Course Requirements

Students proceed directly from the Bachelor's degree to the Ph.D. degree without taking the M.A. degree. The M.A. degree in Comparative Biochemistry is available only under exceptional circumstances. The Group operates under Plan I, which requires at least 20 semester units of upper division and graduate courses and a thesis. At least 18 of these units must be in graduate courses (200 series) in your major subject.

The student should consult with a Graduate Advisor concerning a sequence of courses to be taken in preparation for the Oral Qualifying Examination and thesis problem. At least 17 units of course work must be completed in the following subjects:

Registration in a seminar course, each term, is required of all students until Advancement to Candidacy and once per year thereafter. Only upper division and graduate courses may be counted toward the course requirements. The student is expected to maintain a minimum GPA of 3.1 in course work other than research and seminar courses as well as to establish contact with the faculty member with whom he or she wishes to conduct research. Typically, students will begin research during their first year of graduate study. A minimum of two years residency is required for the Ph.D. degree, but ordinarily the student should plan on 4 to 5 years to satisfy all the research and requirements for the degree. Financial support will not be available to students after 5 years in residency