Once students have completed a substantial amount of coursework, they will need to schedule a doctoral board oral examination to receive PhD candidacy by the end of their second year.
DBO Checklist
- Organize the committee
- 5 faculty total, including your PI
- Committee should balance mathematical sciences with biological sciences in terms of faculty
- Minimum of 2 faculty inside the dept, and 2 faculty outside the dept
- 2 alternate faculty must be selected, one each from inside/outside the dept
- Tip: conduct a doodle poll to find the optimal time that all faculty can meet.
- For specifics, please consult the official student guidelines.
- Contact the department
- Once the DBO committee is finalized and examination time is scheduled, contact our department administrator Hong to fill out the examination request form. The Associate Dean/Registrar will approve the committee and select the committee chair.
- Tip: book a room for the examination as soon as your committee paperwork is submitted, and alert your committee members.
- Before the exam
- Give yourself sufficient time to study.
- Ask for advice from other students who have taken the exam, especially those who shared the same committee members.
- Book a mock DBO to assess your knowledge and get used to the examination format.
- Contact faculty for advice about their expectations.