91´ÎÔª

Ecology and Evolution (EE) Program Description

The graduate program in Ecology and Evolution (EE) trains students in scientific research on the form and function, ecology and evolution of organisms. Graduates of the program are well prepared to undertake further graduate studies, post doctoral positions, and research as university faculty members or applied scientists in the broad field of biology and related fields. The program has strengths in population genetics, physiological ecology, aquatic ecology, animal behavior, avian ecology, and plant ecology. Degrees offered by the program include a Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy in Ecology and Evolution.

Download the grad regs by clicking the "EE Grad Regs" Button or view the full document below. 

EE Targets and Deadlines for Graduate Degree

Graduate Advisor and Advisory Committee

Graduate Advisor

In EE, the student’s primary graduate advisor is the faculty member who agreed to serve as the student’s advisor during the admissions process. To remain in EE, the student must have an advisor holding a position within the EE program.  The student’s graduate advisor will be the primary contact for developing and executing the research and other work required for degree completion. It is the responsibility of the student, in consultation with their advisor, to construct an advisory committee according to the program timeline and to arrange annual advisory committee meetings (details below).

Student-Advisor Interaction

It is important for students and advisors to establish a positive working relationship with open communication early in the student’s progress. Open, frequent, and honest communication is the basis for positive working relationships between students and faculty advisors. Disagreement often results from a failure to raise concerns or speak frankly about points of dissatisfaction as they arise. Students and advisors are expected to communicate about such issues in a productive and respectful way. Students should expect respectful, frank, and critical feedback on their academic performance and professional effectiveness, based on the academic judgments of the advisor and committee members. At the same time, faculty expect to hear from students about aspects of the faculty-student relationship that are counterproductive to student success.

Students are strongly encouraged to consult with their faculty advisor about concerns or problems at the earliest opportunity. Discussion with the faculty advisor should be the first step in addressing any academic, research, or professional concern. Unresolved issues should be discussed with a member of the student’s advisory committee. Students may also seek informal guidance from another faculty member. Students wishing to pursue an issue further should consult with the EE mentoring committee or EE Program Director. Student-advisor interactions that remain unresolved or continuing student concerns about student-advisor interactions should be brought formally in writing to the attention of the EE Program Director. If they cannot resolve the issue, it should be taken to the DBS Associate Dean.

Changing Advisors

Rarely, it may be necessary for a student to change their primary advisor. (define circumstances?) These situations are handled on a case-by-case basis with the aid of the EE Program Director or another EE faculty member. In this situation, a student must find a new EE faculty member who agrees to advise the student within one semester.

Graduate Advisory Committee

Committee Composition

Generally, committees should be formed by April 1 for a spring semester deadline or November 1 for a fall semester deadline.

M.S. committees -- at least three members -- appointed by first semester

• Two EE faculty members (including the primary advisor)
• One outside EE member (UM faculty outside of EE)

Ph.D. committees -- at least five members -- appointed by second semester

• Three EE faculty members (including the primary advisor)
• One outside EE member (UM faculty whose primary tenure appointment is in a department or program other than EE)
• One additional member; either UM faculty (EE or otherwise), or may be someone outside of UM who has been approved (see below)

The primary advisor of an EE student can have a primary appointment outside of EE as long as they are a part of the EE program. For all other committee members, an EE faculty member is a UM tenure-line faculty member or UM Research faculty member who has their primary appointment in EE. The required “outside EE” faculty member must be a UM faculty member with a primary appointment outside of EE. Deviations from the outlined committee formation guidelines must be approved by the Graduate School dean (Policies C6.100 and D4.100).

Formal Advisory Committee Appointment

The student and primary advisor will select an advisory committee through discussion and mutual agreement. The student is responsible for approaching these persons and requesting that they serve on the committee. After committee members agree to serve on the committee, the student’s primary advisor then submits the names of committee members to the Program Director of EE for approval using the DBS Graduate Committee Appointment form. The Program Director of EE then forwards the names to the Graduate Dean for final formal approval. Committee member appointments are subject to change, but should represent a firm commitment from the faculty member.

Committee members outside of UM must be approved by the rest of the committee and the Graduate Dean, qualified by training, experience, and degree held to guide and evaluate the dissertation. This requirement is typically satisfied through a petition to the Graduate School and submission of the outside UM member’s CV.

Role of Graduate Advisory Committee

The role of a student’s advisory committee is to provide the intellectual expertise necessary to enable a student to devise and implement high caliber research within their area of interest and assess progress and project quality and importance. It is the responsibility of the student to schedule and coordinate required meetings in a timely manner (outlined below).

As a member of a student’s advisory committee, faculty have the following obligations:

1. Committee members must meet with the student as a committee at least once each academic year to review student progress, to provide substantive input into the intellectual development of a research proposal, to provide guidance regarding the implementation of research, and to ensure that student research meets a high standard of scholarship. Each committee meeting must be reported to the EE Program Coordinator by the primary advisor or student.
2. Committee members must read and comment on research proposals and dissertation chapters in a timely manner.
3. Committee members must communicate to students what their expectations are regarding performance standards on the comprehensive exam, and clearly outline the general areas/topics in which they expect students to have competency.
4. Committee members are expected to attend and participate in the student’s dissertation defense.
5. EE committee members are expected to attend other seminars or presentations by the student scheduled as part of the program requirements.
6. The outside committee member(s) at UM are to ensure that the student is held to reasonable academic standards, that the student is treated fairly by all committee members, and that the student's progress is not unduly delayed by failure of committee members to act in a timely manner, according to the UM Graduate School guidelines.

Student-Committee Interactions

Significant interaction between students and advisor/committee members involves student submission and faculty review of written material (research proposals, thesis chapters, or other material on which they seek faculty input). Faculty recognize that their timely feedback is essential for students to progress through critical stages (proposals, thesis drafts, etc.) in the development of their research/graduate program. Providing such input in a timely way is an important responsibility of the faculty advisor and committee members. At the same time, students must recognize that faculty face multiple competing demands and deadlines, and must schedule review of graduate student materials into the rest of their workload.

Students should submit materials so that faculty have adequate time for review, and students have sufficient time to incorporate faculty feedback, before deadlines and target dates. Students should scale the time available for review with the size of documents to be reviewed (an entire thesis requires more time than a thesis chapter). Students and faculty should develop a clear understanding of expectations for such turnaround at early committee meetings or with individual committee members throughout the course of their degree.

EE Coursework and Academic Standards

Required coursework

All incoming graduate students are required to take BIOB 594, a 1-credit seminar course, during their first year. This course involves reading and discussing papers by the weekly invited seminar speakers, and provides a forum for incoming students to discuss program expectations and policies relevant to navigating both graduate school and academia with the EE program director. Typically, this course will meet from 3-4 PM each Wednesday, immediately prior to the invited EE seminar, but may be adjusted to accommodate for incoming students’ schedules. The faculty member and lab hosting the invited speaker will provide papers (written by the speaker or related to the topic that will be covered by the speaker) to the class, to serve as the basis for the weekly paper discussion. In addition, senior graduate students and/or postdocs from the host lab will plan to attend the discussion for that week, to provide valuable historical and biological context to the topic.

In addition to BIOB 594, there are two courses that all EE Ph.D. students are required to take in their first and second years in the program – CORE I (BIOB 505) (offered Fall, Even Years), and CORE II (BIOB 506) (offered Fall, Odd Years). M.S. students are required to take one of the two core courses. These 4-credit core courses cover fundamental topics in evolution and genetics, physiology/functional morphology, and ecology. Any additional course and other training requirements will be made by student committees on a case-by-case basis.

By November 1 (or end of the first semester in residence) each student must arrange a meeting to examine the student's coursework. For M.S. students, this meeting will be with the student’s advisory committee. For Ph.D. students, this meeting will be with the student’s faculty advisor and two additional EE faculty members who are likely to be appointed to the student’s thesis committee. These faculty will consider the student's undergraduate background and committee interviews to identify any deficiencies based on coursework to formalize a coursework plan of study. These faculty will also guide the student in selecting courses to meet career or other educational goals and provide the necessary background for thesis research and desired area of expertise. A record of the recommendations of this meeting will be placed in the student’s file on the EE Committee Meeting Report form. The final approval of the Committee Required Coursework form for Ph.D. students will occur in the spring semester of the student’s first year in conjunction with the advisory’s committee consideration of the student’s preliminary research proposal.

Credit requirements

Master's students must complete a committee-approved program of at least 30 semester credits of graduate-level coursework. As many as 10 credits may be thesis (BIOB 599), and at least 10 credits of the non-thesis coursework must be at the 500 level or above. Ph.D. students must complete 60 semester credits of graduate-level coursework. As many as 20 may be research credits (BIOB 597) or dissertation credits (BIOB 699). The other 40 credits may include coursework, graduate seminars, or independent study (BIOB 596), of which at least 20 credits must be 500 level or above.

Excluding the required courses mentioned in the previous section, there are no further restrictions on the distribution of the remaining credits. However, while courses are repeatable, only a certain number of credits can count towards your degree from each course. The max credits for each course are as follows:

Students may petition the Graduate School for the transfer of graded graduate credits passed with an A or B grade into their graduate program at UM (Graduate School policies C5.000 and D2.100). After a semester of satisfactory work at UM in a graduate program, the student can ask their advisory committee to make a written request to the Graduate School to accept transfer credits. An official copy of the student's transcript of the courses for transfer and catalog course description should accompany the recommendation.

Academic Standards for Coursework

Graduate students must maintain a B average (3.0 GPA) in courses taken for graduate credit, and no grade less than a C will be accepted toward any degree requirement (Graduate School policy B2.000). Letter grades must be obtained in all courses used to meet credit requirements except seminars, research, thesis, and dissertation credits, which are graded on either an N (continuation) or Credit/No Credit basis. Credit grades are not included in grade point calculations but may apply toward degree requirements when earned in courses offered only on a Credit/No Credit basis. A grade of F in any class will trigger an automatic review for suspension. Full-time graduate students must be enrolled in at least 6 (or 9 for international students because of visa requirements), and no more than 15 (TA) or 12 (RA) credits.

Guidelines for Graduate Student Communication and Deadlines

In the pursuit of academic excellence, graduate students in the EE program are expected to maintain diligent communication with their committee members. This communication is particularly important when regarding deadline extensions or major changes in the student’s research goals or curriculum. Failure to appropriately communicate such changes may result in disciplinary action. Committee members are there to help the student progress, and proactive and frequent engagement is encouraged. Students should feel empowered to seek guidance from their committee regularly. If a student experiences resistance or receives insufficient input from a committee member, it is advised for the student to consult with an appropriate authority (see below) to rectify the issue. Students may consider replacing a committee member if it is best in line with their academic goals.

Academic authorities

Students who encounter uncertainty about expectations or seek guidance on the appropriate action for a scenario should consult an appropriate authority. These authorities may include:

1. Their advisor
2. Their graduate committee
3. The Graduate Director
4. The Graduate School Dean or Dean of Students
5. Another designated individual (if approved by the program)

Student Responsibilities

Students should initiate communication as soon as a need for clarification or assistance arises. This proactive approach can help students prevent future complications or misunderstandings.

Students are required to submit writing and other important documents to their committee in a timely manner for review. It is strongly recommended that students submit final documents (i.e., after advisor review) no later than April 1 for a spring semester deadline, or November 1 for a fall semester deadline. Deadlines for theses and dissertations follow rules set below. Other written documents should be submitted to the committee at least 2 weeks prior to a meeting. However, students should confirm specific timeframes with their advisor and committee. Students are encouraged to follow-up on communications to monitor their progress and receive feedback on their work.

Faculty Responsibilities

Faculty members are expected to provide timely and clear responses to student inquiries. In cases where specialized assistance is needed, faculty should guide students to the appropriate resources or personnel.

EE Seminar Series

All faculty members and graduate students are expected to attend both the noon seminar that is presented by graduate students and 4pm that is presented by visiting speakers and faculty seminar series (i.e., seminar attendance is mandatory). The purpose of this seminar series is to encourage the exchange of scientific ideas among EE members, to acquaint EE members with current research interests of others in the program, and to provide a mechanism for learning about and improving one's oral communication skills.

