Prior to the oral examination, a graduate student in the Department of Genome Sciences will have successfully completed a written dissertation proposal.

Please add this slide, listing exam guidelines, to the beginning of your presentation, in order to make sure everyone is familiar with exam procedures.

During the oral examination the student is expected to

1. 1. give a brief (15-20 minutes) presentation of the dissertation project: salient background, major questions and results to date, and projections for the immediate future,

2. 2. answer questions concerning the bases of experimental procedures employed, the conclusions drawn from the results to date, and possible alternate strategies,

3. 3. be able to demonstrate an understanding of other experimental approaches being used in other laboratories to answer the same and related questions (which may use other organisms, prokaryotic or eukaryotic), and

4. 4. be able to describe and evaluate the major experimental and/or conceptual foundations of the dissertation project (for example, much current work with eukaryotes is conceptually indebted to earlier work on prokaryotic systems).

Examination format

1. 1. The chair of the exam committee shall be someone other than the dissertation advisor to encourage objectivity in the conduct of the examination. The chairperson will ensure that the lines of inquiry adhere to the guidelines outlined above. Following completion of the exam the chair may also serve to convey to the student and advisor any specific suggestions and criticisms made by the committee.

   2. The GSR should ensure that the advisor neither volunteers information nor asks leading questions.

2. 3. The committee should meet alone before the examination to review the student's record and the results of the written proposal.

3. 4. The student may choose to present the summary of the dissertation project without interruption (except for minor clarifications) or may opt to have the committee members ask questions during the presentation.

4. 5. The dissertation advisor must refrain from volunteering information during the questioning unless requested to do so by other members of the committee. The advisor can ask questions, but cannot volunteer information or assist the student in answering. This includes asking leading questions.

5. 6. Sufficient time without interruption should be available for each examiner to pursue a line of inquiry. "Sufficient time" should be agreed upon by the committee members prior to commencing the exam.

6. 7. After consulting with the dissertation advisor and then the student separately, the committee shall make its appraisal of the student's performance with both the student and the advisor out of the room. The possible outcomes are Pass, Fail, and requiring a Re-examination at a later date.

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