Requirements for The Master of Science Degree in Biomedical Science
The Master of Science (M.S.) degree in Biomedical Science is offered in the five basic science departments. Application may be made to the School of Graduate Studies or to one of the five basic science departments.
Residence - (time enrolled as a full-time student) - Both full-time and part-time options are available. Full-Time: One academic year, two semesters, or four summer terms represents the minimum requirement for full-time students. Two years’ residence represents a more realistic average. Part-Time: Students who wish to pursue the M.S. degree on a part-time basis must submit a written request, signed by the Department Head and the Department Graduate Program Director, to the Graduate School Dean for approval. This request must be submitted each semester in which the student wishes to enroll and must state the number of credit hours in which he/she will enroll.
Semester Hours - The minimum requirement is 30 semester hours of graduate work, at least 17 of those hours must be taken in courses that require a letter grade for evaluation and not more than two credit hours of seminar credit. At least six research hours must be completed. Departmental requirements may exceed these minimal requirements.
Transfer of Credit - Candidates for the Master of Science degree may receive up to five hours of transfer credit from another graduate level accredited institution at the discretion of the Department involved, providing the students have completed courses which are comparable to LSUHSC-S School of Graduate Studies’ courses, and satisfy the subject matter requirements. No transfer credit is permitted for course work receiving a grade below B. Written notification clearly listing the courses to be transferred must be sent to the Dean who will notify the Registrar. Credits may also be transferred to the M.S. program from the Ph.D. program for students who desire to switch from the Ph.D. program at LSUHSC-S to the M.S. program. There is no limit on the number of transfer credits from the Ph.D. program at LSUHSC-S to the M.S. program at LSUHSC-S.
Candidacy - A student becomes a candidate for the degree when he/she has completed 12 semester hours of work with a B average and has received Departmental approval.
Thesis Instructions - Instructions on preparation of the thesis may be obtained from the School of Graduate Studies office. The format of the thesis should follow the rules formulated in the current edition of the CBE Style Manual: A Guide for Authors, Editors and Publishers in the Biological Sciences. Detailed instructions are available on the website. For the planned graduation date, the student should check the school calendar for the final date for submission of the thesis to the School of Graduate Studies. Final approval of the thesis rests with a committee of not less than three graduate faculty members, one of whom must be from a Department other than the Student’s Department, nominated by the Head of the Department, and appointed by the Dean. The Dean may serve as a member or may appoint members to the Committee.
Thesis Defense - When the thesis research is complete the candidate will be required write and to successfully defend the thesis in an oral exam. The student must be enrolled in the School of Graduate Studies in the semester in which the oral defense is scheduled. Application for the oral thesis defense must be made at least two weeks prior to the date of the defense. This application form is available from the Office of Graduate Studies. The completed form, along with an abstract of the thesis must be received by the Office of Graduate Studies two weeks prior to the thesis defense date. Copies of the thesis must also be circulated to the examining committee at that time. Public announcement of the thesis defense must be made two weeks prior to the oral defense. After the oral defense, the Committee votes by secret ballot whether or not to pass the examination there may be no more than one negative vote. The Major Professor must be present on site for the thesis defense.
Degree Requirements - The signed Final Examination Report form, available in the Office of Graduate Studies, must be submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies, along with final copies of the thesis for binding. Submission of these documents, along with the completion of the course requirements and maintenance of at least a 3.0 GPA constitutes fulfillment of the degree requirements. Deadlines for completion of these requirements are scheduled in each semester, fall, spring and summer.
Requirements for The Doctor of Philosophy Degree
The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree is the highest degree offered by universities. It is conferred only for work of distinction in which the student displays original scholarship.
Residence (time enrolled as a full-time student) - Three years (9 semesters) of residence in the program are required, although in most programs more time is needed. Exceptions may be made by petition to the Graduate Dean and the Graduate Advisory Council. One year (three consecutive semesters/term) must be taken in residence at LSUHSC-S following completion of the preliminary examination.
Course Requirements - Specific course requirements are dependent upon individual Departmental policy. However, in general, a minimum of 32 credit hours is required and at least 20 of those hours must be taken in courses that require a letter grade for evaluation. Some of the credit may be earned in one or more minor fields. No more than fifteen credits may be counted for research and dissertation and no more than four credits for seminar, even though both may be carried throughout the program. Departmental requirements may exceed these minimal requirements.
