ADMISSION POLICY

Admission to the graduate program requires an undergraduate degree in the natural sciences that demonstrates competence in the areas of biology, chemistry and biological chemistry. Applicants should have had courses that include most (but not necessarily all) of the following: general chemistry, organic chemistry, biochemistry, general biology, physiology, genetics, physics, and calculus. The General Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is required. Information on this test can be obtained online at: www.gre.org. The Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) can substitute for those admitted to the M.D.-Ph.D program. An earned cumulative grade-point average (GPA) equivalent to at least 3.0 out of 4.0 in all previous undergraduate college-level course work, or 3.3 in all graduate course work is required. If the student’s undergraduate GPA is below the minimum, the student may be eligible for admission if the graduate program considers performance on the GRE to be satisfactory. Students should apply to be admitted for the Summer quarter, but exceptions can be made. Students are selected based on their previous academic record, research experience, a biographical statement, and three letters of recommendation, GRE scores, and a personal interview. In exceptional circumstance and at the discretion of the program’s Graduate Studies Committee, the interview may be conducted by telephone, but all of the interview will be in English. Foreign students are required to submit Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) scores. As the final deadline for the OSU fellowship competition is in January, early application is encouraged. Interested students are encouraged to contact members of the faculty or the Program Coordinator, Christine Kerr at any time for discussions of the various research and study programs and opportunities. A special effort is made to recruit minority students and women. As a policy, the graduate program will only admit students who have guaranteed funding for the first year of study. This funding could be from the Integrated Biomedical Science Graduate Program, Graduate Advisors, or individually arranged support, such as from a home government of an international applicant. Support for subsequent years is the responsibility of the student’s Dissertation Advisor.

A Medical Scientist Program (MSP) at The Ohio State University exists to bridge the gap between clinical medicine and research. Highly qualified students may enroll in this rigorous program to pursue the MD and PhD degrees simultaneously. The MSP provides state-of-the-art research and clinical medicine for extraordinary students desiring a combined academic medicine/biomedical research career track. Candidates from this program must meet all the requirements of both the IBGP and the M.D. program. MCAT scores can substitute for those admitted to the M.D.-Ph.D program.

STUDENT TRANSFER POLICY

Students seeking to transfer to the IBGP from another graduate program either at OSU or another institution must submit all of the application materials required for admission to the IBGP. The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is required, and for some applicants it is recommended that the subject test in Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology be taken. The Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) may temporarily substitute in some cases, but this requires approval by the Graduate Studies Committee. An earned cumulative grade-point average (GPA) equivalent to at least 3.0 out of 4.0 in all previous undergraduate college-level course work, or 3.3 in all graduate course work is required. If the student's undergraduate GPA is below the minimum, the student may be eligible for admission if the graduate program considers performance on the GRE to be satisfactory. Although it is best if students can apply for Summer Quarter, exceptions can be made. Students are selected based on their previous academic record, research experience, a biographical statement, three letters of recommendation, GRE scores, and a personal interview. In exceptional circumstance and at the discretion of the program's Graduate Studies Committee, the interview may be conducted by telephone, but all of the interview will be in English. Foreign students are required to submit Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) scores.

As a policy, the graduate program will only admit students who have guaranteed funding for the first year of study. This funding could be from the Integrated Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program, Graduate Advisors, or individually arranged support, such as from a home government of an international applicant. Support for subsequent years is the responsibility of the student's Dissertation Advisor.

Prior to approval of the transfer, the student can request transfer of credit for graduate courses from the other program to the IBGP. Although the student will be responsible for successfully completing for credit all aspects of the IBGP curriculum, a request can be made for some of the transferred courses to substitute for part of the IBGP core curriculum. The IBGP Graduate Studies Committee must approve both types of requests, and the student must submit appropriate documentation of the contents of these courses for the Committee to review. The student must clearly summarize the contents of the courses taken previously, and indicate how these are equivalent to specific areas of the curriculum from which exemption is being requested.

f the student's advisor from the previous program is a faculty member in the IBGP, the student can request exemption from laboratory rotations. This may or may not be approved by the Graduate Studies Committee. The student can also request that research data obtained while the student was in another program can be applied to the IBGP dissertation. This request must be accompanied by a letter from the following: (a) The advisor under whom the student was working while the data were collected; All other appropriate individuals associated with that study; (c) The current Dissertation Advisory Committee members. This letter must state that the student has permission to include this information in the dissertation. All of this material must be submitted to the IBGP Graduate Studies Committee for its review prior to approval.

