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Candidacy Exam
Genes and Development Ph.D. Candidacy Exam
In order to advance to candidacy for a Ph.D. degree, students must pass the G&D candidacy exam, which follows the guidelines of the GSBS candidacy exam. It consists of writing three one-page ‘off-topic’ abstracts, writing an NIH style original research proposal, and presenting an oral defense of the proposal. The subject of the research proposal is selected by the student’s GSBS-approved examining committee from one of the three off-topic abstracts. The candidacy exam is meant to be an evaluation of the student’s ability to construct a hypothesis, to design the means by which to test it, and to critically analyze obtained results.
Prior to forming the examining committee, all required coursework must be completed, and the advisory committee must recommend that the student is ready to take the exam and approve the three off-topic abstracts. The actual selection of the abstract for the research proposal is done by the examining committee.
GSBS Requirements
Per GSBS requirements, students who matriculate in the fall 2008 term or thereafter must petition for Ph.D. candidacy by the end of the second year following matriculation (i.e. the end of the summer of your second year). The oral exam must be scheduled no later than the end of the first term of the third year of study (i.e. the end of the fall semester of your third year). The deadlines for students who matriculate in the summer term are one term earlier respectively.
GSBS Ph.D. Candidacy information
Exam Resources
Faculty Critique Guidelines for G&D Oral Exam (pdf - 1 page)
Proposal Writing Resources on the G&D Intranet Site
http://inside.mdanderson.org/departments/genes-and-development-graduate-program/candidacy-exam.html
- Writing Effective Grant Proposals (from MD Anderson Scientific Publications)
- NIH Sample RO1 Grant Applications and Summary Statements