Requirements for Ph.D.

Program Expectations of All IB Graduate Students

  • Acknowledge that you have primary responsibility for driving your research goals forward and for the successful completion of your degree.
     
  • Strive to meet deadlines. This is the only way to manage your progress. Deadlines can be managed in several ways, but we expect you to work your best to maintain these goals and to seek out campus experts to help you with any accommodations needed to make progress.
     
  • Attend all scheduled meetings with program faculty and staff. Make sure that you also use this time to communicate new ideas that you have and challenges that you are facing. Remember: We cannot address or advise about issues that you do not bring to our attention.
     
  • Be knowledgeable of the policies, deadlines, and requirements of the graduate program, the graduate school, and the university. Comply with all institutional policies, including academic program milestones and laboratory practices.
     
  • Effective communication is absolutely essential. When issues arise, contact affected parties as soon as possible. Giving people advance notice is not just a courtesy but a requirement when plans need to change.
     

Requirements

  • Pursue program milestones as outlined in our program timeline to remain in good academic standing.
     
  • The IB 160 Evolution course, or an equivalent course in evolutionary biology that broadly covers the topic (on both a macro and micro scale). It must be taken for a letter grade during the graduate program if it was not completed during the student's undergraduate education. A student's advisory committee may suggest additional courses as well.
     
  • Annual Reviews. Students are required to meet with their relevant committee each year by the stated deadline. 
     
  • Four semesters of "residency" as required by the Graduate Division. This means you must be registered for a minimum of 4 semesters. 
    • Student need to be enrolled full time (12 units), and in each semester at least 4/12 units need to be 100-200 level courses
       
  • Students are required to be a Graduate Student Instructor (GSI) in Bio1B Lab in their first year, and must serve as a GSI for at least two semesters during the graduate program. As part of this requirement, they must also take and pass IB 375, the Teaching Colloquium course.
     
  • By the the time they are ready to take their qualifying exam in the spring of their second year, students must have completed an initial research project, guided by their faculty mentor, and produce a manuscript.
     
  • A student in the Ph.D. program must take a 2-3 hour oral Qualifying Examination (QE) on fields specified by their QE Committee.  Evolution is required to be one of the four Qualifying Exam subject areas.
     
  • Ph.D. candidates are required to write a dissertation based on original and independent research carried out by the student.
     
  • The department highly recommends students take IB 305, "Academic Success in IB."
     
  • The department highly recommends students attend our weekly Department seminar in each semester they are enrolled in our program.
     
  • Students are encouraged (but not required) to enroll in seminars in their field of specialization and present topics. 
     
  • Students are encouraged (but not required) to give a finishing talk, presenting their PhD dissertation research to the department.

See also: