Evolution, Ecology & Organismal Biology

Every graduate student must gain an understanding of the breadth and depth of the field of Biology as it is treated among various traditional disciplines. This is accomplished in three ways. First, each student is required to register for the Biology 891 seminar course in the fall semester for the first two years in the program. Second, the student will complete 3 graduate seminars during the course of their studies in addition to the two semesters of 891. The third way is through a course of study prescribed by each student’s graduate dissertation committee.

For a Master’s degree a minimum of 30 hours of graduate credit is required with at least 18 credits in courses in their field of study. At least three hours of these courses must take the form of research and completion of the thesis (MS, Biology 993) or library report (MA, Biology 992). Out of the 30 hours, 21 must be taken in residence (please see Residence Credit Requirements for more information).

Each Ph.D. student, in addition to taking Biology 891, must register for Biology 994 for a minimum of 6 credit hours (2 semesters) and must continue to register for 994 in subsequent academic semesters (fall/spring) until degree is completed. There are no other course requirements for the Ph.D. except those designated by (1) the student’s preliminary evaluation committee at the Orientation Meeting (see D below), and (2) the student’s graduate dissertation committee at the Oral Comprehensive Exam (see E below).

Most EEOB students select a graduate adviser before beginning graduate school. For students doing rotations in several labs, however, the advisor may not be selected until after rotations are complete. Generally, you must choose an adviser by the end of your first year in graduate school. If you wish to change advisers or add a co-adviser, you must submit your request in writing to the Director of Graduate Studies for approval (these requests must include the reasons for the proposed change). In all cases, at least one adviser must be a faculty member in Biology.

You must form a graduate dissertation committee to oversee and guide your research by the end of your third semester, and preferably by the beginning of that semester. This process is normally done in consultation with your adviser. Once each individual has agreed to serve on your committee, you should submit this list of the proposed members to the Director of Graduate Studies (via the Graduate Student Services Manager) for approval.

For Ph.D. students, the committee must have at least five members, and for Masters students, the committee must consist of at least three members. A majority must be regular members of the UNC Biology graduate faculty (i.e. the Professors, Associate Professors, and Assistant Professors of Biology, as well as a few additional UNC faculty who have been specially appointed by the Department; if you are unsure of the status of a prospective committee member, then consult the Graduate Student Services Manager). After satisfying this majority requirement, additional committee members can include anyone who is qualified to conduct the doctoral examinations and advise the student on their dissertation research. People who are active UNC faculty require no special approval. People who are not active UNC faculty may serve as committee members, subject to approval first by the Director of Graduate Studies, then by the Dean of the Graduate School, who is responsible for the final appointment of the committee. To request approval, submit the proposed committee member’s curriculum vitae to the Director of Graduate Studies.

At the start of the first meeting of the committee, one member is designated as chair. Selection of the chair shall be a collaborative choice between the student, the advisor, and the other members of the committee. The chair must be a regular member of the UNC Biology graduate faculty. The chair must not be the student’s research advisor, co-advisor, or spouse of the (co)advisor. The chair will lead the meetings of the advisory

committee. At the conclusion of each committee meeting, the chair will synthesize all committee members’ views on the student’s performance and progress into a summary statement and verbally communicate the summary to the student. As required by the UNC Graduate School, the chair will be responsible for completion of the Doctoral Exam Report Form. These are the sole and entire responsibilities of the chair. Of the countless responsibilities that do not fall on the chair, only three will be listed here. First, serving as chair does not convey greater responsibility for scientific oversight of the student’s dissertation research; this is the responsibility of the research advisor. Second, aside from conducting committee meetings in a professional manner, serving as chair does not convey greater responsibility for mediating any interpersonal conflict. Third, the chair is not responsible for establishing the time and place of committee meetings, or ensuring that committee meetings are held at required intervals; these are the responsibility of the student.

