update: page content revised by student committee 12/2022

Before defending their Ph.D. thesis, all U.W. graduate students must pass a general exam. The timing and content of the exam varies among departments, but in Genome Sciences, it should occur during the spring or early summer (before July) of the second full year of graduate study. The exam contains a written component and an oral component, both tailored to the student’s research goals.  

1. 1. Exam purpose: The general exam is designed to encourage the thoughtful design of a research strategy that will serve as a nonbinding blueprint for the Ph.D. thesis work. This involves formulating three research aims and outlining a plan to achieve them. This should include background motivation, technical methodology, and strategies to resolve anticipated roadblocks. A committee of 4 or more faculty chosen by the student, including the advisor, will assess whether the student has a plan for completing a Ph.D. thesis that is realistic given the current depth of their scientific knowledge and the resources they have to work with. 

2. 2. The written exam: The first component of the general exam is a written document limited to 6 pages describing three research aims that, if completed, will be sufficient material for a doctoral dissertation. The format, described in detail here, is designed such that you can submit the same proposal to apply for an NIH F31 research grant. As in a research grant, the proposal must be designed to convince readers of the importance and feasibility of the aims. Students may expect their mentor to provide some assistance with formulating the grant proposal–the Ph.D. advisor will help provide "big" ideas and act as a sounding board, but not so much that the student isn’t challenged. Advisors may use their judgment regarding exactly how much editing help to provide. Students are encouraged to seek out help and advice from postdocs, students, and other faculty as needed. 

3. 3. The oral exam: During the two-hour oral exam, the student presents slides describing their personal background, their project background, and their three aims. Detailed presentation guidelines are available here. Committee members will generally interrupt to ask questions throughout the presentation to probe the depth of the student’s knowledge and preparation to complete the proposed studies. Preliminary data may be presented, but no specific amount of data is required to pass the exam. The Ph.D. advisor can ask questions, but cannot volunteer information or assist the student in answering. This includes asking leading questions. At the end of the presentation, the student and advisor will be asked to leave the room to allow the committee to deliberate. Depending on the student’s performance, they might pass, be asked to retake the exam, or be given a pass that is conditional on completing some additional work of the committee’s choosing.

4. 4. Assembling a thesis committee. The thesis committee, which is assembled by the student, must include at least four faculty including a Graduate School Representative (GSR) who is not affiliated with Genome Sciences. Guidelines are available here. Your advisor will help suggest potential committee members whose expertise complements the proposed project, but the student is responsible for emailing these faculty and asking them to join the committee. These introductory emails should introduce the student and the project and generally include an offer to meet with the prospective committee member to judge whether the project is a good fit for their interests. 

5. 5. Timeline for completing the general exam and its prerequisites. Your general exam should be scheduled for the spring or early summer quarter of your second full year in the program. MSTP students, who begin in spring quarter, should take the general exam in the same timeframe as the cohort who enter in autumn quarter of the same calendar year. That is, an MSTP student beginning the program in spring 2018 would take their general exam in spring or early summer quarter of 2020, at the same time as Ph.D. students who enter in autumn 2018. MSTP students who are asked to teach in year two will have an additional quarter to complete their general exam

1. a. Fall quarter of your second year: Meet with your advisor to brainstorm potential committee members. Start contacting them with the aim of having your committee assembled before the start of winter quarter.

2. b. Fall/winter quarter of your second year: As soon as your committee is assembled, use When2Meet, Doodle, or other scheduling software to find a 2-hour window of time when they and your advisor can all be present for your oral exam. It is important to do this as early as possible since it is often challenging to find a time slot that works for everyone. It is usually most efficient to start by asking your committee about available dates in late spring quarter (usually May or June) and then make a second poll to ask about hourly availability on these dates. 

3. c. Fall or winter quarter of your second year: While not required, you are strongly encouraged to have a committee meeting prior to your general exam. A meeting prior to your exam will ensure that the composition of the committee is sound, let you get to know your examiners, and reveal potential issues that could significantly complicate the exam. You are encouraged to meet with committee members individually before your General Exam to get feedback and study advice.

4. d. April 1st of your second year: Deadline to have a committee and an exam date. If your exam will be virtual or hybrid, please see the graduate school's policies for virtual exams. Once you have determined a two-hour time slot that works for everyone, submit this request online via the Graduate School's My Grad Program: Student View website. Send Brian Giebel an email ( bgiebel [ a t ] uw.edu ) to let him know you have submitted your request, so that he may go into the online system and provide departmental approval. Brian will provide the exam warrant, which your committee members will need to sign and return after your exam. Brian will then submit the result to the UW Graduate School. Please note that MSTP students will need to provide additional information to the graduate school.

5. c. Three weeks before your oral exam: Submit your written exam by email to your committee. If this deadline is not met, then committee members have the option of asking to be removed from the student’s committee or requiring that the student reschedule the exam. Committee members may ask for revision of the oral exam document within a 10-day window of its receipt. 

6. d. End of spring quarter of your second year: If you have not taken your exam by this date, you should contact GS graduate program directors Christine Queitsch and Doug Fowler with an explanation of the need for an extension to get their approval.

7. e. End of spring quarter of your second year: By the end of the quarter in which you take your general exam, you need to have completed at least 60 credits in total, to include at least 18 graded credits of graduate course work (approved 400 level courses are allowed) with a minimum GPA of 3.0. MD / Ph.D. students please note: this 60 credit minimum does not include Med School coursework. MD / Ph.D. students should also be aware that the graduate school will ask you for a transcript, with the courses taken to be applied toward the Genome Sciences Ph.D. (i.e. all of them since you joined our program) highlighted. Please note: If one of your courses counting toward the 18 graded credits requirement is in progress during the quarter you take the exam, make sure you receive a grade for it. If the instructor does not assign a grade, either because they forget or because you don't complete course requirements, and if this goes unnoticed, it will cause problems when you defend your dissertation.

6. 6. Consequences for general exam delinquency. As the above timeline makes clear, taking your general exam on time requires several months of advanced preparation. It is your responsibility to check with your committee members early enough so that your exam is not delayed (i.e., does not drag on into July or later). Your exam should be scheduled by April 1. If you cannot take the exam by the end of June, your mentor and the graduate program advisors will need to approve an extension. Please be aware that noncompliance with departmental requirements, such as timely completion of the general exam, could result in termination of training grant support and academic probation. If the exam is not taken by the end of Winter Quarter of the third year, then a warning will be given in Spring Quarter. If the exam is still not taken by the end of Spring Quarter of the third year, then the student will be placed on academic probation beginning Summer Quarter. If the exam is not taken by the end of Summer Quarter of the third year, then the student will be placed on final probation in Fall Quarter of the fourth year. If the exam is not taken during the final probation quarter, then the student will be removed from the program at the end of that quarter. Exemptions will be made for students who have personal or professional issues such as family emergencies, leaves of absence, change of lab, failure of general exam, etc. These reasons will be validated by their committees, advisors, and/or graduate program directors.