Guidelines for
Graduate Student Research
in the Biomedical Engineering
Graduate Program,
Vanderbilt University
Revised: August 14, 2006
Overview
Graduate study provides a unique opportunity for students and faculty to work together
in advancing the boundaries of knowledge through innovative research and to discover
new ways to apply this knowledge for the benefit of humankind. The faculty also
recognizes and supports another purpose, which is the training of graduate students for
future careers as independent investigators in academia and industry. Research
activities are central to the success of any good graduate program. Consequently,
faculty tenure decisions, promotions and salaries are highly correlated to research
productivity. But other responsibilities often leave faculty with little time to engage in all
aspects of the research process. They rely on assistance in their research from
students, particularly graduate students. This gives students an opportunity to apply
theories they learn in the classroom under laboratory conditions. Students are provided
with the opportunity to develop new and important knowledge in biomedical engineering
and gain an appreciation for the excitement of discovery. In addition, students gain a
mentor who can guide them through the joys and frustrations of experimental and
theoretical research. They also gain experience in communicating their research results
to the scientific and technical community by writing manuscripts for publication in
archival journals and making oral presentations at conference proceedings. Both the
student and mentor gain significantly when they work together as a team, respecting
each other's abilities and responsibilities. Both fail miserably when this mutual respect is
missing. These guidelines are formulated so students can better understand what is
expected of them and what is expected of the faculty as they work together as partners
in pursuit of common research objectives in the BME graduate program.
Faculty Responsibilities and Expectations
Although graduate students are familiar with the roles of faculty as teachers and
mentors, they are often unaware of the other duties and responsibilities of the faculty. A
partial list of expectations and responsibilities of BME faculty members is given below.

Teaching. Faculty are expected to teach undergraduate and graduate level
courses; provide a syllabus for each course describing course objectives,
requirements and assessment criteria; discuss responsibilities with Teaching
Assistants; write proposals to acquire equipment and materials for teaching
laboratories; write proposals to fund innovative teaching methods; incorporate
new research findings into courses and curricula; review student course
evaluations, student faculty evaluations, and student TA evaluations for each
course, each semester; evaluate teaching assistants each semester.

Research. Faculty are expected to engage actively in research; publish results
in the scientific literature (expect at least two papers per year); present results at
scientific conferences; regularly survey relevant scientific literature; write
proposals to fund their research program; write proposals to fund graduate
students; prepare materials for site visits; mentor individual graduate students;
meet regularly with their research team; supervise undergraduate and graduate
students in the laboratory; be available to discuss research projects with
students; secure suitable facilities to conduct research; provide lab/office space
for graduate students; seek collaboration with other faculty where appropriate;
attend and assist with BME seminar; evaluate graduate student research
annually.
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
Service. Faculty provide academic advice to about 40 undergraduate and/or
graduate students; write letters of recommendation for students applying to
medical school, graduate school, and professional positions; evaluate
qualifications of applicants to the BME Graduate Program; critique written, oral
and poster presentations by undergraduate and graduate students; serve on MS,
Master of Engineering, and PhD committees; evaluate faculty in promotion and
tenure; provide service to the professional community through activities like
serving as a reviewer for professional journals, serving on review panels for
funding agencies, holding national offices in professional societies, judging
science fairs, providing for public laboratory visits, etc.; provide service to the
University by participating in activities like sitting on university-wide committees,
serving on Graduate Faculty Council, Faculty Senate, etc.; provide service to the
School of Engineering through activities like participating in school-wide
committees, advisory boards, etc.; provide service to the BME Department
through activities such as organizing seminars, serving as Director of Graduate
Studies, Director of Undergraduate Studies, research committee, graduate
committee, laboratory committee, and other committees; serve as mentors,
advisors and sponsors for students in professional and volunteer organizations;
provide professional counseling for students for summer internship and career
opportunities.

