Doctor of Philosophy

To obtain a Ph.D. in Biotechnology Science and Engineering, the student must satisfy all requirements of the School of Graduate Studies as well as those of the Biotechnology Science and Engineering Program. The requirements are as follows:

  1. Take Core courses

    2. ChE 560: Introduction to Bioprocess Engineering

    ChE 561: Bioseparations, recombinant techniques and protein engineering

    CH/BYS 560: Graduate Biochemistry I

    CH/BYS 561: Graduate Biochemistry II

    CH/BYS 519: Gene Structure and Function

    CH/BYS 543: Molecular Biology of the Cell

    BSE 601: Current Topics in Biotechnology

  2. Laboratory Rotations

    3. Students will do two laboratory rotations lasting 6 weeks each in two faculty research laboratories. Students will earn three credit hours for these two rotations.

  3. Industrial/Government Laboratory Internship
    4. (optional)

    During the first summer, for 10 weeks, students will be placed at either local biotechnology companies or government laboratories for research and experience under the direction of both an industrial/government scientist mentor and a faculty advisor. At the end of the summer, students will present a seminar to faculty and other students sharing what they learned during their internship. Students will earn three credit hours for successfully completing this internship.

  4. Pass the Preliminary Examination

    5. Each student must pass the preliminary examination which has to be taken at the end of the first summer of residence and will consist of three 3 hour exams in Biochemistry, Cellular and Molecular Genetics and Bioprocessing/Bioseparations. Students will have to take all three exams during their first attempt. Students are required to repeat only the part of the exams that they did not pass. Students will have a maximum of two attempts to pass this preliminary examination.

  5. Choose a dissertation advisor and a committee

    6. Students who qualify for the Ph.D. program by passing the preliminary exam will choose a thesis advisor and a thesis committee during the Fall semester of Year II. The committee will meet for the first time with the student to review the initial research goals (Research Start Meeting).

  6. Write and defend a Research Proposal.

    7. In consultation with the dissertation advisor and committee, the student will begin working on a research project which will subsequently lead to an NIH style proposal to be written. This written proposal will be submitted to the committee by the middle of the Second Summer By the first semester of the third year the student will defend this proposal in a seminar, followed by questions from the committee members (Annual Research Appraisal (ARA I). Successful completion of the written and oral presentation of the dissertation proposal constitutes the School of Graduate Studies Qualifying examination.

  7. Complete and defend a research dissertation

    8. During the fall semesters of the next two years, students will meet with their advisors and committee for research appraisals Following these annual evaluations, the student will begin writing the dissertation and plan to defend it before the fifth year after passing the preliminary examination. The primary dissertation advisor and the committee have the discretion to allow students to defend the thesis earlier if the work is of high quality and sufficient progress has been made towards the goals stated in the research proposal.

All requirements for the Ph.D. must be completed in no more than five years after the approval of the Research Proposal (ARA-I).