It is recognized that research projects may go in unanticipated directions as they develop. Therefore, it is permissible to make changes to the committee, including adding additional members or making substitutions.  If you wish to change the membership of your committee, then submit a written request to the Director of Graduate Studies (this request must include the reasons for the proposed change). Changes must be approved in advance by the Director of Graduate Studies, and then reported to the UNC Graduate School (via a revised Report of Doctoral Committee Composition form, to be obtained from the Graduate Student Services Manager), the chair of the committee, and affected committee members.

Ph.D. students must take a comprehensive oral examination by no later than the end of their second year. The oral exam is the primary examination of general knowledge and should be separated in time from the dissertation feasibility meeting (see G below). Students must be registered for their advisor’s 994 section in the semester when the exam is taken.

To encourage breadth, you are required, in consultation with your committee, to identify four areas of proficiency from at least two major categories (Table 2). The selected areas will serve as a focus for preparation and questioning. The proficiency topics should be approved by the committee prior to the oral exam. Ideally, proficiencies should be identified far enough in advance that any deficiencies can be addressed through coursework, directed reading, or other forms of preparation. The four areas should each represent a topic that is broad enough to be the subject of an undergraduate course; during the exam, you are expected to demonstrate a level of proficiency in each area that would indicate that you could teach such a course.

In order to pass the exam, a majority of your committee must pass you (your committee may also pass you, but require courses to take or other actions to make up any deficiencies). If you fail the exam once, you will be allowed to retake the exam. However, you may also wish to consider petitioning to switch to the Master’s Degree program. Students who fail a second time will be dismissed from the program and the UNC Graduate School.

Table 2. Oral Exam Categories and Example Proficiencies

*Each area selected should represent a topic that is broad enough to be the subject of an undergraduate course.

‡Students who select an area in category 4 are required to select areas of proficiency from at least two of the remaining three categories.

See your advisor for more suggestions

A comprehensive written examination will be required for Master’s students that have not yet passed an oral comprehensive exam. For this exam, each member of the graduate dissertation committee will submit to the committee chair one or more questions designed to be answered within a two-hour period. The full examination must be undertaken and completed within a two-day period. Each question will be graded by at least two members of the committee. Passing of the exam is contingent upon approval of two-thirds of the entire committee. This exam cannot be taken until all courses are complete or until the final courses are in progress. Students must be registered for their advisor’s 992 (MA) or 993 (MS) section in the semester when the exam is taken.

Ph.D. students are required to prepare a research proposal to satisfy their written exam requirement by the end of their third year. (Note: While not required, in most cases, students should use the same proposal to satisfy the requirements of both the written exam and the feasibility meeting, which is described below.) The proposal must include a project summary (limited to one single-spaced page), and a detailed project description (which  must be no less than eight and no more than twelve single spaced pages, including figures and tables, but excluding the list of references cited). A majority of your committee must approve the proposal in order for you to pass the exam. If you fail, you will be allowed to retake the exam by revising your proposal or submitting a different one. You may also petition to switch to the Master’s Degree program. Students who fail a second time will be dismissed from the program and the UNC Graduate School. Students must be registered for their advisor’s 994 section in the semester when the exam is taken.

By the end of their third year, Ph.D. students must hold a feasibility meeting to defend their dissertation research plan (Note: in most cases, students should hold their feasibility meeting immediately upon completion of the research proposal that satisfies their written exam requirement; see F above). The research plan must describe all the research that the student envisions for her/his/their dissertation. If the research plan also describes any non- dissertation research (e.g. “side projects”), then that must be clearly distinguished from the dissertation work. The feasibility meeting should consist of an in-depth discussion and correction of the research plan. You should provide your committee with a copy of your research plan at least one week in advance of the feasibility meeting. At the meeting, you should present a formal presentation of your research plan, followed by a lengthy discussion with your committee of the research plan. You are strongly encouraged to schedule your feasibility meeting such that the formal presentation portion of the meeting can take place during the regularly scheduled “Lunch Bunch” seminar series. At the conclusion of the feasibility meeting, your committee will decide (by majority vote) whether or not to pass you and thereby recommend that you be admitted to candidacy.