Accountability. Faculty submit a written annual report to the department chair
on all research and teaching activities, which is forwarded to the dean; review the
annual evaluation from the department chair; review mentor evaluations by
senior graduate students; submit written annual summary reports to funding
agencies for each grant awarded; participate in periodic site visits for research
grants and training grants.
Students should note that many of these activities involve submission of proposals,
summaries or evaluations. In addition, faculty are themselves evaluated by funding
agencies, by the department chair, and by students through course and mentor
evaluations. In short, faculty members are expected to provide professional service
beyond their immediate needs and are held accountable for their activities.
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Responsibilities and Expectations of BME Graduate Students
To facilitate the success of their academic and research training, graduate students
should be aware of some important program expectations and student responsibilities.
These, along with relevant guidelines, are provided below.

Research. New graduate students are expected to familiarize themselves with
available research projects in the BME department and discuss research
opportunities with several faculty members. Students are urged to select an MS
or PhD faculty research advisor by the end of their first semester, and must have
selected their research advisor before the end of their second semester.
Students who are required to rotate through laboratories as part of their
obligation on a training grant may postpone this decision until the summer of the
first year. Under the supervision of a faculty mentor, graduate students are
expected to engage in research during the academic year and in the summer,
and to maintain a consistent high level of motivation. They are expected to gain
the background knowledge and skills needed to successfully pursue the research
project. Students should work with their supervisor to develop a plan that
includes a timetable for completion of each stage of the research. They should
meet with their advisor regularly to assess research progress and discuss
possible revisions to their plan. Students should strive to meet appropriate
deadlines and to adhere to their research schedule. They should take special
care in collecting, labeling and preserving experimental data and should provide
the research supervisor with full access to all data, data analysis software and
simulation software. Graduate students should realize that the data they collect
and the programs they write for data analysis and simulation are intellectual
property of the laboratory. Students are free to make copies of data and
programs for analysis outside of the laboratory, but must consult with their
research advisor before sharing these with individuals outside of the research
team.

Attendance, Holidays and Vacation. The BME Graduate Program prepares
students to be professionals. Professionals are expected to be productive
beyond the convenient hours between 9 AM and 5 PM. Evenings, weekends,
summers and academic breaks are excellent times to engage in research
activities. No one expects graduate students to be available 24 hours a day,
seven days a week to work on their research. The number of hours spent on
research is a function of the other obligations of the student (e.g., courses, TA
responsibilities, outside job) and on the nature of the research project. Students
who receive an annual stipend are expected to work 40 hrs/wk during the
summer. Graduate students with full course loads who are funded as Research
Assistants, NIH Trainees or Graduate Fellows are expected to spend 20 hrs/wk
on research during the academic year. The number of hours is expected to
increase to 40 hrs/wk as didactic coursework is replaced with research hours
(BME 369 or BME 399). Teaching Assistants should spend 20 hrs/wk on their
combined TA responsibilities and research. Students are expected to attend lab
meetings, to work as a member of a research team, to encourage and assist
other students in the same or related research group, to plan for enough time
each week to conduct the research scheduled for that week, to assist their
research advisor in preparing research proposals, and to regularly monitor the
available scientific literature relevant to their research. Graduate students in the
BME Department should be treated like faculty or professional staff in regards to
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holidays. With the exception of Labor Day (classes are held), they may take
standard Vanderbilt University holidays (New Year's Day, Memorial Day,
Independence Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day) and two
personal days. Students receiving summer stipends will be treated as
professional staff in regards to vacation accrual rates, amounting to 15 days per
year. Ordinarily, vacation is taken between the end of the Spring Semester and
the beginning of the Fall Semester, but students may elect to use some of this
time during academic breaks. Stipends will be reduced proportionally if larger
time increments of leave are sought. Students are expected to consult with their
research advisor before taking personal days or taking vacation time. If the
student does not have a research advisor, holiday and vacation leave should be
approved by the DGS. In keeping with the professional nature of the graduate
student-faculty advisor relationship, students should inform their research advisor
when they must be absent because of illness or an emergency, just as faculty
should inform students when they will be absent for an extended period of time.

