Program Tracks

Students can undertake thesis work in a variety of disciplines, from laboratory-based or clinically-based patient-oriented investigation.

The course requirements for the doctorate program in Investigative Medicine are completion of six required courses plus two electives, either in laboratory-based patient-oriented research or clinically-based patient-oriented research. Most required courses are to be completed by the end of the first year of study. Before registering for a second year of study, students must have completed IMED 5630, Ethical Issues in Biomedical Research. Electives are often taken in the first and second year with the expectation that the courses will be completed by the end of the second year of study. To be admitted to candidacy, students must submit a thesis prospectus and pass both an oral comprehensive qualifying examination (the prospectus examination) and a written examination. To be eligible for the comprehensive qualifying exam, students must achieve a grade of Honors in two courses, have a minimum grade average of High Pass, and have completed at least six courses. The remaining degree requirements include completion of the dissertation, writing of the dissertation, and its oral defense. It is expected that students will complete the program in three to five years. There is no foreign language requirement. The minimum required curriculum for each program of study is as follows:

• Required course work and electives (years one and two)
• Preprospectus (by January 31^st of year one)
• Comprehensive Qualifying Exam (Prospectus and Admission to Candidacy (two to four months after the Preprospectus; by August 31^st of year one)
• Thesis Completion and Oral Defense

Admission to Candidacy indicates that the student is prepared to conduct original and independent research. It is expected that students be admitted to candidacy by the end of the spring term year one and no later than end of the fall term, year two. The student will be admitted to candidacy upon fulfilment of the requirements below. The qualifying (thesis) committee will vote to admit the student to candidacy after the comprehensive oral examination. Once the student has been admitted to candidacy, the qualifying committee will then become the thesis committee.

• Course Requirements
• Honors Requirement
• Pre-Qualifying Committee Meeting
• Thesis Prospectus
• Comprehensive Oral and Written Qualifying Examinations
• Training in the Responsible Conduct of Research (IMED 5630)

By January 31^st of year one, the student presents their research project to the thesis committee. In advance of the meeting, the student should prepare a written Preprospectus (aims, background and studies/plans to date) of the proposed thesis (Prospectus) and distribute to the committee members and the IMP office at least one week prior to the Preprospectus meeting. The proposal should be reviewed by the primary mentor. The student meets with the committee to present and discuss the research proposal (the meeting should be for one hour and held in person). Assuming committee agreement after discussion, the student and committee decide upon a list of reading topics on which the student will be examined during the comprehensive qualifying examination. The student should come prepared with a list of reading topics, presented on a slide. One topic is assigned to each committee member, and the student will read 10-12 primary articles with that member in at least one (one-on-one) meeting before the qualifying examination. The student picks the articles, providing them to the committee member for approval in advance of the one-on-one session. In addition, a timetable (on a slide) should be provided by the student, with the qualifying (Prospectus) exam to occur approximately two-three months after the Preprospectus meeting.

By August 31^st of year one students are expected to take their qualifying examination. The qualifying examination is comprised of two components:

1. preparation and discussion of thesis prospectus and oral examination, and
2. written examination.

The student must prepare a written prospectus using the format of a grant proposal. It should not cumulatively exceed 13 pages (single-spaced, 1-inch margins, 11-point Arial or Helvetica font) in length. The prospectus is to be submitted to the IMP office at least one week before the date of the oral examination and simultaneously distributed to all members of the thesis committee; it should be reviewed with the primary mentor before submission. The written proposal should have the following sections:

1. Title Page (also include student’s and mentor’s names)
2. Specific Aims (1 page or less): A concise statement of the general problem under study and the explicit goals of the project.
3. Significance (3-4 pages): This section should place the proposal in context, highlighting its significance and describing the system in a manner intelligible, including to a non-specialist. This should include a brief, but critical, evaluation of the relevant literature and a description of how the research project will advance knowledge in the field.
4. Progress to date (3-4 pages): Description of the preliminary data (if any) and interpretation of the data generated.
5. Proposed research plan (3-4 pages): Outline the research envisioned at this time and indicate how it will help you attain the overall goals of the project. Acknowledge pitfalls and limitations of experimental approach, and if possible, suggest alternative strategies.
6. References: Should be included at the end (not counted in the page limit). Figures, tables, and diagrams should be included in the text as needed for explication; figure legends can be 10-point font.

The goal of the oral examination is to assess knowledge specific to the proposed thesis work as detailed in the written prospectus. It is expected to last 90 minutes and be held in-person. At outset, the committee chooses a chair (not the mentor) who leads the examination. The thesis advisor is present but is asked to not participate unless called upon. For the oral examination, students must present the preliminary hypothesis and direction of their proposed research project over 30 minutes and address any questions (interruptions) from the qualifying (thesis) committee during the presentation.

After the presentation, each committee member will ask at the least two questions based upon the topic of the presentation and the reading topics assigned at time of the pre-prospectus meeting. Upon completion of the exam, the student is excused, and the committee assesses performance, after which the student is asked to return and results of the oral exam provided by the committee chair.

The grade for the oral qualifying examination will be a Pass or Fail. For a truly outstanding performance, a pass with Distinction shall be given. Students who receive a grade of Fail will be given one further opportunity to retake the qualifying examination. Unacceptable performance on the re-examination will result in a review of the student’s candidacy. Students may receive a conditional pass if the qualifying committee feels there is one particular area from the examination that needs additional work although the student demonstrates competency in all other areas. Correction of a deficient area will be accomplished, for example, by a written paper from the student or repeat oral questions by the committee chair within two weeks following the examination. Upon successful completion, the student will be granted a pass.

The goal of the written examination is to evaluate the student’s ability to investigate a topic using the available knowledge base. Students will be given several questions (two from each committee member). The student will select two questions and will have ten working days to prepare a written response. The questions will require the student to formulate a hypothesis, and then write a 6-page proposal in the format of an NIH application, including specific aims, background and significance, preliminary data, research design and methods, and bibliography (the latter will not count towards the 6-page limit). The response to each question is to be reviewed by the committee member that wrote the question and will be graded as either pass/fail.

Students should meet at least twice in the first year with their committee. Additional meetings may be needed at the discretion of the committee. It is expected that by January 31st year one students are to hold their pre-qualifying committee meeting at which time the student will present a preliminary (pre-) prospectus. The qualifying meeting should be held by the end of fall term year two.

Students who have been admitted to candidacy must meet with their thesis committee at six-month intervals (at a minimum) throughout the duration of their training. The meetings will be scheduled in advance. The thesis advisor serves as chair of the committee and all committee meetings, except for the prospectus meeting. The thesis advisor will report to the program Registrar and the Director of Graduate Studies about the outcome of each meeting, including progress of the student and any recommendations by the committee.

Years Two through Completion

• Completion of coursework
• Meeting of thesis committee at least every six months
• Written dissertation and its oral defense