School of Health Sciences - Policies and Procedures on Graduate Education

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Course Requirements
• Procedures for the Selection of Major Professor
• Advisory Committee
• Plan of Study
• Transfer Credits on Purdue Plan of Study
• Ph.D. Candidacy Examinations
• Progress Towards the Graduate Degree
• Thesis and Final Examination
• Laboratory Safety
• Support of Graduate Students
• Vacation and Leave Policies
• Outside Employment
• Purchasing
   
• Appendix 1
• Appendix 2
• Appendix 3
• Appendix 4
• Appendix 5
• Appendix 6
• Appendix 7
• Appendix 8
• Appendix 9
• Appendix 10

INTRODUCTION

The primary purpose of this document is to serve as a guide to the requirements of the school for the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees and the regulations and policies related to these. Graduate students much comply with all the requirements mandated by the Graduate School. The Graduate School Policies and Procedures Manual for Administering Graduate Student Programs covers the university-wide policies. A considerable amount of important information is contained in that document which is available on line at http://www.gradschool.purdue.edu/faculty/resources/policies.cfm. The graduate school website also gives you immediate access to the various forms you will need during your graduate studies. The following School of Health Sciences policies are in addition to the Graduate School policies and procedures.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

All students in the School are required each semester to enroll in HSCI 696, Seminar in Health Sciences. Each thesis M.S. degree student will give one seminar on their thesis topic. This is usually presented at or near the completion of their research. Similarly, each non-thesis M.S. degree student will give one seminar on their written special project report. Each Ph.D. student will give two seminars. The first will be presented on their research proposal, usually during the fourth semester in residence, or on another topic approved by the seminar coordinator. The second is presented in connection with their Ph.D. final examination. During the semester in which the student presents a seminar, the student will enroll in HSCI 696 for 1 credit. For all other semesters the student will enroll for 0 credit.

Students in the areas of health physics, radiobiology, occupational and environmental health sciences, medical physics, and toxicology, whether M.S. or Ph.D., are required to take the core courses, or their equivalents as listed in Appendix 1. Equivalence is determined by the student's advisory committee. In some cases students will have already had the course material at other institutions either as undergraduate or graduate students. In such cases, the student will not have to take the course. This will be decided on a case by case basis during the original registration or at the time the plan of study is filed with the graduate school.

PROCEDURE FOR THE SELECTION OF MAJOR PROFESSOR

Upon acceptance by the graduate school an incoming graduate student is assigned to a temporary faculty advisor who will handle registration and related matters until a major professor is assigned. This is an administrative procedure to assist you in getting started as a graduate student. There is no obligation on the part of either the graduate student or the temporary faculty member to make this a more permanent arrangement. All students enrolled in the Graduate Program at both MS and PhD levels must select their major advisor preferably at the end of the first semester, but no later than the middle of the second semester. Normally a student entering the School of Health Sciences will already know whether he/she is going into health physics, occupational and environmental health sciences, medical physics, radiobiology, toxicology, or an interdisciplinary area of specialization. In some cases the student will have been directly recruited by a particular professor and it is mutually agreed that he/she immediately become the student's major professor. Most often, the student will arrange during their first semester to meet with each professor working in their area of specialization to learn about their research interests and the potential for doing research with that professor as a major professor, or co-major professor.

In all cases, the student should submit a "Request for Assignment of Major Professor" form to the Head of the School indicating the student's choice for major professor. A copy of this form is in Appendix 2. The Head will then make the assignment, taking into consideration the student's request, the concurrence of the professor involved, and other administrative factors. The request should be made as early as possible but in any case no later than the end of the second semester.

ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Graduate students enrolled in a Ph.D. program or thesis-based M.S. program must establish their Graduate Advisory Committee no later than at the end of the first academic year. Non-thesis based M.S. graduate students shall have their advisory committee appointed prior to their arrival. The Advisory Committee for an M.S. degree shall consist of a minimum of three members of the graduate faculty with at least two members from the School of Health Sciences. The Advisory Committee for a Ph.D. shall consist of a minimum of four members of the graduate faculty including the major professor and one member from outside the School of Health Sciences. It should be noted that a student's committee must consist of more regularly certified members than special members. Special members are appointed for each individual student and include, for example, faculty from Indiana University or any other university, emeriti faculty of the school, and industrial scientists.

The purpose of the Advisory Committee is to help the student determine the coursework needed as listed on the Plan of Study and to advise the student in his/her research endeavors throughout the entire graduate period.

