SPECIAL POLICIES AND PROCEDURES REGARDING THE MASTER'S DEGREE PROGRAM OF THE DEPARTMENT OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
Please refer to the Undergraduate/Graduate Bulletin (www.southalabama.edu/bulletin/graduate.htm). for general policies and procedures of the Graduate School and their application to the graduate program in biological sciences (www.southalabama.edu/bulletin/artbio.htm). Any relevant changes in or additions to these policies and procedures will be explained to students at the Fall Organizational Meeting.
NEW STUDENTS
Upon arrival on campus, and before registration, incoming graduate students not having a major advisor will be assigned to the Graduate Committee, which currently consists of graduate faculty members in the Department of Biological Sciences. Some students, before starting the program, may have a major professor already selected as part of a prior agreement between the student and the professor. In this case the student will not be assigned to the Graduate Committee.
Within the first semester members of the Graduate Committee will have an ‘interview’ with each new graduate student. The purpose of the interview is to assess the student’s background and recommend course work. This exam is a way to help a student identify strengths and weakness in their base knowledge. At least two members of the Graduate Committee should be present for this interview.
RESEARCH INTEGRITY COURSE
GIS-501 "Research Integrity" is required of all M.S. and Ph.D. students. This course is taught by Dr. Turrens. New students should complete this requirement within the first year.
GRADUATE STUDENT COMMITTEE
Prior to the end of the second semester after admission to full standing, a student that does not yet have a major advisor shall choose a major professor from members of the faculty eligible to serve. This relationship shall come about through the mutual consent of the faculty member and the student. Immediately after the major professor has been chosen, the student and professor shall request at least two additional regular or adjunct faculty members whose fields and interests are such that they could appropriately serve on the student's advisory committee. These requests will be given to the Chairman of the Department of Biological Sciences who shall nominate the committee to be appointed by the Dean of the Graduate School. No faculty member will be obliged to serve on a committee without his consent.
The duties of the committee shall be as follows:
1. The major professor shall advise the student in the choice of a curriculum and of a research problem; he/she shall direct the thesis and have authority over research techniques, methods and procedures.
2. The committee members will aid in curriculum advisement and advise the major professor in the research work leading to the thesis.
3. The student should present Graduate Record Examination scores, including the Advanced Biology Section, or take a similar diagnostic test no later than the end of the second semester of residence. The diagnostic test(s)may be used by the committee to assess any deficiencies and specify certain courses in the student's curriculum.
4. The student's curriculum will be considered and approved at a meeting of the committee called by the major professor no later than the beginning of the student's second semester in residence.
5. Periodic meetings of the committee will be called by the major professor to review the student's academic progress and research.
6. The major professor and the committee may aid the student in writing the thesis in accordance with the guidelines established by the graduate school.
7. A simple majority of the committee will be required to accept and approve the thesis after an oral defense. Those accepting the thesis shall sign it.
8. Research and Program Supervision
a) Before completing the second semester of residence, each student is required to select and have appointed a Research Supervisor and Advisory Committee, according to the guidelines established by the Graduate School.
1. It is expected that the student will select a Research Supervisor who is properly trained to afford meaningful oversight for the problem that the student has selected to offer as the thesis for the graduate degree; in the case of non-thesis students, this person will act to supervise the Directed Studies part of the program.
2. Normally the Research Supervisor will concurrently act as Major Professor. If this is not the case, it is the responsibility of the Advisory Committee to demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Chair that another arrangement is more appropriate.
3. Should the Advisory Committee membership fall below the minimum requirements of the Graduate School because of the departure of one or more of its members, it is the responsibility of the Major Professor to take the steps necessary to rectify this problem. The newly organized Committee should be constituted forthwith and no later than the end of the semester in which the problem arises. The Major Professor will immediately advise the Chair of any and all changes in the membership of the Advisory Committee so that the Chair may give official notification to the Graduate School.
4. Should the Research Supervisor depart from the Committee, it becomes the responsibility of the student to arrange for appointment of a replacement. The student must demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Chair that the replacement Supervisor is properly qualified to direct the research problem (or Directed Studies, where appropriate). This must be accomplished no later than the semester following the departure of the Research Supervisor.
b) Progress Monitoring
1. No less often than once yearly the student must meet with the Advisory Committee to demonstrate that satisfactory progress is being made in both research and course work development.