Participation in the weekly EE seminar series is an important part of graduate education. M.S. students are required to present a 30-40 minute talk about their thesis research during their second year in the program (typically this is their thesis defense talk). Ph.D. students are required to present a 35-40 minute talk about their proposed dissertation research during their second year in the program, and each year thereafter providing updates on their research. Adequate time (10-15 minutes) should be left following these talks for discussion and feedback from students and faculty. Finishing Ph.D. students will then present a 45 minute defense talk about their dissertation research. Faculty members are expected to give a 45 minute talk every other year; it is the responsibility of individual faculty members to make sure that they are scheduled for a seminar during the appropriate year.

To make presentation-related feedback more useful to students, a faculty member, generally not on the student’s committee, will be appointed to act as an “evaluator” at each talk. Prior to each graduate student seminar, the head of the noon seminar committee will appoint the faculty member, alerting both faculty and the presenting student. The faculty member will pay particular attention to the presentation —the science, as well as the structure, flow, clarity, quality of slides, delivery, etc. The student should then approach them sometime in the days immediately following the talk for feedback on what worked, what didn’t, and how best to improve things for the next time.

The afternoon-seminar coordinator will appoint two graduate student evaluators each time an EE faculty member gives a talk. These students will then provide oral feedback to the faculty member in the days immediately following the presentation.

EE Research Planning and Proposals

Formal research proposal

Each student is required to complete a formal research proposal that presents the theoretical and empirical framework within which the study has been designed and will be carried out. Specifically, the proposal should consist of a title, an introduction to the research problem, how the problem fits into a broader conceptual framework defined by existing literature, a justification of its importance, the specific objectives, methods (including details about design and proposed methods of analysis), and a timetable.

M.S. candidates are encouraged to obtain committee approval of a research proposal in their first semester in the program but no later than April 1 of their first academic year (second semester). Students must also present an oral defense of their thesis proposal to their committee.

Ph.D. students are encouraged to obtain committee approval of a preliminary research proposal (pre-proposal) in their first semester, but no later than the end of the second semester (April 1 for fall start, November 1 for spring start). The committee approval of the Committee Required Coursework form will be completed in association with approval of the pre-proposal. The final dissertation proposal must be approved by the student’s committee by April 1 of their second academic year (fourth semester).

After approval by the committee, for both M.S. and Ph.D. students, a copy of the proposal signed by all committee members must be placed in the student's file. This can be done via email to the program coordinator. In approving the proposal, the advisory committee agrees that successful completion of the project will be sufficient research for a satisfactory thesis or dissertation. Any substantive changes made after committee approval must be brought back to the committee for discussion.

Written Proposal Components

Pre-proposal (Ph.D. only)

Ph.D. students must complete a pre-proposal approved by their committee by the end of their second semester. In advance of this meeting, the student will prepare a 2-3 page pre-proposal (including citations). This document should describe the student’s research ideas and their general methodological approach, with particular attention to the work’s contribution to the broader field. The pre-proposal will be evaluated for merit and feasibility without emphasis on specific methodological details, although students should generally demonstrate that the project is feasible. Thus, this meeting will provide an opportunity to focus on broad conceptual issues. The committee may suggest revisions and additional reading to the student at this point. Ph.D. students are encouraged to have a committee meeting by the end of their first academic semester to evaluate their preliminary ideas.

Proposal (Ph.D. and M.S.)

Ph.D. students will have a committee meeting by the end of the 4th semester (typically early spring semester of second year) to evaluate the full proposal. M.S. students should complete the full proposal (no pre-proposal) by the end of the second semester. The proposal is typically 8-10 single-spaced pages not including references and emphasizes aims and key hypotheses that emerge from a thorough review of existing literature, supporting evidence, and include a summary outline of methods for the proposed work. The details of the proposal regarding format and content should be agreed upon between the student and committee members. Students are strongly encouraged to begin working on this document well in advance, even starting in their first semester in the program.

Students are encouraged to view the proposal document as an evolving roadmap. It is expected that knowledge gained from reviewer feedback on the written portion of comps, or unexpected research findings or opportunities, may lead to shifts in research direction or in how results are packaged into chapters. Such changes are expected, and as these situations evolve, the student should consult with their committee. Substantive changes made to the research plan should be approved by the committee and noted in the committee meeting report sent to the EE Program Coordinator.

