Program Requirements in VetSci-Micro Graduate Program

Course Requirements (traditional track, accelerated MS or PhD):

The core of required courses will include a total of at least 18 credit hours in the following, taken as an undergraduate or graduate student:

1. Pathology (at least 3 hours)
2. Microbiology (at least 6 hours)
3. Immunology (at least 3 hours)
4. Biochemistry (at least 3 hours, at no less than the upper-division undergraduate level)
5. Cellular biology (at least 3 hours)

In addition each student is required to enroll in VSC595a (Journal Club) a minimum of two (MS) or four (PhD) semesters. Students who will be presenting a seminar in the Pathobiology Seminar Series must enroll in VSC696a in that semester.

The GPC will determine the extent to which the core requirements have been fulfilled before the student's first registration, enabling them to correct deficiencies early in their program. The remainder of the coursework will be tailored to fit the student's selected area of specialization (such as parasitology, microbiology, pathology, or epidemiology) as prescribed by the GPC, the Graduate Advisory Committee, and the major professor. Thus, those students who have completed many of the core requirements as entrance qualifications have greater flexibility in preparing a plan of study within the program.

Course Requirements (applied track MS):

The applied track MS degree requires completion of advanced coursework in pathobiology and business, supplemented by an internship and/or project in an applied area of pathobiology. All degree work must be completed within a 6 year period, with possible extension of one year under extenuating circumstances, although the applied track MS degree is usually completed in a period of two years.

The applied track MS degree requires completion of a minimum of 30 credit hours of specified graduate coursework with an overall GPA at least 3.0, and includes the following:

The core of required courses is 20 credit hours:

MATH 509C Statistics for Research (3)
AREC 550 Financial Management for Agribusiness (3)
...(May also substitute BAD 510 Business Basics (3) or.MIS 578 Project Planning (3)
EPID 660 Infectious Disease Epidemiology (3)
PSIO 649 Survival Skills and Ethics (3)
VSC 595A Critical Evaluation of Scientific Literature (1)
VSC 696 Seminar (1)
VSC 900 Research (3)
...(May also substitute VSC 693 Internship (3)
VSC 909 Master's Report (3)

The remaining 10 units of elective courses are selected from two areas, Infectious Disease, and Wildlife and Production and Companion Animal Health, as described in the curriculum. The applied track MS degree terminates with a project, which may be an internship, followed by a report and defense of the project in a seminar format, similar to the requirements for the traditional track MS degree. All graded coursework must be completed by the end of the fourth semester. Courses numbered 693, 900 and 909 are not included in computation of GPA. A grade of D in any course will not count toward graduate credit, but is included in computation of GPA.

MS Degree (traditional track):

The traditional track MS degree requires completion of advanced coursework and research in pathobiology, supplemented, if necessary, by study in supporting subjects. All degree work must be completed within a 6 year period, with possible extension of one year under extenuating circumstances, although the MS degree is usually completed in a period of two to three years.

The traditional track MS degree requires completion of a minimum of 30 credit hours of specified graduate coursework with an overall GPA at least 3.0, and includes the following:

At least 15 units of graded coursework in the major, including 2 units of VSC595a and 1 unit of VSC696a
At least 9 units of research credits (VSC900)
6 units of thesis credits (VSC910)

A full length manuscript (not a note, brief communication, or review) derived from the thesis research in a form suitable for publication in a refereed journal which is recognized in the student's field of specialization, an acceptable thesis and a final oral examination are also required. All graded coursework must be completed by the end of the fourth semester. Courses numbered 599, 900 and 910 are not included in computation of GPA. A grade of D in any course will not count toward graduate credit, but is included in computation of GPA.

MS Degree (accelerated):

Applicants are selected from among a qualified pool, based on the following criteria.