POLICY FOR CANDIDACY EXAMINATION

For the student to take the Integrated Biomedical Science Graduate Program (IBGP) Candidacy Examination, he/she must meet the requirements of The Ohio State University Graduate School. This includes being in good standing (minimum grade point average of 3.00) in the Graduate School, and registered for at least three graduate credit hours each quarter for both parts of the Examination.

Written Portion
The written portion of the Candidacy Examination will be taken by Ph.D. students prior to Fall Quarter of the third year of graduate studies in the IBGP, and by M.D.-Ph.D. students prior to the beginning of year 4. The examination will be based on a research proposal based on the student’s proposed dissertation research and written in the format of a NIH small grant. The student must independently write the proposal, although he/she can consult with her/his Graduate Advisor and Advisory Committee. The Candidacy Examination Committee will consist of the student’s Advisory Committee plus the Graduate Faculty representative. The Examination Committee will determine the result of the examination to be either satisfactory or unsatisfactory within two weeks of submission of the proposal to the Committee. Students who do not pass the Candidacy Examination will be allowed to submit a revised proposal after a period of time set by the committee, but not to exceed one academic quarter. Students who do not pass the Examination the second time will not be allowed to continue in the IBGP.

Oral Portion
Ph.D. students will take the oral portion of the Candidacy Examination after successfully passing the written examination. This examination will be based on the written document, but will include all materials considered to be relevant by the examining committee. The oral examination will normally be held within a period of one month after completing the written examination, and not less than two weeks after submitting the written document. It will be held in compliance with the rules set by The Ohio State University Graduate School. Usually, the Candidacy Examination Committee will consist of the same faculty members as were on the committee to review the written document. Students who fail to pass the Oral Portion will be allowed to take the examination one more time, and this may or may not require revisions to the submitted proposal. Students who do not pass the Examination the second time will not be allowed to continue in the IBGP.

General policies for Graduate Associates and Graduate Fellowships are outlined in the The Ohio State University Graduate School Handbook in Sections II.8 and II.9. Policies specific to the Medical Scientist Program (MSP) are outlined below.

It is the policy of the IBGP that all doctoral students actively studying in the Program should be provided with financial support in the form of a Graduate Research Associate (GRA) or from a sponsored Fellowship. GRA support will be provided by the IBGP or the student’s research advisor. Fellwoships wil be awarded by the Graduate School or from sources external to Ohio State University. Consequently, admission to the Program is dependent upon availability of financial support for the incoming student. In keeping with NIH guidelines for support from Training Programs of Graduate and Postgraduate trainees, the IBGP will consider only those applicants who are U.S. citizens or registered aliens for support directly from Program funds.

Most incoming IBGP students will be supported by Graduate Research Associateships (GRAs) through the Program. Positions are usually funded by the IBGP for a period not to exceed two years. A GRA for domestic students carries a stipend of $1,583 per month ($19,000 annually) for the 2002-03 academic year, and is also accompanied by tuition and fee authorizations. GRA appointments are for 50% time, which is considered to represent 20 hours per week of service fulfilled in part through laboratory rotations during the student’s first year in the Program. Students are not permitted to hold other jobs while on Associateship appointment. Renewal of the appointment after the first year in the Program is dependent upon satisfactory performance, and will be evaluated by the student’s Advisory Committee and the IBGP Graduate Studies Committee. Financial support will become the responsibility of the student and his/her dissertation advisor following year 1. It is expected that in most cases financial support after the student’s second year in the Program will be from research or training program grants.