EE Comprehensive Exam (Ph.D. only)

Goal of the Comprehensive Exams

Comprehensive exams are required for Ph.D. but not M.S. students. The exam will assess a student’s depth of knowledge with respect to conducting research, by assessing (a) mastery of the student's area of specialization (dissertation field); and, (b) reasonable fluency in the three core areas of the Ecology and Evolution program: Organismal Function, Ecology, and Genetics and Evolution and (c) additional disciplines associated with their particular research interests, (e.g., mathematics, molecular biology, physics, geology, statistics) and (d) the student’s ability to converse comfortably with a diverse array of faculty including seminar speakers and those in EE-like programs when they interview for post-doctoral, academic or other fields of work (e.g. non-profit or private sector positions). The comprehensive exam will be given in two parts (written and oral) and should be completed by the end of the fifth semester of the graduate program. Successful completion of the exam advances the student to candidacy.

Timing

Students should take the comprehensive exam at the end of their second or start of their third year, and it should be completed by the end of the third year. In addition to the broader background in general areas of ecology, evolution and organismal function, the conceptual emphasis of the exam will be identified by the student's committee well in advance of the exam.

If accommodations are needed, formal accommodation plans can be made through the Office for Disability Equity (ODE). As comprehensive exams differ greatly from those in typical coursework, the accommodations typically offered by ODE may not be the most suitable. It is recommended that specific accommodations be discussed with some or all committee members prior to submitting a request to ODE. The ODE request should be sent at least two weeks prior to exams to ensure equality and prevent misunderstandings. The letter from ODE outlining accommodations should be sent to all committee members and placed in the student’s file.

Committee composition

The comprehensive exam is conducted by a committee comprising the same faculty members as the student's advisory committee, chaired by an EE faculty member other than the student’s major advisor. The student and their advisor are responsible for making arrangements to assign a chair. The committee chair will construct the written exam in consultation with all other committee members and will ensure timely progress towards the oral portion of the exam. All committee members must approve all written exam questions before the exam is sent to the student.

Written Component

The written exam will consist of two questions developed by the committee. The student’s advisor should participate in formulating the questions. Questions will be tailored to each student and will encourage answers that require synthesis. Soon after the committee approval., the committee chair will communicate all questions to the student either at once or one at a time (each for half of the month) depending on students’ request. The student will then have 30 days as a firm deadline to complete responses to them using all available academic resources. Regardless of the timing of question delivery, feedback will not be provided to students until the end of the entire written exam period.

The written answers should be in the format of short Review/Synthesis or Opinion papers for a journal like Trends in Ecology and Evolution. We recommend on how to write a good review paper. Word count for these answers should be in the range of what is appropriate for such journals, e.g., 2500 words exclusive of figures, references etc, but is flexible with the constraint that with an average of 15 days to write a paper, answers cannot be monograph length. The student is encouraged to confer with committee members for clarification on questions, if needed, but committee members and the advisor may not provide direct editorial feedback on responses as they are being developed. As an open book exam, students are free to ask questions of other students and faculty; however, they cannot ask for feedback or help with writing. Students must declare any idea generating help they received in an acknowledgements section of the paper, including discussions with other students. The writing must be the student’s own for the purpose of this exam.  Any use of generative AI in the work must be stated with the answers, including programs that reword or rewrite sentences or paragraphs. (This does not include programs which check spelling, punctuation, and grammar.) Plagiarism is not allowed under any circumstances. Failure to comply with these guidelines on plagiarism and generative AI will result in a failing result, and may be subject to further programmatic disciplinary action.

Upon completion of the written exam, the committee will have two weeks to evaluate the student’s responses. The evaluation will model a manuscript review for a journal. Each committee member will serve as a reviewer, providing written feedback (at least one paragraph or more) for each of the questions. The committee chair will serve as the handling editor to deliver the final decision of the committee to the student. The student’s advisor will be privy to the process, and is encouraged to provide the student with reviews, but will not participate in the committee vote. Thus, the committee will consist of four voting members. Results will be given as pass, pass with revisions, or fail. A pass or pass with revisions requires that each of the student’s responses are deemed acceptable based on agreement among the committee.  A student is deemed to have passed the comprehensive exams if no more than one committee member votes no (e.g. three yes votes).

