Biology Graduate Programs–Key Elements
Director of Graduate Studies/Graduate Liaison: Ari Berkowitz – 405-325-3492
Associate Director of the School of Biological Sciences: Lara Souza
Pre-first semester:
- Set up your OU account and explore OU housing options
- Consult with prospective faculty advisor and Graduate Liaison (GL = Ari) to decide on courses and register for classes
- Email Lara when you arrive in Norman
- If you will be a Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA), register for GTA training
- If you are an international student, register for New International Student Orientation activities
- If you are an international student who will be a GTA, read about the English testing process
- Learn about insurance options
- Learn more about being an OU student
- Be on the lookout for an email from the Shared Business Services Center and follow its instructions to become appointed as a Graduate Teaching Assistant or Graduate Research Assistant on your arrival
- Attend the Biology Department’s First Year Graduate Orientation (time/location from GL email)
- In your first week, fill out W-4 and state withholding forms in self-service
- Complete online trainings after receiving the email from OnPoint
First year:
- Fill out contact/website information form from Canvas Orientation site and email to Lara along with (optional) photo
- Sign Declaration of Faculty Advisor form (along with your faculty advisor) and email to GL
- Complete CITI online Responsible Conduct of Research Training (“undergrad” training but including both “required” and “optional” modules) and email certificate to GL
- Create your graduate advisory committee in consultation with your faculty advisor: ≥ 3 members for M.S., ≥ 4 members for Ph.D.; a majority must be in OU Biology Department; for EEB and CBN students, a majority must also be in that program
- Hold your first committee meeting by April 1 (if you began your program in August)
-M.S. students: decide on your field of specialization and ≥ 1 supporting field at the meeting and email these to the GL; fill out and submit the Master's Thesis Topic and Committee Membership and Program of Study forms
-Ph.D. students: include the GL (who must attend the meeting) in scheduling; fill out a draft Advisory Conference Report (ACR) and bring to the meeting to discuss; ≤ 44 M.S. credit hours can be applied to the Ph.D.; decide on your field of specialization and ≥ 2 supporting fields; after the meeting, electronically submit the ACR
Each year:
- Hold a committee meeting by May 1 (required for Ph.D., recommended for M.S.)
- Fill out an Activities Report form (will be emailed in Spring) and email it to Lara in April
Course reminders:
- Enroll in ≥ 5 credit hours each fall and spring semester (if you are a GTA or GRA)
- Complete a graduate statistics course (BIOL 4913 or 5923 or equivalent)
- Limit Independent Study (BIOL 5990) to 12 credit hours total during your program
- Once you begin enrolling in thesis or dissertation research (BIOL 5980 or 6980), you need to continue enrolling in at least 2 credit hours of this course each fall and spring semester; for this reason, you generally should not enroll in 5980 or 6980 during your first year
- Summer course enrollment is not required unless you are "actively working on" the thesis or dissertation or will graduate in the summer, in which case you need to enroll in at least 2 credit hours of BIOL 5980 or 6980; Adams summer funding does not require you to enroll in summer credit hours
- Tuition waivers may take until the third week of the semester to be applied; if they have not been by the end of that week, email gradgra@ou.edu to check
- Each semester, email Lara as needed to request permission to enroll in courses that require this
Program-specific requirements:
- All Ph.D. students: take your General Exam by the end of your 5th fall or spring semester (fall of the 3rd year if you started in fall), which requires obtaining a reading list from committee members, submitting a dissertation research proposal (not part of the written exam), first passing a written exam, and then passing an oral exam.
- CBN and Biology Ph.D. students: ≥ 30 credit hours of classroom courses not including statistics
- EEB students: Advanced Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (BIOL 5453) and Seminar in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (BIOL 5471; aka Ecomunch) twice, also delivering a presentation in Ecomunch twice (not necessarily the same semesters as enrolled)
- CBN students: Neurobiology (BIOL 5833), Current Topics in Neurobiology (BIOL 5871; aka Neuromunch), and 2-3 lab rotations for Independent Study credit (2-3 credit hours each); present twice at Neuromunch
Final semester:
- Apply to graduate by May 1 for Fall graduation, Dec. 1 for Spring graduation, and Feb. 1 for Summer graduation. Request a degree check within the first two weeks of the semester you plan to graduate
- Schedule defense with your committee; ≥ 3 weeks (M.S.) or 4 weeks (Ph.D.) before the defense date, send the committee your draft thesis or dissertation; submit the Report of Reading Copy Submission and Request for Authority to Defend online form ≥ 2 weeks before defense
- Email GL title and abstract, defense time/location, and image for defense announcement
- After a successful defense, request Approval for Thesis/Dissertation Submission to SHAREOK and upload to SHAREOK within 60 days or by the deadline on the Academic Calendar, whichever comes first; you can choose to embargo its release for two years
Further information:
- Consult OU deadlines for each semester for submission of forms, timing of defenses, etc.
- Consult the Biology Graduate Student Handbook and/or the Graduate College Bulletin for additional and more detailed information
