Ph.D. Program - Final Examination and Thesis Requirements

1. Doctoral Thesis

Upon completion of the research program, as determined by the student and advisor, each student must prepare a doctoral thesis. The thesis must follow the rules and format stipulated in the "Doctoral Dissertation Manual" issued by the Office of the Vice Provost for Graduate Education, available online at: http://www.upenn.edu/VPGE/DissManual.html.

 Although strict style guidelines have not been set by the Bioengineering Graduate Group, it is stressed that the requirements of all good scientific writing, i.e. clear logic, clear and grammatically correct writing, and common sense in the presentation, should be followed. In general, the student should also consult previous Ph.D. theses available in the library for guidance as to how to best solve problems of presenting voluminous data, graphs, equations, etc., that are often encountered in an engineering thesis. The importance of good organization, with appropriate chapter subheadings as required, cannot be over emphasized, since the reader is faced with the problem of assimilating and critically assessing a great deal of information. Students should also be cognizant that significant differences in styles exist for theses in engineering and the life sciences; although Bioengineering spans both, at Penn the Bioengineering Ph.D. is an engineering degree and students should follow that model.

It is the responsibility of the thesis advisor to ensure that the written copy of the thesis submitted to the committee meets the above basic requirements.

2. Submission of Doctoral Thesis to Thesis Committee

In order to submit the thesis, it must be in its final form, i.e., typed, with final drawings, and complete with references and appendices.

The student must allow sufficient time for the reading of the thesis by the committee, the final examination, and possible revisions and rereading; otherwise the student may be required to register for another semester to complete the process.

The Office of Academic Programs will post the deadline dates for depositing the completed dissertation at the Office of the Vice Provost of Graduate Education (16 College Hall), at the beginning of each semester. Adhere strictly to these deadlines to avoid disappointment.

When the student is ready to defend, the advisor must send a cover letter to the Graduate Group Chair informing him/her of the student's readiness to defend, along with the thesis (in its final form). The student and advisor will receive notice of approval from the Graduate Group Chair indicating that the student may schedule a date for the defense, allowing a minimum of three weeks for the thesis to be read. When the student has finalized a date he/she must inform the graduate assistant within two weeks of the date so that the graduate assistant can reserve a meeting room, prepare the proper paperwork, and post notices of the defense to the University community. Communicating confirmation of the date and meeting place to each committee member is the responsibility of the student. If any of the original committee members are unavailable, the Graduate Group Chair will appoint replacements as needed. Upon agreeing to an examination date, the committee members guarantee to complete an initial review of the thesis at least ONE WEEK prior to the scheduled exam date. During that week, they should be available for consultation with the student to discuss possible necessary thesis revisions and deficiencies PRIOR to the examination.

The responsibility for initiating contact rests with the student, but an equal responsibility rests with the thesis committee to make the student and advisor aware of problems prior to the examination. In extreme cases, the committee chair may act to postpone the examination date if in his/her judgment the thesis is not ready for defense.

3. Final Examination

The actual final examination consists of a defense of the dissertation by the student. It is conducted in two parts:

1) A public defense, in which the student orally presents the results of his/her research as a public seminar of 30-40 minutes duration, followed by an open question period. The entire University community is invited, with suitable announcements distributed as with regular departmental seminars.

2) Immediately following the open defense, there is a closed examination, open only to the thesis committee. If he/she deems it advisable, the thesis committee chair may invite additional persons to the closed examination. Such persons may participate in the examination but do not take part in the final vote.

At the conclusion of the final examination, the committee decides by majority vote, as to whether the student passes the final examination and whether the thesis is acceptable. The results are transmitted to the Graduate Group Chair, who has primary responsibility for acceptance of the thesis as representative of the entire Graduate Group Committee. It is expected that in all but the rarest circumstance the Graduate Group Chair will consent to the committee's recommendation, and will break a tie vote if necessary the Graduate Group Chair can over rule the thesis committee. In order to overrule the thesis committee, the Graduate Group Chair must submit a written opinion to the entire Graduate Group Committee, who then take final action.

If the student is judged to have passed the final examination, but the thesis is deemed to require revision, the review committee shall determine what revisions are necessary, and the basis for further review. Such revisions will be specified in a letter from the Examining Committee Chair sent to the candidate and his/her advisor within 48 hours of the examination. The thesis committee chair is responsible for overseeing this aspect of the review and for certifying to the Graduate Group Chair that the thesis is finally acceptable. The student must then submit sufficient copies of the approved thesis for each of the committee members, if they require them.

4. Submission of Thesis to Vice Provost

The student will call to make an appointment with the office of the Vice Provost for Graduate Education to submit the thesis. Also to be included with the official copies are an Abstract not to exceed 350 words, as required for submission to Dissertation Abstracts. (Details on particulars can be found in the current Doctoral Dissertation Manual). The student must inform the graduate assistant of the date and time of the appointment at least one week in advance in order for the assistant to complete the Degree Certification and Dissertation Certification (Form 153) forms which must be taken to 16 College Hall along with the thesis copies. It is the responsibility of the student to get original signatures of the student’s advisor on the title pages.

After the office of the Vice Provost for Graduate Education has accepted the thesis, (16 College Hall) at least two unbound copies must be provided to the Bioengineering office for binding at the department’s expense (one is the department’s copy and one is for presentation to the student’s advisor). The department may have additional copies bound at the student’s request and expense, and will collect payment from the student at the time the request is made.

University of Pennsylvania Doctoral Dissertation Manual can be found at:http://www.upenn.edu/VPGE/DissManual.html

Graduation

Since all Ph.D. candidates at the University of Pennsylvania are governed by procedures established in the SAS Graduate Office, Engineering Ph.D. candidates should be aware that their applications for graduation are processed in the SAS Graduate Office and that their dissertation is submitted there. The SAS Graduate Office firmly observes the deadlines they establish, so it is important to adhere to their requirements.

Early application for graduation is necessary to ensure that grades, thesis preparation and/or revisions, and financial obligations can be fulfilled by the deadline for graduation. Also, the process for ordering and printing diplomas can take up to three months.

Candidates for Ph.D. degrees need to apply online: https://fusion.sas.upenn.edu/degree/index.php

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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