Guidelines for proposal preparation and submission
- The topic of the research proposal must be an original research project. The topic (i.e., hypothesis and specific aims) may be the student’s proposed dissertation research, but cannot be substantively the same as a proposal presented for discussion in other classes or journal clubs.
- A written abstract of the research proposal, maximum of one page in length, must be examined and approved by the examination committee prior to preparation of the complete proposal.
- The written proposal, maximum of 10 pages of text plus references, prepared in the format of an NIH application (see Detailed Guidelines for Proposal Preparation) must be distributed along with copies of "key" references to the committee at least 14 days prior to the oral comprehensive examination.
- Students may solicit feedback on their ideas and the written document from other students and faculty, with the exception that students may NOT solicit specific feedback on the content of the written document from their academic advisor or from any member of the comprehensive examination committee.
Guidelines for the examination
- Committee members will have a meeting prior to the examination to discuss lines of questioning and to address core competencies (relative to the student’s area of focus).
- The graduate student will give an oral presentation that is succinct, yet complete (approximately 20-30 minutes), and supported by visual aids (slides/overheads).
- The committee will then ask questions which test the student’s knowledge and abilities in the following areas:
- Literature evaluation skills
- Writing skills
- Scientific background
- Understanding of study design
- Utility of animal models of disease or conditions relative to the human situation
- Analytical methods
- Clinical measurement methods
- Data management and statistical analysis
- Differentiation of clinical and statistical significance
- Results of the examination will be communicated to the student and to the Chair of the Academic Affairs Committee utilizing the following scale:
- Pass
- Remedial work needed:
- Specific needs for additional learning experiences (e.g., scientific area, statistics, writing, etc.) may be identified.
- Remedial work may include a minor rewrite of the proposal or a major rewrite and re-defense of the proposal.
- Remedial work must be completed within six months from the time of examination.
- Fail -A student who fails the qualifying examination will be terminated from the Ph.D. program.
- In all cases, the Chair of the examination committee will complete and submit the form "Comprehensive Examination (PhD) Report" to the Pharmaceutical Sciences Graduate Academic Affairs Committee.
