Integrated Biosciences Graduate Program

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Introduction

The Ph.D. is a research degree that represents the highest level of academic accomplishment in any field. Persons with this degree are expected to have demonstrated the ability to conduct independent research and also should have the level and breadth of knowledge about their field that one could reasonably expect of someone who has attained the highest academic degree in their field. Research performance, evidenced by preparation of a dissertation on an independently pursued research topic, is the primary requirement for the Ph.D. degree. Each program is designed in consultation with a faculty advisor to meet the special needs of the student, and must be approved by the DGS.

Greater depth of scholarship is required for Ph.D. students than Masters students. Students in the Ph.D. program must obtain the equivalent of the M.S. coursework in terms of breadth. The areas of emphasis in the Ph.D. program are the same to those at the M.S. level, but more flexibility within the areas is available because of the opportunity to take additional course work. Course work is tailored to your needs and interests, consistent with the objectives and goals of the program.

The Graduate School does not set a minimum number of graduate course credits for the Ph.D., but the IBS program has established a guideline that the Ph.D. program should include a minimum of 32 credits formal classroom credits, excluding 24 thesis credits. All Ph.D. students will be required to take the same Core Curriculum that Master's students take.  An additional nine (9) credits of coursework in the designated emphasis will be required for both the EOP and the CMP emphases. Only in rare circumstances would a Ph.D. program include fewer course credits than this guideline. A minor may have additional requirements as defined by the department or program in which it is given. A supporting program may draw from several disciplines, but must comprise a coherent pattern of courses. The Director of Graduate Studies can assist you in judging that coherent pattern.  Ph.D. students are also required to meet the ethics requirements (see Program section for details).

The IBS program does not have a rigid criterion regarding the number of credits of 8000-level coursework appropriate for Ph.D. programs because the availability of such courses varies widely among academic areas. Nonetheless, students should be aware that the Ph.D. represents the highest level of scholarly achievement; Ph.D. programs should thus include a strong representation of advanced-level courses in your major field.

All IBS graduate students will attend the IBS Colloquia and can attend seminars in related departments, such as Biology, Chemistry, the Academic Health Center (encompassing the Medical School Duluth and College of Pharmacy, Duluth), and Mathematics.

Graduate School Website:

The Graduate School website for Doctoral Students, which contains links to all forms and degree requirements, can be found by clicking here or directly at: http://www.grad.umn.edu/current_students/doctoral/index.html

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Professional Ethics and Responsible Research Conduct

Be advised that all major fields require education in the responsible conduct of research and scholarship, whether through formal coursework or informal means, and most major fields (and formally declared minors) have additional requirements. Please be sure to consult with your DGS and faculty adviser concerning these requirements.

If your research involves human or animal subjects, radioisotopes, hazardous chemicals, or other activities subject to University or governmental regulation, you should be prepared to discuss with your committee your awareness of the regulatory requirements and whether you have complied with them or have plans to do so.

The University of Minnesota is dedicated to the advancement of learning and the search for truth for the benefit of all people (from the University of Minnesota Mission Statement). To safeguard the values of good scholarship and professional conduct, the University of Minnesota has taken steps to inform and educate its faculty, staff and students about these issues.

Expectations for members of the University community are spelled out in the Board of Regents Code of Conduct, which holds members to the highest ethical standards of professional conduct and integrity. The complementary responsibilities of faculty and graduate students in fostering high academic standards, intellectual honesty, and mutual respect in graduate training are spelled out in Mutual Responsibilities in Graduate Education at the University of Minnesota.

The University has also adopted a comprehensive educational program to provide members of the University community with the knowledge and resources they will need to act as responsible researchers and scholars. As part of this educational initiative, each graduate program is required to provide its students—through courses, informal seminars, and individual mentoring—opportunities to learn about ethical issues from a disciplinary perspective and to explore these openly.

The Code of Conduct, Mutual Responsibilities document, and other resources noted in this brochure are accessible on the Web at: http://www.research.umn.edu/ethics/ The University of Minnesota welcomes you as a new graduate student. Your years here should provide great intellectual stimulation and reward. The institutional initiatives described in this brochure are designed to help you acquire the knowledge and skills you will need to successfully navigate the challenges and opportunities ahead.

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Timeline for Degree Completion

Five Year Time Limit

All requirements for the Doctoral degree must be completed by five years from the end of the fall or spring term following the term in which the student passes the preliminary oral examination. For example, if a student passes the preliminary oral examination during spring term 1995, all requirements for the degree must be completed by the end of fall term 2000. There are no provisions for a "leave of absence" or other means of suspending candidacy.

At the end of the fourth year following the preliminary oral examination, the Graduate School will notify the student, the adviser, and the director of graduate studies that the student has one year remaining in which to complete all requirements for the degree. This notification will serve as a reminder that the deadline is near, will explain the consequences of non-completion of the degree by the deadline, and will outline the procedures to be used to petition for an extension of time, should one be required. It is assumed that the adviser, the director of graduate studies, and the student will all cooperate in a responsible manner to keep track of the student's individual time limit and the progress required to meet that deadline.

