QUALIFYING EXAMINATION FOR
TRANSFERRING TO A PH.D PROGRAM
DBS Graduate Studies Committee
(Mar. 11, 2005)
Under the new university policy, all graduate students who wish to transfer to the Ph.D.
program are required to take two examinations: a written qualifying examination
followed by an oral examination. The written examination will test fundamental
knowledge in broad aspects of biology while the oral examination will test more
specifically on the research project and the relevant research area. The new policy will be
implemented starting with the Aug-2004 intake
Written Qualifying Examination
Schedule of written examination.
The department will conduct the written examination at the beginning of every semester,
i.e. January and August. Details of date and venue will be announced about one month in
advance.
Procedure.
Students who wish to transfer to the Ph.D. program need to apply for the qualifying
examination before completing their third semester. The deadline of application is
usually set one week before the examination date. Students need to get their supervisor’s
approval before applying.
Format of the examination.
It will be a close-book three-hour exam. There will be two sections: A) multiple choice
questions (MCQs) to cover broad areas of basic biology and B) analytical questions to
test depth of fundamental knowledge in selected areas. There will be 25 MCQs (all to be
attempted). There will be TEN analytical questions of which, students need to answer
any THREE. The analytical questions will be from these areas.
1. Cell biology
2. Biochemistry
3. Genetics
4. Biodiversity/ecology
5. Computational/bioinformatics
Preparation for the examination.
The following textbooks are recommended for examination preparation:
1. Molecular and Cell Biology
Bruce Alberts et al. Molecular Biology of the Cell. New York: Garland Science,
c2002., 4th Edition. Library call #QH581.2 Mol.
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or
Harvey Lodish et al. Molecular cell biology. New York: W.H. Freeman and
Company, 2004. 5th Edition. Library call #QH581.2 Dar 2004.
2. Biochemistry
Donald Voet and Judith G. Voet. Biochemistry. New York : John Wiley, 2004. 3rd
Edition. Library call #QP514.2 Voe 2004.
3. Genetics
Robert J. Brooker. Genetics: analysis and principles. Menlo Park, Calif.: AddisonWesley, c1999. Library call #QH430 Bro.
4. Biodiversity and Ecology
Molles, Manuel C. 2005. Ecology: Concepts and applications. 3rd edition. McGraw
Hill, New York. Library call # QH541.Mol 2005.
5. Computation / Bioinformatics:
David W. Mount. Bioinformatics, Sequence and Genome Analysis. Gold Spring
Harbor, New York: Gold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, 2001. ISBN: 0-87969-6086. General Biology
Audesirk, T., Audesirk, G. and Byers, B.E. (2005) Biology: Life on Earth, 7th Edition.
Publisher: Prentice Hall. ISBN 0-13-100506-5. Library call #QH308.2 Aud.
More textbooks may be recommended in the near future.
Results of the examination.
There will be “Pass” or “Fail” grades. A “Pass” grade will be awarded if the student
attains a score equivalent to or above a B grade.
Students with a “Pass” grade will then proceed on to the oral examination.
Students with a “Fail” grade may be allowed to apply for the second examination at the
beginning of their fourth semester. This will be the student’s final chance.
Oral Examination
The procedure is basically the same as the current one. After passing the written
examination, the student can proceed on to the oral examination, which should be
completed between 13 and 24 months after registration.
Requirements.
Before taking the oral examination, the student should meet the following conditions:
A. Three approved level 5000 graduate modules with an average grade of B (CAP of 3.5
and above).
B. Fulfilled a minimum of 36 hours of part-time teaching (18 hours for foreign students)
if the student is an NUS graduate scholarship holder.
The oral test will focus on the following:
A. Research progress.
B. Research proposal.
C. Knowledge in the selected research area.
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Procedure.
 Student has to pass the Pre-PhD Written Qualifying Examination before an oral
qualifying examination can be called for.
 Formation of examination committee consisting of three voting members and the
supervisor(s) as non-voting member(s).
 The committee will generally (although not necessarily) be chaired by a
representative of the Graduate Studies Committee.
 The student will need to submit a written report of about 10-15 (maximum) pages,
covering (Part 1) hypothesis/objectives, (Part 2) progress and (Part 3) research
proposal, at least two weeks before the oral examination.
 The student needs to present a seminar opened to everyone, followed by a closed
session with the Examination Committee.
 A decision will be made by the Committee in the absence of the student and the
supervisor(s)
Results.
The Committee will decide if the student
-- can transfer to the Ph.D. program
-- be given a conditional “Pass”, with conditions stipulated by the Committee. A reexamination may be called for if necessary.
-- should not be transferred to the Ph.D. program.
Thesis Committee.
On successful conversion, a Thesis Committee will be formed for each Ph.D. student to
assess the students’ research progress throughout the Ph.D. program.
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