- Completion of a minimum of 75 undergraduate credit hours will be required at the time of application;
- a minimum of 90 undergraduate credits hours will be required at the time of entry into the AMP
- A minimum GPA of 3.2
- Completion of at least 12 undergraduate credits in their major at The University of Arizona's main campus
- Completion or near completion of general education requirements
- Submission of a graduate application and graduate application fee
- Demonstration of the maturity necessary for success in an accelerated, highly competitive program
- Expectation to complete the undergraduate degree within four years

Students will be considered undergraduates until they complete their undergraduate requirements, which should be no later than the end of the fourth year. Students entering with Advanced Placement Credit or who attend summer school would likely graduate with their bachelor's in the 3rd year. Students must take at least 12 of their graduate credits while in graduate status. In other words,

- During years 1-3 (or approximately 0-90 credits) students will be taking undergraduate coursework
- Once admitted to AMP, during the senior (or transition year), they may take up to 12 units of graduate coursework
- which may apply toward both the bachelor's and the master's degrees. Students retain eligibility for undergraduate scholarships
- After completion of all bachelor's requirements, students will be granted graduate status, and be eligible for graduate assistantships
- Should a student have completed 12 graduate credits, but not yet completed the undergraduate degree, they will be considered
- graduate for financial aid and tuition purposes. They will no longer be eligible for undergraduate scholarships, nor will they be eligible
- for graduate assistantships
- At least 12 graduate credits must be taken while in graduate status, after completing all degree requirements for the bachelor's degree
- Students are encouraged to complete their undergraduate requirements as soon as possible, but not later than one semester before
- receiving their MS degree

The graduate degree requirements for the accelerated MS degree are the same as for the traditional MS degree.

PhD Degree:

The PhD degree may be conferred upon individuals who have demonstrated proficiency in research and experimental design, and distinguished achievement in pathobiology. Ability in independent investigation will be demonstrated through completion of a dissertation which contributes knowledge to an area of the discipline, doing so with a high degree of literary skill. The degree is not granted merely as a certificate of faithful performance of a prescribed program of studies and research.

The PhD degree requires completion of a minimum of 63 credit hours of specified graduate coursework with an overall GPA at least 3.0, and includes the following:

At least 18 units of graded coursework in the major, including 4 units of VSC595a and and 2 units of VSC696a
At least 9 graded units in the minor
At least 18 units of research credits (VSC900)
18 units of dissertation credits (VSC920)

The actual coursework is determined jointly by the student and their Graduate Advisory Committee. All graded coursework must be completed by the end of the sixth semester. Courses numbered 599, 900 and 920 are not included in computation of GPA. A grade of D in any course will not count toward graduate credit, but is included in computation of GPA.

At least 6 semesters of essentially full time graduate study is required. Graduate credit earned at other approved institutions, if accepted by the GPC and the Graduate College, may be counted toward the requirements for this degree. The minimum residence requirement entails at least two regular semesters of full time academic work or 30 hours of graduate credit in the major field completed at The University of Arizona. A minimum of 9 hours of graded coursework will be required for the minor in Pathobiology. All degree requirements for the PhD, including work done for a MS degree and applied to completion of a PhD degree, must be met within a period of 10 years.

Selection of at least one minor is required by the Graduate College. The minor may be chosen from within the major department if approved by the Graduate Advisory Committee and the Graduate College. Selected coursework in the minor should present a unifying theme to the student's program. The number of units required for a minor are determined by the originating department, but the program in Pathobiology requires that all units of minor coursework be in graded courses.

Students may complete a MS degree en route to completion of a PhD degree. Those not wishing to complete an MS degree before the PhD degree will present, prior to the Final Oral Examination, the equivalent of a MS thesis in the form of a full-length manuscript (not a note, brief communication, or review) submitted to, accepted by, or published in a refereed journal recognized in the student's field of specialization. Each student seeking the PhD degree will present to their Graduate Advisory Committee, at the time of the Final Oral Examination (see below), two manuscripts derived from the dissertation research (not a note, brief communication, or review) in a form suitable for publication in a refereed journal recognized in the student's field of specialization.