University fellowships are awarded to outstanding academic students and fund in part the pre-general and post-general exam years depending upon the specific fellowship. Students must be nominated by the IBGP for these fellowships and the Program will process the student’s application. To be considered for a University Fellowship, students must have all application materials received by the recruitment committee of the IBGP no later than January 10th. However, students are strongly encouraged to submit the completed application during the Autumn quarter before admission. The student must also check the appropriate “Fellowship” box under FINANCIAL AID on the bottom, right-hand side of the first page of the graduate application form. The IBGP will supplement University Fellowship awards up to an amount equal to $1,000.00 more than the IBGP standard stipend. Periods of training in the Program not funded by a Fellowship will be funded by GRAs provided by the IBGP or the faculty research advisor as described above.

Students that do not qualify for support from the IBGP or through Fellowships can be admitted to into the Ph.D. program if funded by a faculty member, or if the student has privately arranged financial support, and this arrangement is approved by the Graduate Studies Committee. Stipends, in the form of GRAs, must be at least equivalent to those provided by the Program to GRAs.

Outside Employment

Graduate education in the IBGP is a full time endeavor. Realizing this, the IBGP provides financial assistance to all its students to reduce the financial impact of being a graduate student full time. As a consequence, acceptance of financial assistance in any of the above forms precludes a student from being employed outside of the IBGP. Exemption from this policy will be made in only exceptional circumstances. Requests for exemption must be made in writing to the Graduate Studies Committee, and have the full support of the student’s advisor and advisory committee members. Such employment should have an educational advantage for the student.

Graduate Faculty Status in the Integrated Biomedical Science Graduate Program (IBGP) will be reserved mainly for faculty with at least a 25% academic appointment in the College of Medicine and Public Health (COM & PH). Consistent with the policy that the IBGP will only admit students to pursue a doctoral degree, all Graduate Faculty will be of P category. Initial appointments will be for four years and will be reviewed every four years. Those who have not made a substantive contribution may have their Graduate Faculty status with the IBGP revoked. It is fully expected that all Graduate Faculty will contribute in a substantive way to the Program. This will include the following:

1. Serve on Student Committees

2 Advise students

3. Serve on administrative committees for graduate education

4. Recruiting

5. Teaching in Core Curriculum or Elective courses

It is the general policy of IBGP to admit to membership only those who are qualified to serve in the faculty. Applications for Graduate Faculty Status must include a letter of application and current curriculum vitae. In their letter of application, candidates should indicate the departments (and/or programs) to which they belong and at which level (category). Explicit indication of how membership in IBGP will be mutually beneficial to the candidate and the program should be included. The candidate should indicate what he/she intends to contribute in terms of research expertise, collaborative ventures, student advising and teaching (seminars, guest lectures, etc.), and how the candidate expects to benefit from IBGP faculty membership. Candidates should also include information regarding previous experience advising graduate students.
The Program Director will distribute these materials to the Graduate Studies Committee (GSC). To aid the IBGP GSC in evaluating candidates for level P status, all faculty in the Program will be informed in a timely fashion of the names of applicants for level P status. The application materials of these applicants will be made available, and Graduate Faculty members will be invited to write to the IGBP GSC concerning their evaluation of the suitability of the applicant for category P.
The GSC will approve the request, deny the request, or ask for further documentation. This could include a personal interview with individual members of the GSC or the entire GSC. After receiving the additional information, the GSC will again consider the application and make a decision to approve or deny the request. Approval requires a majority of all active members of the GSC or their alternates.
A decision to admit a new member is equivalent to a majority vote by the IBGP faculty to appoint the candidate to the faculty. The Director of the IBGP will then complete the required forms and send them to the Graduate School and inform the applicant of the decision. All nominees for category P will sign the Category P Qualifications Form (Appendix B) to affirm that they have read Part II, Sections 5 through 8 and Section 12; and Part IV, Section 3 of the most recent Graduate School Handbook, as well as the entire Handbook of the IGBP Graduate Program. These documents are available in the IBGP Office (Room 268 Meiling Hall). The signed document will be appended to the nomination paperwork.