Petition Process

If the student is unable to complete the degree by the deadline, he or she may petition the Graduate School for an extension of the five year time limit. To insure timely consideration by the Graduate School, petitions should be filed no later than early in the term in which the time limit will expire.

An extension may be requested for a period of one additional term or one additional year. A special Graduate School Dean’s Committee will review all petitions.

An extension of one term should be requested if the degree can reasonably be completed within that period of time. Such a request would be appropriate if, for example, the final oral examination has been scheduled for that term, or if final revisions to the text of the thesis are in progress. An extension of one year should be requested in most other cases.

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Rotations

Rotations through three faculty laboratories during the first semester for CMP Ph.D. students, the orientation course at the start of the first year of graduate study, and attendance at faculty Colloquia will assist students in choosing an appropriate advisor.

CMP Ph.D. students are required to complete three rotations, each four to five weeks in length, during the Fall semester. While students are serving their rotations, the DGS will advise them in consultation with the appropriate Emphasis Coordinator. During the rotations, the student may have a tentative assignment to an advisor for a trial period of a semester. During the rotation period, students will request assignment to an advisor in consultation with the DGS.

EOP Ph.D. students are also encouraged to do rotations or take three credits of electives instead. These rotations will assist the student in the selection of an advisor within the emphasis, as well as provide exposure to research in the other emphasis. However, because of the tradition in ecology graduate programs, EOP students will likely enter the IBS program with an advisor in mind.

The advisor may be chosen from IBS faculty on either campus. The DGS will then consult with program faculty before the advisor assignment is finalized. The DGS has final approval on all advisor assignments after he or she has consulted with the student and the program faculty. All advisor assignments will be finalized by the end of Fall semester of the first year.

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Selection of an Advisement Committee

During your second semester you should decide upon a permanent advisor and choose the members of your Advisement Committee. Your major advisor typically functions as the chairperson of your Advisement Committee and assists you in course selection and planning, and, unless otherwise approved, it is expected that your Advisement Committee will serve as the committee assigned the task of reading your thesis and of administering your final oral evaluation.

Select a potential major advisor from the list of Graduate Faculty whose indicated interest most closely matches your own in your area of emphasis under the advisement of your area's co-DGS. Talk to the potential major advisor to determine the feasibility of acting as your major advisor.

Prelim oral examination committee:

• Minimum of 3 major field and 1 minor/supporting program member.

Final oral examination committee:

• Minimum of 3 major field and 1 minor/supporting program member.
• Committee is not required to include the same members who served on the prelim oral committee.

Thesis Reviewers for final oral examination:

• Must hold at least an E status
• A minimum of 2 major field reviewers and 1 minor/supporting program reviewer are required.

Adviser:

• Must have SM membership in major field
• Must represent the major on the preliminary oral and final oral committees.

Adviser as chair:

• Can serve as chair for the preliminary oral examination
• Cannot serve as chair for the final oral examination;

Co-adviser:

• Not required
• Must have SM or MA membership in major or minor/supporting program.

Co-adviser as chair:

• Can serve as chair for the preliminary oral examination if s/he holds SM appointment in major or minor/supporting program;
• Cannot serve as chair for the final oral examination.

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Ph.D. Degree Requirements

Ph.D. Degree Course Requirements in common for all IBS Students

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Ph.D. Degree Requirements for Each Emphasis in Addition to Course Requirements in Common for all IBS Students

An additional nine (9) credits of coursework in the designated emphasis will be required for both the EOP and the CMP emphases, for a total of a minimum of 32 formal classroom credits.

At least twenty-four (24) credits of Thesis Research (IBS 8888) will be required for each Ph.D. student. In total, a minimum of thirty-two (32) coursework credits and twenty-four (24) thesis credits will be required for the Ph.D.

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EOP SAMPLE PROGRAM

Ph.D. in Integrated Biosciences

Ecology, Organismal and Population Biology (EOP) Emphasis

Courses in bold italic are the core required curriculum common to both the EOP and CMP Emphasis.

CMP SAMPLE PROGRAM

Ph.D. in Integrated Biosciences

Cell, Molecular and Physiological Biology (CMP) Emphasis

Courses in bold italic are the core required curriculum common to both the EOP and CMP Emphasis.

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ELECTIVE COURSES

Available for M.S. or Ph.D. Degree

Electives available for students in either the EOP or the CMP track are listed below. Except for proposed courses (as indicated), all courses are currently offered. There are numerous electives on the Twin Cities campus that parallel this list of electives on the Duluth campus; we will consult with Twin Cities faculty regarding the eligibility of specific elective courses on the Twin Cities campus as needed.

These electives will be expanded by generating one new 8000 level course each year for the first ten years of the doctoral program.

