The Ph.D. acknowledges the value of course work as background and preparatory for research, but the primary emphasis of the program is on the development of research skills and the completion of a research project on a significant problem in the area of biomedicine or biotechnology.

Please note: These requirements are subject to change as the program develops.

1. Total hours required:
The program requires 72 post baccalaureate credit hours in the following categories:

• 13 semester hours of required courses in years 1 and 2
• 2 semester hours of Colloquium (BIOL 8200) and 2 semesters hours of Seminar (BIOL 8201) (years 1-2)
• 2-6 semester hours of Lab Rotation
• 18 or more semester hours of electives
• 18 or more semester hours of Doctoral Dissertation Research

All students are required to take a general curriculum that includes a sequence of required courses as shown below. Substitutions of a course for another course in the same Department may be requested. All substitutions must be approved by the student's Dissertation Committee and the Biology Graduate Committee prior to registration for the course. A list and description of courses can be found at (Courses).

Required Courses (suggested year 1): 7 semester hours. Two semester-long courses. All students must take Principles of Biochemistry (Fall, 4 credits), and Molecular and Cell Biology (Fall, 3 credits). These courses will provide the fundamental background for the applied focus of the program.

Required Courses (suggested year 2): 6 semester hours. Four team-taught semester-long courses in Bioethics (Fall, 3 credit) and Hypothesis Testing (Fall, 3 credits). These courses will build on the material presented in Core A and will emphasize the chemistry, physics, and engineering principles as they impact biomedicine and biotechnology.

Years 1&2: Interdisciplinary Colloquium; 2 semester hours (1 hour per year). This course is designed to expose students to the diversity of research programs associated with the doctoral program in biology, and give 2nd year students opportunities to present their dissertation proposals in preparation for the Oral Candidacy Exam. (Fall semester only). Attendance at Colloquium is required of all 1st and 2nd year students. Doctoral students at later stages in the program are strongly encouraged to participate.

Years 1&2: Seminar; 2 semester hours (1 hour per year). Formal student presentations of current literature topics in their area of study. (Spring semester only). Attendance at Seminar is required of all 1st and 2nd year students.  Doctoral students at later stages in the program are strongly encouraged to participate.

Years 1&2: Laboratory Research Rotations; a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 6 semester hours total (1-3 rotations of 2 hours each). One rotation may be completed in the lab of the student’s major advisor.  Rotations should be used to gain exposure to research programs and techniques relevant to the student’s area of interest.

Years 2&3: Electives; 18 semester hours minimum; at least half of the credits must be from 8000-level courses. Advanced topics courses to be selected by students in consultation with their dissertation committee. These will be specialty topics in the areas of expertise of program faculty.

2. Proportion of courses open only to graduate students.
All the basic core courses, Interdisciplinary Colloquium, and seminar courses are open to graduate students only. Lab rotations are restricted to doctoral students. At least half of the minimum 18 hours of electives, and at least half of the 72 hours applied towards a PhD, must be in courses at the 8000 level or higher. The remaining credit hours can be completed in any Dissertation Committee-approved graduate level courses.

3. Grades required.
A student must maintain a cumulative average of 3.0 in all course work taken for graduate credit. Lab rotations and the dissertation research will be graded on a Pass/Unsatisfactory basis and therefore will not be included in the cumulative average. An accumulation of two C grades will result in termination of the student's enrollment in the graduate program. If a student makes a grade of U in any course, enrollment in the program will be terminated.

4. Amount of transfer credit accepted.
Only courses with grades of A or B may be accepted for transfer credit (Application for Transfer of Credit). Courses graded as IP/P cannot be transferred. The maximum amount of credit past the baccalaureate degree that a Ph.D. student may count towards the doctorate is 30 semester hours (if the credits were earned as part of a graduate degree program; a maximum of 6 hours can be transferred if earned as a post-bac).  However, only courses appropriate for the program and curriculum in which the student is enrolled may be transferred. This should be determined by the student's Dissertation Committee and approved by the Graduate Coordinator before the request is submitted to the Graduate School. This rule applies whether the courses were taken at UNC Charlotte or elsewhere, and whether a Master's degree was earned or not. However, no more than six hours taken when the student was in post-baccalaureate (non-degree seeking) status may be applied toward the doctoral degree.

