Current Students

Our graduate program consists of more than 140 PhD and MS candidates across six different research areas and multiple building across campus. Quickly find contact info for our students using the graduate directory Graduate Student Directory.

Graduate Program Handbooks:

All of the guidelines and policies for our graduate program can be found in our PDF handbooks for each program. We aim to update the handbooks annually and will keep them posted here for reference. Information in the handbooks is also outlined here in this website page under each topic/category.

• PhD Handbook (2025 - 2026)
• PhD Handbook (pre-2025)
• MS Handbook (2025 - 2026)
• MS Handbook (pre-2025)

Biological Sciences Graduate Program Forms:

Below is a compiled list of graduate forms for quick access.

The table below compares the range of time-to-degree for our graduate programs. The exact time in our program varies from student-to-student and their individual circumstances, effort, and research progress. It our goal to have students graduate within 5.5 years or sooner.

Time Limitation:

• PhD students:
  • PhD students are expected to graduate within 6 years in the program or sooner. 
  • Students that do not complete their degree within 6 years must meet with the graduate program chair to provide a justification for why an extension is necessary.
  • Additional time beyond 7 years within the PhD program must be approved in advance by the graduate program chair. Only approved extensions may be considered for TAships or other department funding.
• MS Thesis students
  • MS Thesis students are expected to graduate within 2 years in the program or sooner. 
  • Students that do not complete their degree within 2 years must meet with the graduate program chair to provide a justification for why an extension is necessary.
  • Additional time beyond 3 years in the MS program must be approved in advance by the graduate program chair. Only approved extensions may be considered for TAships or other department funding.
• MS Non-Thesis students
  • All MS Non-Thesis students must complete their degree requirements in six semesters, including summer semesters.
  • Students that do not complete their degree within 2 years must meet with the graduate program chair to provide a justification for why an extension is necessary.

Graduate students in our program are supported by the following funding mechanisms which are dependent on the candidate's offer letter and other program details. Nearly all students will be funded through a mix of the following funding options. Each funding mechanism has their own eligibility guidelines and funding periods. Graduates will receive their full stipend as outlined in their offer letter regardless of where the funding comes from.

• Fellowships:: These are awarded to students during recruitment by nominations from faculty and the admissions committee. Additional opportunities for junior/senior students are also available by nomination from faculty.
• Training Grants:: There are multiple training grants that students can be nominated for that cover a range of research areas and topics. Each has their own eligibility requirements and application process. These typically provide 1-2 years of funding.
• Research Assistantships (RAship): These are faculty-initiated and can be offered during recruitment in special circumstances, and will also be decided on a semester-by-semester basis for each individual student. It is typically based on available funding of the host lab, and may also be based on student performance.
• Teaching Assistantships (TAship): These are dependent on availability and need to be requested by the faculty/student prior to each semester. They are assigned on a semester-by-semester basis, as needed and as available. For recruitment, most TAships offers will also require laboratory rotations, while TA-direct would go directly into a specific laboratory when their program begins. 
• Self-funded: These students fund their own studies without any funding from the department or university. 

Teaching Requirement (PhD):

Students are required to teach for one semester in direct contact with students unless the student has post-baccalaureate teaching experience at the college level. If post-baccalaureate teaching experience – the student must provide official proof in the form of official letter/memo from supervisor at the location the teaching occurred.

Regardless of the students graduate program or major, all students teaching courses in the Department of Biological Sciences are required to enroll in BIOL 69500PD, Tchg Asst Prof Development. This is a one-credit course devoted to supporting teaching assistants during their first semester of teaching.

All students whose native language is not English must take the Oral English Proficiency Test (OEPT), which is a computer-based test used by the Oral English Proficiency Program (OEPP) to screen prospective teaching assistants for language proficiency. Candidates respond to a variety of questions, present information, and speak extemporaneously on various topics. The responses are recorded and evaluated by at least two trained raters.

• A score of 50 or higher is required for certification.
• If a student does not meet the required score for certification by OEPT (at least 50), the preferred option for those who score 45 or 40 is to be enrolled in ENGL 62000, Classroom Communication for International Teaching Assistants. Students who complete this course consistently report improvements in their English communication skills that positively affect their work as teaching assistants, their graduate studies, and their professional development. Click HERE for information about enrolling in ENGL 62000.
• Students who score 45 on the OEPT may retest after 6 months, if they feel they can improve their score. Only departmental liaisons can request a retest; the OEPP does not accept retest requests from students.
• Students who score 40 on the OEPT may be enrolled in ENGL 620 at the request of their department. Those who are not enrolled in ENGL 620 may retake the OEPT after one year if they feel they can improve their score.
• Students who score 35 on the OEPT may retest after one year if they feel they can improve their score. They are not eligible to enroll in ENGL 620 – a score of at least 40 on the OEPT is required.
• Students may not be registered for both the OEPT and the ENGL 620 course concurrently.
• Students who took ENGL 620 and were not certified at the end of the semester should take the course again in order to be certified. Students may not retake the OEPT test once they have taken the ENGL 620 course.
• Students who score 35, 40 or 45 on the OEPT are encouraged to consider PLaCE Short Courses and other options listed in Resources in ESL for ways to work on improving their oral English before retaking the OEPT.
• If the student does not pass the OEPT and will be a Teaching Assistant that semester, the student will need to register for the ENG 62000 course. Students can TA while being enrolled in the course.

Welcome to Purdue!

Guide for Getting Started: 

Please start completing the items listed below (although some things may not be able to be completed until closer to the start of the semester):

1. Set up your Purdue Career Account (it will ask for your 10-digit PUID number, which is found on your admission letter).  You will use your career account to access myPurdue, Brightspace, and other portals.  (Questions on your Purdue career account should be directed to our IT department
2. Set up your Boiler Key, starting with initial set-up and following the instructions.  If you need assistance, contact itap@purdue.edu.  You will need your Boiler Key, which provides two-factor identification, to access myPurdue, Brightspace, etc.  (Questions on Boiler Key should be directed to itap@purdue.edu.)
3. Your Purdue email address is made up from your Purdue career account username.  The best way to access your Purdue email is through Office 365, which is free to Purdue students.  You are expected to use your Purdue email when communicating with offices, advisors, professors, teaching assistants, etc. at Purdue.  You should check your Purdue email frequently, as that is the only way you’ll receive notifications from Purdue. (Questions on your Purdue email should be directed to itap@purdue.edu.) Please note that Purdue requires Microsoft multi-factor authentication be set-up for all University email accounts.  Please see https://www.itap.purdue.edu/mfa/ for information on how to set this up. 
4. As part of your Purdue Office 365 account, you have 1 TB of space on OneDrive.  You can use this to store course-related files and documents, and access them anywhere you have internet access.  To access OneDrive, log into Office 365 with your Purdue career account and password, and click OneDrive. (If you are ever ‘out’ for a semester, you will lose access to this, so please make sure to back up your information elsewhere.)
5. myPurdue is the system you’ll use to update your personal information, see your current courses and transcript, register for courses, pay your fees manage any financial aid, and draft and submit your plan of study. It is not the system you use to retrieve your registration PIN.
6. You should update your emergency contact information and affirm your financial responsibility, to release holds put on your account by the graduate school. These 2 holds are put on your account each semester, so please remember to address them in the future.  Please make sure your official transcript copies have been provided to the grad school.  Transcripts submitted with the application are not considered official copies.  Please see https://www.purdue.edu/gradschool/admissions/how-to-apply/apply-transcripts.html. If you have other holds on your account, you’ll need to contact the department that placed the holds to address removal of the hold.  Some holds affect registration, while others don’t.
7. All new students, including online students, are required to complete the Respect Boundaries: Sexual Violence Awareness Program.  This will be available on your Brightspace account about two weeks before the semester starts.  For more information, see https://www.purdue.edu/ethics/ed-training/respectboundaries.php
8. Please see required immunizations for enrolled students, https://www.purdue.edu/push/Immunization/to make sure you’ll be in compliance before arriving on campus. 
9. All BIOL Graduate Students are required to complete online Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) certification before arriving on campus, and submit your completion certificate to both the Biological Sciences Graduate Office AND RCRTraining@purdue.edu. 
10. See the Registration page for information on how to remove holds, retrieve your registration PIN, review courses offered, register for various courses including research, etc. Please remember that students need to register full-time each semester, and register for research every semester.   (Please note regarding your registration PIN: Your PIN will be provided by Ms. Patti Dimmitt. Please email the Biological Sciences Graduate Office if you have not received your PIN before registration opens. Please be aware that some set up goes on behind the scenes after you accept admission, and it may take a week or two before everything is done and you can register. If you are unable to register two weeks after you accepted admission, please email Biological Sciences Graduate Office. 
11. Bookmark the BIOL Graduate Office website. This is a valuable resource! You should become familiar with what is on the website as it will answer a lot of your questions and guide you through a lot of processes, and is available to you 24/7, so you may find answers quicker than an email to the Grad Office.  You should check it regularly, as any updates/notifications will be posted to the website.
12. International Students Only – Arrive and check in with International Students and Scholars (ISS).  You must sign up for a WOW! session on-line.  You should have received an email with a link to sign up.  THIS IS REQUIRED.  You will not be issued a Purdue ID card until you attend a WOW! Session.
13. Read and be familiar with the Protect Purdue website and Protect Purdue Ambassador Program.  You will need to make sure you’ve followed the steps to be cleared to be on campus.  You’ll also find information on what to do if you are sick while on campus, etc.  
14. When on campus, report to the Purdue ID Card Office to get your Purdue I.D. (Hovde Hall, ground floor, Room 14)
15. Attend the Biological Sciences New Graduate Student Orientation meetings to be held the week before classes start. Official dates/times will be announced on the BIOL Grad website's Orientation page. Attendance at the in-person Orientation will also be counted toward meeting your RCR in-field  
16. Remember, biology.graduate.office@purdue.edu is the email address for the grad office.  Please send your questions and submissions to this address, not to individual staffers, as it is monitored by everyone in the office, which allows the first available to respond to you.  We will get back to you as quickly as possible, but depending on the time of year, please allow up to 5 days for a response.  (We highly recommend you don’t wait until it’s close to a deadline to email us a question, concern, or submission, related to that deadline.) Also, remember that you are now a Biology Grad Student, so you should contact the Biology Grad Office, not the Grad School, for assistance.
17. Fees is due, in full, by 4pm on the first day of classes, unless other arrangements have been made with the Bursar’s Office (Ways to pay Fees).  For other questions related to tuition/fees, or financial aid, see the Purdue Bursar website.
18. Practice the Purdue Fight Song (Hail Purdue!) 😊.

PhD Checklist:

Please download the PhD student checklist (PDF) to help you better plan for critical tasks. This checklist is a general checklist and should only be used as a general guide and does not replace other requirements in the program. Please contact the Biological Sciences Graduate Office if you see errors or items missing from the checklist that would be useful to include.

Time Frame:

Students are required to declare a research area affiliation by the end of their 2nd semester. Both the course requirements below and the Preliminary Examination should be completed by the end of their 2nd year.

Course Selection Advice for New Graduate Students:

Selecting graduate courses involves personal career goals, which one of the six departmental research areas the PI is affiliated with, the requirements of the Major Professor, and the departmental and Graduate School requirements.

Summary of Graduate Program Requirements:

• PhD thesis:
  • A minimum of 90 credit hours are required.
  • 16 course-related credit hours with a grade of B or higher; however most PhD students take an average of 21+ credit hours.
  • All PhD students are required to take a 1-credit ethics course (BIOL 66200), a 1-credit presentation course (BIOL 66300), a statistic course, and a 1-credit seminar course. Other coursework will be area-specific.
  • Students must register for BIOL 69900 PhD research each semester.
• MS Thesis:
  • A minimum of 30 credit hours are required.
  • 21 course-related credit hours (usually 7 courses) with a grade of B or higher.
  • A maximum of 6 course credit hours at the 40000 level may be included.
  • All MS students are required to take a 1-credit ethics course (BIOL 66200) and a 1-credit presentation course (BIOL 66300).
  • Students must register for BIOL 69800 MS research each semester.
• MS Non-Thesis:
  • A minimum of 30 course-related credit hours are required with a grade of B or higher.
  • A maximum of 6 course credit hours at the 40000 level may be included.
  • All MS students are required to take a 1-credit ethics course (BIOL 66200) and a 1-credit presentation course (BIOL 66300).

• Regardless of the students graduate program or major, all students teaching courses in the Department of Biological Sciences are required to enroll in BIOL 69500PD, Tchg Asst Prof Development. This is a one-credit course devoted to supporting teaching assistants during their first semester of teaching.
•  
• Note for PhD students: graduate level courses at Purdue are numbered 50000 and 60000. Courses numbered 40000 or below are undergraduate level and will not be allowed on the Purdue BIOL plans of study.

Course Requirements (see also area-specific requirement PDFs below):

• Departmental Requirements (1st year):
  • BIOL 662‐Ethics (1 ch, Fall semester).
  • BIOL 663‐Oral Presentations (1 ch, Spring semester).
  • BIOL 69500PD-Tchg Asst Prof. Development (1 ch, *taken concurrent with the first TA assignment).
• Area Specific Requirements (1st or 2nd year):
  • Scientific Writing (at least 1 ch).
  • Quantitative Analysis in Biology (3 ch).
    • This is equivalent to statistics and experimental design in the Biological Sciences.
  • Advanced Topics Seminar (1 ch).
  • Additional 9 credit hours of area-approved (or required) course.
• 3000 and 4000 level courses:
  • Should a student choose to take 3000 or 4000 level courses, a maximum of 6 credit hours can be included on the POS.
  • Keep in mind the student must still satisfy the "Departmental" and "Area-Specific" requirements above. Generally 3000 and 4000 level course will not satisfy these requirements.

All students are required to register for a minimum of 8 credit hours in both Fall and Spring semesters and 6 credit hours in the Summer. Credits can be a mix of research credits and course credits.

Grade Requirements:

• Students are required to maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 to be in 'Good Standing'. Failure to maintain at at least a GPA of 3.0 may be grounds for dismissal from the graduate program.
• Only letter grades of A or B may be included on the electronic plan of study (EPOS).
• A maximum of 2 Cs are allowed. Courses required for the EPOS with a C grade or lower will need to be re‐taken within one year of the date the course was first taken to acheive at least a letter grade of B or better.
• Students with 3 Cs or lower will be considered as not meeting the minimum expectations of the program and may be dismissed from the graduate program, irrespective of their overall GPA.
• If a course is no longer offered, a request for an alternate equivalent course must be proposed and approved by the area convener and the chair of the graduate program.
• A student that receives two ‘U’ grades for their thesis research credit/course may be dismissed from the graduate program.

Deliverables for Research Credit:
For BIOL 69800 MS research and BIOL 69900 PhD research courses, the student and the Major Professor should meet at the beginning of each semester to discuss and agree on a set of deliverables that would be sufficient to receive a 'Satisfactory' grade for the semester. The deliverables should be realistically achievable within the indicated semester, taking into consideration TAships and other responsibilities of the student.

For convenience, an Agreement on Deliverables form is provided that can be used to initiate the conversation to document on a set of deliverables for the semester, gather signatures of both the Major Professor and the student, and then archived for future reference. This form is optional and does not have to be submitted to the Graduate Office.

Registration INFO:

• Students can find when registration opens each semester, on the Registrar’s website. Once registration opens, check the time ticket window in myPurdue for when one can register.
• It is highly recommended to register earlier if possible, or register before the first week of classes end at the very latest, since additional approvals are not needed. If one does register early in the open registration period, they should re-check their schedule again towards the start of the semester to make sure nothing changed.
• Fees are billed a couple weeks before classes start and are due in full by the first day of classes, unless pre-arrangements have been made for a payment plan with the Bursar’s office.
• Once registered, students will not have access to the course material until the first day of classes. All courses are hosted on Brightspace.

Deadlines:

Here are the websites that have the most recent information on the following deadlines:
• • Add/Drop, Refund, & Deadline Calendar
  • Grad School Calendar of Events, Dates & Deadlines (for graduation candidacy, defense/deposit deadlines, etc.)
  • Academic Calendar

Registration Process:

1. Remove any Holds:
   Make sure there are no holds on the account that will prevent registration; this can be checked in myPurdue. If there is, the hold will need to be removed. Please see Office of the Registrar - HOLDS that discusses holds and how to remove them.
2. Complete your IDP:
   Submit the Individual Development Plan (IDP) (see Annual Committee Report section) in order to obtain the required registration PIN.
3. Acquire your PIN Number:
   Patti will distribute the PIN before registration opens. If a PIN has not been received, contact Patti at the Biological Sciences Graduate Office.
4. Find course numbers and CRNs:
   Look over the Courses Database. Log in to myPurdue and click on "View the schedule of classes" to locate course numbers and CRN #s. Check if a signature is needed and/or approval for course overrides for courses outside of BIOL. Make sure to register in an on-campus course; if it says "CMP=PWL," that means the course is available for students at the West Lafayette campus. If “Lecture” is listed as course type, that indicates that it is an on-campus lecture course.
   
   Video: How to Find University Catalog Course Descriptions While some of the coursework is similar between the six designated research areas, each area has their own requirements and recommendations. Be sure to verify the specific research area so that the classes selected are relevant to the program of study.
   
   Area-specific courses can be found at the following links. If you have area-specific questions about the PDF links below in regard to the coursework, please email the indicated Area Convener directly, copying Dr. Nicholas Noinaj. We will work to continuously update these forms based on feedback received.
   • Cell and Molecular Biology (CMB-PDF)
     • Area Convener - Dr. Claudio Aguilar, claudio@purdue.edu
   • Neuroscience and Physiology (NP-PDF)
     • Area Convener - Dr. Alex Chubykin, chubykin@purdue.edu
   • Structural and Computational Biology & Biophysics (SCBB-PDF)
     • Area Co-conveners - Dr. Cynthia Stauffacher (cstauffa@purdue.edu) and Dr. John Tesmer (jtesmer@purdue.edu)
     • Deputy Convener - Dr. Angeline Lyon, lyon5@purdue.edu
   • Biology Education (BE-PDF)
     • Area Convener - Dr. Stephanie Gardner, sgardne@purdue.edu
   • Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (EEB-PDF)
     • Area Convener - Dr. Mark Christie, christ99@purdue.edu
     • EEB students should review the additional Guidelines for EEB students document for detailed requirements for EEB students during the 1st year of study.
   • Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases (MIID-PDF)
     • Area Convener - Dr. Matthew Olson, olson126@purdue.edu
5. Meeting With the Major Professor:
   If a laboratory has already been identified, set up a meeting with the Major Professor to discussed necessary courses and course schedule, and then register through myPurdue using the Scheduling Assistant. The student and their Major Professor are responsible for following the Plan of Study, area exam conditions (PhD), etc. 
6. Use Scheduling Assistant to Register:
   Register for courses through myPurdue, using the Scheduling Assistant.
   How-To Videos:
   • How to Register
   • How to Add a Course to an Existing Schedule
   • How to Register using a specific CRN
   • How to Check your Schedule After Registering
   • How to Add a Note When Input is Requested
7. Change a Grade Mode:
   Some courses allow students to audit a course or change to pass/no pass. Please see Requesting a Grade Mode Change as to how to change the grade mode of a course. Please keep in mind that auditing a course, will need instructor permission, and will cost the same as taking the course for a grade. A course taken as ‘audit’ cannot be used to meet degree requirements, and it does not count toward registered credits for international student registration guidelines.
   
   If the grade mode has been changed to pass/no pass, a ‘C-‘ or higher is needed to receive a ‘P’, but the course cannot be used to meet degree requirements (only letter-graded courses can appear on your Plan of Study). Also, when changing grade-mode, per Grad School policy, one can only retake a course in the same grade mode as originally taken. We recommend considering to drop a course if needed, instead of taking a course as pass/no pass, as you could then retake the course in a future semester for a grade.
8. Submit form to the Biological Sciences Graduate Office:
   Fill in the correct form and submit it electronically to the Biological Sciences Graduate Office.
   • Research Registration Form PDF
   • Non-Thesis or Rotation Registration Form PDF
9. Drop a Course, if needed:
   The 16-week Registrar’s Add/Drop calendar can be found here: Purdue Univ - Academic Calendars. (If enrolled in a course with a shorter-term, please see the short course calendars on the registrar’s website for those deadlines.) One can add/drop courses within myPurdue up to the first week of classes, but after that, one will need to use the Scheduling Assistant to request as it routes through for various approvals needed. (It is highly recommended to complete course registration before the semester begins, and make decisions to add/drop within the first week of classes.) Also, pay attention to reimbursement deadlines. One cannot drop the only course registered, through the Scheduling Assistant. If one will need to request a withdraw from the university; see Withdrawals for instructions.
   
   How-To Videos:
   • How to Drop a Class
   • How to Drop the Only Course Registered (Withdraw)
10. Funded Students (RA/TA/Purdue Fellowships):
    If funded by a quarter-time research, teaching, or graduate professional assistantship or a Purdue fellowship, students are required to register for at least 8 credit hours of coursework and/or research in spring/fall semesters (6 credit hours in the summer). This even applies in your last semester (unless registering for CAND 992 or CAND 993). Registration should be completed before the end of the first week of classes, or funding could be in jeopardy.
11. Candidacy Registration:
    If planning to graduate, see our 'Graduation INFO' section on how to register as a candidate for graduation.
12. Final Check:
    Double-check class list in myPurdue, under "Concise Student Schedule", once the course registration and research registration has posted (coursework, research, candidacy). It’s best to make sure there are no errors at the beginning of a semester, as things are still able to be adjusted. As of Spring 2022, the registrar’s office is no longer considering appeals based on a student not realizing they weren’t registered correctly for the semester.

Terminology:

• 'Major Professor' refers to the same faculty as 'Research Director' or 'Principal Investigator (PI)'. This is the faculty, which mentors the PhD student.
• The Graduate School uses the term 'Chair' for the 'Major Professor' for the purpose of the Plan of Study.

PhD Students:
PhD students must find a faculty host laboratory either during the recruitment process or during the first year of the program. Students recruited using RAships or TA-direct will go directly into their sponsoring faculty host laboratory. If a student is recruited on a Fellowship or TAship, they will do laboratory rotations in order to find a host laboratory for their dissertation studies.

• Our program has four rotation slots; two in the Fall semester, and two in the Spring semester. Fall #1 is optional, while the other three slots are required unless a student has already joined a laboratory. It is also strongly recommended that students take advantage of all four rotations to maximize their chances of finding a faculty host laboratory.
• Unless recruited directly to a specific faculty laboratory (direct-admit), PhD students recruited on either a Teaching Assistantship or Fellowship will typically rotate in 3 labs during their first year. These rotations can only be in labs that are in the Department of Biological Sciences. 
• New students should email and meet with faculty that they are interested in rotating with. Once identified, the student must turn in a signed Lab Rotation Selection Form to the Graduate Office. These can be turned in in person or emailed to BIOL Graduate Office. Forms must be turned in no later than two weeks prior to the start of the rotation. Once submitted, the Graduate Coordinator will email the student and advisor once approved.
• Joining a lab is not solely based on an agreement between the student and professor, but MUST be approved by the Chair of the Graduate Program and the Business Office.
• By the end of the 2nd semester graduate students need to submit the Lab Placement Form to the Graduate Office. The completed form must be signed by both the student and Major Professor. These can be turned in in person or emailed to BIOL Graduate Office. Once submitted, the Graduate Coordinator will email the student and advisor once approved.
• If a student wants to join a lab after 2 rotations, the student will need to submit a request to the BIOL Graduate Office that will require a confirmation email from the Major Professor.

MS Thesis Students:
MS Thesis students must find a faculty host laboratory during the recruitment process and cannot be admitted into our program without one. MS Thesis students recruited using either Fellowships, RAships, or TA-direct will go directly into their sponsoring faculty host laboratory. There is no option for laboratory rotations.

MS Non-Thesis Students:
MS Non-Thesis students are not required to find a faculty host laboratory. However, they will select or be assigned a Faculty Advisor. There is no option for laboratory rotations. However, it is common for MS Non-Thesis students to still seek out and work in faculty host laboratories for research credit and to enhance their laboratory training while working on their degree.

Selecting a Major Professor:

• By the end of the Spring semester, new PhD students will identify labs they wish to join. This typically starts with a conversation about joining the lab and ends with a mutual agreement between the student and the Major Professor. Once agreed upon, the student will submit the completed Lab Placement Form to the BIOL Graduate Office.
• The BIOL Graduate Office will then make the assignments, based on mutual acceptability to both the professor and student and final approval by the Chair of the Graduate Program and the Business Office. If a research director cannot be found after 3 rotations, the student will need to meet with the Chair of the Graduate Program to discuss other options such as additional rotations. **Additional rotations will ONLY be approved if the student completed the three required rotation slots.**

PhD Program (Dissertation): The Dissertation Advisory Committee consists of the Major Professor (also the Committee Chair), two additional faculty members from the Department of Biological Sciences, and one external faculty who is not in the Department of Biological Sciences. This external faculty member is typically from another department at Purdue University, but can also be a faculty at another institution. Students that are co-mentored by two faculty members, maybe have an additional member, for a 5-person committee.

If the external committee member is not at Purdue and not yet in the Purdue Graduate Faculty Database, the student needs to inform the Graduate Coordinator, so that the Grad Coordinator can gather the required information from the external faculty to be added to the Purdue Graduate Faculty Database.

MS Thesis Program (Thesis): The Thesis Advisory Committee consists of the Major Professor (also the Committee Chair) and two additional faculty members; one also from the Department of Biological Sciences and the other being from either in or out of the department.

MS Non-Thesis Program: While no Advisory Committee is required for MS Non-Thesis students, a Faculty Advisor should be selected to assist in guiding the student through the program. The Faculty Advisor would assist in course selection and ensuring that all requirements are met for the degree according to the proposed timeline.

• Timeline: Advisory Committees should be assembled within one semester of the student entering their faculty host laboratory.
  • For students entering the program during the fall semester on RAship or TA-direct, the Advisory Committee should be formed by the end of spring semester.
  • For students entering the program during the fall semester on Fellowship or TAship and selecting a host lab by the end of the spring semester, the Advisory Committee should be formed by the end of the summer semester.
• Required Forms: Once the Major Professor and student have agreed on the members of the Advisory Committee, the student needs to:
  • Complete and submit the PhD Advisory Selection Form.
  • Complete and submit the Electronic Form 8 - "Request for Appointment of Examining Committee" in MyPurdue, which provides information about the advisory committee to the Graduate School.

It is important to form the Advisory Committee on schedule so that an Annual Committee Meeting can be scheduled annually during the fall semester.

PhD Program (Dissertation): The Dissertation Advisory Committee consists of the Major Professor, two additional faculty members from the Department of Biological Sciences, and one faculty who is not in the Department of Biological Sciences. This external faculty member is typically from another department at Purdue University, but can also be a faculty at another institution. Students that are co-mentored by two faculty members, maybe have an additional member, for a 5-person committee. 

MS Thesis Program (Thesis): The Thesis Advisory Committee consists of the Major Professor and two additional faculty members; one also from the Department of Biological Sciences and the other being from either in or out of the department.

MS Non-Thesis Program: While no Advisory Committee is required for MS Non-Thesis students, a Faculty Advisor should be selected to assist in guiding the student through the program. The Faculty Advisor would assist in course selection and ensuring that all requirements are met for the degree according to the proposed timeline.

