Ph.D. Program - Procedure for submitting the dissertation proposal

A PhD candidate must have passed the qualifications evaluation and be in good academic standing in order to be eligible to submit a thesis proposal. Students who have not defended their thesis proposal by the end of the Fall semester of the 3rd year of their PhD studies must petition to the Graduate Group Chair for an extension. The petition should explain why a proposal was not submitted and provide a schedule for submission.  Thesis proposals must be defended and approved at least 12 months before the thesis is submitted. The Graduate Group Chair will not accept theses before this period has passed.

The proposal should have the following sections: Cover page including title, student and advisor name and contact information, Table of Contents, Abstract (200 words on its own separate page), Specific Aims (1-2 pages), Significance of the Research, Preliminary Results, Experimental Design & Methods, Facilities (1-2 pages), References and Appendices which can include technical reports and papers by the student. There is a 30-page limit, double spaced with minimum font size of 11, excluding the Cover Page, Table of Contents, References and Appendices. The division of space among the sections and overall length of the proposal should be discussed with the advisor. There is no requirement to meet the 30-page limit so proposals can be shorter!

The completed proposal must first be submitted to the dissertation advisor for approval. The advisor then identifies potential committee members. The committee must include at least one member of the Bioengineering faculty other than the advisor, and at least two persons with ENGINEERING or SCIENCE expertise in the general area of research. Appointment of committee members who are not part of Penn faculty requires details of their full title, affiliation and a short biographical sketch.

The proposal must then be submitted to the Graduate Group Chair along with a cover letter from the advisor indicating approval of the proposal and suggestions for members of the examining committee. The Graduate Group Chair, in consultation with the advisor, may reject any of the suggestions and appoint additional members. The complete committee consists of the advisor plus 3-4 persons, one of whom is designated chair, all must be approved by the Graduate Group Chair. This committee will serve as the thesis committee through the defense of the PhD thesis. Changes or additions to the committee require approval of the Graduate Group Chair. The dissertation advisor is an ex-officio member of the committee and should always be present at the examination and at all meetings of the committee. However, the advisor must allow the student to demonstrate his/her knowledge and command of the subject on his/her own and will be recognized by the committee chair only to clarify issues when requested by a committee member.

Once the committee is appointed, the student and advisor will receive notice of approval from the Graduate Group Chair indicating the student may begin to schedule a date for the examination, allowing a minimum of two weeks for the proposal to be reviewed by the committee. When the student has finalized a date, he/she must inform the Graduate Program Coordinator Kathleen Venit as soon as possible so that she can help reserve a meeting room, if needed, and forward the proper paperwork and forms to the committee chair, including confirmation of the date and meeting place. The student will send a reminder to all committee members of the time and place of the examination one week before the meeting. The Graduate Group Chair and Graduate Assistant should be copied on the reminder, which can be distributed by e-mail.

If there is a need to change the meeting time of the presentation the student must confirm these changes with committee members and make sure that everyone is agreeable to the change. The student must also inform the Graduate Program Coordinator and the Graduate Group Chair of any changes that are made.

The Oral Presentation should last approximately 45 minutes and will be followed by a question-answer period of similar length. Adjustments may be made with regard to the length of the presentation and subsequent discussion based on committee discretion, but the student should tailor his/her presentation roughly to these guidelines. The exam room should be reserved for two and a half hours to also allow the committee time for evaluation and discussion. The committee chair will report the recommendations to the Graduate Group Chair on the forms provided by the Graduate program coordinator.

It is imperative that all committee members be present at the oral presentation. If a member of the committee is unable to attend, the student must obtain approval of the committee chair and Graduate Group Chair to go on with the proposal. In this case, the absent member will be required to send comments to the Committee Chair two days prior to the presentation. At the Committee Chair’s discretion, these comments or questions may be used during the exam to test the candidate’s knowledge of the subject area.

The student may be informed orally on the outcome of the dissertation proposal defense following the examination. Written confirmation of the outcome will follow after the Committee Chair returns the examination approval form to the Graduate Program Coordinator. The dissertation committee must accept the proposal before the student can fully embark on dissertation research. If the student does not submit a proposal or submits one that is found unsatisfactory, he/she will be considered as failing the exam and not in good academic standing, and will be required to withdraw from the program.

Additional meetings of the committee should be scheduled every 6-12 months to update the committee either in response to the suggestions made during the defense, during dissertation research, or in preparation for the final thesis presentation. A brief committee report should be sent to the Graduate Program Coordinator for the student’s file. The student should arrange these meetings as he/she did the proposal defense and in consultation with the members of the committee. In special circumstances the Graduate Group Chair may also ask the thesis committee to reconvene. If a thesis is not submitted in the 5th year the committee must meet in the 5th year and report to the Graduate Group Chair. The student should arrange this meeting.

Department of Bioengineering
School of Engineering and Applied Science
University of Pennsylvania
210 S. 33rd Street
Room 240 Skirkanich Hall
Philadelphia, PA 19104
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