Publication. An important research goal is to disseminate knowledge to the
scientific community in the form of published manuscripts. Reasonable
expectations are one publication for a MS project and three for a PhD project.
Students are encouraged to publish their results as the research unfolds, rather
than waiting until the entire project is completed. Presentations at scientific
meetings are also encouraged. The student and supervisor have a joint
responsibility to publish work that arises from the supervisor's research program.
Students will share authorship on all manuscripts that result primarily from the
creative research and writing of the student. Students and supervisors should
agree on revisions before a manuscript is submitted for publication and should
decide together the order in which they appear as authors. Since publication is
essential to the research process, the research advisor has the right to submit a
manuscript for publication if the student leaves the program, refuses to write a
manuscript, or causes excessive delays in the publication process. Manuscripts
written under these circumstances will not be considered for inclusion in a thesis
or dissertation. Theses and dissertations should follow the format specified in
the Regulations of the BME program. Note, this is different than the general
Graduate School format.

Individual Fellowship Applications. The average cost of tuition, stipend, fees
and benefits for a graduate student is approximately $50,000 per year. Students
with appropriate qualifications are expected to apply for their own financial
support in those cases where they have been notified of special funding
opportunities by their research advisor or DGS. These applications must comply
with all University policies and procedures for application of external support,
including, but not limited to, approval through the Department of Biomedical
Engineering and the University's extramural funding transmittal process. The
DGS, department graduate administrator and department grant administrator will
advise and assist in the transmittal process and students should consult with
them in a timely manner when preparing applications to ensure such compliance.

Renewal of Financial Aid. Students should realize that renewal of financial
support is not automatic. Financial support is contingent upon the availability of
funding, on academic performance, on adequate research progress, and in the
case of service stipends, on satisfactory performance as an RA, TA or trainee.
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Research progress is based on annual reports submitted by the student and
faculty advisor. Academic performance is based on GPA and on adherence to
the degree program. TA performance is based on the student's annual report,
faculty evaluations submitted at the end of each semester, and on TA evaluation
forms filled out by students at the end of each semester. The department reviews
student performance on a semester-by-semester basis, and allocates financial
aid accordingly. The department will attempt to fund all continuing students as
long as they are in good academic standing and are making satisfactory research
progress. Students should realize that the department is evaluated on the basis
of the quality of our research and the quality of the students that graduate from
our program. It is the department's responsibility to admit students with excellent
qualifications and we expect graduate students to assist us in maintaining the
quality of the program.

Moonlighting. By accepting a stipend, students agree to devote full time to their
research and graduate studies. The BME Regulations strictly prohibit other
employment during the period for which aid is provided unless prior approval is
obtained from the Department Chair. If outside employment becomes
necessary, then departmental aid will be withdrawn or reduced.

Tuition Scholarships. Tuition scholarships are restricted to a maximum of 24
hours for MS students and 72 hours for PhD students. Additional hours needed
to correct undergraduate deficits, to fulfill departmental requirements, or to raise
a student's GPA to 3.0 to satisfy the Graduate School graduation requirement
must be borne by the student. Generally, tuition scholarships will not cover more
than 12 semester hours in a single semester. Some research grants have limited
funds available to pay tuition, so students should consult with their research
advisor before registering for classes to determine the maximum number of
hours that can be charged to a grant.

Intellectual Property. Students should be aware that some research activities
may have commercial potential. Vanderbilt University has a strong interest in
maintaining and protecting these rights. Research results are not to be disclosed
outside of Vanderbilt University without appropriate non-disclosure agreements in
place. These agreements are negotiated through the Vanderbilt Technology
Transfer Office. If you have any questions concerning the commercial potential
of a laboratory activity, discuss them with your advisor.

