The thesis advisor is expected to refrain from answering questions or offering comments during the question period unless specifically requested to do so by the Thesis Committee. During the question session, the committee members are expected to address any weaknesses that they see in the written proposal. In particular, they may address issues ranging from the choice of the topic being investigated and its significance, to the interpretation of the results from individual experiments and the appropriateness of the control experiments. The thesis proposal should be written in the form of an NRSA application. The proposal must be given to members of the Thesis Committee at least one week prior to the Preliminary Examination.
Applications are available in the graduate office.
The student is also encouraged to consult with other members of the Thesis Committee. The duration of a student's thesis research will vary depending on circumstances. In general, however, completion of this work takes a minimum of two years and should not take more than four years. The program guarantees support of students through their sixth year. After that time, continued support requires semi-annual approval by the student's Thesis Committee, which can be completed without a formal committee meeting.