Dear PhD Biosciences Students,

You may be at the point where you have finished your core and concentration coursework, and are ready to take the PhD Qualifying exam.  It is one of the steps for advancement to candidacy, along with course completion and proposal approval.

The exam for PhD Biosciences students is written by the individual student's committee, and administered by their Committee Chair.  Please see the attached guidelines for the exam and other information.  You will need to have your dissertation committee formed and approved by the COS Dean to be able to take the PhD Qualifying exam.  Please contact Dr. Luchini or me if you have any questions about committee formation.

There is also an oral component to the exam that is given by your dissertation committee and is usually done at the same time as the proposal defense.   It can be two separate meetings for the proposal defense and oral exam, but most students find it advantageous to have all committee members in one place at the same time and schedule both in one meeting.



You are not required to have your dissertation proposal approved to take the written Qualifying Exam.  You only need to have your committee in place and approved by the COS Dean. Please see the SSB website under "Student Forms" for the committee formation form.

Best regards,
Diane St. Germain

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Diane St. Germain
Graduate Student Services Coordinator

School of Systems Biology - College of Science

George Mason University

10900 University Blvd., MS 5B3

Manassas, VA 20110

Email: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>