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Examples of Twin Cities-based electives include the following:

Biochemistry 8216 (Signal Transduction and Gene Expression)

Child Psychology 8301 (Developmental Psychology: Cognitive Processes)

Child Psychology 8302 (Developmental Psychology: Social and Emotional Processes)

Child Psychology 8311 (Landmark Issues in Child Psychology)

Clinical Pharmacology 8220 (Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology)

Clinical Pharmacology 8400 (Pharmacometrics)

Clinical Pharmacology 8410 (Population Pharmacokinetic Modeling)

Cognitive Science 8040 (Cognitive Neuroscience)

Comparative and Molecular Biosciences 8201 (Mechanisms of Animal Health and Disease I)

Comparative and Molecular Biosciences 8202 (Mechanisms of Animal Health and Disease II)

Comparative and Molecular Biosciences 8335 (Molecular Biological Techniques)

Comparative and Molecular Biosciences 8344 (Mechanism of Hormone Action)

Comparative and Molecular Biosciences 8371 (Mucosal Immunobiology)

Comparative and Molecular Biosciences 8481 (Advanced Neuropharmaceutics)

Comparative and Molecular Biosciences 8550 (Comparative and Molecular Biosciences)

Conservation Biology 8004 (Economic and Social Aspects of Conservation)

Ecology Evolution and Behavior 8051 (Empirical Ecology)

Ecology Evolution and Behavior 8601 (Introduction to Stream Restoration)

Ecology Evolution and Behavior 8602 (Stream Restoration)

Ecology Evolution and Behavior 8641 (Spatial Ecology)

Entomology 8041 (Advanced Insect Genetics)

Entomology 8051 (Toxicology)

Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology 8210 (Clinical Therapeutics)

Fisheries and Wildlife 8448 (Fishery Science)

Fisheries and Wildlife 8452 (Conservation Biology)

Fisheries and Wildlife 8459 (Stream and River Ecology)

Fisheries and Wildlife 8576 (Biology and Management of Large Animals)

Forest Resources 8207 (Economic Analysis of Natural Resource Projects).

Genetics Cell Biology and Development 8008 (Mammalian Gene Transfer and Expression)

Genetics Cell Biology and Development 8073 (Advanced Human Genetics)

Genetics Cell Biology and Development 8103 (Human Histology)

Genetics Cell Biology and Development 8131 (Advanced Genetics)

Genetics Cell Biology and Development 8151 (Cell Structure and Function)

Genetics Cell Biology and Development 8161 (Advanced Developmental Biology)

Genetics Cell Biology and Development 8913 (Psychosocial Issues in Genetic Counseling)

Genetics Cell Biology and Development 8914 (Ethical and Legal Issues in Genetic Counseling)

Microbiology 8002 (Structure, Function and Genetics of Bacteria)

Microbiology 8003 (Immunity and Immunopathology)

Microbiology 8004 (Cellular and Cancer Biology)

Microbiology 8007 (Cell Biology and Biochemistry of the Extracellular Matrix)

Microbiology 8009 (Biochemical Aspects of Normal and Abnormal Cell Growth and Cell Death)

Microbiology 8010 (Microbial Pathogenesis)

Microbiology 8012 (Integrated Topics in Microbiology, Immunology and Cancer Biology)

Microbiology 8371 (Mucosal Immunobiology)

Neuroscience 8026 (Neuro-Immune Interactions)

Neuroscience 8211 (Developmental Neuroscience)

Neuroscience 8216 (Selected Topics in Autonomic and Neuroendocrine Regulation)

Neuroscience 8217 (Systems and Computational Neuroscience)

Neuroscience 8221 (Neurobiology of Pain and Analgesia)

Neuroscience 8222 (Central Regulation of Autonomic Function)

Neuroscience 8247 (Anatomy and Physiology of Hearing and Balance)

Neuroscience 8481 (Advanced Neuropharmaceutics)

Nutrition 8613 (Advances in Nutrition: Lipoproteins, Cholesterol and Atherosclerosis)

Nutrition 8614 (Advances in Nutrition: Advanced Energy Balance)

Nutrition 8615 (advances in Nutrition: Exercise Metabolism)

Nutrition 8616 (Advances in Nutrition: Free Radicals, Trace Elements and other Micronutrients)

Nutrition 8617 (Chemical Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention)

Nutrition 8618 (Neuroregulation of Energy Metabolism)

Pharmacology 8208 (Neuropsychopharmacology)

Pharmacology 8217 (Problems in Investigative Pharmacology)

Pharmacology 8221 (Neurobiology of Pain and Analgesia)

Pharmacology 8222 (Transdisciplinary Tobacco Research)

Pharmacy 8411 (Stabilization of Pharmaceuticals)

Pharmacy 8421 (Advanced Pharmacokinetics)

Pharmacy 8431 (Controlled Release: Materials, Mechanisms and Models

Pharmacy 8441 (Solubility and Solid-state Properties of Drugs)

