Admission to Ph.D. candidacy is predicated on successful completion of a comprehensive examination given at the end of the second year. For final completion of degree requirements, the student will submit a dissertation on an original research project. This is followed by an oral defense conducted by the student's advisory committee. However, tuition for students receiving assistantships is reduced to one-third of the resident rate. Vermillion is a small, university-oriented community of about 10,000 people, situated on the bluffs overlooking the scenic Missouri River in the southeastern comer of the state, with ready access to Nebraska, Iowa, and Minnesota.
Outdoor recreation is abundant and includes fishing, boating, and camping.
A state recreation area, around Gavin's Point Dam on the Missouri River, lies 30 miles to the west. Recreation areas in the beautiful Black Hills and in the Badlands are approximately eight hours from Vermillion by car. The School of Medicine, which includes the Department of Microbiology, was established in 1907. The University of South Dakota, one of five state-supported institutions of higher education, comprises the professional schools of Law and Medicine, the Graduate School, and the Schools of Arts and Sciences, Business, Education, and Fine Arts. Dr. Cafruny's laboratory is concerned with general and viral immunology, with the overall goal of better understanding the virus-host relationship.