Department Exam

Important Deadlines:

• September Year 2 - Students identify and contact the faculty they would like to have serve on their committee to confirm faculty willingness to serve.
• Fall - Students receive final Department Exam Committee assignment.

Students begin planning their thesis work during the summer after their first year of graduate school. An important aspect is the choice of thesis committee members. The Department Exam (also known as Second Year Exam) Committee forms the basis of the eventual thesis committee and consists of three faculty: two inside the student’s research track and one outside the student’s research track; 2 must be UCSD affiliated. Students first consult with their advisor(s) on the choice of appropriate committee members and then they contact the potential committee members to request their participation on the committee. Students are urged to discuss their committee membership with their advisor to make sure the choices are scientifically appropriate. Additionally, students are advised that some faculty members may be overcommitted, in which case an alternate(s) will need to be identified. Once the three faculty have agreed to serve, the student submits the list of their Second Year Exam Committee to the Graduate Affairs Committee for final approval. Advisors and Co-Advisors will not serve as a member of the Second Year Committee. Students will receive their Second Year Exam Committee assignments during the Fall quarter of Year 2 of the PhD program. Second Year Exam Committee members normally continue to serve on the student's Doctoral Committee.

Important Deadlines

Last Friday of instruction for Fall quarter, Year 2 - Final Research Proposal due to Second Year Exam Committee Members. (Approval from research advisor is required before submitting final proposal to committee. Students are expected to seek approval from their advisor at least 2 weeks in advance of the submission deadline.)

For the first component of the Second Year Exam format, students will prepare a Written Research Proposal. The Research Proposal is a grant-writing exercise that takes place during the Fall of the 2nd year. Students are strongly encouraged to consult with their advisor and Second Year Exam Committee in the preparation of their Research Proposal. The final Research Proposal that is submitted to the committee by the last Friday of Fall instruction deadline, must be approved by the student's advisor. (Students will be notified of the results and formal assessment from their committee in early January.)

The Written Research Proposal is designed to:

Encourage the student and research advisor to work together at an early stage to develop a research project.
Train the student in formulating hypotheses and developing strategies to test their hypotheses.
Have the student become familiar with the background literature relevant to their project and to see how their project fits into the bigger picture.
To have each student and their advisor enlist members of his/her Dissertation Committee early in the graduate career and to begin to solicit help from their committee members.
Develop writing skills of the student, particularly for proposals/fellowships.

Written Research Proposal Format:

Each specialization track may have different requirements for the proposal, below is a summary of each track. For further details, please contact your Track's Faculty Representative.

• Analytical and Atmospheric Chemistry
• Chemical Biology
• Computational and Theoretical Chemistry
• Inorganic Chemistry
• Materials Chemistry
• Physical Chemistry

Important Deadlines:

• Winter Quarter, Year 2 - Confirm Oral Defense date/time with Committee
• End of Winter Quarter, Year 2 - Successfully pass the Oral Research Proposal Defense

The second component of the new Second Year Exam format will consist of an Oral Defense of the Research Proposal. The student will orally defend the Research Proposal in front of the same 3-member Committee who approved the Research Proposal.

The purposes of the Oral Defense of the Research Proposal are:

1. To develop the student's oral presentation skills.
2. To test the student’s understanding of core material from the first year track curriculum, particularly that relevant to their research area.
3. To test the student’s understanding of topics relating to the student’s research project including (but not limited to) the background literature, the “big picture” into which their research fits, the methods that the student plans to use and their appropriate choice for the questions being asked.

Research Evaluation from Research Advisor:

Prior to the Oral Exam, the student’s Research Advisor will complete a research evaluation that will be shared with the Second Year Exam Committee and the student. The evaluation should be submitted to the Graduate Coordinator at least one week prior to the exam date for inclusion in the student’s exam folder, for the Committee’s review.

Exam Format and Feedback:

The Oral Exam should take approximately 60 min, of which no more than 30 minutes should consist of the student’s presentation, and 30 minutes for questioning. Questions posed by the Committee will cover the area of the student’s presentation as well as fundamental principles of all relevant disciplines of Chemistry and Biochemistry, especially as they relate to the proposal.

At the end of the oral presentation and examination, the Committee will deliberate under direction of the Chair of the 2nd year exam committee and deliver a critique of oral presentation of the proposal according to the rubric. The results shall be conveyed to the student immediately and to the Chem/Biochem Student Affairs office via email.

Satisfactory performance on the oral exam will permit the student to proceed with full time research as well as earn the MS coursework degree for qualified Ph.D. students. Unsatisfactory performance may necessitate re-writing or re-presenting the oral defense, or result in a recommendation that the student withdraw from the program.