Rotations
During the first nine months in the program, BCH graduate students are required to perform rotations in the laboratories of ILS-affiliated faculty. These rotations broaden laboratory experience and will help students find the research area and permanent laboratory that best suits them. You are required to spend at least 20 hours per week working in the rotation lab. At the end of each rotation, the faculty member completes a rotation evaluation of the your performance. These evaluations are shared with the Graduate Advisor and determine whether you will receive credit that semester for research hours.
Choosing a research advisor and a dissertation research project are some of the most significant decisions students will make in graduate school. To help make an informed decision, students are encouraged to:
- Attend seminars by faculty members.
- Read publications by faculty members.
- Meet individually with faculty members.
- Consult with other graduate students.
Rotation Schedule for 2020-2021 fiscal year
- September 1 - October 16, 2020 (Virtual)
- October 19 - December 18, 2020 (In-person)
- January 4 - March 12, 2021 (In-person)
- March 21 - May 21, 2021 (In-person)
Note: The above rotation schedule has been revised to include an additional virtual rotation as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2020/21 rotation schedule and may be subject to additional change based on public health conditions and guidance from the University.
Students must join the laboratory of a Ph.D. mentor after completing all required rotations. Beginning June 1 after the first-year, financial support is then coordinated with the permanent lab.
Courses
Students must complete a set of core courses as required by the BCH program, plus two additional graduate-level electives. Students must register for a minimum of nine credit hours each fall and spring semester and a minimum of 3 credits in the summer semester. These credits may include formal graded courses and/or research hours. In order to maintain satisfactory academic progress, students must maintain a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher.
Questions about course selection may be directed to the BCH Program Graduate Advisor, Dr. David Taylor.
Please see the BCH Graduate Program Handbook for additional details about courses and registration.
Required Safety Training
The following online courses must be completed prior to beginning work in a lab environment at UT Austin. These are available via UT Learn. There is no charge for these courses, nor are they completed for academic credit.
- OH 101 Hazard Communication
- OH 201 Laboratory Safety
- OH 202 Hazardous Waste Management
- OH 207 Biological Safety
- FF 205 Portable Fire Extinguisher Basics
Additional in-person or online UT Learn training may be required by specific labs
Biochemistry Core Courses
All of the following classes must be completed in the fall semester of the first year of study:
- BCH 395J Genes, Genomes, and Gene Expression
- MOL 290C Introduction to Biostatistics & Computational Biology
- MOL 190C Responsible Conduct of Research
In spring of the first-year of study, students must complete the following:
- BCH 395G Advanced Biochemistry
- One of the following courses:
- BCH 387D Biophysical Methods in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
- BCH 394P Bioinformatics
- BCH 394 Structure and Function of Proteins and Nucleic Acids
Additional Required Courses
BIO 391 Grant Writing and Presentation Skills
In preparation for the Qualifying Exam, second-year students are required to take BIO 391 Grant Writing & Presentation Skills. BIO 391 is a writing-intensive course for second-year graduate student in the fall semester that involves writing of an NIH-style grant proposal on their own research, presentation of the proposal to the class, and practice in identifying specific aims in research areas outside their primary area. The class is taken by students in the Microbiology, Biochemistry, and Cell and Molecular Biology Programs.
Required Elective
Students to complete one additional elective course related to Biochemistry that will be selected in consultation with the student’s PI. Elective courses must be three credit hours and related to biochemistry. Please consult the current course schedule for a list of available electives.
Qualifying Exam
In order to proceed with the Qualifying Exam, graduate students must:
- Have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0
- Have completed all core courses with a grade of B or above
- Be assigned to a permanent laboratory
- International students must be ITA certified as eligible for employment “with student contact”
Please review the BCH Graduate Program Handbook for complete information about the Qualifying Exam.
Purpose
The Qualifying Examination is a critical step within the doctoral degree program and is required for admission to candidacy. Students will be expected to prepare a written research proposal and a short presentation, and defend the proposal orally before a committee of three faculty. The examination is designed to test whether the student is ready to plan and carry out independent research. The exam will also test the breadth of the student's preparation beyond the focus of the dissertation research. It is scheduled typically at the beginning of the fourth long semester of study, so that students will have completed their core courses, and spent considerable time in a research laboratory. The examination will concentrate on the experiments and background aspects of the proposed research, but may also test general knowledge in all areas of biochemistry.
Format
The Qualifying Exam consists of a single written proposal and oral exam on the topic of the the student's laboratory research. The written component of the exam will consist of a proposal following the NIH guidelines for a pre- doctoral fellowship, but with an added appendix of relevant figures and preliminary data. In writing the proposal, students are expected to consult with your advisor, but the work must be entirely their own. For example, students are not allowed to copy sections of the faculty advisor’s research grant proposals. In addition, students must propose at least one set of experiments that have NOT been suggested to by the faculty advisor. Students will be expected to have a thorough understanding of their proposed research, both broadly and specifically.
Timing
Exams will typically be scheduled during the spring semester between early February and early March.