Guidelines for Annual Committee Meetings:

• The Major Professor will preside over the annual committee meetings and will be responsible for filing the summary evaluation form and individual comments from the committee members to the Graduate Office. It is the student’s responsibility to schedule their annual committee meetings.
• Annual committee meetings are typically scheduled for the fall semester, since preliminary examinations are typically during the spring semester. This will prevent overload of both students and faculty.
• To do list:
  • PhD students should assemble their committee by the end of their 3rd semester (ideally summer for students starting in the fall); MS Thesis students by the end of their 1st semester.
  • After joining a lab, students must have a committee meeting each year, ideally within the fall semester. Students may receive an automatic ‘Fail’ grade if not completed each year.
  • The student should identify a time that works for everyone on the committee. Annual committee meetings should be scheduled for 2 hours to allow sufficient time for pre- and post-discussions and for the student’s presentation with questions. The meeting does not have to last the entire 2 hours. It is highly recommended that the student attempt to schedule the meeting 2-3 months before they intend to have it. A common practice for doing so entails the following steps:
    1. Email the committee to ask if they have full weeks available or major commitments in their schedule during the month the student would like to hold the meeting.
    2. Once this is determined, send a digital request to the committee for their availability during a 2-3 week stretch. Online scheduling services are useful and efficient such as WhenIsGood or Doodle.
    3. Once the date is determined, the student should reserve a room using the UniTime Room Reservation System that can be found on the Departmental Website under Resources. 
    4. Follow-up with the faculty immediately to inform them of the date, time, and location; and also send a calendar invite for convenience. It is important to confirm this with them again since their schedules may have changed.
    5. Send a reminder to the faculty 1 week before the meeting, and another the day before, again being sure to include the date, time, and location. 
  • The student should submit their annual report to their advisory committee at least 1 week before the scheduled meeting. A template and more details for the annual report are outlined below.
  • For the meeting, the student should prepare ~30 minute presentation that aligns with the annual report, yet with more details and discussion.
  • The advisory committee will evaluate the student’s overall progress in their research and professional training/background, and provide both oral and written comments on the student's progress.

Annual Committee Meeting Report:
Each student will prepare an annual committee report using the template below. The annual report is intended to briefly refresh the committee on (i) the background of the project, (ii) the goals of the project, (iii) any prior progress, (iv) progress from the previous year, (v) plans for the next year, and (vi) your timeline towards graduation. The student will also append their updated CV and IDP and merge into a single PDF prior to submitting to the advisory committee. The annual report needs to be submitted to the advisory committee at least 1 week before the scheduled annual committee meeting. Failure to submit the report on time may result in an automatic fail.

A template for the annual committee meeting report can be downloaded here as a DOCX file: Annual-Report-Template. It is strongly recommended to stick to the indicated page limits, however, when necessary, additional pages may be included if approved by the Major Professor. The template includes the following sections:

• Synopsis of overall study and goals (2 pages max).
• Summary of prior progress (2 pages max).
• Summary of current progress over the past year (2 pages max).
• Obstacles or issues (1 page max).
• Goals for the next year (1 page max).
• Timeline and plan for graduation (1/2 page max).
• References (no page limit).
• Updated CV (no page limit): Append to final merged PDF.
• Updated IDP signed by both student/PI: Append to final merged PDF.

Evaluation Forms:

• Each committee member will complete an Individual Report of the students' overall progress, including strengths, weaknesses, and recommendations.
• The Major Professor will complete a Summary Evaluation Report that includes final committee vote for either 'Pass' or 'Fail'. All forms should be returned to the Graduate Office immediately following the committee meeting.
• Receiving two failing grades (Fail) for the annual committee meetings may be grounds for expulsion from the graduate program.

Individual Development Plan (IDP):
After joining a lab, the student will complete an Individual Development Plan (IDP) each year. These IDPs are training tools to help the student and Major Professor establish a dissertation/thesis project, set long and short-term goals, evaluate progress, and ensure overall success. IDP forms for each respective year of the graduate program can be found using the links below:

• Year 1: to be completed shortly after arriving on campus (August).
• Year 2: to be completed during the 2nd year of the program.
• Years 3+: to be completed during the 3rd year and beyond of the program.
• A guide for completing the IDP can be found on the College of Science IDP page.

The last page of the IDP needs to be signed by both PhD student and Major Professor and appended to the annual committee meeting report (see above). Failure to submit the IDP may result in registration restrictions and delays.

You should begin developing your Plan of Study (POS) after you join a lab, typically after completion of the first-year of study. The completed POS must be done and submitted by March of the second year. The Plan of Study is a formal document required by the Purdue Graduate School that identifies your advisory committee, degree objective and your courses. You can begin and change your POS electronically in the Plan of Study generator within myPurdue. Your initial plan can be changed, as long as the changes keep you in degree compliance.

Advice on Selecting Courses:
Using the myPurdue Course Catalog, prepare a list of all courses of interest to you. Select the appropriate semesters to ‘look forward’ to the next semester, and ‘look backward’ to previous semesters to get a more complete picture of all courses offered for the whole year. Read the course descriptions carefully and take note of which semester(s) the course is offered. Organize this list into a semester-by-semester table, carefully noting the semesters (Spring, Summer, Fall) when courses are offered.

Creating an Electronic Plan of Study (EPOS):
Each graduate student admitted to a degree program must file an Electronic Plan of Study (EPOS). The initial EPOS must be submitted in March of the student's 2nd year. If it is not submitted by March you will not i) be able to take/schedule your preliminary exam and ii) register for classes for subsequent semesters. The POS may be modified as necessary after it is approved, with allowable coursework, and should be kept updated throughout your student career as things change.

A plan of study is an academic contract among a student, the faculty members on the advisory committee, and the Graduate School. The POS guides a student’s academic progress. All departmental and Graduate School policies related to the filing of a POS must be adhered to explicitly.

How to create your Electronic Plan of Study (EPOS):

• Filing the plan of study is done electronically. Login to myPurdue with your Career Account user-id and password.
• Under “Graduate Students” click on “Graduate School Plan of Study”
• The Graduate School provides access to the POSG (Plan of Study Generator) through the “Graduate School Intranet Database” link (this is usually available after the second week of classes)
• A new browser window will open with the POSG login screen; login again with your Career Account user-id and password to proceed.
• Click on the Plan of Study Generator link, then “Create new plan of study” link.
• Refer to the “Help” buttons located on each page if you need assistance. You do not need to complete the entire form at one log in; you may save your plan of study and return to it later.
• Only letter-graded courses that have been deemed allowable to meet BIOL degree requirements can be on a BIOL EPOS. Courses taken as audit, or pass/no pass, or research credits cannot be added to a BIOL EPOS.
• To make minor changes in an POS, the student needs to submit a Request for Change to the Plan of Study electronically, through myPurdue. Changes to remove a failed course will not be approved. If the composition of the Advisory/Examining Committee requires changes, the student must also submit a Request for Change to the Plan of Study electronically through myPurdue.

Once you have completed the EPOS and feel it is ready for review:

• Save the Plan as final (Master’s thesis and PhD students should already have discussed your course selection with your major professor/advisory committee.) Draft submissions will not be reviewed, as it’s assumed you’re still finalizing the details.
• The EPOS will be reviewed by the EPOS coordinator who will advise you of revisions adding supplemental notes and returning your EPOS for adjustments; or will move the EPOS forward in approvals.
• Once the EPOS is approved by the EPOS coordinator, it begins the full approval process and will be electronically routed, reviewed, and if approved, signed by the departmental POS coordinator, your advisory committee and the Graduate School.
• You may check the status of your plan at any time by returning to the POSG and click on “View”.
• Once the Graduate School has approved your plan of study, you should check it each semester to monitor your academic degree progress, and update as changes are made.

