Admission
To be admitted to the biology doctoral program, an applicant must meet the minimum requirements of the Graduate School and Department of Biology, which include: - 32 credit hours of undergraduate courses in biology
- An undergraduate overall 3.0 grade-point average
- Three supportive letters of recommendation
- The support of a Department of Biology faculty member who is willing to serve as the dissertation advisor
Research experience, scientific conference presentations, and publications are valued highly in admission decisions. General Requirements
The PhD program requires at least 66 credit hours approved for graduate credit beyond the bachelor’s degree, including: - 39 credit hours in non-dissertation, graded coursework
- 27 credit hours in dissertation research (BIOL 699 )
Of the 39 credit hours in non-dissertation, graded coursework: - At least 20 credit hours must be in the Department of Biology
- Up to 19 credit hours may be from outside of the Department of Biology bur are limited to the College of Sciences or College of Engineering
- At least 20 credit hours must be at the 500 level or above
- 2 credit hours must be in Graduate Seminar (BIOL 551 and BIOL 552 )
- 1 credit hour must be in Teaching Skills (BIOL 553 )
- 7 credit hours must be in Environmental Biology: BIOL 407G , BIOL 408G , BIOL 409G , BIOL 412G , BIOL 415G , BIOL 416G , BIOL 418G , BIOL 427G , BIOL 430G , BIOL 440G , BIOL 441G , BIOL 442G , BIOL 443G , BIOL 446G , BIOL 447G , BIOL 457G , BIOL 458G , BIOL 461G , BIOL 471G , BIOL 480G , BIOL 481G , BIOL 482G , BIOL 502 , BIOL 503 , BIOL 504 , BIOL 505 , BIOL 510 , BIOL 528 , BIOL 549 , BIOL 575 , BIOL 580 , BIOL 590 , BIOL 605 , BIOL 612 , or BIOL 615
- 7 credit hours must be in Evolutionary Biology: BIOL 401G , BIOL 403G , BIOL 405G , BIOL 413G , BIOL 414G , BIOL 423G , BIOL 424G , BIOL 425G , BIOL 426G , BIOL 431G , BIOL 433G , BIOL 434G , BIOL 436G , BIOL 437G , BIOL 444G , BIOL 445G , BIOL 455G , BIOL 462G , BIOL 472G , BIOL 473G , BIOL 484G , BIOL 485G , BIOL 501 , BIOL 506 , BIOL 507 , BIOL 508 , BIOL 526 , BIOL 542 , BIOL 554 , BIOL 558 , BIOL 559 , BIOL 604 , BIOL 607 , BIOL 609 , or BIOL 670
- Not more than 6 credit hours in Advanced Problems or Special Projects (BIOL 560 , BIOL 561 , or BIOL 595 )
Students must take 1 credit hour of Colloquium in Biological Science (BIOL 550 ) for each semester they are in residence and enrolled full-time; this course does not count toward the total credit hours required for the degree. Up to 19 credit hours from graded (non-dissertation) courses at the graduate level may be transferred from another institution toward the doctoral degree, but more than 50 percent of credit hours applied to the degree must be earned at UL Lafayette. Transfer credits may include up to 10 credit hours at the 500 level or above. One transfer course of up to 3 credit hours may be counted as an environmental course and another one may be counted as an evolutionary biology course. Required courses, excluding transfer credits, must be taken in residence in the doctoral program. Grades must average B or better, both overall and in biology courses. No more than one course with a grade of “C” may be applied toward the degree and no grades lower than “C” are allowed. A manuscript based on your research and with you as the first or sole author, that is acceptable to your committee, must be submitted to an appropriate peer-reviewed scientific journal before you can be cleared for graduation. The manuscript does not need to be accepted for publication by that time. A previous peer-reviewed publication in a scientific journal with you as first or sole author may also be used to satisfy this requirement. Students must also successfully complete a dissertation proposal, general comprehensive exam, research-based dissertation, and final examination in defense of the dissertation conducted by the student’s Dissertation Committee. All other Graduate School Rules and Regulations apply to the degree. General Comprehensive Examination
The general comprehensive examination will include an oral and a written component. The examination should be taken by the end of the 6th semester for PhD students who already have a MS degree or the end of 7th semester for PhD students who don’t have a MS degree. Dissertation Committee
The dissertation committee must include a minimum of five doctoral-level scientists, at least three of whom are regular, non-adjunct members of the biology faculty holding appointments to the University of Louisiana at Lafayette Graduate Faculty. The dissertation advisor will be a member and chair of the committee and must hold Full Membership (formerly Level II appointment) on the Graduate Faculty. One dissertation committee member must be from outside the Department of Biology and may be from outside the University. Dissertation
A specific research project must be completed, and a formal dissertation must be submitted to and approved by the student’s dissertation committee. Final Examination
The final examination is an oral defense of the dissertation and may include related scientific topics. |
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