Service. Success of the BME Department depends on service of its faculty and
graduate students. Examples of service include assistance in mentoring
undergraduate students in laboratory projects, assisting less senior graduate
students with troubleshooting laboratory problems, assistance with the
recruitment of new graduate and undergraduate students, providing laboratory
demonstrations to the public, serving on university and departmental committees,
and other non-academic tasks. Graduate students are expected to partner with
faculty in providing these services. Many laboratories also expect faculty and
graduate students to contribute to the laboratory environment by caring for
specific instruments, cell cultures, pieces of equipment, etc. Students in such
laboratories should consult with their advisor(s) for individual laboratory
responsibilities.
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
Seminars and Workshops. Like faculty, graduate students are expected to
attend all BME seminars, whether they are taking the BME seminar course for
credit or not. Graduate students should participate in departmental seminars by
asking questions, making practice presentations for scientific meetings, and by
presenting the results of their MS research to the rest of the department.
Students and faculty should make an effort to attend PhD dissertation defense
presentations given by BME graduate students. All first year BME graduate
students are encouraged to attend the "Ethical Conduct of Research" seminar
series, and students supported by training grants are required to attend these
seminars. Teaching Assistants and ERC Research Assistants are required to
attend a 2-day ERC teaching workshop.

Academic Progress. Students are responsible for informing themselves of all
academic and degree requirements. Every student should become familiar with
pertinent information contained in the Regulations of the Graduate Program in
Biomedical Engineering at Vanderbilt University, these Guidelines for Graduate
Student Research, and the Vanderbilt Graduate Catalog. All are available online.
Students should consult the Vanderbilt University Schedule of Courses each
semester prior to meeting with the DGS and faculty mentor(s) in regards to
course selection. Changes to course schedules should only be made after
obtaining approval from the DGS. Graduate students are required to maintain a
Vanderbilt graduate GPA above 3.0, and BME PhD students are expected to
maintain a GPA above 3.3.

Progress Report. Graduate students are required to submit an annual progress
report each year documenting the courses that they have taken; TA, RA or
Training Grant activities; program milestones reached; a short research
summary; and a list of publications and presentations. It should be a relatively
easy task to cut and paste the required information from proposals, publications,
and presentations coauthored by the student. The report will be reviewed by the
student's faculty advisor(s), by faculty TA supervisors, and by the DGS. The
primary purpose of this exercise is to give the student an opportunity to review
his/her progress in the last year and to plan activities for the upcoming year. It
also provides needed information to the faculty concerning student performance
and productivity. Feedback based on this report and other sources, such as the
research supervisor's evaluation and student TA evaluations, will be provided to
the students by the DGS.

Mentor Evaluation. PhD candidates who have completed all requirements for
graduation except for submission of the dissertation are requested to evaluate
mentoring by BME faculty. This should be submitted to the department chair,
who will provide anonymous feedback to the faculty and DGS. A student may
request that the chair postpone feedback until after the student has graduated.

Student Conduct. Students are expected to behave ethically in conducting their
research, as well as in the classroom. Falsification of data, plagiarism, or any
violation of the Vanderbilt Honor Code is grounds for immediate dismissal.
Students should respect the rights of others in office and laboratory areas by
keeping those spaces safe and orderly.
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
Communications. Students are provided with a mailbox and an email account
and should check these daily during the week. Important announcements
involving registration, seminars, fellowship opportunities, TA issues, employment
opportunities and other matters are routinely sent via email. Students should
also periodically check the Graduate Student Bulletin Board on the 9th floor of
the Science and Engineering Building for additional information.

Departmental Resources. The department will provide students with space
appropriate for their work. Typically, first year students are assigned a carrel in a
room with other graduate students, consistent with their need to interact with
other graduate students and to meet with undergraduates as part of their TA
activities. More senior students will generally move from a carrel to office space
adjacent to the laboratory where their research is conducted. This move often
accompanies the transition from TA to RA responsibilities and is consistent with
the need to allocate limited carrel space to incoming graduate students.
Computers provided by the BME Department or by individual preceptors are for
academic, non-personal use. Software installations should be approved by the
department or preceptor. Students should be responsible for maintaining a
professional local environment with minimal disruption of the activities of others.
Students should also be mindful of the limited resources of the department and
its research programs when making photocopies, generating computer output, or
using laboratory supplies.

