back to Department Regulations & Policies


The major goals of the first year are for the student to complete successfully all required core courses offered during the year, to develop communication skills by participating in the departmental journal clubs and seminar program, to gain research experience during the rotations in faculty laboratories in the Spring semester, to select a Faculty Advisor and initiate the doctoral research project, and to establish an Advisory Committee during the first summer. The first two semesters of the first year are considered a probationary period in that the achievements and academic record of each first year student are carefully reviewed by the department graduate faculty in the early summer. Only students who are in good academic standing, who are demonstrating significant progress toward the doctoral degree, and who are meeting the expectations for a student working toward the highest academic degree will be invited to remain in the doctoral program with the status of "good academic standing and non-probation". A student who fails to meet any of these criteria may be dismissed from the doctoral program or be placed on probationary status, by a decision of the faculty. The policy concerning a student whose overall grade point average or departmental grade point average is below a B is stated in the Policy on Academic Performance.