MS credit will be accepted only after one semester of satisfactory work at Purdue. The research director must indicate the number of credits (0 to 30) that are to apply to the doctoral degree program when they are approving/signing the plan of study.

Courses taken as a graduate student at another university may not be used if those courses were required to attain a separate advanced degree. Courses taken as an undergraduate may be used if the course satisfies ALL the following criteria:

• Designated as a graduate-level course.
• Taken during the student’s junior or senior year.
• A letter grade of B or better was received.

Students in our PhD Program are required to successfully pass a Preliminary Examination during their 2nd year in the program in order to reach PhD candidacy. No such examination is required for our MS Programs.

The main goal of the Preliminary Examination is to test the PhD candidate’s ability to defend a research project and their critical and independent thinking. While the examination will typically focus primarily on the proposal topic, the student's understanding of basic and foundational knowledge within the research area may also be evaluated.

The following are procedures for preparation of the Preliminary Examination and suggestions for success. It provides a list of do’s and don’ts for the student, and a framework for understanding expected standards of performance. The Preliminary Examination includes both a written proposal and oral defense of the written proposal. A well-written proposal, clear presentation of the project, and solid performance when answering questions by the committee are required to receive a passing grade.

Timeline and Deadlines:

• The Preliminary Examination must be conducted no later than the end of the student's 4th academic semester (Fall/Spring). If not completed within this timeline, the student will automatically receive a failing grade, unless the student has received prior approval for an extension from the graduate chair.
• If the student passes their Preliminary Examination, they will officially be a PhD candidate and will continue their dissertation research towards graduation.
• If a student fails their first attempt at the Preliminary Examination, they should plan to retake it the following semester (cannot be within the same semester); ideally within 6 weeks of the initial failure, but contingent on the committee’s recommendations.
• A student that fails the Preliminary Examination a second time will be dismissed from the graduate program.

• Example timeline for the Preliminary Exam (also see graphic above):
  • Jan-Feb:
    • The research area convener will select the Principal Examiner.
    • Student will submit Form 8.
    • The student should coordinate with the Preliminary Examination Committee to schedule the exam and reserve a room to host the exam.
  • Feb-March:
    • Student should meet with the Principal Examiner to discuss the proposal topic and exam format.
    • Student should inform the BIOL Graduate Office of the exam date, time, and location.
  • 4 weeks BEFORE the exam:
    • Student should submit the written proposal to the Advisory Committee for comments.
  • 3 weeks BEFORE the exam:
    • The Advisory Committee should provide the student with feedback on the written proposal.
  • 2 weeks BEFORE the exam:
    • The student should submit the final written proposal to the Advisory Committee.
    • The student should practice their oral presentation with their peers, postdocs, and/or faculty. 
  • By the end of the Spring semester:
    • Student should conduct their Preliminary Examination.
      

The Preliminary Examination Committee:
The committee for the Preliminary Examination will consist of all members of the Advisory Committee except for the Major Professor, who will be replaced.

• The convener of each research area is responsible for assigning the Principal Examiner for each preliminary examination for students in their area.
• This Principal Examiner will also serve as the replacement for the Major Professor, and will serve as the Chair of the Examination Committee.
• Once the student is informed of the replacement, the student will complete the Graduate School form 8 in myPurdue to update the composition of Examination Committee using Form 8 in myPurdue four (4) weeks before the examination.

The student is encouraged to meet with their Preliminary Examination Committee during their preparation for the examination. The Major Professor may assist in selection of the preliminary examination topic and to determine a project's feasibility, but is strictly forbidden to further assist the student with their preparations of the preliminary examination. However, other faculty, including the committee members, are allowed to provide discussion and guidance in advance of the examination. It is the discretion of each faculty member or committee member to decide if they wish to assist the student in advance of the examination, and if so, how in-depth the discussions may proceed.

Responsibilities of the Principal Examiner:

• The role of the Principal Examiner will be to preside over the Preliminary Examination and will be primarily responsible for the format of the meeting and for filing the written comments from the committee members to the Biological Sciences Graduate Office and Graduate School.
• The Principal Examiner should establish, in advance, guidelines for the length and nature of the student’s presentation, the length and scope of the question and answer period, and any other procedures.
• If a recording has been requested by the Major Professor, coordinate with Roger Mahrling to record the Preliminary Examination to share at a later date.
• Once completed, the Principal Examiner will need to log into the Graduate Student Database to complete the post-examination results form. Once the form is completed by the Principal Examiner, the rest of the committee can then submit their required approvals of the examination outcome.

Recording the Preliminary Examination:
The Major Professor cannot serve on the Examination Committee. The Major Professor, however, can optionally request that the Preliminary Examination be recorded and shared at a later date. The recording will only include the student's presentation and response to questions and will not include any committee discussions. If the Major Professor would like to have the Preliminary Examination recorded, a formal request must be sent to the Principal Examiner at least 2 weeks in advance of the scheduled examination date. The Principal Examiner will coordinate with the Technical Operations Administrator for the recording and its distribution.

Requests to record the Preliminary Examination after the 2-week deadline has passed will additionally need approval by the Graduate Chair and a justification for missing the deadline. Video recording will not occur without an approved formal request from the Major Professor.

Proposal Topic Options for the Preliminary Examination:
Our program allows students to choose between two proposal topic options for the Preliminary Examination. These options should be discussed in advance with the Major Professor and with the Principal Examiner; the Major Professor must approve the topic.

Proposal Topic Options:

• A topic within your own research area.
• A topic unrelated to the area of your dissertation research.

If a student chooses Option #1, the topic cannot be something that the Major Professor has ever written a proposal on (funded or not) or something the Major Professor is currently planning to write a proposal on. While the topic may be within a student's own research area, if they choose, the proposed project must be the student's own ideas and work, not from the Major Professor.

It should be noted that, regardless of the topic, the expectations for performance will be similar. However, the Examination Committee is likely to be less forgiving about the depth of a student's background knowledge when the topic is in the area of their dissertation research. Additionally, the proposal must reflect the student’s own scientific creativity. Whichever format is chosen, students should design approaches that are expected to provide significant advances to the field and should be prepared to discuss further approaches beyond the immediate scope of the proposal. Thoughtfulness and innovation are highly desirable qualities in a research proposal.

Meeting with the Principal Examiner:
The Principal Examiner will be assigned by the convener of the primary research area of the student. It is recommended that the student consult with the Principal Examiner at least 2 months prior to the preliminary examination to determine what will be expected. The student should prepare and present 3-5 background slides of the topic and share a summary of the objectives/goals/aims with the Principal Examiner prior to the meeting.