It is common that the committee will request revisions to the written papers—either minor or major— on each paper. If the student receives revisions, they are entitled to follow-up meetings with any  committee members to discuss and clarify the expectations. These meetings should be held before the revision timeline commences so the student is able to fully understand and plan for the necessary changes. A timeline for resubmission is to be agreed upon by the committee, typically 4 weeks.

If the student fails the exam, meaning one or more revised responses are judged to be unacceptable, they will have one opportunity to retake a new exam, with a timeline determined by the committee. Failure of the second exam will require leaving the graduate program. Revisions are not allowed on the second exam.

Oral Component

The oral exam helps prepare students for diverse academic and professional experiences by improving their ability to critically engage with complex ideas, defend their research, and articulate their knowledge across the core areas of Ecology and Evolution. The oral exam will follow completion of the written portion of the exam. Orals should occur before the end of fifth semester, though flexibility in this timeline will be exercised for students with revision requirements for the written portion. Extended timelines should be documented in writing (e.g. in a committee meeting report sent to the program coordinator or in a summary email including all committee members). The oral component will further assess general competency in the core areas of Ecology and Evolution (Organismal Function, Ecology, and Genetics and Evolution) that in part derive from the two core courses and mastery of knowledge directly relevant to the dissertation. This exam is intended to assess student knowledge and competency in relevant topics as well as help students prepare for future aspects of a scientific career (e.g. preparing for job interviews).

This exam will last up to 3 hours, and follows a typical format of questions from each faculty member in a structured order as determined by the committee. All committee members, including the student’s research advisor, will vote following the oral exam, with a result of pass, conditional pass, or fail. A student is deemed to have passed the oral exams if no more than one committee member votes no. The remediation of a conditional pass is at the discretion of the committee, but may require further reading and study with a follow-up meeting with individual committee members. If the student fails the exam, they will have one opportunity to retake a new full oral exam, with a timeline determined by the committee. Failure of the second exam will require leaving the graduate program.

Other Program Requirements

Teaching Requirement

All Ph.D. students must engage in supervised teaching activities corresponding to the equivalent of a regular TA assignment for at least one semester. Ph.D. students are encouraged to obtain more teaching experience either through additional TA assignments or by giving guest lectures in classes. There is no teaching requirement for M.S. students.

Teaching assistantships are awarded annually on a competitive basis. Renewed support after each year is contingent upon satisfactory academic performance toward degree requirements and quality of teaching performance. The annual review of each graduate student deals with these criteria. Students in the program who lose research support will be considered the following semester for teaching assistantships, effective the following academic year, along with the new applicant pool under consideration. Any deviation from planned consecutive semester appointments requires the prior approval of the EE faculty and the Associate Dean of DBS. Summer appointments are sometimes available at the Flathead Lake Biological Station.

TA support is ordinarily limited to 4 and 10 academic year semesters during consecutive years for M.S. and Ph.D. students, respectively. Supplemental assistantships may become available at the beginning of a semester, either from the Dean in response to enrollment fluctuations, or due to unexpected vacancies in assistantships already awarded. These can provide support for a third-year M.S. or a sixth-year Ph.D. student. It is the role of the EE faculty to weigh such requests and to provide a prioritized listing of students to whom such support may be offered.

Continuous Registration and Leaves of Absence

The Graduate School requires that graduate students register for credits every fall and spring semester (Policy B3.000). Students must be registered for at least 6 credits (9 if international student) to be considered full-time. Students must register for a leave-of-absence if they do not plan to be continuously registered (Policy B4.000). Time on leave-of-absence is not counted toward a student’s academic progress. This process requires a form to be filed and approved by the program chair or dean as well as the Graduate Dean. While on leave-of-absence, students are not considered active members of the student body and, as such, are ineligible to engage in research or participate in student activities. In recognizing the diverse needs of our students, we ensure that requests for a leave-of-absence, whether for child care, family care, or other personal reasons, are met without judgment. Students who step out of the program for two or more semesters without such approval will be dropped from the program by the Graduate School. Re-admission is allowed through petition or reapplication only.

Foreign Language Requirement

There is no foreign language requirement for the Master's or Ph.D. degree. Nevertheless, the Advisory Committee may require a student to show competence in a foreign language when appropriate for the student's area of research interest.

