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        Web Editor: Michelle Rickard Updated: Monday, 08-Oct-2007 10:59:05 PDT |
GRADUATE PROGRAM IN MOLECULAR BASIS OF DISEASEDissertation DefenseAfter the General ExamAfter passing the General Exam, students usually devote full time to their research projects (plus occasional elective courses). Upon completion of the GE students are considered a Ph.C. and must now register for research as PATH 800. The Thesis Advisor and Supervisory Committee will assist in determining when each student's research opus is sufficient to warrant writing a dissertation and scheduling a Final Examination. In general, the student must have demonstrated the ability to identify a significant scientific question, to design experiments to answer the question, to interpret the results of those experiments, and to redesign experiments based on earlier findings prior to commencing writing a dissertation.The graduate school now requires that PhD students earn at least 90 credits, 60 of which must be earned at the University of Washington. It is no longer a Graduate School requirement for students to be registered full-time for a specified number of quarters. This is important information for students whose tuition is not paid by a trainig grant, because it is possible to save tuition expenses by not registering as a student during some quarters when research is being done but no classes are taken. For students paid on training grants, it is irrelevant, since training grants require that the trainee be a full time student at all times in order to recieve a stipend. Publication RequirementPublications are very important for one's future career. It is anticipated that students will produce one or more first-author peer-reviewed publications resulting from their graduate research. Before the thesis committee can permit the thesis defense (Final Examination) to be scheduled, the student must have submitted to a journal at least one first-author manuscript, containing primary data (i.e. not a review), that the committee agrees is of publishable quality.The Dissertation and Reading CommitteeThe student begins work on the written dissertation when the Supervisory Committee judges that a sufficient project has been accomplished. The dissertation is the written report of the student's research project. Format and other requirements are described on the Graduate School's webpage.Students are encouraged to bring a draft of the dissertation to the receptionist's desk in G-1 Commmunications to have an "advisor" evaluate it for formatting. This prevents a rude surprise at the last minute when the final draft is submitted for approval. As the student nears completion of the dissertation, and before scheduling the Final Examination, a Reading Committee is selected by the Supervisory Committee in consultation with the student. The Reading Committee consists of three members of the Supervisory Committee. The GSR cannot be one of these three. The voting members need not be from Pathology. The list of Reading Committee members should be sent to the Program Coordinator so that she can submit the list to the Dean for approval. The reading committee indicates, when they sign the Request for Final Examination form, that they have read a complete draft of the dissertation and find it adequate to permit a FE to be scheduled. This means that you must have a draft of your thesis completed and provided to the Reading Committee before you can schedule a final examination. The Final Examination (FE)The Final Examination (FE), also known as the "Dissertation Defense", consists of a formal and public seminar in which the student presents his/her research project and answers questions asked by the Supervisory Committee and audience. After the question period the student leaves the room and the Supervisory Committee discusses the decision and fills out the warrant accordingly. The student is invited back into the room and informed of the decision.Scheduling the Final Examination (FE)The Graduate School requires that a student have taken at least 3 quarters (30 credits) of PATH 800 before he/she can be granted a PhD. Since PATH 800 cannot be taken until after the GE has been passed, and since a maximum of 10 credits of PATH 800 can be taken per quarter, this means that a student must be registered for at least 3 quarters after the GE before getting a PhD. The third quarter could be the quarter in which the FE is taken.Once the requirement for 30 credits of PATH 800 have been satisfied, the FE can be scheduled when the Supervisory Committee has agreed that the student is prepared to take it, i.e. when the Committee believes that the student has accomplished, and can defend, an adequate research project. The decision to schedule a FE is agreed upon at a supervisory committee meeting. A draft of the thesis must have been read by the reading committee before a FE can be scheduled. Requirements Leading Up to the Final ExamObtain a "Request for Final Examination" form from the Graduate Program Coordinator. It is expected that a student will have registered for at least two quarters at the University of Washington after passing the GE before a warrant is authorized for the FE. The Request for Final Examination must be received in the Graduate School office at least three weeks before the date of the FE. It must be signed by all of the members of the Supervisory Committee, giving the day, date, time, and place of the scheduled examination, as well as the dissertation title. If necessary a faxed signature or e-mail confirmation can be attached in place of a signiture on the request for Final Examination. The reading committee indicates, when they sign the Request for Final Examination form, that they have read a complete draft of the dissertation and find it adequate to permit a FE to be scheduled. This means that you must have a draft of your thesis completed and provided to the Reading Committee before you can schedule a final examination.The candidate is responsible for arranging the day, date, time, and place of the Final Examination so that at least a quorum of committtee members can attend, including the GSR, chair, and at least two other pathology graduate faculty. It is often difficult to schedule rooms, so contact the Graduate Program Coordinator for assistance as early as possible to reserve a lecture room for the Final Examination. The Final Examination warrant is prepared in the Graduate Office in the Administration Building after evaluating the student's transcript. As with the General Examination, the warrant is mailed to the Graduate Program Coordinator one week before the scheduled examination. The Coordinator gives the warrant to the student who is responsible for bringing it to the FE. With the warrant will be mailed a Survey of Earned Doctorates questionnaire, a diploma card, a Graduate School Exit Questionnaire, and a microfilm agreement form. The student should complete these and return them with the two copies of the dissertation. It is expected that members of the general scientific public will attend the FE. The Graduate School office arranges for the event to be published in the University Week on the Thursday before the examination is held. Three weeks before the final examination, contact the Graduate Program Coordinator to coordinate announcement of the examination. This will be mailed to members of the Pathology Department and posted on notice boards. Upon passing the FE, the Supervisory Committee members sign the warrant. If a member is not present, no signature will appear after his/her name. This is fine so long as a quorum is present and do sign. The student is requested to provide a copy of the warrant with signatures to the Graduate Coordinator and has 60 days to submit the dissertation with the reading committee report. Submitting the DissertationEach student has a maximum of 60 days after taking the FE in which to submit the following to the Graduate School. If this time expires, another FE must be scheduled.Check the rules on the Graduate School webpage for information about what to bring and where to bring it. This site also has a useful FAQ section about theses. Due to the numbers of students submitting final documents during Finals Week, the Graduate School asks that if at all possible, preliminary evaluations of document be done BEFORE Finals Week. Final Submission of Theses and Dissertation are 15 minutes appointments and may be scheduled by phone: (206) 543-5900, email, or in person at the Graduate School Receptionist Desk, G-1 Communications. The Dissertation can be received on the last day of the quarter and the student will still graduate that same quarter. If the dissertation and report are not submitted on or before the last day of the quarter, the student will need to register for the following quarter, even if the 60 day period has not expired. In some cases, it may not be necessary to register for a full 9 credits. The basic rule reflected here is that a student must be a registered student at the time that the Graduate School receives the degree request and documentation. Checklist for Dissertation
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