Each student is required to submit an abstract and title for the proposed research at least five weeks before the qualifying exam date. The abstract should concisely state the problem, and briefly describe the approach that will be used in the research plan. The most relevant references should be included (typically one or two references), as well as a general description of the methods to be used. Each abstract typically fits on one page.
Written Proposal
After submitting the abstract, students will have four weeks to complete the written research proposal (the written proposal is due one week prior to the exam). This document involves a detailed description of the background and logic behind the proposition, and the experiments proposed to address it. The proposal should address the following questions: (a) What does the student intend to do? (b) Why is this important? (c) What has already been done? (d) How is the student going to approach the problem? Proposals are usually hypothesis driven, with experiments designed to test the proposed hypothesis.
The written proposal must include the following:
- Cover Page
- Abstract
- Specific Aims
- Background and Significance
- Experimental Design and Methods
- Literature Cited
- Appendix
- Biographical Sketch
Examination Format
To conduct the exam, the student will make an oral presentation and defense before a committee of faculty on the assigned date. Students should prepare a twenty-minute talk. The examination committee will generally focus on questions pertaining to the proposal, but questions may also lead to discussion of related topics. The faculty supervisor is invited to the oral defense, but is not a member of the examination committee, and is asked to observe only. Following the exam, the examination committee will discuss the student's performance and their decision with the student, as well as any recommendations or conditions made. The examination committee will record the outcome and its evaluation on the Qualifying Examination Results form, provided by the Graduate Program Coordinator.
Exam Outcomes
- Unconditional pass.
- Conditional pass. The committee may ask the student to re-write a portion of the proposal, or satisfy another other condition in order to pass the exam. Establishing conditions is up to the discretion of the committee.
- No pass. (Re-examination at at later date). This outcome indicates that the proposal and/or defense are inadequate. Any student receiving this outcome will need to substantially re-write the proposal and re-take the examination.
- Fail.
Candidacy
Once a student successfully passes the Qualifying Exam, they must apply for and be admitted to candidacy with the university.
Students are expected to be admitted to candidacy by the end of the second year, after completing course requirements and the Qualifying Exam. There may be a small number of students who are not able to complete their Qualifying Exam with the rest of their cohort. If this situation applies students may delay reaching candidacy until the third year with the approval of the Graduate Advisor. Students must reach candidacy by the end of the third year (sixth long semester). Failure to meet this benchmark will result in loss of good standing in the program. Any exceptions require approval of the Graduate Advisor, and must be communicated to the Graduate Program Administrator and Graduate Coordinator.
Requirements for Admission to Candidacy:
- Complete the 4 core courses with a grade of B or above.
- Maintain a GPA of 3.0 or higher
- Successful completion of the Qualifying Exam
- Submission and final approval of a Candidacy Application.
Dissertation Committee
Before submitting a Candidacy Application, students will need to form their official dissertation committee. The committee will have three primary responsibilities:
- General supervision of your research
- To monitor your degree progress
- To certify that an acceptable dissertation is submitted when you complete your degree
Students should consult with their PI and Graduate Advisor to form a suitable permanent Dissertation Committee. Students should explicitly confirm with proposed committee members that they agree to serve on the Dissertation Committee before submitting the Candidacy Application. Any changes in committee membership must be made prior to application for candidacy.
Please review the BCH Graduate Program Handbook for complete guidelines for dissertation committees and admission to Candidacy.
Annual Meetings
Once a student has been admitted to candidacy, they are required to meet annually with their Dissertation Committee to review their progress. Following this meeting, the committee will record a summary of recommendations via the Annual Committee Meeting form.
If a student has not completed the dissertation within three years of admission to candidacy, the results of the annual review will be presented with recommendations to the Biochemistry GSC Executive Committee. The Executive Committee will then decide what actions may be required to address your progress.
Although the supervising professor (PI) provides day-to-day guidance, all members of the committee are expected to be available for consultation and students should feel free to ask for advice from them or any faculty member.
Please review the BCH Graduate Program Handbook for complete information about Annual Committee Meetings.
Teaching
Teaching Requirement
The BCH Graduate Program requires that all students must be appointed as a Teaching Assistant (TA) for at least one semester by no later than their fourth year. Students will be required to complete this before graduation, but not before admission to candidacy. This is to allow increased flexibility in scheduling without compromising the standard timetable for advancement to candidacy.
Please review the BCH Graduate Program Handbookfor additional information about Teaching Assistantships and academic employment for graduate students.
ITA English-Language Certification for International Students
UT Austin conducts English-Language Certification for TAs whose first language is not English. The Biochemistry Graduate Program requires this certification of all international students, regardless of whether they serve as teaching assistants. All international students admitted to the Biochemistry graduate program are anticipated to unconditionally pass the Oral English Proficiency Assessment and be “certified with student contact.” Students must be certified to be employed “with student contact” before being admitted to candidacy. Under certain circumstances, international students may be exempt from the requirement to complete the ITA English-Language Certification exam.
Additional information can be found at via Texas Global. ILS will sponsor the registration cost for ITA English-Language Certification. Students should consult the Graduate Coordinator prior to registration for the exam.