Annual Review of Student Progress

EE graduate students must maintain good academic standing with respect to 91´ÎÔª Graduate School policies and EE policies and deadlines. To assess progress with respect to EE policies and deadlines, EE graduate students complete an EE Graduate Student Annual Review Form each spring to be reviewed by the EE Graduate Evaluation Committee (GEC). This committee comprises a selection of EE faculty members who serve on a rotating basis. They conduct annual evaluations to ensure graduate students meet program requirements. The review form is typically sent out in early April and students are given at least one week to fill out and return the form.

The GEC will send a letter summarizing the evaluation to each student, advisor, and the EE Program Director. This process serves to document and notify the student if they are on schedule, conditionally on schedule, or on probation. Students that are conditionally on schedule will be notified of any programmatic deficits. Students must address each deficit in the following semester that the student is enrolled (usually the fall semester of the next academic year). Failure to do so results in probation (defined below and in the Graduate School policy B8.000) starting the next spring. Failure to address deficits during the probationary semester leads to ineligibility for TA support in subsequent semesters and removal from the program. This committee also conducts a follow-up evaluation every fall to judge whether students with identified deficits are making satisfactory progress. Students listed as “conditionally on schedule” or “on probation” should submit a letter to the GEC by the date specified in their annual evaluation explaining how deficits were resolved.

Academic Probation

A student will be placed on academic probation in circumstances where the committee has not approved a missed deadline or if the student is not in good academic standing as defined by the Graduate School. This probationary period is a serious warning, signifying that continued non-compliance will lead to further repercussions. Achieving requirements in the semester following the probationary semester is necessary to remove probationary status. The following spring the EE GEC will review students on academic probation; unsatisfactory progress as defined by timelines and good academic standing as defined by the Graduate School (e.g., GPA <3.0 or grade of F in any course) will result in review for suspension. Students may appeal a suspension following UM Graduate School policy B8.000. Suspended students will be marked as inactive and must reapply to be reinstated to the EE program. If a student is unclear what program standards entail or feel that they are being treated unfairly, they should consult the appropriate authority, as discussed in “Guidelines for Graduate Student Communication and Deadlines”.

Completion and Defense of M.S. Thesis or Ph.D. Dissertation

Application for Graduation

At least 6 months before the Master's or Ph.D. degree is to be awarded, and after successful completion of the comprehensive exam (for Ph.D. students), the student must submit to the Graduate School an Application for Graduation and the graduation application fee. The deadline to submit an Application for Graduation is defined by the Graduate School. The deadline is the first Monday in October for a fall graduation and the first Monday of February for a spring graduation.

Deadlines and Approvals

Copies of the complete thesis draft, edited and approved by the major professor, shall be made available to the rest of the student's advisory committee at least 30 days prior to the anticipated defense date so that they can approve it for defense. The advisory committee must communicate electronically for this decision at least one week before the scheduled defense. After the committee unanimously approves the thesis or dissertation for defense, it is submitted to the EE faculty for their approval at least 7 days prior to the defense, and to the Graduate School for its approval at least 7 days prior to the defense. Unless the EE program director receives a written objection by one or more EE faculty, the thesis or dissertation defense can take place on the scheduled day.

In the event there is an objection, EE faculty shall meet and vote. A 2/3 majority of all EE faculty in current residence must approve to proceed with the defense. Students will notify the program coordinator to post public notice of the defense one week prior to the defense, In accordance with Graduate School deadlines, the student must submit to the Graduate School, a final digital copy of the thesis or dissertation, one additional copy of the dissertation title page and abstract, and the applicable fees and forms. For guidance in preparing a thesis or dissertation, as well as current binding fees and forms required, consult the .

Content of Thesis or Dissertation

The M.S. thesis or Ph.D. dissertation must embody the results of independent research by the candidate. It must be an original contribution to knowledge appropriate for publications in a peer-reviewed journal. Students typically write their thesis or dissertation as a series of papers; a dissertation typically consists of three or more publishable items. At least 1 chapter should be publicly available as a preprint (e.g., arXiv, bioRxiv) or in review at a journal by the time the student defends. A paper that is accepted by a journal does not, however, ensure that it will be automatically accepted by the committee without further modification. Therefore students are strongly encouraged to receive feedback from their committee members prior to submitting a paper for publication.