Physiology 8216 (Selected Topics in Autonomic and Neuroendocrine Regulation)

Physiology 8222 (Central Regulation of Autonomic Function)

Physiology 8310 (Advanced Topics in Cellular Physiology)

Plant Pathology 8101 (Causal Organisms of Plant Disease)

Plant Pathology 8102 (Epidemiology and Genetics of Host-Parasite Interactions)

Plant Pathology 8103 (Plant Microbe Interactions)

Plant Pathology 8302 (Genomics of Plant Associated Microbes)

Soil Water and Climate 8252 (Advanced Soil Physics)

Soil Water and Climate 8282 (Modeling Water, Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics in the Soil-Plant-Air System)

Soil Water and Climate 8541 (Aquatic and Soil Chemistry)

Statistics 5021 (Statistical Analysis)

Statistics 8111 (Mathematical Statistics I)

Statistics 8112 (Mathematical Statistics II)

Statistics 8141 (Probability Assessment)

Statistics 8311 (Linear Models)

Statistics 8312 (Linear and Nonlinear Regression)

Toxicology 8012 (Advanced Toxicology I)

Toxicology 8013 (Advanced Toxicology II)

Toxicology 8100 (Investigative Toxicology)

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Progress in Graduate Work

In addition to the aforementioned deadlines, the IBS Graduate Program evaluates your progress in graduate work with the following criteria.

If any one of the criteria is not met, a hold will be placed on your registration. To remove the hold, you must prepare a plan for how you will remedy the situation to the satisfaction of the DGS and your advisor. Failure to adhere to the plan will result in another hold on your registration.

• Deficiencies: The prompt completion of any course deficiencies indicated to you in your acceptance letter.

• GPA: A cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better in all graduate level courses listed on your degree program form.

• Incompletes: A maximum amount of 3 incomplete credits on your record at any one time.

  • If the course in which the incomplete credit occurs is taught annually, you have one year from the end of the course to complete the remaining work.

  • If the course is not taught annually, you must present a plan for timely completion of the remaining work that is agreeable to the instructor of that course.
    
    
• Code of Conduct: Professional standards are discussed in the required Biological Practitioner course (IBS 8099), but include prompt attendance at classes you take and teach; keeping office hours; a willingness to chip in and help with additional and reasonable assignments when called upon (such as helping instructors grade during finals week); and conferring deference and respect on colleagues, faculty, staff, and the public.
  
  
• The IBS program expects you to act in accordance with the University Code of Conduct. Serious breaches of professional standards will be brought to the attention of the DGS, Department Heads, and/or Dean of the Graduate School. One or more of these individuals will then meet with you and your advisor to discuss appropriate measures to rectify the situation. In extreme cases, dismissal may be an option.

Also consult the following:

• Standards of Student Conduct Enforceable by University Agencies

• Professional Ethics and Responsible Research Conduct

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DOCTORAL DEGREE REQUIREMENTS FOR GRADUATION

Filing Degree Program with the Graduate School

Shortly after the composition of your Advisement Committee has been approved by the Integrated Biosciences DGS, you should design your full graduate program in consultation with your major advisor.

Students are encouraged to file degree programs as early as possible, but no later than the end of the third semester of study.

Provide all committee members with a copy of your proposed program of coursework, undergraduate and graduate unofficial transcripts

Submit to your Advisement Committee a detailed outline of your intended research, including objectives and methodology. Your Advisement Committee may ask that you provide them with periodic progress reports, either oral or written, concerning your thesis project.

Call a meeting of your committee, at which all committee members must be present to approve your proposed plan.

Fill out a Degree Program Form which includes a Degree Program Transmittal page and a Degree Program. This form must be signed by your advisor and submitted, with a current transcript, to the DGS, who will forward it to the Graduate School Office.

1. As per Graduate School regulations, the Examining Committee for the Ph.D. degree will consist of at least four individuals, including the advisor
2. Two of the Examining Committee members must come from a different department than the tenure home of the advisor. A student’s committee must have at least one faculty member from the emphasis other than the student’s major emphasis. (http://www.grad.umn.edu/dgs/handbook/student_services/PhD.htm)
3. Degree Program submission is based on departmental requirements, but must be filed with The Graduate School no later than one term prior to your Preliminary Oral Exam.

If you find it necessary to revise your program and/or Advisement Committee, please see the Graduate Schools website for complete instructions: http://www.grad.umn.edu/current_Students/problem_solving/academic_issues/question_9_3.html

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Written Preliminary Examination

In addition to completing the curriculum for the major and internal related fields, students are required to pass both a written and oral preliminary examination prior to completing the Ph.D. program.

