Overview
To be successful in the CMB PhD program, students must maintain satisfactory academic progress. Satisfactory academic process is determined through satisfactory progress in coursework and research, outlined in the measures below.
Coursework Progress:
Students must complete the CMB course requirements and maintain a minimum graduate GPA of 3.0 in all graduate-level coursework. Please see the Course Requirements handbook section for further detail.
Yearly Requirements:
Students must complete all appropriate CMB yearly requirements to maintain satisfactory progress. Please see the Timeline for Progress Towards the PhD handbook section for further detail.
Research Progress:
Satisfactory progress in research is determined by the student’s thesis advisor and thesis committee. This includes, but is not limited to, ethical and safe research practices, adequate working hours in the lab, participating in lab meetings and required training, keeping detailed laboratory notebooks in the format required by the thesis advisor, and moving their project(s) forward.
Permanent Thesis Advisor:
To be in good standing, following the rotation period, students must have a thesis advisor. Most first year students successfully match with a permanent thesis advisor in early December after completing three rotations. Students are encouraged to consult with the CMB Chair and CMB Office at any point during the rotation process should they have any issues or concerns with the process and/or finding a permanent thesis advisor. A student must meet with the CMB Chair as soon as they become aware that they will not match following three rotations. During that meeting, the CMB Chair will determine the possibility of supporting a fourth rotation and specify a deadline for finding a permanent thesis advisor. An extension may be available depending on the student’s situation and availability of program funds. If a student does not find a permanent thesis advisor by the deadline established, the student will be dismissed from the program.
If there is a case where a student and the PhD advisor feel that a lab change is necessary, they should notify the CMB program immediately. The original thesis advisor will fund the student for the period of a one month rotation to allow the student to find a new thesis lab. If the student fails to secure a new thesis lab within the one month rotation period, the CMB Chair will meet with the student to discuss the possibility of supporting the student for an additional rotation and specify a deadline for finding a permanent thesis advisor. An extension may be available depending on the student’s situation and availability of program funds. If the student does not find a permanent thesis advisor by the established deadline, the student will be dismissed from the program.