Doctor of Philosophy Program in Biology

The department accepts a limited number of outstanding students into the Ph.D. program, which is a full-time program. The Ph.D. degree is a research degree. To qualify for the doctorate, a student must satisfactorily complete graduate studies totaling at least 72 points (at least 36 in residence at New York University), pass a qualifying examination, and present an acceptable dissertation. Each doctoral student is expected to have teaching experience at the college level; students gain this experience through teaching assistantships within the department.

Course of Study: Of the 72 points required, a minimum of 36 points must be in courses at the 1000 and 2000 levels; after review and approval by the director of graduate studies, up to one-half of these 36 points may be transferred from outside the department. The remaining points may be selected from courses generally at the 3000 level. Doctoral students are required to complete Bio Core 1-4 (G23.1001, G23.1002, G23.2003, and G23.2004), Statistics in Biology (G23.2030), and The Art of Scientific Investigation (G23.3001). Doctoral students must also satisfactorily complete, during the first year of residence, the required Predoctoral Colloquium: Laboratory Rotation (G23.3034-3035). All Ph.D. students are required to participate in Predoctoral Colloquium: Graduate Student Seminar (G23.3015) every semester.

Students in the special collaborative track in environmental health sciences (EHS) select courses based on their interests with the advice and guidance of faculty from both departments.

Students with an interest in BRIDGES should complete G23.1072 and all courses that doctoral students are required to complete. Further information on BRIDGES can be obtained from Professor David Fitch.

Students with an interest in developmental genetics should complete G23.2130, G23.2131, and all courses that doctoral students are required to complete. Further information on developmental genetics can be obtained from Professor Stephen J. Small.

All doctoral students must maintain an average of B or better.

Qualifying Examination/Admission to Candidacy: The written Ph.D. qualifying examination (preliminary examination) is generally taken at the end of the first year of full-time study, that is, in the spring semester of a student’s first year. The examination consists of two parts: a written research proposal and an oral presentation of the proposal that is defended before a committee of three faculty members. Committee members are assigned to each student by the director of graduate studies, Ph.D. program, in collaboration with the instructors of record from Bio Core III and IV. The proposal may not be in the area of the student’s thesis research. This examination tests the student’s skills in scientific writing, reasoning, analysis and interpretation of data in the literature, integration of scientific concepts, and creativity in the design of new experiments.

By the end of the spring semester of their first year, doctoral students must secure a faculty sponsor and a thesis advisory committee of at least three faculty members from within the department who have formally agreed to supervise the dissertation research. A thesis proposal should be presented to the thesis advisory committee and defended orally before June 15 of the second year. When Ph.D. students pass their thesis proposal examination, they become Ph.D. candidates.

Doctoral Dissertation: The plan of study and the dissertation research are formulated in consultation with the faculty sponsor and the research advisory committee. The dissertation must represent original, independent research in a significant area of biology at a level comparable to research published in recognized journals or as professional monographs. When the dissertation is completed and has been approved by the sponsor and by the research advisory committee, the candidate defends the results of the research before a faculty committee and invited outside examiners with expertise in the field of research. No less than six months may lapse between the oral proposal examination and the dissertation defense.

Additional information regarding the M.S. and Ph.D. programs can be found in the Department of Biology Graduate Student Handbook, which is available online at www.nyu.edu/fas/dept/biology/graduate/GSHB.pdf.