The Advisory Committee must meet at least once per year for thesis-based graduate students in addition to any meetings for examination. The student, in conjunction with the major professor, is responsible for scheduling committee meetings, providing the committee in advance with sufficient written information to be discussed at the meeting, and providing written minutes of the meeting to the Committee within one week after the meeting.

PLAN OF STUDY

For a thesis-based graduate student, the draft Plan of Study must be submitted within a month after selection of his or her major professor. This draft is sent to the Advisory Committee members for consideration and finalization before final approval. It also serves to officially establish the Advisory Committee with the graduate school. For coursework-based master students, the draft Plan of Study should be designed by the assigned temporary advisor prior to student's arrival at Purdue campus. The finalized Plan of Study should be submitted and approved by the coursework-based student's Advisory Committee during the first semester. An example of the Plan of Study can be found in Appendix 1 and templates to each concentration in all available Graduate Programs can be found in Health Science website, http://www.healthsciences.purdue.edu/academics/graduate/. Occasionally a student may want to change his/her plan of study, including the membership. A special form is used for this purpose, a copy of which is in Appendix 4. It should also be noted that only six credits of courses at the 300 and 400 level are permitted on a graduate student's plan of study but this does not restrict the Advisory Committee from recommending and requiring more courses at or below this level to round out the student's knowledge base for the area of specialization.

The standard program of study for each graduate area of specialization is provided on the school web site http://www.healthsciences.purdue.edu/. These requirements are subject to change and in addition each student's needs are taken into consideration when designing the actual Plan of Study required of them. Also, some restrictions may apply, e.g. students receiving financial support through the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health training grant must select the a thesis-based graduate degree option.

Typically, a standard program of study requires 24 coursework credit hours plus thesis for a thesis-based M.S. degree, and a minimum of 30 coursework credit hours for a coursework-based M.S. degree. Ninety credit hours are required for the Ph.D. degree and these are a mixture of both course credits and research credits. (There is no minimum number of coursework credit hours required for a Ph.D. plan of study and upon the recommendation of the student's Advisory Committee up to 30 credits may be applied to the Ph.D. for a relevant M.S. degree. )

Normally a student on a research assistantship or fellowship takes 16 credits during the fall and spring semesters and 8 credits during the summer. A teaching assistant usually takes 12 hours during the fall and spring semesters and 6 credits during the summer.

The Graduate School policies state that an overall average of B is required for all courses on the student's transcript. Note that the Graduate School does not allow D or F grades for any course on a plan of study. Such courses must be repeated with a passing grade and are not dropped from a plan of study. For both the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees, a student whose grade point average (GPA) drops below 3.0 must maintain a "B" average in the subsequent semester and has a year in which to restore his/her cumulative GPA to 3.0 or better. Each student who fails to meet GPA requirements will be reviewed by the School faculty at a regular meeting and may be dropped from the program.

TRANSFER CREDITS ON PURDUE PLAN OF STUDY

All transfer of credit must be consistent with the policies of Purdue University Graduate School as stated in the Graduate Policies and Procedures Manual. Typically, transfer of credits will be considered under the following conditions:

(a) The student has completed at least one semester of satisfactory work in residence at Purdue;

(b) The student has obtained approval from his/her Advisory Committee for the transfer credits requested;

(c) The request from the student includes documentation about the content of the transfer courses and the level at which it was taught (undergraduate or graduate);

(d) Credits that were needed to complete an undergraduate degree may not be transferred to the plan of study; and

(e) The courses for which credit is transferred must be applicable to the student's plan of study and taught at an appropriate level as determined by the students Advisory Committee. Certain courses, covering material normally considered prerequisite for admission to the graduate program, may not be eligible for transfer of credit.

Ph.D. CANDIDACY EXAMINATIONS

The doctoral candidacy examination consists of two portions, i.e., a written and an oral examination. Both parts are required by the School but it is the oral component that is formally recognized by the graduate school as the Ph.D. candidacy examination. The written examination is offered only two times a year, once in August and once in February. The written preliminary examination precedes the oral examination and the candidate must take the written examination no later than the end of their second academic year in either of the two designated months. The written examination is typically eight hours in length total, but may be taken in two four-hour segments over two days. The examination is prepared to test the student's academic competence in their chosen area of specialization. The Ph.D. student's major professor will have primary responsibility for preparing the written examination. Questions will be solicited from the student's Advisory Committee and/or faculty members who have delivered courses listed on the plan of study. Student's achieving a 70% total mark or above for the examination will be considered to have passed. A student who fails to achieve this total mark for the written examination will be allowed only one more chance to take the written test and this must be at the next available opportunity. Upon the recommendation of the student's Advisory Committee, the repeat examination may concentrate on the subject matter for which the student did poorly in the first candidacy examination. If a student fails the second written candidacy examination they must leave the doctoral program but upon the recommendation of their Advisory Committee may still complete an M.S. degree.