1. The preliminary written examination will be administered once the student has completed the majority of the required coursework. This will typically occur in the summer of the second year.
2. The written examination will consist of a completed NIH or NSF grant application for the student’s proposed research project. The mechanics of proposal writing is covered in IBS Research Club (IBS 8030). The project will be evaluated by the Thesis Examining Committee, which will also serve as the student’s Final Oral Examining Committee to provide continuity of advice during the length of the student’s research program.
3. The Committee will grade the proposal as either PASS or FAIL. If a Committee member grades the proposal as PASS, he or she must grade the proposal with PASS WITH COMMENDATION, PASS, or CONDITIONAL PASS. Each Committee member will provide the student with a written critique of the proposal within a month of submission to the Committee.
4. After completion of all Preliminary Written Exams and at least one week before the Preliminary Oral Exam, submit the Preliminary Written Examination Report form.
5. Schedule the Preliminary Oral with The Graduate School at least one week in advance of the exam. The Prelim Oral must take place at least one academic term (15 weeks) before the Final Oral Defense.

Oral Preliminary Examination

The oral preliminary examination will be administered within two months of the successful completion of the preliminary written examination.

1. The examination will be administered by the graduate faculty according to Graduate School regulations and all students will be required to pass the oral examination to continue in the Ph.D. program.
2. Within one working day of completion of the Prelim Oral exam, submit the signed Preliminary Oral Examination Report form.

Thesis Proposal Form

Within one semester of passing the preliminary oral examination, each Ph.D. student must file a Thesis Proposal Form with the Graduate School.

• NOTE:  Anytime after the Thesis Proposal has been approved by The Graduate School, request a graduation packet by Clicking Here, or by visiting the Graduate School website: http://www.grad.umn.edu/current_students/forms/grad_packet/doctoral/confirm.html, or in person at 316 Johnston Hall. The Thesis Reviewer's Report form will be issued at that time.

Sample Thesis Titles:

“Competition Experiments between Cyanobacteria and Green Algae: Do Differences in Light Climate and Hydrogen Peroxide Sensitivity Influence their Outcome?”

“The Distribution and Emergence of Bythotrephes longimanus Resting Eggs: Defining the Role of Cumulative Environmental Stressors in Dormancy”

“Competition Between Microsystis aeruginosa and Chlorella vulgaris in Light Limited Continuous and Semi-continuous Cultures: The Negative Effect of Gas Vesicles in Microcystis aeruginosa”

Sample Dissertation titles:

“Sensitivity of the Anterior Lateral Line to Complex Stimuli in the Oyster Toadfish, Opsanus tau”

“Proteomic and NMR Analysis of Molecular Changes in the Brain of a Hibernating Mammal”

“ Characterization of Monocarboxylic Acid Transporters Spanning the Blood-Brain Barrier”

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Final Oral Defense

The final oral defense will be conducted by the graduate faculty according to Graduate School regulations. It will consist of a public seminar presented by the student, followed by a closed examination with the student’s Examining Committee.

1. One of the individuals on the Examining Committee will represent graduate faculty from the related field.
2. Return the signed Final Oral Examination Report form no later than one working day following completion of the Final Oral Defense.
3. The dissertation, forms and fees must be completed/submitted by the last working day of the intended month of graduation
   • Students are encouraged to submit the dissertation electronically.  The electronic dissertation submission process provides students with the opportunity to include multi-media formats such as music files, video files, etc. with their dissertations.

Request Doctoral Graduation Packet: - Click Here

Contents:

• Application for Degree
  
• Commencement Attendance Approval Form
  
  • Must be submitted to attend the fall or spring commencement ceremony
    
• Dates, deadlines, and important information included
  
• Final Examination Scheduling Form
  
  • Must be submitted to 316 Johnston Hall at least one week prior to the final defense
    
• Preparing the Doctoral Dissertation
  
  • Information on formatting and publishing dissertation
    
• Thesis Reviewers Report Form (TRRF)
  
  • Must be signed by the designated reviewers on committee
    
  • Must be submitted to 316 Johnston Hall prior to the final defense
    
• Graduation Checklist Includes:
  
  • Information to submit dissertation online
    
  • Information about completing the UMN Survey of Earned Doctorates
    

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Grading Policy

The Graduate School uses two grading systems: A-B-C-D-F (with pluses and minuses) and S-N. Students have the option of choosing the system under which they will be graded, except in courses in which grading has been restricted to one system with approval of The Graduate School.

At least two-thirds of the total number of course credits included on any degree program form must be taken A-F. Individual major fields have the option of specifying more stringent requirements regarding the application of S-N courses to a degree program. All A-F registrations in The Graduate School, regardless of course level, will be calculated in the cumulative GPA on the student’s transcript.

Students choose their grading system at the time of initial registration. 5xxx and 8xxx courses with grades of A, B, C (including C-), and S may be applied to a Graduate School degree program; University policy does not allow changes in grading option after the second week of the term. Under some circumstances and with approval of the student’s major field, 4xxx, 6xxx, and 7xxx courses may also be applied to a Graduate School degree.

