PhD
The minimum requirements for a Ph.D. in pathobiology are specified by the Graduate School and the Pathobiology program. Once these course requirements have been met, students must pass a Ph.D. candidacy exam, an oral comprehensive exam that mainly concerns the student's research specialty area, and a final oral thesis defense.
The candidacy exam, given during the second semester of the second year, is designed to evaluate whether students can apply the knowledge learned in course work to solve problems based on experimental data. Once the candidacy exam is passed, the student selects a thesis committee to provide guidance during his or her thesis research. The thesis committee consists of the student's research mentor and four other professors.
In the third year, the student takes a comprehensive exam, administered by the thesis committee,which will focus on topics directly related to the student's proposed thesis research. Upon successful completion of the thesis research, the student will orally defend the thesis as the final requirement for the Ph.D.