2. Although the Committee is involved with the student's work on a regular basis, this meeting will also serve for Committee to have input into the student's training program.
c) Compliance
1. The student is advised that compliance with regulations is the students responsibility. Failure to adhere to the requirement of the department or college can result in dismissal from the degree program.
COMPREHENSIVE EXAMINATION
All graduate students must successfully complete a written comprehensive examination. The comprehensive Examination will be given once in the Fall and once in the Spring of each year. The details of this examination are as follows:
1. The scope of examination questions will be confined to the student’s area(s) of expertise as indicated by their research project (example, freshwater ecology, genetics, vertebrate ecology, plant physiology, paleontology, invertebrate physiology, morphology, evolution, etc.) and course work.
2. The student’s graduate committee determines what defines the ‘area(s) of expertise’. Any dispute as to what constitutes this area(s) will be resolved by the department chair.
3. The grade on each question will be either pass or fail. The student must pass each question asked. They have two attempts to pass each section of the examination. Any dispute regarding a failing grade on either the first or second attempt will be resolved by the department chair.
4. The examination format is to be determined by the student’s committee. However, each committee member is required to submit one or more questions and the time required to answer the question (or questions) submitted by each committee member can not exceed 48 hours. Any dispute regarding the examination format will be resolved by the department chair. Each committee member grades the question(s) they submitted.
5. The Advanced GRE (Biology) can not be used to exempt from the comprehensive, i.e., all graduate students must take a comprehensive examination.
The student may retake, one time only, the part(s) of the examination failed, following an interval of 3 months after the date of the initial exam. Scores from areas successfully completed are carried forward to be computed in the subsequent attempt. Each student must successfully complete the requirement for a comprehensive exam before obtaining the M.S. degree from the Department of Biological Sciences.
FINAL ORAL EXAM/DEFENSE OF THESIS
The final oral examination prior to granting the master's degree shall consist of a defense of thesis or, in the case of non-thesis student, a defense of the Directed Studies research project. This examination shall be conducted under the following rules:
1. The examination will begin with an open seminar. Following the seminar, the student will defend his thesis (or non-thesis research) orally before the thesis committee and other members of the graduate faculty who may care to attend.
2. Attendance is mandatory for members of the advisory committee. Each member will be informed at least two weeks in advance of the time and place of the exam. Attendance is optional for other faculty members.
3. With the advice of the faculty, the committee will vote on the performance of the student. The examination will be passed by a simple majority vote of the committee.
Questions will be confined to the thesis and closely related topics.
TEACHING
All graduate students, both thesis and non-thesis, and regardless of funding status, must teach at least two lab sessions (example: BLY 101, 102, 121, 122, 151,152) during the course of their graduate program.Teaching requirements must be satisfied in order to graduate. Full-time students who are not paid through the departmental TA funds are required only to teach and grade two lab sessions over the course of their program. They will not be required to prep labs and can teach these
labs at their convenience. Students with TA’s will, as part of their duties for which they are being paid, have to prep labs, and have a teaching schedule according to the needs of the department. If a student has had substantial teaching experience prior to joining the department, this requirement may be waived at the discretion of the department chair.
Part-time graduate students are also required to fulfill the teaching requirement of two laboratories and an attempt will be made to compensate for their time. All possible scheduling allowances will be made to accommodate part-time students. A part-time graduate student may or may not be required to prep labs, depending on the time slot the student is able to teach.
COURSE WORK:
The minimum amount of hours to graduate is 30 hours —twenty four hours as course work and six as thesis hours. However, the student’s graduate committee has the discretion to increase these hours to make up any deficiencies in the student’s background.
PAPER / PRESENTATIONS
All ‘thesis’ graduate students must submit a paper for publication or present a talk at a professional meeting before they graduate. A professional talk is a presentation (or poster) given at a meeting held by a professional society. No ‘thesis’ student will be allowed to graduate without fulfilling one of these obligations. A non-thesis student may fulfill the publication / presentation requirement by presenting the results of their research within a University of South Alabama research forum.
FALL ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING
At the beginning of fall semester, an organizational meeting of graduate students will be convened by the Graduate Program Committee of the faculty, during which the students will elect a member to serve on the departmental Graduate Program Committee.
SEMINAR ATTENDANCE
All graduate students are required to attend departmental seminars, unless excused by their major professor.