In addition to these statements you should be aware of the policy regarding grading in 4xxx and 5xxx courses. Instructors are permitted to hold graduate and undergraduate students who are in the same class to different standards of academic performance and accomplishment. The syllabus must make clear what the different standards will be for the different groups of students who may be enrolled in the class. It is felt that this policy serves to delineate the difference in performance expected of graduate students as compared to undergraduates in courses at this level.

Incomplete Grades

The symbol “I” may be assigned by an instructor to indicate “incomplete,” in accordance with provisions announced in class at the beginning of the semester, when in the instructor’s opinion there is a reasonable expectation that the student can successfully complete the work of the course.

An “I” remains on the transcript until the instructor replaces it with a final A-F or S-N grade. Course instructors may, at their discretion, establish a time limit for the removal of incomplete grades. The maximum number of credits of incompletes allowable at any given time is established by each major field for its graduate students.

A maximum amount of 3 incomplete credits on your record at any one time.

• If the course in which the incomplete credit occurs is taught annually, you have one year from the end of the course to complete the remaining work.
• If the course is not taught annually, you must present a plan for timely completion of the remaining work that is agreeable to the instructor of that course.

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Retaking Courses

The Graduate School discourages the retaking of courses to improve grades. If a course is retaken, appropriate tuition and fees will be assessed. Per University Senate policy, all registrations and grades for the course remain on the student’s transcript and are calculated into the cumulative GPA.
Grade Changes

To preserve the integrity of the graduate transcript as an accurate record of a student’s academic progress, the University does not allow requests to change final grades assigned to students in prior semesters.

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Financial Support

Graduate fellowships, awards based on academic merit, are available to new and currently enrolled graduate students at the University of Minnesota. The Graduate School Fellowship Office administers University-wide fellowships. Applications may be printed from the Fellowship Office web page and sent to the Fellowship Office by the designated deadline. The Office also administers the National Science Foundation Fellowships program. Forms for these purposes may be obtained by writing directly to the Graduate Fellowship Office, 422 Johnston Hall, 101 Pleasant Street, S.E., University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455-0421.

The IBS Graduate Program awards Summer Fellowships, Tuition Fellowships, and Travel Fellowships, all of which are funded by the Graduate School. The application procedures for a Summer Fellowship (if available), which provides for personal living expenses, will be announced to you. You may apply any semester for Tuition Fellowships (which pay for tuition that assistantships, scholarships, or other fellowships do not), Travel Fellowships (for presenting talks or posters on research at a professional meetings); contact the Director of Graduate Studies to determine the application procedure and availability.

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General Duties and Responsibilities of Teaching Assistants

Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) are employees of the sponsoring Department; a teaching assistantship is not a fellowship. The IBS program views the GTA program as our opportunity to teach you how to teach, a skill that can be very important in future job applications. Details and obligations of GTAs will be provided in a separate informational package given to each assistant at the time of his/her original appointment. More information is available in the University of Minnesota Guidelines for Graduate Assistants.

Scheduling: GTAs must turn in their schedules in mid-August and mid-December so that teaching assignments for the following semester can be assigned; therefore, they must register for classes before the semester begins. GTAs will be assigned to teach lab sections of undergraduate classes. The Biology Department makes every effort to match the GTAs with courses that utilize their expertise and interests

Supervision: A specific faculty member (or members) will be the direct supervisor(s) of the GTAs. They may

• ask that the GTA assist with lectures
• ask that the GTA help in the preparation of laboratory materials
• ask that the GTA help in the and proctoring of examinations
• discuss the material to be taught
• offer suggestions as to its presentation

Attendance: All teaching assistants must be on campus the week before classes begin each semester (to meet with instructors and help set up laboratories, classes, etc.) until the end of finals week (to assist grading final exams, etc.)

Evaluation: All faculty under whom you assist may submit an evaluation of your work to the Department Head. This will likely include responses to student evaluations distributed at the end of every semester.

Continuation: If GTAs are interested in subsequent years of support, they should notify the Department Head early in Spring Semester. The Department Head will consider the evaluations and academic performance in determining GTA extensions.

Grievances: If at any time you feel that unreasonable demands are being made of you relative to the percent-time of your appointment, you should first discuss this with the supervising faculty member. If this does not prove satisfactory, discuss the situation with the Department Head.

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Thesis Research Expenses

Certain expenses will be incurred when you conduct of your thesis research for the purchase of chemicals, supplies, services, certain pieces of equipment, etc.

As these needs arise, you should notify the faculty member supervising your research or project, usually your major advisor. If that faculty member has outside grant support, those funds may be used to meet your needs. If no outside funds are available, your advisor may forward your requests to the Department Head or DGS.

Within reasonable limits, the Department or IBS program may attempt to provide some measure of support for your research. In the past, certain graduate students have applied on their own for outside funding for their research. Although this approach will entail considerable work on your part and only limited resources exist, it does provide excellent experience in the art of "grantsmanship," a trait that might come in handy subsequently in your professional career.

