Biological Sciences, Ph.D.

Doctor of Philosophy Degree

Plan of Study. Students must submit their signed, official Plan of Study Form to the Graduate School by the end of the second semester they are enrolled. The Plan of Study Forms are available at www.usm.edu/graduate-school - click on the “Plans of Study” link.

Research and Scholarly Integrity Education

All faculty holding Regular or Associate graduate faculty status, must complete The Research and Scholarly Integrity Training required by the Graduate School and their departments. All graduate students must complete The Research and Scholarly Integrity Training required by the Graduate School and their departments the first semester they are enrolled in graduate school. The RSIE policy and training information are found on the Graduate School web page –www.usm.edu/graduate-school. Contact the Dean of the Graduate School if you have any questions regarding the policy of training information.

Program Requirements

A minimum of eighty-four (84) graduate hours beyond the bachelor’s degree or a minimum of fifty-four (54) graduate hours beyond the master’s degree with a 3.0 GPA is required to graduate. Students must meet the general requirements set forth by the Graduate School of The University of Southern Mississippi. The following are major additional requirements.

1. Students need to identify an advisor by the end of the first semester.
2. Students should form a committee and submit a plan of study by the end of the second semester.
3. Gain approval of a written prospectus from a five-member doctoral committee by the end of the fourth semester.
4. Provide an annual research progress report to the doctoral committee after completion of prospectus.
5. Pass a comprehensive examination (oral and written) by the end of the sixth semester.
6. Fulfill the Research Tools requirement as specified by the student’s doctoral committee and approved by the chair of the department.
7. Gain approval of a dissertation and successfully defend the dissertation at an advertised research seminar open to the public by the end of the fifth year (for students with an M.S. degree) or sixth year (for students without an M.S. degree). (12 hours of 898 are required)
8. Continuous enrollment - Students must meet the requirement specified in the front section of this Bulletin.
9. Residency - meet residency requirements in the front section of this Bulletin.
10. Completion of a minimum of 9 credit hours of BSC 898 .