Preparing the Written Proposal:
The purpose of the written proposal is to provide the Examination Committee with adequate background and details to understand the current state of the chosen field of research, and evaluate your proposed experiments to test a proposed hypothesis to advance the field. Students should be prepared to discuss experimental details and interpretations even if they are not presented in the written proposal. For example, you can describe how you would characterize a protein by SDS-PAGE without giving the composition of every solution used in the procedure. Any results that are not your own should be properly referenced. Keep in mind that extensive preliminary results are not required, but a clear description of background, questions, approaches, expected results, and alternative approaches are essential.

The proposal should include a brief description of the proposed research project including a literature review relevant to that project in the background section. An outline the objectives of the proposed research should be included with an experimental plan to achieve them. The literature review does not need to be exhaustive, but must show that the student is aware of the most important and current papers in the field and how they relate to the proposed study.

If the committee determines that the final written proposal still has sufficient flaws even after the 4-week pre-review/feedback and that the student is likely to fail the oral examination portion, the committee can request rescheduling the exam and further revision of the proposal. This is contingent on there being sufficient time to still complete the Preliminary Examination before the deadline for that semester.

Formatting the Written Proposal:
A Written Proposal Template is provided to assist with assembly of the written proposal, as outlined below.

• The written proposal should be a maximum of six (6) single-spaced pages, excluding the title page and references, and contain the following sections:
  • Title Page
  • A. Introduction and Background (~1-page).
  • B. Significance and Innovation (~0.5-page).
  • C. Hypothesis, Goals, and Objectives (~0.5-page).
  • E. Experimental Approach (~4 pages).
  • E. References.
• Font style and size should be Arial, 11 pt.
• Margins should be 0.5 inch on all sides.
• Figures should be embedded in the text and have adequate legends.
• Any results that are not your own, should be properly referenced.

Explanation for Each Section of the Written Proposal:

A. Introduction and Background:

• This should concisely introduce the background of your project in sufficient detail to fully understand the importance of the scientific question(s) that are being addressed.
• It is typically useful to include an introductory figure of the system being studied with a brief legend.

B. Significance and Innovation:

• This should concisely present the significance and rationale of the proposal. It should address how the study will advance the current field of study and its overall impact.
• Any innovation(s) of the proposal should be stated, including the hypothesis, experimental methods being used, and/or technologies being designed.

C. Hypothesis, Goals, and Objectives:

• Present the gap in knowledge in the field of study and concisely state the overarching hypothesis for the proposal.
• Concisely summarize the goals and objectives of the proposal, which will directly test the hypothesis that was presented.

D. Experimental Approach:

• Outline the experimental approach for each goal/objective in sufficient detail so it is understandable to a general reader. Elaborate on specialized techniques or methods, or on innovative methods that have not been reported previously.
• Present any unpublished preliminary results that have been obtained to support the goals/objectives.
• Discuss the expected outcomes, any issues or obstacles, and alternative approaches.
• Keep in mind rigor and reproducibility of the complete study, and either directly address this in the proposal or be prepared to address it in the oral portion.

E. References:

• Using superscript notation within the main text (e.g., Cell Press - Structure), include full references for all literature used to compose the proposal. This includes the Introduction/Background and Significance sections, but also for any literature used to assist in composing the Experimental Approach.

The Oral Presentation:
The oral portion of the Preliminary Examination is typically conducted in the following order:

• At the start, the student is asked to leave the room so the Examination Committee can discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the proposal. (~10 mins).
• The student is then invited back to the room for an oral presentation of the proposal. Committee members typically interrupt to ask questions for clarification and for evaluation of knowledge, as well as, for further discussion with the student. (~80 mins).
• Once the student is done with the presentation and there are no more questions from the committee, the student is asked to leave the room again. During this time, the Examination Committee will discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the oral presentation and overall performance of the student. The committee will also share any concerns and will together, complete the summary report for the exam and take a Pass/Fail vote. (~15 mins).
• At the end, the student is invited back to the room where the Principal Examiner will share the results of the vote, and provide an overall summary. Typically, each committee member will then share a few comments to justify their vote. (~10 mins).

During the oral portion of the Preliminary Examination, the student will give an oral presentation of the proposal (typically 30-45 minutes uninterrupted). The Examining Committee will ask questions during the presentation to evaluate the student in multiple categories including the foundational understanding of the topic, both practical and theoretical knowledge of the proposed experiments, creativity/innovation, and critical thinking. While the committee will typically remain on topic of the research proposal, the student may also be evaluated on basic and foundational knowledge from courses. This oral presentation, with questions and discussion, should not last beyond 1.5 hours.

Helpful Hints for Success:
Pre-prelim: It is strongly recommendable to coordinate with senior students to read the written proposal for comments/improvement and practice the oral presentation as a “pre-prelim” to get feedback on how to strengthen the proposal and presentation. This will be invaluable in preparing for the expectations of the exam. The best resources are prior students who performed well in their own Preliminary Examination and know what to expect. 

Seeking outside help: While originality in the design of the experimental approach is essential, seeking outside help on details of experimentation and analysis is encouraged. For example, if one does not understand the principles behind analytical ultracentrifugation, they are permitted to seek the advice of an expert. A student's Advisory Committee members may also serve in this capacity. However, the Major Professor should refrain from helping you significantly with your proposal since this is an examination.

Retaking the Preliminary Examination:
A student that takes and fails the Preliminary Examination, and a student that misses the deadline for the Preliminary Examination (last day of classes for the semester) and receives an automatic failure, will have the option for a second attempt. Contingent on the Examination Committee's recommendations and availability, the student should retake the exam within 6-weeks of the initial failure. It is highly recommended that the student schedule a meeting with the Principal Examiner immediately to review the results of the first attempt, devise a plan for any requested changes, and discuss a plan for a better performance during the second attempt.

If a student fails the second attempt, the student will be dismissed from the PhD program. Optionally, the student may request to participate in the MS program, with approval from the Graduate Program Chair.

Preparing your Thesis/Dissertation:
MS and PhD students must prepare their thesis/dissertation prior to their final examination. Students are encouraged to review the formatting guidelines and various submission deadlines found on the Thesis and Dissertation Office website. The Major Professor is responsible for scanning the thesis/dissertation using iThenticate and Proofing AI; more information and guidance can be found HERE. The Biological Sciences Graduate Office can assist with this, if necessary.

Preparing for the Final Examination:
At least two terms must elapse and be devoted to research between the Preliminary Examination and the Final Examination.

The Final Examination is taken after completion of your research and writing of your PhD thesis. The Final Examination (thesis/dissertation defense) will be publicly announced on the departmental bulletin boards and by email from the BIOL Graduate Office. It will consist of a public seminar (1 hour) where the candidate will summarize their thesis/dissertation research. Following the seminar, there will be a closed oral examination (typically 1-2 hours) with the Advisory Committee.

The request to take the Final Examination should be submitted using the online Graduate School Form 8 through myPurdue. This must be completed 3 weeks prior to the date of the student's Final Examination.

Three (3) forms must be submitted to acquire Graduate Office approval on Form 8:

• PhD Bulletin.
• BIOL-04A.
• Thesis/Dissertation signature request form.

Report on Final Examination:
The Advisory Committee is the Final Examination Committee. All Advisory Committee members must sign the online Graduate School Form 11: Report of the Final Examination. The examination report must be filed for candidates to receive their degrees.

