A minimum of 60 credit hours is required and at least 30 of those hours must be taken in courses which require a letter grade for evaluation. It is expected that a student should have at least twelve hours outside of the major field. At least 15 hours must be in courses outside of the medical or dental curriculum. 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. The qualifying examination is generally taken at the completion of the first academic year and tests the knowledge of the student in general physiology.
Students entering in the fall semester ordinarily take it in the summer of their first year.
The qualifying examination is administered by the Faculty of the Department of Physiology and has written and oral components both of which must be passed satisfactorily for the student to continue the Ph.D. degree program. The student and major professor, with the approval of the Department Head and the Dean, will recommend a research committee and petition the Dean at least two weeks prior to the examination to appoint the committee and allow the student to schedule the examination. The Preliminary examination 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 Health Sciences 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 throughout the program.