After passing the written part of the candidacy examination, the student must take the oral part within the next six months. The student will write a detailed proposal on the research that the student wishes to pursue, and the defense of that proposal will be the basis of the oral examination. This proposal is usually written using the NIH style format and forms. The committee is free to ask questions on any aspect of the student's area of specialization in addition to the proposal material itself. It is the student's responsibility to file the form for permission to take the examination with the Graduate School at least two weeks prior to the date of the examination. An up-to-date copy of this form is available from the Graduate School but for example purposes a copy is provided in this document as Appendix 5. Failure to complete the oral examination within the prescribed period will require that the graduate student formally apply to the School Head for a one semester extension.

Exceptions to these rules can only be granted by the Head of the School following a formal written request. This request must be signed by the graduate student and approved by the student's major professor and a majority of the Advisory Committee.

PROGRESS TOWARDS THE GRADUATE DEGREE

Continuation in the graduate program toward a thesis-based degree requires satisfactory performance and progress in research. The school guideline is that M.S. students should publish or provide the evidence of submission of at least one peer-reviewed journal article from their thesis to their defense examination committee. Doctoral students should publish at least one research journal article as the first author, two others submitted, with copies of all three manuscripts to their graduate committee prior to their graduation. The School Head may withhold signature on the thesis defense form if the student has not followed these guidelines.

Two consecutive sessions of unsatisfactory (U) grades for research registration (HSCI 698 or 699) mandate that the School take formal action and inform the Graduate School with regard to discontinuation or conditions for continuation of the student's graduate study. Recommendations for continuation in the program or for termination can be made by the major professor in consultation with the student's Advisory Committee. This decision is reported to the School Head.

In addition to the research, the major professor and advisory committee will periodically review the progress of the student in adhering to the other requirements of the degree in accordance with the timeline described in this document. A summation of these requirements is presented in Appendix 6.

THESIS AND FINAL EXAMINATION

The final examination is a defense of the thesis. For the Ph.D. candidate, at least two academic sessions must elapse between the oral preliminary examination and the final doctoral examination. The Graduate School Policies and Procedures Manual for Administering Graduate Student Programs and A Manual for the Preparation of Graduate Theses should be consulted for details of formatting and deposition. These documents are available at the Graduate School web site: http://www.gradschool.purdue.edu/. Once the graduate student and major professor have completed the thesis, copies are submitted to the examining committee at least two weeks prior to the examination. It is the student's responsibility to file the form for permission to take the examination with the Graduate School at least two weeks prior to the date of the examination. This is the same form used for preliminary examinations, a copy of which is provided in Appendix 5. Note that this examination may not be held the last week of classes.

LABORATORY SAFETY

All students whose research requires their working in a laboratory handling hazardous chemicals or biological materials must take CHEM 605 entitled "Safety in the Laboratory". Additional information on laboratory safety is available from Purdue Radiological and Environmental Management program (REM) at their web site: http://www.purdue.edu/rem/. This includes important manuals such as Guidelines for Handling and Disposal of Chemicals, Radiation Safety Manual, and Biological Safety Manual.

Students whose research includes the use of radiation (including lasers) or radioactive chemicals or animals must receive special training and be certified prior to their use. The above website presents information on the use of radioactivity. The use of animals is covered by the Purdue University Animal and Care Committee. Their web site is: http://www.purdue.edu/research/vpr/compliance/animals/. Similarly, those involved in research with human subjects must have prior approval for research whose address is: http://www.purdue.edu/Research/ORA/humans/humans-main.shtml.

SUPPORT OF GRADUATE STUDENTS

Graduate students are expected to complete their M.S. degree requirements within 2 years and Ph.D. requirements within 5 years. Thus, M.S. graduate students will usually not be provided support from any departmental source (TA, RA, fellowship, traineeship) after 2 years and similarly 5 years for the Ph.D. graduate students. Exceptions must be requested in writing and approved by the Advisory Committee and School Head. Normally graduate students in the School of Health Sciences are appointed as Teaching Assistants or Research Assistants on fiscal year appointments.

