Bioengineering Graduate Group Bylaws

Organization

The Graduate Group is governed by a Chair and an Executive Committee.

A. Chair

The Chair is responsible for the overall direction of the Graduate Group.  The Chair oversees all committees of the Graduate Group and convenes meetings of the Executive Committee.  The Chair presides over Graduate Group Meetings, and sets the agenda and policies, consistent with procedures used by the Department of Bioengineering and subject to the policies described in the University Faculty Handbook.  In addition to these responsibilities, the Chair also supervises day-to-day operations of the Graduate Group, serves on all administrative committees (Admissions, Masters, and Graduate Exams) as an ex-officio member, and serves on the necessary School and University level committees on graduate education.  In addition, the Chair attends meetings of the Biomedical Graduate Studies Graduate Group Advisory Committee in the School of Medicine as an associated member.

The Chair, with the help of an assistant, is responsible for approving each student’s course of study with consultation of the research/thesis advisor, approving thesis committees and appointing chairs of these committees, monitoring the progress of students through the program, providing advice to graduate students, approving exceptions to the rules stated in the graduate student handbook, and answering questions from prospective applicants.

The Chair serves a term of up to three years and reports directly to the Bioengineering Department Chair.  In the Spring semester of the terminal year of the Graduate Group Chair’s term, the Chair of the Department of Bioengineering either seeks the renewal of the standing chair or contacts other nominees to determine their willingness to serve.  The final nomination is forwarded by the Bioengineering Department Chair to the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in the School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS), who forwards the recommendation to the Associate Provost for Education.  The Graduate Group Chair is appointed by the Provost upon recommendation by the aforementioned Department Chair, Associate Dean, and Provost.  The Graduate Group Chair must hold a tenured appointment in the standing faculty of the University and be a member of the Bioengineering Graduate Group.

B. Executive Committee

The Executive Committee shall have the responsibility of overseeing admissions to the graduate program, overall curriculum development, and faculty membership in the Graduate Group.  In addition, the Executive Committee advises the Graduate Group Chair and makes policy or procedural recommendations that the Graduate Group Chair can put before the Graduate Group. The Executive Committee shall be composed of the following members: Chair of the Graduate Group, Director of the Masters Program, Chair of the Admissions Committee, and the Director of Graduate Examinations. The Bioengineering Department Chair is an ex-officio member of the Executive Committee.

The Executive Committee members will be appointed by the Chair of the Department of Bioengineering after consultation with the Graduate Group Chair, within the framework of assignment of administrative responsibilities in the Department of Bioengineering. The Graduate Group Chair may appoint other members to the committee as necessary.  Membership on the committee should change slowly, so it has a substantial institutional memory.

1. The Admissions Committee

The appointments of the Chair of the Admissions Committee and up to two additional committee members are for a two-year term.  Committee members review new PhD and MD/PhD student applications and develop recruitment strategies. Graduate Fellowship admission offers are made by the Graduate Group Chair.

2. Director of the Masters Program

The Director of the Bioengineering Masters program reviews Masters student applications, develops recruitment strategies, and assists each student in the Masters program to develop a program of study.  If the student chooses the option of performing a thesis, the student’s thesis advisor may provide additional guidance on course selection, and will supervise the student’s thesis research.  The Director will provide students assistance with finding a mentor. The Graduate Group Chair, Bioengineering Department Chair, and Executive Committee will provide governance and oversight in the Masters program as needed.

3. Director of Graduate Examinations

The Director of Graduate Examinations is responsible for composing, organizing, standardizing, and reviewing the results of all qualifying and preliminary examinations.

Department of Bioengineering
School of Engineering and Applied Science
University of Pennsylvania
210 S. 33rd Street
Room 240 Skirkanich Hall
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Phone No.: (215) 898-8501
Fax No.: (215) 573-2071
beoffice@seas.upenn.edu

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