The Graduate School occasionally offers workshops in grant writing. It is the student's responsibility to pay all expenses incurred in the production and copying of all versions of the thesis, as well as any binding of the final version.

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Research Involving Animal and Human Subjects

If your research involves animal or human subjects, you must apply for clearance through appropriate review councils. This is discussed further in the required IBS 8099 Biological Practitioner course. For further details, consult the following web sites.

• Research involving human subjects
• Research involving animal subjects

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Registration After Completion of Formal Course Work

ALL Graduate School students will be required to register in the Graduate School every fall and spring term in order to maintain active status. This is a change from the previous policy that required Graduate School registration once per year.

Maintaining active status is critical and is required in order to participate in the University community as a Graduate School student. Participating in the University community includes registering for coursework, taking examinations, submitting milestone forms, or filing for graduation.

Students not registered every fall and spring term are considered to have withdrawn; their Graduate School records are deactivated. Those who wish to resume graduate work must request readmission to the Graduate School (and if readmitted, must register) to reactivate their status.

Effective Fall 2002, Grad 999 - a zero-credit, zero-fee, non-graded registration option - will be an option for those Graduate School students who must register solely to meet the Graduate School's registration requirement. Students should check with their department office for eligibility.

Confer with your adviser and/or DGS to determine what you should register for each term. You should consider the following in addition to any criteria outlined by your adviser and/or DGS:

• Do you have course credits or thesis credits that must be taken to complete graduate program and/or Graduate School degree requirements?
• Do you have to be registered part-time or full-time to meet any internal/external registration requirements in addition to the Graduate School's fall/spring registration requirement (for example, obtaining financial aid; holding an assistantship; maintaining legal visa status; deferring loans)?
• What number of credits (and what type of credits) will meet the requirements of those internal/external departments or agencies?
• If you have completed all coursework and (if applicable) thesis credit requirements, and you do not have to be registered to meet any requirement other than the Graduate School's fall/spring registration requirement to maintain active status, you may wish to confer with your adviser/DGS about Grad 999 registration.

For questions about the readmission process, please contact Graduate School Admissions in 309 Johnston or by phone at 612-625-3014.

For questions about how the registration requirement will impact you, please contact the Graduate Student Services and Progress Office in 316 Johnston.

Doctoral students may call 612-625-0168 or email gsdoc@umn.edu

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Office and Laboratory Space

Laboratory space will be provided you once you have selected your thesis advisor.

Full-time graduate students usually are assigned desk and research space in the parent departments of their advisors.

As a full-time graduate student, you may be assigned keys to your office and to the building in which the office is located. The department that controls your office space will issue the keys, and may require you to sign a form or pay a deposit.

It is important that you use these keys only for your own purposes and they should not be given to anyone else. Upon leaving the Graduate Program, it is essential that you return all keys and key cards assigned to you to the Integrated Biosciences or appropriate departmental secretary or a hold will be placed on your records--including receipt of your degree and release of your official transcripts.

If you are a GTA in the Biology Department, we will assign you office space including desk and filing facilities at the beginning of the year. Because office space is not extensive, you will share a room with at least one other person. Most GTAs retain the same desk and office for the entire year, but in some instances it is necessary to shift office assignments from semester to semester. Generally, offices assigned during the academic year will be available for your use during the summer.

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Research Facilities

You may pursue graduate work in IBS at the Duluth campus or Twin Cities campus, under special circumstances, at both campuses. The faculty list on the IBS website home page lists addresses and research interests of current IBS faculty.

Several research facilities are potentially available to you as an IBS student, such as the Swenson College of Science and Engineering Duluth, School of Medicine Duluth, College of Pharmacy Duluth, the Large Lakes Observatory in Duluth, which  includes an 87-foot research vessel on Lake Superior, and the Natural Resources Research Institute (NRRI) in Duluth. Arrangements to use these facilities may be facilitated by your advisor and by approaching staff directly.

Library Facilities

There is no specific IBS Library. Instead, you will find books and journals in the University of Minnesota Duluth Library, the Geology Library (second floor of Heller Hall), EPA, and the NRRI Library. Details on Interlibrary Loan are available at the Interlibrary Loan web page. If you need assistance in performing a literature search using electronic databases, please contact the staff at the Main Library Reference Desk (218-726-8100). The IBS secretary can set up a copy code for you to do photocopying at the Library and you will be billed monthly for charges.

Literature searches can also be done through use of Biological Abstracts, and Science Citation Index, print versions of which are in the University of Minnesota Duluth Library. Computer-based versions of Science Citation Index, Biological Abstracts, BIOSIS, JSTOR, Current Contents, and other computerized search programs are available through the Library's web page.

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Copying Facilities

Photocopiers exist in various participating facilities. Before you are issued a copy code you need to be trained by the Office Staff.  You may be issued a code for personal copies for which you will be billed monthly. If you are a GTA you will be issued a separate code for that purpose.