VACATION AND LEAVE POLICIES

Detail information related to graduate student employment may be found in the document "Graduate Student Employment Manual" available at the Graduate School web site. University policy allows the school to determine vacation policies with certain limitations. The granting of a vacation request should take into account the progress of the student towards his/her degree objective. The vacation time taken must be mutually agreeable to the student and major professor and must not conflict with the teaching responsibilities of students supported by teaching assistantships.

Most graduate students in the School of Health Sciences are on fiscal year (12 month) appointments. Fiscal year (12 month appointment) graduate staff are eligible for the ten official university holidays. Graduate students who are not classified as graduate staff (e.g. fellowship and training grant appointees) are not subject to university vacation policies. Such students should reach a mutually acceptable agreement with their major professors. Graduate students on fiscal (12 month) appointments accrue vacation time each month - 2 days per month except for March and September (1 day/month). Vacation days may not be taken which have not accrued. Fiscal year graduate staff may be granted a maximum of 22 days per year subject to the conditions of the preceding paragraph. Vacation days accrued in excess of 22 working days are forfeited. Students must submit an absence from campus duty form prior to taking the vacation. A copy is provided in Appendix 7.

In the unusual circumstance that a student is appointed as an academic year graduate staff member, then they are considered to have vacation status when classes are not in session. The seven-day period prior to the start of classes and the period between the end of classes and date for submission of final grades are not considered vacation days.

If students are absent due to travel to meetings or on trips related to their research projects and are to receive reimbursement, they must file a form 17 "request for authority to travel on university business" prior to the trip. Upon return, an accounting form 0025 "travel reimbursement request" must be completed. Copies of these forms are in Appendix 8 and 9.

Graduate students are eligible for two weeks (10 working days) per year of paid sick leave for illness. "Illness" is defined as a staff member's own illness, disabling injury, or pregnancy. This includes childbirth and complications of pregnancy, miscarriage, abortion, and confined recovery there from, for the period during which the employee is unable to perform normal duties as determined by a physician.

Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA): The "Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993" provides provision for time off for an employee's own serious health condition, to take care of a family member with a serious health condition, to give birth, to adopt, or to place a child in the employee's home for foster care. FMLA states that up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave per year is available. If the leave is taken for an employee's own health condition or disability due to childbirth, all sick leave with pay must be exhausted prior to FMLA taking effect. In order to be eligible for leave under FMLA, graduate student staff must have been employed at Purdue for a year or longer and have worked at least 1,250 hours in the past 12 months. "Family member" is defined as the employee's own spouse, son, daughter, or parent. Further information on FMLA is available by contacting Personnel Services. Refer to Executive Memorandum No. C-30 for the University's policy on family leave. Graduate student staff are eligible for three working days per year paid leave for immediate family illness. "Immediate family" is defined as spouse, parents, children, grandparents, grandchildren, sisters, brothers, and corresponding in-laws and step-relatives. Family members not included here, but who reside in the employee's home, are considered immediate family.

OUTSIDE EMPLOYMENT

Graduate students should recognize that the pursuit of a graduate research degree is a full-time activity that may require significant personal sacrifices for a time but which will hopefully pay off in a more rewarding life's work and greater earning potential. Therefore, students are strongly discouraged from engaging in work outside of the School to supplement their University income. However, occasions do occur in which the question of outside work arises.

Any student wishing to engage in outside work to supplement his or her income is encouraged to discuss this matter earnestly with his or her major professor or advisor. The overriding issue is whether the student is making satisfactory progress towards his/her degree objective, and if the proposed outside work will jeopardize that progress. A student on appointment who is working outside the department will be held to the same standards as one who is not.

A student needs no formal School approval for any activity conducted on his/her own time. However, students on appointment who wish to engage in outside work during regular working hours must take personal vacation for this purpose, and, like any vacation, this must be approved in advance. The major professor, department head, and TA supervisor (if applicable) must sign the approval.

PURCHASING

Items for research can be purchased from the various university stockrooms by using a form 100. A valid account number and signature of the major professor are necessary. Other items may be ordered from outside the university by filling out a form (Appendix 10, available from the secretaries), obtaining the signature of the major professor, and submitting it to the secretaries. On some occasions it may be necessary to purchase items from local merchants. Some of these stores will take a form 100. For others you may pay cash and be reimbursed by the business office upon submitting a receipt and an account number. Since you will not be reimbursed for sales tax, you need to obtain the state sales tax exemption number prior to shopping.

APPENDIX I: EXAMPLE OF STUDY PLAN

The requirements specified below are subject to change following approved revisions by the faculty. Students should consult with their major professors to ensure that the latest set of requirements is fulfilled.