A majority vote is necessary to pass the Final Examination; not more than one dissenting vote is acceptable in certifying the candidate to receive the degree.

If the Advisory Committee decides that the performance on the Final Examination is unsatisfactory, a second examination is required. A new request form, GS Form 8, must be submitted to the Graduate School.

Dissertation Deposit and Appointment:
Thesis Deposit Instructions:
All thesis-option graduate students at Purdue must deposit the final products of their research with the Purdue University Graduate School Thesis & Dissertation Office. The Thesis & Dissertation Office will help ensure that all pre-requisites for deposit have been fulfilled and that your thesis or dissertation meets the quality standards established by the Graduate Council Standing Committee on Theses and Dissertations.

Prior to submitting, you are encouraged to review the Thesis Templates & Guidance website.

A detailed list of instructions for submitting your thesis can be found on the Deposit Requirements page on the Thesis and Dissertation Office website. If you have further questions, refer to the Thesis/Dissertation Office website or contact their staff directly by email at thesishelp@purdue.edu.

Scheduling an Appointment:
The Thesis & Dissertation Office recommends scheduling a formatting consultation prior to your defense date. This ensures that you will be 100% formatted before you defend, this way, you will only have to focus on content corrections post-defense and can help reduce the number of formatting errors that are typically caught during the deposit process.

Formatting consultations are cut off 2 weeks prior to the CAND 99100 registration deadline due to increased staff workload.

To schedule a consulation appointment, see their Request a Consultation page.

Important deadlines can be found on the OGSPS website.

Verify Requirements:
Please go through the PhD Student Checklist, and make sure you’ve met or will meet all the requirements by the deadline of your final semester. Keep in mind that there are area-specific requirements that you should also confirm within the 'Courses and Registration INFO' section above.

Graduation Forms:
Register for Candidacy:
In order to graduate, you must declare candidacy for the semester in which you intend to graduate by the designated deadline. See the Deadline Calendar on the Graduate School website. You declare candidacy by using the scheduling assistant within myPurdue and registering for either CAND 991, 992, or 993.

CAND 991: This is the candidacy to register for if you are currently taking any courses and/or research; most students will register using this candidate registration type. Thesis-option master’s and doctoral students must register for research in proportion to their efforts during each session, and must be registered for at least one credit of research in this semester. Research registration should be commensurate with actual research and writing efforts. All funded students still need to register full-time, even in their last semester. Non-funded international students registering for candidacy and less than full-time, need to request approval for a reduced course load from ISS.

Special candidate registration may be allowed for those students needing to only deposit (CAND 992) or defend/deposit (CAND 993). If allowed, please note:

• Early deadlines apply (you can find the Deadline Calendar on the Graduate School website).
• Students cannot be registered for any credits in this semester (research or coursework).
• Students MUST be registered in research the semester prior to enrolling in one of these candidate types (including summer if research was performed, which includes writing/formatting thesis).
• Students may still hold an RA appointment (and TA appointment, if remaining for the full semester despite defending and/or depositing early).
• Candidates who register for this special registration and who do not meet the early deadline, will be switched by the Grad School to CAND 991 and required to register for credits. If you’re funded you need to make sure you are registered full-time as soon as you know you will not meet the early deadline, so check your schedule if you miss the early deadline and notify the Biological Sciences Graduate Office immediately to assist you with modifying the number of registered credits.

CAND 992 (Degree-Only Candidacy): Candidacy for those that ONLY need to deposit their thesis. Please note that there is a fee to register in CAND 992.

CAND 993 (Exam-Only Candidacy): Candidacy for those that ONLY need to defend AND deposit their thesis. Please note that there is a fee to register in CAND 993.

Being registered as a candidate does not automatically register you for the commencement ceremony itself. If you plan to participate in commencement, you must respond by using the Commencement tab on myPurdue. It will be added to your myPurdue account after a specified date in the semester you have registered as a candidate.

If you are declaring candidacy for multiple degrees within the same semester, please register for candidacy for one degree, and then please contact the Biological Sciences Graduate Office, to let them know information on the second degree. This also applies to candidacy for certificate completion. Candidacy will only show on your schedule for one degree, but we’ll work with the registrar’s office to make sure expectation for both degrees is recorded in their system.

Please note: Students that consecutively register 3 times for candidacy for the same degree type will be assessed a $200 fee by the Grad School.

For specific semester graduation deadlines, see the Deadline Calendar on the Graduate School website.

Information about Commencement:
Information about commencement can be found on the Commencement page on the University website.

Students who attend the commencement will receive their diplomas at the graduation ceremony. Diplomas for all candidates who do not attend commencement will be mailed to the graduate's "Diploma" address and/or "Permanent" address approximately four to six weeks after the ceremony. To ensure the correct mailing address for your diploma, please indicate your diploma address on the Graduation Tab under Diploma Mailing Address.

Individuals who have satisfied all of the requirements for their degree and need documentation of that fact (as is the case for some post-doctoral appointments) prior to when the degree will be awarded, may obtain such a statement from the Office of the Graduate School (YOUNG 170).

Students failing to meet any of the academic graduation requirements by the last day of the session will not graduate and must register in a later session.

Failure to meet deadlines will result in non-approval of registration for subsequent sessions. All University fees are subject to change without notice.

Below is a list of travel funding opportunities for graduates that can be used to attend symposiums, meetings, conferences, workshops, and other career/professional development activity, both national and international. The deadlines and criteria for each may change from year to year, so please check the sponsor's website directly to verify any eligibility, application details, and deadlines.

Grade Appeals:
For grade appeals, please refer to University Regulations, using the online reference manual for students, staff and faculty, updated 9/18/2024.

Research in Absentia:
A doctoral student who has completed the preliminary examination and wishes to leave the University to continue doctoral candidacy should request to register for research in absentia.

This is only possible after the prelim is passed, all course work is completed, and at a point where remaining work on research problem and thesis may be completed off campus.

Clubs and Organizations:
Many students are associated and hold positions within some of the following clubs and organization:

• Biological Sciences Graduate Student Association.
• Columbian Student Organization.
• Puerto Rican Student Association.
• LGBTQ Association.
• Purdue Black Graduate Student Association.

Contact the Graduate Office:

Patti Dimmitt
Senior Graduate Program Coordinator
Department of Biological Sciences
Lilly Hall, Room 1-120
915 Mitch Daniels Blvd
West Lafayette, IN 47907-2054
E-mail: poliver@purdue.edu
Phone: 765-494-8142

Nicholas Noinaj
Associate Professor and Chair of Graduate Programs
Department of Biological Sciences
Hockmeyer Hall, HOCK 333
240 S. Martin Jischke Dr.
West Lafayette, IN 47907-2054
E-mail: nnoinaj@purdue.edu
Phone: 765-496-0061

• Email is preferred.
• Do not email anyone other than the Admissions Representatives noted above to inquire about your application status. The faculty will not typically be able to give you this information.
• Feel free to email faculty directly to learn more about their research focus and any potential opportunities they may have to work in their laboratories.