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Electronic Mail

All University faculty, staff, and registered students receive an e-mail account, Internet access and 20 MB of server space. You may access your account from a networked machine on campus, through a wireless connection, or at the University’s web site from anywhere in the world with a web browser.

A student e-mail address will automatically be assigned to you when you register. To activate your account, visit http://www.umn.edu/initiate/. The site requires you to enter your social security number, your birth date, and your student ID number. The site also describes how to change your password and customize your account.

Another useful site for Internet access information is the Academic Computing and Distribution Services site: http://www.umn.edu/adcs/.

E-mail is widely used for individual, program, University, and professional communications, including financial transactions. For this reason, you must access your University account regularly. Many general-distribution IBS memos are sent via e-mail. The IBS uses a listserv to notify students of seminars, student group meetings, and other items of interest. Additionally, many job postings, calls for papers for conferences around the country, and other nationwide professional messages are distributed via e-mail. You should get into the habit of checking your University e-mail messages daily.

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Mail Facilities

All IBS Graduate students will have mail boxes located in room 204 Swenson Science Building. Students doing research in other departments may also have a mailbox in those departments, but, because announcements and other information pertinent to graduate students will be placed in the Swenson boxes, it is important that you check your mailbox there frequently.

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IBS Letterhead

At times you may find it is necessary to use official stationery for certain correspondence. If you desire, you may obtain IBS letterhead and envelopes from the IBS Office in 162 School of Medicine.

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Telephone and Fax Use

There are telephones for Graduate Student use in your assigned office space, and fax machines in various participating departments, including the Biology Office, room 207 Swenson Science Building, and the IBS Program Office, room 162 School of Medicine.

If you need to place a long distance call or fax pertaining to your work in the Integrated Biosciences Graduate Program, contact the Office Staff for assistance. Personal fax service is available in Campus Books. Information is available at http://www.umdstores.com/customer_service/services.html.

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Computer and Typewriter Use

Computer facilities vary according to departments. The IBS Program does not maintain student computer facilities but views this as the responsibility of the faculty advisors.

Graduate students have priority for the use of the typewriter, computers, printer, and scanner in the Graduate Student Offices, located in the Swenson Science Building. This equipment is not to be taken out of the rooms for use elsewhere. It is strongly recommended that you store your files on removable disks, since files stored on a general use hard drives could be accidentally deleted or altered.

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Secretarial Services

Secretarial services in the various departmental offices are not generally available to graduate students or graduate assistants, but that is a decision made by the individual departments. Consult your advisor for more information.

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Graduate Student Representatives

University of Minnesota Duluth Graduate Council

Graduate Student Representatives for the University of Minnesota Duluth Graduate Council are chosen on a campus-wide basis-seats are not allocated to every graduate program.

The IBS program prefers that one Graduate Student Representative from each track be present at all Graduate Faculty meetings. The mechanism for selection of Graduate Student Representatives is for students to determine; normally Graduate Student Representatives are elected by the other Graduate Students. Regardless of the manner of selection, it is necessary that the DGS is informed of the results. This will insure that the Representatives are notified of all necessary meetings and will receive copies of the minutes of meetings.

Responsibilities include:

• Providing input
• Providing information to fellow students concerning any changes in policy made by the Graduate Faculty
• Voting rights EXCEPT on
  • matters pertaining to student acceptance
  • awarding of financial support
  • evaluation of a student's academic progress
  • decisions regarding adding or deleting members to or from the Graduate Faculty

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The Graduate School - Student Services and Progress Office

316 Johnston Hall
101 Pleasant Ave. S.E.
Minneapolis, MN 55455
Phone: 612-625-3490
Fax: 612-625-6855

Hours of Operation:  Monday - Friday, 8:00 - 4:30 pm

Shannon Gilligan

Phone: 612.625.2306
E-mail: gradssp@umn.edu

•Preliminary oral exam scheduling and clearance
•Language certifications

Amber Knapp, Coordinator, Master’s Degree Services

Phone: 612.625.4019
E-mail: gsmast@umn.edu

•Master’s and Certificate. degree progress and clearance
•Master’s thesis formatting and submission questions

Stacia Madsen, Coordinator, Doctoral Degree Services

Phone: 612.625.0168
E-mail: gsdoc@umn.edu

•Doctoral degree progress and clearance
•Doctoral final oral exam scheduling
•Dissertation formatting and submission questions
•Registration exception requests

Renae Faunce

Phone: 612.625.5833
E-mail: gscmte@umn.edu

•Committee substitution requests
•Degree Program and Thesis Proposal approvals

Marci Freundschuh, Assistant to the Dean

Phone: 612.625.0068
E-mail: gsasdean@umn.edu

•Master’s advanced status (FTE) registration applications
•Graduate School time extension petitions
•>75% graduate assistantship appointment requests

Karen Starry, Director

Phone:  612.625.2815
E-mail:  starry@umn.edu

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