The Qualifying Exam takes place at the end of the first year of the program. The last day to complete the exam is August 31. In the spring of their first year, a seminar featuring the Graduate Studies Committee Chair and the Graduate Advisor will be dedicated to explaining the process and providing necessary paperwork.
The student must work with his/her supervisor to build their qualifying exam committee. The committee must consist of a minimum of four and a maximum of five BME GSC faculty members, including the student’s supervisor. The supervisor must be a member of the committee, and will participate in pre and post exam discussion but will refrain from questioning or commenting during the exam and will not be a voting member. The student is encouraged to meet with potential committee members during the selection process. At least two primary BME faculty members must participate on the committee. A primary BME faculty member other than the student’s advisor must serve as the committee chair.
The written component includes a research report, a teaching report (if applicable), an academic report, and an individual development plan. The research report follows the NIH R21 format and is up to seven pages in length plus references. The teaching report (1 page maximum) should include a list of courses for which the student has served as a Teaching Assistant (TA) and courses the student is interested in being a TA for in the future and why. Any guest lectures the student has given, and other teaching related activities should also be included. The academic report should include the Personalized Learning Plan (PLP), which is composed of the completed/current and planned coursework charts. The Individual Development Plan is developed using myIDP (http://myidp.sciencecareers.org).
For the oral exam, the student should have a detailed understanding of the field in which they are performing/proposing research and relevant techniques, and have thought through their specific design, including potential pitfalls and alternatives. The oral exam is a 20-minute presentation based on the written report and includes two parts: research and academic development. The student spends 15 minutes on research, and 5 minutes on the coursework, teaching, and development plan. Students may use slides, and the presentation on research can follow the structure of the written report. The committee can ask questions during or after each part of the presentation. Questions cover the approved exam subject areas, completed coursework from the student’s PLP, and items on the faculty rubric.
Students can find the link to the box folder that holds the Intent to Qualify form on the Current Student Resources and Forms page on the BME Graduate Program website.
Advancing to Candidacy
Following successful completion of the dissertation proposal, students apply to advance to candidacy. In order to advance to candidacy, students must identify a doctoral dissertation committee of at least four members in consultation with their faculty supervisor.
- The committee is comprised of four or five people who have agreed to serve on your dissertation committee.
- Identify your supervisor, and co-supervisor if applicable. Your supervisor will be the chair of your dissertation committee. Your supervisor must be a member of the BME Graduate Studies Committee (GSC).
- At least two people other than your supervisor must be members of the BME GSC. In other words, a minimum of three people (including your supervisor) must be members for the BME GSC.
- At least one person must be from outside of the BME Department, e.g., Chemistry Department, Department of Electrical Engineering, etc. This person can, but does not have to be, a member of the BME GSC.
- If any of your committee members are not on the BME GSC, or are not at UT Austin, you must complete a No Cost Letter located on the Graduate School website.
- Changes to the dissertation committee require special approval. Take special care to verify your committee is complete and all members have agreed to serve on your committee before proceeding to avoid requesting changes later.