1. Current full curriculum vitae

2. Statement of the purpose for which the request is being made.

3. Summary of previous experience as a graduate advisor, including a list of students, the degrees these students received, and for whom the applicant:

a) Was the primary Advisor

b) Was on Graduate Advisory Committees

Candidates for category P IBGP membership should meet the following criteria:

1. The faculty member will hold a degree at the doctoral level, and typically will have had additional post-doctoral experience.
2. The faculty member will have an on going (i.e. active) program of scholarly research. Evidence of an active and scholarly research program will be the recent publication in refereed professional journals of research papers which involve analysis, synthesis, and/or integration of data and ideas as appropriate to an individual sub-discipline of biology and/or medicine. The GSC is responsible for examining evidence of an on-going pattern of original and significant scholarly contributions.
3. The faculty member should have an appreciation of what properly constitutes doctoral level work. Because we require a doctoral degree of level P faculty, we expect that his or her own experience will be an appropriate guide. In the case of applicants with no formal experience with a Ph.D. program, they should serve on at least one general and one final doctoral exam before obtaining P category status. In view of its feeling for and understanding of scholarly research in biology and medicine, the IBGP GSC may nominate faculty for level P status who do not exactly meet the requirements noted above. Such individuals will show special mentoring talents or will be of special benefit to the program. In such cases, relevant documentation will be cited or provided.
4. All members of the IBGP faculty should be familiar with the Graduate School Handbook, particularly Parts II and IV.

Policy for Medical Scientist (MD-PHD) Program

Admission

Students admitted to the M.D.-Ph.D. students to the Medical Scientist Program (MSP) will be eligible to enter the Integrated Biomedical Science Graduate Program (IBGP). However, approval for admission requires that copies of all application and admission documents for the student held by the M.D.-Ph.D. be sent to the IBGP Director, these be reviewed by the Graduate Studies Committee, and a majority vote for admission by this Committee be obtained. As soon after admission as possible, the Director (in consultation with the Graduate Studies Committee) will assign a Pre-Candidacy Examination Advisor. The student, Advisor, and Director will meet within the next two weeks to choose an Advisory Committee (chaired by the Advisor). The student will arrange a meeting of this Committee with him/herself within the following two weeks. The main issue to discuss at this meeting will be laboratory rotations. Minutes of this meeting will be prepared by the student, circulated to the Committee members for their approval, and submitted to the IBGP Director to be reviewed and placed in the student’s file. A copy of this will also be sent to the MSP Office.

Petitions

A student may petition for relaxation of or modification to any rules in the Interdisciplinary Biomedical Scientist Graduate Program (IBGP) handbook by first submitting a written petition to the IBGP Graduate Studies Committee (GSC). Such a petition should contain at least the signature of the student's Advisor, but a petition submitted with a letter of support from the advisor would be preferable.

Occasionally, conflicts may arise between graduate students or between students and faculty or staff members. Sincere attempts should be made to resolve conflicts among the involved parties before any grievance policy is activated.

If a problem remains after exhausting the informal process between the involved parties, the person having the unresolved complaint may file a written grievance with the IBGP GSC. The IBGP GSC will act as the Graduate Student Grievance Committee (GSGC). The Chair of the IBGP GSC will chair the GSGC unless personally involved, in which case the Chair will be excluded from all deliberations on the matter and the GSC will select a Chair from among the remaining IBGP GSC members. Members of the IBGP GSC directly involved in the case will also be disqualified from sitting on the panel for that specific case. In such circumstances, the Chair will designate an alternate, when possible from the same area of expertise as the disqualified member. The Chair of the IBGP GSGC will set a hearing date no later than two weeks after the grievance statement is received. At least 72 working hours prior to the hearing, the chair of the GSGC will provide to all parties a written statement of the specific grievance, a notification of the time and place of the hearing and copies of documents relevant to the grievance hearing. Each party will appear in person to present his or her case. The Chair will preside over the hearing and determine all procedural matters. This is an administrative proceeding, and the formal rules of legal procedures do not apply. All parties will be entitled to an expeditious hearing. The final decision of the GSGC will be reported in writing to the parties involved not later than two weeks after the hearing. The report on this decision will also include a statement concerning the validity of the complaint. Throughout this process the GSGC will attempt to mediate a resolution. Cases not resolved at this level will be referred to the Graduate school, and formal grievance procedures shall be activated as defined by the Graduate Associate Grievance Procedures Guidelines (available from the Graduate School).