Residence Requirements
A minimum of three full years is required for completion of the doctoral degree. In most cases, especially for students who enter the doctoral program without prior graduate level experience and training, a period of four to five years is usually needed for completion of the doctoral degree.

M.S. Program

The Department of Microbiology and Immunology does not admit students directly into a masters graduate program. A student in the Ph.D. Program may petition the Department Head and the Faculty for approval to transfer from the departmental Ph.D. program to the M.S. program. Approval is unlikely to be granted except in very special circumstances. A student in the M.S. program is not eligible for stipend support from the Department and will not receive a tuition waiver or any Departmental funds.

Part Time Students

The policy of the Department is that no part-time students will be allowed to enroll in the program. Students are expected to devote all their attention and energy to their research and to fulfilling the requirements for the graduate degree. Therefore, it is expected that students will not seek outside jobs and/or part-time employment. With the permission of the Departmental Head, approval of the faculty, and consent of the Dean, a student may be allowed to take a leave of absence from the program; in this case, leave time will not apply to the residence requirement.