Transfer of Credit - Candidates for the Ph.D. degree may receive up to fifteen hours of transfer credit from another graduate level accredited institution at the discretion of the Department (approval of the Department Head) involved, providing the students have completed courses that are comparable to LSUHSC-S School of Graduate Studies’ courses, and satisfy the subject matter requirements. Written notification clearly listing the courses to be transferred must be sent to the Dean who will notify the Registrar. Credits earned in the M.S. program at LSUHSC-S (up to fifteen hours) may be transferred to the Ph.D. program at LSUHSC-S. No transfer credit is permitted for course work receiving a grade below B and transfer of the credit does not reduce the residency requirement.
Qualifying Process - Each Department will be responsible for the qualifying process and will develop appropriate policies that will be on file in the Dean’s Office. These qualifying processes are described in detail in the Departmental policies.
Preliminary Examination -The applicant becomes eligible for the Preliminary Examination at a time chosen by the Department but not less than one academic year (three consecutive semesters) before graduation. The student and his/her major professor, with the approval of the Department Head and the Dean, will recommend a research committee and petition the Dean to appoint the committee and allow the student to schedule the examination.
The research committee will ordinarily consist of the student’s major professor and at least four other Graduate Faculty members representing major and minor disciplines. At least one member must be from another Department and one member could be from outside the Medical Center. Substitution or addition of committee members may be made by the Dean after consultation with the major professor and Department Head, but continuity of membership is sought to provide consistent guidance of the student through the program. This examination is the most thorough in the doctorate program. It should require the candidate to demonstrate competence in a broad segment of the major and minor fields. Although the examination may be either oral or written or both, a written section is strongly recommended. If there is no more than one negative ballot out of a minimum of five, the student becomes a “candidate for the Ph.D. degree” after the Dean has been notified by the student’s major professor and Department Head of successful completion of the preliminary examination.
A student must complete and submit the Request for Preliminary Exam form to the Office of Graduate Studies two weeks prior to the scheduled exam. A completed Report of Preliminary Exam form, including all committee signatures, must be submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies for approval by the Dean of Graduate Studies. The student becomes a candidate for the Ph.D. degree when all required signatures have been obtained on this form.
Dissertation - The dissertation must be a significant contribution to the field, suitable for publication in a referred journal of international repute. Instructions on the preparation of the dissertation may be obtained from the School of Graduate Studies. The format of the dissertation should follow the rules formulated in the current edition of the CBE Style Manual: A Guide for Authors, Editors and Publishers in the Biological Sciences. Detailed instructions are available on the web site. For the planned graduation date, the student should check the school calendar for the final date for submission of the dissertation to the School of Graduate Studies.
Dissertation Defense - One year (three consecutive semesters) following the preliminary examination, the student is eligible to take this final examination, if the dissertation is complete to the satisfaction of the Research Committee. The student must be enrolled in the School of Graduate Studies in the semester in which the defense is scheduled. The Defense may be preceded by an open seminar of the student’s dissertation research. The student must petition the Dean for permission to take the examination at least 2 weeks prior to the Defense date. A form for this petition is available from the Office of Graduate Studies. The examining committee is made up of no less than 5 graduate faculty members, one of whom must be from a Department other than the Student’s Department, nominated by the Major Professor, Head of the Department and appointed by the Dean. The Dean may serve as a member or may appoint members to the Committee. Traditionally, this examination is a test of the student’s intimate knowledge of the area of the field in which the student is working. However, at the discretion of the Committee or the Dean, the examination may include questions from the major or minor fields in general. The Major Professor must be present on site for the dissertation defense. Voting is by secret ballot, and to pass the examination there may be no more than one negative vote.
Certification - If not more than one member of the examining committee dissents and if the dissertation is accepted, the candidate will be certified to the Graduate Faculty and Chancellor as having met all requirements for the degree of doctor of philosophy.
Degree Requirements - The signed Final Examination Report form (available in the Office of Graduate Studies) must be submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies, along with final copies of the dissertation for binding. Submission of these documents, along with the completion of the course requirements, passing the qualifying process/preliminary examination and maintenance of at least a 3.0 GPA constitutes fulfillment of the degree requirements. Deadlines for completion of these requirements are scheduled in each semester, fall, spring and summer.
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