The dissertation requires the equivalent of at least two semesters of full-time work. Registration for 18 h of dissertation credit (VSC920) is required during the conduct of the dissertation, with a maximum of 9 h during any regular semester. Work on the dissertation that is to be done in absentia must be approved by a petition (preceded by a dissertation proposal) to the Graduate College after recommendation by the Graduate Advisory Committee and the Department Head.

Dissertation Proposal:

A written dissertation (PhD) proposal must be prepared by the student, as described in the PhD Research Proposal Preparation Guidelines. The deadline for submission to the Graduate Advisory Committee is three weeks prior to the comprehensive doctoral examination (PhD students). After appropriate revisions and approval by the Graduate Advisory Committee, the proposal will serve as the basis for the research, allowing the student to avoid many potential problems with structure or content of the research late in their program.

Presentation of Dissertation Research:

All PhD students are required to present their dissertation proposal in seminar format as part of the Pathobiology Seminar Series prior to the end of the fourth semester in the program, for the purpose of allowing the program faculty to evaluate the experimental plan and provide constructive input. Students who will be presenting a seminar in that semester must enroll in VSC696a. This seminar must precede the comprehensive doctoral oral examination (see below). The seminar will include a short review of the pertinent literature, a statement of the hypothesis and objectives, a detailed explanation of the approach and expected outcomes, and potential problems and alternate strategies. Any preliminary results should be presented in detail.

Other Seminars:

All graduate students planning to present a seminar or poster at a state, national or international meeting are encouraged to present their seminar or poster to at least their major professor, and also their Graduate Advisory Committee prior to the meeting. All program faculty and graduate students are encouraged to attend and provide feedback on such presentations. The student's major professor is responsible for announcing the time and place of their student's presentation.

Comprehensive Doctoral Examination:

The student must complete the Comprehensive Doctoral Examination in their chosen field(s) of study prior to admission to candidacy for the PhD degree. The Comprehensive Doctoral Examination is considered to be a single examination, although it consists of written and oral parts. The Comprehensive Doctoral Examination is the occasion when the student must demonstrate a firm and substantial grasp of their field in a broad sense, and a sophisticated depth of understanding in more limited areas of the discipline in which specialization has been focused. The Examining Committee will assess whether or not the student has demonstrated a qualified knowledge of their field(s) to such a degree that they would be acceptable as a professional and academic colleague. The written and the oral examination must be taken no later than the end of the fifth semester of graduate study. Completion of both written and oral examinations within the same semester is strongly recommended.

The Comprehensive Doctoral Written Examination is comprised of questions submitted by each member of the student's Graduate Advisory Committee and assembled by the major professor. Questions will not be designed to evoke a rehashing of specific material from the student's courses, but instead will require answers synthesized from knowledge gained in the entire spectrum of courses. The format of the written examination questions (open book, closed book, or both) will be decided upon by the Graduate Advisory Committee members. The written examination is to be completed in no more than five consecutive days. Failure of the written examination does not necessarily constitute a failure of the comprehensive doctoral examination as a whole. The candidate may repeat the written portion of the examination once. The second examination, may, with the Graduate Advisory Committee's directive, follow additional coursework to enhance the candidate's readiness. In the event that the student does not pass the second written examination, then they will be asked to leave the Program.

The Comprehensive Doctoral Oral Examination is taken only after successful completion of the written examination. Students should note that while the Graduate College requires at least six months between the Oral Comprehensive Examination and the Final Oral Examination (see below), the Pathobiology Graduate Program requires that the oral comprehensive examination be completed at least one year prior to the Final Oral Examination (see below). This timeline is consistent with the intent of the oral comprehensive examination to serve, in part, as an opportunity for critical review of the experimental plan and significant Graduate Advisory Committee input well prior to completion of the research. The Comprehensive Oral Examination consists of (a) questions regarding the dissertation research proposal, (b) clarification of answers to questions from the written examination, if the Graduate Advisory Committee desires, and (c) general questions of the same type as those on the written examination. The student should consult Graduate Advisory Committee members, as far in advance as possible, to identify a date agreeable to all, and formally notify the Graduate Advisory Committee in writing to confirm the agreed upon date, time, and location of the oral examination at least three weeks before it occurs.