Resolution of Conflicts. Students who are having difficulty working in
laboratories or offices because of disruptions by other students should discuss
this with the laboratory supervisor or the DGS. Teaching assistants who are
consistently working more than 16 hr/wk on their TA assignment should discuss
how to reduce the load with the instructor. If, after meeting with the instructor,
the time spent is still more than 16 hrs/wk, the student should discuss the
problem with the DGS. Students who have been advised that they are not
making satisfactory progress, who are unsure of their role on a research project,
or believe that they are treated in an unfair manner should meet with their
research advisor(s) to resolve these issues. If the student is not satisfied with the
outcome of that meeting, then she/he should discuss the problem with the DGS.
If the problem is still not resolved, the student should present his/her grievance in
writing to the Department Chair. The chair will appoint a committee of impartial
faculty to review the grievance, and their decision will be final.
Additional Guidelines for Teaching Assistants
Teaching Assistants should be prepared to devote 16 hr/week to TA duties in one or
more classes, including substitution for instructor when the instructor is sick or out of
town, designing in-class exercises and/or laboratories, assisting students with in-class
problems, conducting review sessions, holding office hours, grading homework,
preparing homework solutions, assisting the instructor with assessment duties, and other
relevant duties. A Teaching Assistant should make every effort to avoid scheduling their
own classes at the same time as the class he/she is scheduled as an assistant.
Teaching Assistants for laboratory courses cannot schedule their own classes during
laboratory hours. Teaching Assistants should consult with the course instructor before
registering for their own courses to determine if the student is expected to be present in
the classroom. Assessment of TA performance is based on student evaluations and on
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faculty evaluations of TA duties. It is inappropriate behavior for a Teaching Assistant to
be romantically involved with a student in a class that he/she is teaching. In such cases
the TA should request a reassignment from the DGS. Initiation or continuation of such a
relationship during a TA assignment is prohibited and is grounds for termination of TA
funding.
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Guidelines for progression through the academic portion of the BME Graduate
Program
 Students are assigned an academic advisor at the beginning of their graduate
studies. They should consult with their advisor before registering for courses
each semester. After obtaining their advisor's signature on their study list,
students should have the list approved by the Director of Graduate Studies
(DGS), who will provide the student with an advisor approval code for
registration. Once the student has teamed with a research advisor, that
individual also becomes their academic advisor and should be consulted when
planning course schedules.
 Twelve hours is the maximum load a graduate student should take in any given
semester. Students are considered full time if they are taking 9-12 hours or if
they are taking either BME 369 (MS Research) or BME 399 (PhD Research)
 MS and PhD students without Masters degrees should focus on completing all
course requirements for an MS degree within the first three semesters.
 Students should concentrate on finishing all remaining requirements for an MS
degree by the end of their fourth semester.
 No more than one F is allowed, and the student must repeat and pass with a
grade of C or higher a course in which an F is made.
 Students admitted to the BME MS or MEng Programs are not automatically
eligible to continue in the BME PhD Program. Students in these programs who
wish to continue for a PhD must petition the BME faculty in writing and their
request will be reviewed along with new applications to the PhD Program.
 Students in the BME PhD Program should take the departmental preliminary
examination by the summer of their second year. Students entering the program
with a Masters degree should plan on taking the preliminary exam at the end of
their first year. Students on academic probation from the Graduate School (GPA
< 3.00) are generally not eligible to take the departmental preliminary
examination. Students who fail this exam may be invited to take the Preliminary
Exam a second time. Students who fail a second time will not be allowed to
advance to the PhD program.
 Students who do not enter the program with a Masters degree are expected to
earn an MS degree before continuing on to the PhD Program. Students may
apply for admission to the PhD Program without completing MS thesis research.
This must be done in writing and is dependent on the majority approval of the
program faculty.
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Guidelines for progression through the research portion of the BME Graduate
Program
The following guidelines are written for those entering the BME Graduate Program with a
