Thesis Work & Committee

Thesis Work
Both the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees require a thesis. The M.S. degree requires at least nine credits of thesis research and the Ph.D. degree requires at least thirty. M.S. theses for a BCB degree will demonstrate a high level of scholarly achievement, and doctoral dissertations will represent a significant, original contribution to the field. In addition to the thesis and dissertation, students will publish their work in appropriate peer-reviewed venues. Students will present their theses and dissertations publicly at their final defense.

Thesis committee
Each student's graduate committee will consist of at least four faculty members. This committee will represent the three BCB disciplines (biological sciences, computer sciences, and mathematical sciences) and will include at least three participating BCB faculty members. There is no explicit requirement for an “external” committee member, since each committee will already include faculty from at least three different disciplines.