credit = 1-14 hours of class meeting
• 1.0 credit = 15-38
• 2.0 credits = 39-63
• 3.0 credits = 64-87

Courses take at the veterinary school courses or courses in which students cross-register are converted to credits based on the number of course hours. Evaluated research may count for up to five credits per semester, depending upon how much other coursework students are taking. No course credit is given for auditing courses, and audits do not appear on student transcripts.

A five-letter grading system (A, B, C, D, F) is used to evaluate course work.

• A = Superior work
• B = Meritorious work
• C = Work without merit *
• D = Unsatisfactory work
• F = Failure

* Grade of C in any PhD coursework is NOT ACCEPTABLE for degree credit. This includes coursework taken through cross-registration agreements.

Transfer of Credits

Graduate coursework completed elsewhere for a previous degree is not applied toward PhD credit for this program. However, if the student has taken a lot of prior coursework in a relevant field, the student can speak with his or her mentor and SAC to request they not be required to take similar courses in the PhD program. If the SAC agrees, the student is not required to take these courses for the PhD program, but is required to take other courses to fulfill the didactic credit requirements.

Time Limit and Extension of Degree Time

The minimum residence requirement for the Ph.D. degree is three (3) academic years of full-time study and a dissertation. Most students take between three (3) and five (5) years to complete their degree requirements, but all must complete their work within seven (7) consecutive years.

Laboratory Rotation Policy

While most incoming PhD students are assigned mentors at the time of admission, in some cases students are admitted without a mentor. When this happens, first-year PhD students are expected to perform laboratory rotations so that a mentor/mentee relationship can be formed. Students perform the rotations in any lab that has both the funds and the space to have a PhD student. Please consult the Program Director, Dr. Art Donohue-Rolfe, for more details.

Student Advisory Committee

During the first semester of study, the student and mentor must propose a Student Advisory Committee (SAC) for that student. Each student's committee is comprised of the student's mentor and three (3) additional members, which should include at least one member from outside TCSVM. At least two (2) of the proposed members must be Program Faculty members. For a list of Program Faculty and their research areas, please visit the Infectious Disease Department. The names of the proposed SAC members, and letters from the proposed committee members stating their willingness to serve on that student's committee, should be submitted to the Program Director by January 15 of the first year of study. The Program Director notifies the mentor and student of the appointment of the Student Advisory Committee by February 15 of the first year of study. If an enetering student is not initially assigned a mentor, and is instead undergoing rotations, this process may be delayed by a semester.

Preliminary Exam

All graduate students in Comparative Biomedical Sciences are required to pass a Preliminary Examination by August 1 of their second year. The Preliminary Examination consists of both a written and an oral presentation. Only students in their second year of study who are in good academic standing are eligible to take the Preliminary Examination. During the student's second year of study, he or she is required to provide suggestions for a Preliminary Examination Committee (PEC) by mid-March and select an exam topic by May 1. Once the topic has been approved by the PEC, the student performs the necessary research and write-up and returns it to the PEC for review and defense. The PEC reports the results of the defense and preliminary examination, along with their recommendation to the Program Director. The student either receives a grade of pass, conditional pass, or fail, which is determined by a majority vote by the Preliminary Examination Committee.

Dissertation

A major portion of work toward the doctoral degree consists of the preparation of a doctoral thesis or dissertation. The topic of the dissertation is chosen with the approval of the mentor, and the dissertation is written under his or her supervision. The dissertation must demonstrate high achievement in a special branch of knowledge, the original development of an appropriate subject, and independent research. The SAC must accept the dissertation. The examination is oral, written, or both, as determined by the program faculty. Additional instructions and policies regarding the preparation and defense of the dissertation may be obtained from the Program Director, Dr. Art Donohue-Rolfe. When completed, the dissertation is distributed to members of the SAC for their comments/critique. The dissertation is then sent back to the student to be revised accordingly.

When the dissertation has been approved by all of the members of the SAC, the student gives a public seminar on his or her research (~1 hour). The student defends the dissertation and answers questions on his or her area of research from the Program Faculty and the SAC in closed session. After excusing the student, the SAC deliberates until a consensus is reached. To graduate from the program, a grade of pass must be earned for the student's dissertation presentation and oral defense.

Graduation

When the student has completed all requirements for graduation, the SAC forwards a written recommendation to the Program Director that the student be awarded the Ph.D. degree. The Program Director also sends notification of each student recommended for graduation to the GSC. The recommendation is forwarded for approval to several standing committees. With the final approval of the Board of Trustees, the student is awarded the degree Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Comparative Biomedical Sciences.