BS or BE in BME or equivalent. Students who enter with a Masters degree should
replace "MS" with "PhD" in the Fall and Spring Semesters of the first year, then skip to
the summer of the second year. Students who need to take prerequisite courses should
consult with the DGS for a more realistic timetable.
Fall, Year 1 - Consult with faculty, discuss MS possibilities, select MS advisor.
Spring, Yr 1 - Perform initial literature search, propose MS project, begin research.
Research is the focal point of our graduate training. The ideal project should address an
important problem in biomedical or clinical science; contain theoretical, quantitative analysis
of such problems using the principles of physics, mathematics and engineering science;
and produce potentially useful medical instruments, software or other systems. While
particular projects will be weighted more heavily in one of these areas than others, all are
considered important ingredients in cutting-edge biomedical engineering research.
Summer Yr 1 - Work full time on MS project, write abstract for scientific meeting
Fall, Year 2 - Complete all coursework for MS and complete MS research project,
present results at scientific meeting
Spring, Year 2 - At the rate of 9 hours/semester, you should be able to finish all of your
coursework for a PhD by the end of this semester. Even if you can't finish your life
science or advanced science/engineering electives, you should try to finish your BME
courses so you will be prepared for the preliminary examination. With your research
completed, you should also be able to write and submit your MS thesis to the Graduate
School before the deadline, submit a manuscript for publication, and receive the MS
degree in the May graduation ceremonies. Note that the MS thesis must be signed by a
second reader, in addition to the research advisor. Consult with your research advisor
before asking someone to be your second reader. Have your research advisor review
the thesis before giving it to the second reader. Allow two weeks for the second reader
to review the thesis. Revise the thesis on the basis of the comments from both
reviewers and bring it to them for their signatures. Be sure the format of the MS thesis
follows that given in the Regulations of the BME Graduate Program. Submit the thesis
in time to meet the May graduation deadline. Give a bound copy of your thesis to your
research advisor and one to the BME department. Extract the manuscript section from
the MS thesis, edit it with the advice of your advisor, and submit it for publication.
Summer, Year 2 - Take the BME preliminary exam, discuss potential PhD projects with
faculty, select PhD preceptor, and perform initial literature search. Students generally
find it beneficial to study as a group for the BME Preliminary Exam. The exam is
ordinarily given on the last Tuesday in May. It is designed to test a student's breadth in
biomedical engineering. In April, students are asked to select the four areas they will be
examined in. Available areas and the scoring mechanism are provided in the BME
Graduate Regulations. Students who pass the exam with low scores may be asked to
bolster their knowledge in certain areas by taking a relevant course, being assigned as a
TA in a specific course, or some other corrective action. Students are required to pass
the preliminary exam before they can take the PhD Qualifying Examination.
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Most students elect to continue with the same faculty advisor for MS and PhD degrees.
Students who wish to switch research advisors may do so after discussing this with both
advisors and the DGS. Students must be aware that switching research projects will
probably increase their residence time and may have a profound effect on their financial
aid. Students are responsible for discussing financial aid with faculty members before
they request a change in research advisors.
Fall, Year 3 - Design and propose PhD project to preceptor and perform preliminary
experiments. The PhD project must demonstrate creativity and originality. The student
should propose the research project in consultation with the faculty advisor. The PhD
project will not simply be assigned.
Spring, Yr 3 - Write PhD proposal, select dissertation committee, take PhD Qualifying
Exam. The PhD dissertation differs from the MS effort in that doctoral students are
expected to take a stronger effort in the criticism of existing literature, the conception of
novel hypotheses and the design of research to evaluate these hypotheses. Doctoral
students should progress from directed research toward independent research during the
progress of the dissertation study. The proposal should be written as an NIH proposal
according to departmental guidelines, and must include a schedule for completion. The
student's advisor should nominate a PhD Committee of five members to the Dean of the
Graduate School with input from the student. The committee shall have three members
from the Graduate BME Faculty (at least two from the primary BME faculty). Don't select
people for the dissertation committee because they are unlikely to be critical. Instead,
choose faculty because of their expertise. The Chair of the Dissertation Committee is