To be admitted to candidacy, you must pass the oral comprehensive examination (see E above), written examination (see F above), AND feasibility meeting (see G above). Admission to candidacy is a requirement for certain awards and fellowships, so it is a good idea to achieve candidacy as soon is feasible.

You must meet annually with your graduate dissertation committee. The purpose of these meetings will be for you to inform the committee of progress toward the completion of your degree since the last committee meeting. A majority of the committee must be present for each meeting. Before the meeting, you must provide each committee member with a 2-3 page written progress report (these progress reports may include data collected since the last meeting, papers submitted, meetings attended, grants received, etc.). Following the meeting, the Annual Committee Report Form (please see the “Forms” section) must be signed by all committee members who approve of your progress and turned in to the Manager of Graduate Student Services. If the majority of your committee does not sign the form you will be deemed to have not made adequate progress, and the situation will be brought to the attention of the Director of Graduate Studies. Exceptions to these requirements can only be granted by the Director of Graduate Studies.

Before scheduling your final thesis defense, you must provide your graduate dissertation committee with a synopsis or outline of your thesis and meet with your committee. You will not be allowed to schedule a final thesis defense until the majority of your committee agrees that you are ready to defend. Once your committee agrees to this, please have your committee sign the Pre-Defense Committee Meeting form (please see the “Forms” section) and return to the Manager of Graduate Student Services.

In the semester of graduation, a student who has prepared an M.S. thesis, M.A. report, or Ph.D. dissertation will present a final defense, which is an oral exam consisting of a public seminar on the research, followed by a discussion of the work and their thesis/dissertation with the student’s graduate dissertation committee. The completed thesis or dissertation should be sent to the committee at least two weeks in advance of the scheduled defense. All committee members are expected to attend the defense (either in person or by remote participation). For both Master’s and Ph.D. students passing of the final exam and approval of the thesis is by an absolute majority vote of all members of the Advisory Committee. The dissertation advisor is responsible for verifying that changes to the thesis/dissertation suggested by the committee have been made and then the committee chair can sign off on the approval form. After final approval (and ensuring the formatting matches the Graduate School guidelines), the thesis/dissertation must be submitted to the Graduate School for final processing.

Students must be registered during the semesters in which exams are taken. Residence credit of two full semesters is required for a master’s degree and four full semesters is required for a Ph.D. degree. Please see Residence Credit Requirements for more information.

The Department believes strongly in the value of teaching, and therefore requires each student to serve as a teaching assistant (TA) in a course in the Biology Department for at least one Fall or Spring semester.

In addition to coursework, attending seminars also greatly helps students gain exposure to broader research and new ways to ask and answer scientific questions. It is strongly recommended that students attend the lunch bunch seminars on Fridays and attend relevant biology departmental seminars.

To maintain eligibility to continue in The Graduate School, a student must not receive a grade of F or F*, or receive a grade of L in nine or more credit hours.

The degree time limit for Master’s students is 5 years from the date of registration, and for a Ph.D. student 8 years.

Refer to the Graduate School Handbook for additional information regarding required registration, masters and doctoral degree requirements, and other relevant information.  Please inform the Manager of Graduate Student Services of when any of the above exams and meetings are to take place as forms may need to be prepared.

Faculty and students are strongly encouraged to follow these recommended deadlines. If a student is in danger of falling behind these deadlines, then the student must petition the Director of Graduate Studies for a deferral (which may or may not be granted). Any such petition must be submitted in writing (including email) in the first two weeks of the semester indicated in the timeline. Students who are behind the deadline (including annual committee meetings) will be lower in priority for TA-ships (relative to students in the Biology graduate program who have met the required timeline, but not relative to other students, e.g. those from outside Biology).