Biomedical Engineering homepage About the Program Areas of Study Candidacy & Dissertation Info Facilities Faculty Admissions Info Financial Aid Info Contact & Site Info Apply Online Search BME site: Enter a specific word or phrase. Site URL: bme.uthscsa.edu Created Feb 2003. Updated 10 Dec 2003. © 2003 UTSA & UTHSCSA. All rights reserved. Email contact Links provided from these pages to other websites do not constitute or imply an endorsement of those sites, their content, or products and services associated with those sites. Web Privacy Policy University web contact/site info Public Information Act Requests State of Texas Texas Records and Information Locator Service		Candidacy & Dissertation Advancement to Candidacy All students seeking a doctoral degree must be admitted to candidacy. One of the requirements for admission to candidacy is passing a doctoral qualifying examination. The qualifying exam will be administered before the student commences the chosen dissertation research. This exam will be comprehensive in nature and may be written, oral, or both. Topics covered will include not only information provided in courses taken by the student but also the basic knowledge necessary for work in the students chosen area of study. The Committee on Graduate Studies (COGS) will determine the format of the examination and the composition of the Qualifying Examination Committee (QEC). The QEC will administer the examination, evaluate the student's performance, and report its judgment to the Committee on Graduate Studies. Dissertation A dissertation will be required of every candidate and must be an original contribution to scholarship, based on independent investigation (doctoral research) in the major area. The doctoral research will be conducted by the student under the guidance of the Supervising Professor and advised by the Dissertation Committee. Prior to starting his/her doctoral research each student will submit a dissertation proposal to the COGS for approval. The Doctoral Dissertation will be the responsibility of the student and the Supervising Professor. Registration for the dissertation must be for a period of more than one semester. During each semester or term that a student receives advice and/or assistance from a faculty member or supervision by the Dissertation Committee or uses UTSA or UTHSCSA resources, he or she will be required to enroll in the appropriate dissertation course. The form and format of the Dissertation will be guided by rules already in effect at the two institutions. Return to top of page Dissertation Committee After Admission to Candidacy and in consultation with the Supervising Professor, the student should form the Dissertation Committee. The Dissertation Committee will consist of at least six members including the Supervising Professor and three members of the BME Graduate Faculty. No more than three members of the Dissertation Committee may be from the same institution, i.e., UTSA or UTHSCSA. The Dissertation Committee will also include a member of the graduate faculty outside of the Graduate Faculty of BME from either institution and one member from outside both institutions. The student's dissertation proposal and the proposed composition of the Dissertation Committee will be evaluated and approved by the Committee on Graduate Studies of the BME Graduate Faculty. The Program Director will sit as a member of the Graduate Faculty Council and report on the result of that evaluation. Final Oral Dissertation Defense A satisfactory performance in the final oral examination will be required for the approval of a dissertation. Acceptance of the dissertation examination will be contingent upon the approval of the Dissertation Committee. The examination shall cover the dissertation, the general field of the dissertation and other parts of the student's program as determined by the committee. Members of the Dissertation Committee must be satisfied that the student has: Completed the work assigned by the committee. Passed all examinations required by the program's graduate studies committee, including the final oral examination. Completed the minimum requirements for coursework. Completed a dissertation that is an independent investigation in the major field and constitutes a contribution to the discipline. Submitted an abstract for publication in Dissertation Abstracts International that meets with the approval of the committee. Once this is complete, the Dissertation Committee members will sign the approval sheets for the doctoral dissertation and make an official recommendation to the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at UTHSCSA and the Graduate Council at UTSA that the doctoral degree be awarded. More than one dissenting vote will constitute failure of the defense.   Return to top of page