responsible for notifying the Dean of the Graduate School of the composition of the PhD
Committee. Committee members who are not members of the Vanderbilt Graduate
Faculty will need special permission from the Dean of the Graduate School to serve on
the committee. This is often the case when committee members are selected from the
Medical School. Allow sufficient time for the Graduate School to review the
qualifications of the committee members. The Dissertation Committee composition and
the announcement of the Qualifying Examination must be delivered to the Graduate
School at least two weeks before the exam is scheduled. Drafts of the PhD proposal
should be reviewed by the research advisor before being distributed to other committee
members. The student should deliver the PhD proposal to each committee member at
least two weeks before the Qualifying Exam.
The Qualifying Exam should consist of an oral presentation of no more than 45
minutes, with plenty of time allotted for questions by the committee. The committee's
responsibilities are to ensure that the project will provide new and useful information,
that the student is capable of performing the necessary research, and that the project
can be completed in a reasonable time period. This is where the research proposal is
often molded into a vastly improved research project. To take advantage of the
strengths of the committee it is essential that a student not delay the Qualifying Exam
until he or she has accumulated vast quantities of data. The committee may suggest the
addition of another measurement that would improve the quality of the research or
reduce the time necessary to complete the project. Such information is much more
valuable if it is communicated early in the project. The committee may take three
courses of action during the Qualifying Examination. They may pass the student
unconditionally, pass the student with conditions, or fail the student. Examples of
conditional passage may include taking a course or portion of a course, performing a
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thorough literature search in an area, or similar actions. Students who fail the Qualifying
Examination may take it a second time. The Chair of the Dissertation Committee is
responsible for delivering the results of the Qualifying Examination to the Graduate
School.
The time it takes to finish the research is variable but there is rarely a good reason for a
student to still be in the program after six years. In most cases students should be able
to complete the BME PhD Program in five years. The Final Examination is an oral
defense of the student's written dissertation presented before the PhD Committee and
the public. The student should provide each committee member with a copy of the
dissertation two weeks before the examination date. The presentation should take about
45 minutes. The public will be asked to leave after the presentation and the committee
will commence the oral examination. The student will be asked to justify hypotheses,
conclusions, methods used to analyze data, and statements written in the dissertation.
Students who have involved their committee in the project will ordinarily only need to
make minor modifications to the dissertation. However, if the work is incomplete or
analyzed in an inappropriate manner, the committee can request that additional research
or analysis be performed. The Final Examination can be taken a maximum of two times.
Publications provide important leverage when competing for academic or industrial
positions. Students should publish their results and present them at scientific meetings
as they become available. Don't wait until the project is completed before submitting
results for publication. A "manuscript in preparation" or a "manuscript submitted" entry
on your CV or Resume is not as impressive as an "in press" entry or a full publication
citation. The number of publications, particularly with the student as the primary author,
is an important consideration in the deliberations of industrial and faculty search
committees. Consult with your research mentor in selecting the appropriate journal for
publication and the appropriate scientific meeting for presenting your work. Employers
are looking for publications in journals of high quality and place greater value on
presentations that are made at high impact meetings. You should present your work
before experts in your research area because they are the ones who will most
appreciate the significance of your work. As an added benefit, they are also amongst
the most likely people to hire you.
Follow BME guidelines for submission of the PhD Dissertation. These are different
than the guidelines offered by the graduate school, and will be enforced. The format of
the BME dissertation is designed to reduce the time spent writing the dissertation and
should accelerate the publication process. See the Appendix of the BME Graduate
Program Regulations for an example, or review some of the Dissertations available in
the BME Conference Room. Don't forget to give your advisor and the BME Department
bound copies of your dissertation.
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