Master of Science Students

• Obtain a Thesis Mentor and form an Advisory Committee.
  The completed Application for Thesis Option form should be submitted to the Chair of Biology Graduate Committee. If an Advisory Committee member is not a full-time Villanova Biology faculty member, a Curriculum Vitae and a written statement that he/she has been made aware of and agrees to abide by the rules and regulations of our M.S. program must accompany this form. The student should submit the completed form to the Chair of Biology Graduate Committee. Subsequent to Biology Graduate Committee approval, the Chair of the Biology Graduate Committee will place the form in the student's permanent file.
• Prepare a program of study.
  The completed Program of Study form should be submitted to the Chair of Biology Graduate Committee who, after checking the Program of Study for consistency with all requirements for the degree, will place the form in the student's permanent file.
• Prepare written thesis research proposal.
  The student should submit the completed Approval of Written Thesis Proposal form to the Chair of Biology Graduate Committee who will place the form, along with a copy of the written thesis proposal, in the student's permanent file. After submitting this form, the student will post an announcement of the oral presentation, giving at least one week's notification between posting and the date of the presentation.
• Present the thesis proposal in a public seminar.
  Using the Evaluation of Thesis Proposal Presentation form, the student's Advisory Committee will indicate that the oral presentation of the thesis proposal was either satisfactory or deficient. The Thesis Mentor should submit the completed form to the Chair of Biology Graduate Committee who will place the form in the student's permanent file.
• Prepare written thesis and receive its approval by the Advisory Committee.
  In preparing the thesis, the student should consult the most recent A Guide to the Writing of the Master's Thesis distributed by the Office of Graduate Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences for a general description of the required format for the written thesis. In addition, the student should follow the guidelines distributed by the Department of Biology (Guidelines for the Preparation of a Masters Thesis) for more specific details concerning both content and format.
  The Advisory Committee must unanimously approve the final version of the thesis, indicating their approval by signing the Approval of Written Thesis form. In signing this form, the Advisory Committee indicates that no further substantive revisions of the thesis are required, while leaving open the possibility for relatively minor corrections that could be made in the "page proof" stage of the publication process. The completed form should be submitted to the Chair of Biology Graduate Committee who will place the form in the student's permanent file.
• Present and defend thesis research in a public seminar.
  After submitting the Approval of Written Thesis form, the student will post an announcement of the upcoming thesis defense, giving at least one week's notification between posting and the date of the defense. In the event that the student's Advisory Committee finds that the student's defense of the thesis research was deficient, explanation of the Committee's decision and recommendations for remedying the student's status must be communicated to the student using the Unsuccessful Defense of Thesis form. Thesis Mentor should submit the completed form to the Chair of Biology Graduate Committee who will place the form in the student's permanent file.
• Submit the Thesis to the Office of Graduate Studies, College of Arts and Sciences.
  Following the successful defense of the thesis research, the Approval Page (see the Approval Page form in the Graduate Studies in Biology handbook) of the final copy of the thesis will be signed by the Advisory Committee members; the completed Approval Page is included in the bound thesis, and should be inserted after the Title page. The thesis must then be approved by the Chair of the Department, who will indicate approval by signing the Approval Page of the thesis. The thesis will then be submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies, College of Arts and Sciences. A minimum of six copies of the thesis is required (two for placement in Falvey Memorial Library, one for the Department of Biology, and one for each Advisory Committee member). Three of these copies (Library and Department) must be professionally bound. A binding fee ($10 per copy in 1997) must be prepaid by the student in the Current Periodical Room before the thesis can be bound; additional copies may be bound, at the same cost. The receipt for binding fees, issued by the Library, must accompany the thesis when it is delivered to the Office of Graduate Studies
• Submit Application for Granting of Master's Degree form to the Office of Graduate Studies.
• Submit (through your mentor) a Change of Grade Form (available through Department office) in order to count any credits earned in Research II and Research III

Master of Arts Students

• Meet with your Academic Advisor.
  Research Prospectus ( BIO 8920 ) should be taken during the first year of part-time or full-time graduate study. The course includes instruction in a variety of topics of interest to both M.A. and M.S. students.
• Prepare for the Comprehensive Examination.
  When the student is in his/her last semester and/or after completing 24 credits (earning a GPA > 3.0) and at least 1 month before wanting to begin the Exam.
  • Obtain consent of a faculty member to serve as Chair of Comprehensive Examination Panel.
  • Obtain consent of five additional faculty members willing to serve on Examination Panel.
  • Complete the Application for Comprehensive Examination form and submit to the Chair of the Graduate Committee. If all requirements are met, the Graduate Committee will create the Panel in part based on areas of interest. Once approved, the form will be placed in the student's file.
  • Complete the Timetable for the Comprehensive Examination form signed by members of the panel and submit to the Chair of the Graduate Committee. Make copies for the student, the student's permanent file, and each member of the Examination Panel.
• Take the written portion of the Comprehensive Examination.
  Receive the comprehensive examination questions from the Examination Panel, and research and prepare written answers. Consult with members of the Examination Panel as necessary. Submit answers to the Panel Chair no later than six weeks after receiving the questions.
• Receive comments by panel members and schedule oral examination.
  Receive feedback from Panel members within one week of finishing the written portion of the Exam. The oral portion of the Exam should be scheduled within two weeks of when the student submitted their answers. Revise answers as necessary to prepare for oral.
• Take oral examination and complete the form, Comprehensive Examination Report, and submit to the Chair of the Graduate Committee.
  The members of the Examination Panel will complete the Comprehensive Examination Report form indicating whether the student has successfully completed the Exam. Two copies of the completed form should be submitted to the Chair of the Biology Graduate Committee, one copy for the Dean of Graduate Studies in the College of Arts & Sciences and the other for the student's permanent file.
• Submit Application for Granting of Master's Degree form to the Office of Graduate Studies.