If you transferred from the Master's program into the PhD program without earning the Master's degree, please complete the following as soon as possible after starting the doctoral program:

• Meet with your major advisor and the Graduate Coordinator to discuss the 5000-6000 level courses you want transferred from the Master's program to the PhD program. 
• Submit to the Graduate Coordinator an Application for Transfer of Credit that lists the name and number for each course to be transferred.  If approved by the Graduate School, your transcripts will indicate that the course credits have been transferred from one program to another.  Course numbering will stay the same (i.e. a 6000-level course taken as a Master's student will transfer to the PhD program as a 6000-level course).  Thus:
• Submit to the Graduate Coordinator Special Requests to substitute the transferred 6000-level courses for equivalent 8000-level courses.  NOTE:  Research/Thesis credits cannot be transferred from the Master's to the PhD program.  Similarly, no Master's course graded as P/U/IP (i.e. BIOL 6800 Tutorial) can be transferred to the PhD.
• Submit to the Graduate Coordinator a Special Request to late withdraw from any “IP” research/thesis credit received while in the Master's program.  Because recorded grades of IP remain "open", you must formally terminate any IP credits received while a Master's student before you can graduate from the Doctoral program.

5. Departmental seminars.
Graduate students are required to attend all seminars sponsored by the Department of Biology.
In addition, each student is required to make a 20 min presentation on his/her research at the departmental seminar after entering his/her 2nd year in the program. The Graduate Coordinator will work out the logistics with the department seminar coordinator concerning the arrangement of student presentations.

6. Advancement to candidacy.
For Advancement to Candidacy (Application for Candidacy), a student must pass the Candidacy Examination by the end of the 5th semester of graduate study.  All coursework required for the degree (with the exception of Dissertation Research) must be completed before taking the Candidancy Exam. A written dissertation research proposal must be defended by no later than the end of the 6th semester of study, and preferably sooner. A student advances to candidacy following approval of the dissertation research propposal by the student’s Dissertation Committee and the Dean of the Graduate School.

7. Dissertation.
The doctoral program of study must include a minimum of 18 hours of dissertation credit. The student must complete and defend a dissertation based on a research program approved by the student's Dissertation Committee which results in a high quality, original and substantial piece of research. The student must orally present and successfully defend the dissertation to the student's Dissertation Committee in a defense that is open to the public.

Choosing a dissertation defense date should be made in consultation with the Dissertation Committee. The final version of the Dissertation should be given to each Committee member and the Graduate Coordinator at least four weeks prior to the public defense, unless a Committee member indicates that his/her copy may be provided with less time.

A copy of the dissertation must be made available for review by the program doctoral faculty at least two weeks prior to the public defense. A paper reporting results described in the dissertation shall be included in the dissertation (e.g. in an appendix). The paper may be published, accepted for publication, submitted for publication, or a draft following the guidelines of a journal to which the results will be submitted.

8. UNC Charlotte residency requirement.
The student must satisfy the UNC Charlotte residency requirement for the program by completing 20 hours, either as course work or research credits. Residence is considered to be continuous if the student is enrolled in one or more courses in successive semesters until 20 hours are earned.

9. Laboratory research rotations.
Laboratory research rotations allow the student to sample areas of research and become familiar with program faculty. Each student must complete at least one rotation in the laboratory of their dissertation advisor, and every student can enroll in up to three rotations, each of two hours of course credit, before the end of the 3rd semester of the program. Each rotation will consist of a minimum of 4 weeks, and there is no expectation that the work done during the rotation will result in a publication.

The purpose of a laboratory rotation is to learn and perform techniques associated with the lab, and to potentially identify a Dissertation Advisor. A typical rotation will involve 5-10 hours per week in the laboratory for a minimum of 4 weeks. Generation of sufficient data to result in publication of a manuscript is not an expectation of a rotation experience. Students are encouraged to identify a sponsoring faculty member well in advance of the scheduled rotation. Student must meet with the sponsoring faculty member to determine what will be done during the rotation, i.e. techniques to be learned and identification of the project to be completed. At the end of the rotation the student must write a one page synopsis of the rotation to be signed by the sponsoring faculty member and turned in to the Graduate Coordinator. A rotation must be completed in the major advisor's laboratory.

10. Teaching
Beginning with Spring 2009 admissions, every student must teach at least once. This requirement is satisfied by being a Teaching Assistant for one course.

11. Deadlines
A student must have an advisor by the end of their 2nd Semester.

A student must establish their Dissertation Committee by the end of the 3rd Semester.

A student may have an approved Curriculum Contract by the end of the 3rd Semester.

The student and Dissertation Committee must meet by the end of the 4th Semester to set timeline for candidacy exam. The student is required to meet with their Dissertation Committee at least once a year.

The deadline for completing the candidacy exam is the end of the student’s 5th Semester.

The student must submit and defend a written Dissertation Research Proposal by no later than the end of the 6th semester.  Students are strongly encouraged to defend the research proposal as soon as possible.

12. Time limits for completion.
All requirements for the degree must be completed within eight years after first registration as a doctoral student. The student must achieve admission to candidacy within six years after admission to the program and complete all requirements within six years after admission to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree. These time limits are maximums; students will typically be expected to complete the degree requirements within five years.