Defense

M.S. and Ph. D. students will be required to conduct a public 45 minute presentation of their research findings as part of the EE Seminar Series. The public presentation is immediately followed by a public question-answer period. Following the public presentation, the student's advisory committee conducts an oral examination, which is open to all faculty members of the University. Students will be required to "defend" the approach, methods, analysis, and conclusions related to their research. Committee members should come prepared with access to a copy of the thesis for reference during the defense. A 2-hour block of time should be reserved for this defense. A unanimous vote of a satisfactory performance is required by a Master's examination committee for a pass. A Ph.D. student is required to have no more than one negative vote from the student’s dissertation committee to pass this exam. In case of failure, one repeat examination at least one month after the initial defense is permitted.

No summer (i.e., after the end of spring semester and before the beginning of fall semester) defenses are allowed as many EE faculty members and graduate students are not available on campus for the public seminar presentation and defense during this period.

Student Use of DBS Facilities and Services

Office and Research Space

Office and research space is arranged through the student’s primary advisor, and if needed consultation between the Associate Dean for the Biological Sciences. Generally, advisors are expected to use their assigned space to provide working space for their own students.

Building Access

Access to most campus buildings is done through Griz Card Mobile ID or a physical Griz Card. Griz Card access is granted through faculty submitting a request to the program coordinator or DBS administrator. Physical keys needed for specific areas (e.g. office space, laboratories) can be obtained by having your advisor put in a request for a key card, which may be obtained from the Administrative Manager (Anne Clark). The card is taken to the Department of Campus Security in the Facilities Services Building. Each physical key issued requires a fee plus deposit. The deposit is refunded upon return of the key. For access to off-campus facilities (e.g. greenhouses, Biological Station), you must work with your advisor and the director of a given facility.

DBS Main Office (Health Sciences 104)

Office supplies, printing and copying

The DBS main office generally does not provide office supplies directly to students except for TA services or DBS events. Division letterhead may be made available to you through your faculty advisor. Letterhead may be used for official university business, including graduate student thesis or dissertation research, but not for personal business or for conveying personal positions or views (e.g., letters to the editor).

Students are permitted to print or copy materials for courses in which they are a TA without charge. TAs can use the self-service printers using an employee email (ending in @mso.umt.edu, NOT student email). This can be setup through the program coordinator. Alternatively students can request copies be made by contacting the program coordinator in the DBS main office. The office cannot print theses or dissertations.

Posters and other large format materials can be printed at Paw Print in the Mansfield Library using an index number provided the cost exceeds $5.

Mail services

All graduate students are provided a mailbox in the main DBS office.

The outgoing mailboxes in the DBS office are for business-related mail only. Personal items, even those that are already stamped, are not allowed by the mail service. Packaging supplies (e.g. FedEx boxes and envelopes) are available in the DBS office. Outgoing packages sent for research purposes must be taken directly to Mail Services located in the Facilities Services building and require an index number.

Room Reservations

Rooms for student use (e.g. committee meetings, office hours, etc.) can be reserved by contacting DBS main office administrator(s).

Travel Forms

Students traveling for approved university business and research purposes, including conferences, must submit a completed Request & Authorization For Travel (RAT) forms to the DBS accounting person(s) prior to travel and the Travel Expense Report (TER) after returning from their trip. For liability reasons, travel paperwork must be submitted. This paperwork is also required for students to receive reimbursement for expenses through university funding (e.g. grant funds). Details for these forms are available on the UM Business Services website under Travel Guidelines and Procedures.

Other University Policies & Procedures

In addition to the regulations detailed throughout this document, all graduate students in EE are subject to the formal policies of the UM Graduate School, UM Student Code of Conduct (Graduate School Policy B7.000), and other Division of Biological Sciences departmental policies and procedures.

Accessibility and Accommodations

Students have the right to equal opportunities for education and participation in University activities. The 91´ÎÔª assures equal access to instruction through collaboration between students with disabilities, instructors, and the Office for Disability Equity (ODE). Students requesting accommodations work with ODE and their instructors, advisor, and committee members to receive reasonable accommodations or academic adjustments. For classes, a letter from ODE must be provided to instructors. For accommodations regarding comprehensive exams or other program specific requirements, the letter should be provided to committee members as well as provided to the EE program coordinator to be kept on record.