Requirements for Granting the PhD in Translational Biomedical Sciences

TBS requires that each student complete a body of primary research of publishable quality. While we do not require a first-author research paper for degree attainment, we hope that the vast majority of graduating students will have at least one (1) publishable first author, peer-reviewed, primary research paper submitted by or largely completed prior to graduation. In addition to evaluating completed experiments and manuscripts, readiness to graduate will also be considered with respect to maturity and independence in scientific judgement – there are indeed cases where maturity outpaces publications, and this should be acknowledged positively and considered. 

When the DAC agrees that the student has met the requirements for earning a PhD and is ready to begin drafting their dissertation, the committee will indicate this fact on the student’s DAC Meeting Summary Forms. The student’s dissertation defense must take place within three (3) to six (6) months of the date on which the decision was made; to delay the defense beyond this time requires that the student petition the TBS Steering Committee for permission. 

Attributions to the Dissertation (Milestone 9)

While the student does all of the work for the dissertation in some cases, more often than not portions of the dissertation result from collaborative research. In all dissertations containing collaborative results, the dissertations should indicate concisely who contributed to the work. For example, a chapter containing multi-authored, published work must include a complete reference and a brief description of the candidate and their colleague(s)’s contributions. For work that is not published but which resulted from multiple researchers, the contributors must be named, and respective attributions made clearly. This policy allows stylistic flexibility – depending on the amount of collaborative work in the dissertation, and the status of the publication(s), the attributions can be together at the end of either the Acknowledgements or Introduction sections of the dissertation, or before each relevant chapter. It is permissible for more than one student to include work from the same collaboration(s) or publication(s) as long as the required attributions are clear, justified, and complete. Secondly, the student must present and defend their dissertation in a public form followed by a defense-style exam administered by the DAC. 

Dissertation & Graduation Requirements (Milestone 10)

The TBS Program has two degree granting pathways: a master’s degree and a doctorate degree. We do not recruit or admit students to the master’s program, but it may be used by doctoral students who do not feel they will be able to complete the requirements for a PhD.

Masters

The TBS master's is not considered a thesis degree. It requires completion of Milestones one (1), four (4), and five (5). The student will need to be registered for at least one credit in their final semester and apply for graduation on time. 

PhD

Students who plan to obtain a TBS doctorate degree must follow the dissertation guidelines set by Ohio University’s Thesis and Dissertation Services (TAD). Completion of the TAD Process (Milestone 10 – Completing TAD Process, is necessary for graduation). Please refer to their website for deadlines, checklists, and required forms. They update these frequently, so make sure you are working with the most current information. Please work closely with the TBS Program administrator and your mentors to ensure you complete all paperwork on time.

The dissertation proposal should be crafted with the goal of completing all the work required for a PhD within five years. This takes planning and careful evaluation of the main aims of the project. We realize that progress is unpredictable and sometimes the most fruitful approaches are also the most challenging and take longer to bear fruit. Thus, exceptions are anticipated. Below is a general timeline of the dissertation process. 

Year One (1) 

  • Complete all required coursework (Milestone 1). 
  • Define the broad scope of the overall PhD work. 

Year Two (2) 

  • Complete additional elective coursework. 
  • Complete Milestone 2 requirements. 
  • Have a clear plan for a dissertation project presented at the first DAC meeting (late summer or early fall of year three (3). 

- It is understood that plans will evolve over the course of the dissertation, especially given that creativity is highly encouraged yet often comes with risk and, often, delays. 

Year Three (3) 

  • Have unambiguous evidence of progress toward meeting the goals of the dissertation proposal. 
  • A preliminary list of potential dissertation chapter titles is encouraged to start thinking about the overall dissertation hypothesis and the diverse ways the evolving work could be packaged as a dissertation. 

Year Four (4) 

  • Solidify directions as relates to dissertation chapters, which should include a body of work that will form the basis of one (1) or two (2) first author, peer-reviewed, primary research papers. 
  • While publication is not a degree requirement, bringing a body of work through to publication is an important skill to learn, thus we encourage that a plan for possible first author publication(s) begin to be discussed at DAC meetings even as early as Year Three (3). 

Year Five (5) and Beyond 

  • Continue filling in the outline of the dissertation with data and discussion. 
  • Continue discussions as relates to plans for publication(s). 
  • Because bringing a story to closure in the form of a publication is an important skill to learn, we encourage manuscript submission prior to the PhD defense. 
  • Please know that we strongly encourage creativity and realize that it is often accompanied by longer timelines.