The Examining Committee must have a minimum of four voting members, all of whom are tenured, tenure-track or have been approved by the Graduate College as special members. In the Pathobiology Graduate Program, the Examining Committee consists of members of the Graduate Advisory Committee. One committee member acts as reporter. This person (who cannot be the student's advisor) ensures that the exam is administered fairly and files the report with the Graduate College. All Examining Committee members must be in attendance for the entire exam which should be at least one hour in length, but should not exceed three hours. In order to pass the exam, there can be no more than one negative or abstaining vote. Graduate College policy prohibits the details of the votes being made available to the student.

In the event the student fails the oral examination, a second examination may be rescheduled no more than six months after the initial attempt. In the event that the student does not pass the second oral examination, then they will be asked to leave the Program. The Graduate College does not allow more than two attempts (one original and one second attempt) of the oral comprehensive examination.

As per the Graduate College policy, all requirements for the PhD degree must be completed with five years of passing the Comprehensive Doctoral Examination.

Following successful completion of the Comprehensive Doctoral Oral Examination, the Advancement to Candidacy Form must be completed and submitted to the Graduate College.

Final Oral Examinations for the MS (both tracks) and PhD Degrees:

The student will present a seminar on their research, consisting of a brief introduction and literature review, statement of the hypothesis which was tested and its significance, specific objectives, methods, results, and conclusions. The seminar will be followed by a period of questioning by the audience. Following this, the student will be further examined by the Graduate Advisory Committee members.

The final examination is an oral defense of the thesis or dissertation and the student is expected to defend all of its elements. Accordingly, the student will be questioned on the methods, results, interpretation and significance of data, and relevance of data to the acceptance or rejection of the hypothesis. The examination also may include general questioning related to the field(s) of study encompassed by the thesis or dissertation and general knowledge of the discipline. The Committee on Graduate Study will be involved only in the event of a second examination, following failure on a first attempt.

The student will consult with Graduate Advisory Committee members, as far in advance as possible, to identify a date agreeable to all. The student will notify the Graduate Advisory Committee in writing to confirm the agreed upon date, time, and location of the Final Oral Examination (MS and PhD) at least three weeks before it occurs. At this time, the student and Graduate Advisory Committee will notify the Program Secretary, who will distribute formal seminar announcements, at least two weeks prior to the Final Oral Examination.

Thesis (traditional track MS), Report (applied track MS) or Dissertation (PhD):

The penultimate copy of the thesis report, or dissertation must be submitted to each Graduate Advisory Committee member and to the Program Coordinator for general availability to program faculty and students at least four weeks before the Final Oral Examination. The student will also submit the required manuscript(s) from the thesis or dissertation research in a form suitable for publication to the Committee (1 full-length manuscript for the traditional track MS, 2 full-length manuscripts for PhD) at least three weeks prior to the Final Oral Examination.

The student will provide the GPC and major professor with professionally bound copies of the completed, final version of the thesis, report or dissertation. These copies are in addition to the two copies required by the University. Students should consult the Graduate College webpage for the submission deadline.

Satisfactory Academic Progress

Satisfactory academic progress for the MS and PhD degrees is outlined in the Pathobiology Graduate Program Performance Guidelines for Satisfactory Academic Progress.

Important Forms, Packets And Documents Students Should Obtain

From the Pathobiology Graduate Program (available on the website):

From the Graduate College:

Graduate degree certification deadlines
Masters and doctoral candidates: Manual for theses and dissertations
Doctoral candidates: A handbook for completing the steps to your degree
Masters candidates: A handbook for completing the steps to your degree
Policies and procedures for oral comprehensive examinations for admission to doctoral candidacy

Note: Students must check directly with the Graduate College at least once a year for the most current versions of the above documents as well as any new materials. Forms and other documents are also available at the Graduate College website (http://grad.admin.arizona.edu/).

Updated April 11, 2007
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