Guidelines for PPG Qualifying Exam in Cell and Molecular Biology at the FMRP-USP

(Approved at the CCP meeting on 15/03/2023)

QUALIFYING EXAM (QE)
Goal:

The qualifying exam, which is mandatory, assesses the applicant’s ability to independently develop their dissertation/thesis project following the line of research.

Registration:

The QE is mandatory for all students enrolled in the program.
PhD: up to 24 months, 10 credits.
Direct PhD: up to 30 months, 20 credits.
Master’s degree: up to 18 months and 10 credits.
The exam must be conducted no later than 90 days from the date of registration.

Format:

The Examining Board will be composed of three members appoitend by the CCP, with a minimum doctoral degree, and at least one of them must be a full supervisor of the Program. The president of the board must be a full supervisor of the Program.

QE will have the following parts:
Master
  1. Oral presentation of the Master’s project including the results obtained up to the QE and prospects for the completion of the project.
  2. Interview about the content presented.
Doctorate and Direct PhD  
  1. Presentation of a text describing the results generated by the doctoral student, in English, which may be in the format of (i) systematized text (as described below) or (ii) article deposited in a public repository, submitted, accepted or published in a scientific journal.
  2. Oral presentation of the results generated by the doctoral student.
  3. Discussion of the content presented by the doctoral student in written and oral forms.
Approval/Failure
  1. The student who obtains majority approval will be considered approved in the qualifying exam of the members of the examining committee.
  2. The student who demonstrates critical knowledge about the biological issues addressed and the effectiveness and limitations of the experimental approach used will be considered approved.For approval, the student must demonstrate mastery of the biological issues addressed and the strengths and limitations of the experimental approach used.
  3. In case of failure, the student may take a new exam only once. the new inscription must occur within a maximum period of 30 days after the date of the first examination. The second exam must be completed within 90 days of the second application. In case of second rejection the student will be automatically disconnected from the Graduate Program.
Guidance on the QE.
Master’s QE
  1. The oral presentation of the Project must contain: rationale, objectives, results, discussion and perspectives for its conclusion, with a minimum duration of 30 minutes and a maximum of 45 minutes.
  2. The presentation must be made clearly and with sufficient depth to prove that the graduate student masters the concepts related to his Project.
  3. The student will be questioned by the examining committee on the content of the oral presentation. Each commission member will have 15 minutes to argue and the candidate will have up to 15 minutes to respond to each committee member.
PhD and Direct PhD QE
  1. The article or systematized text must be written by the student in English and previously discussed with the advisor about its content and figures.
  2. The systematized text written in English by the student must contain: (i) abstract; (ii) a brief introduction on the topic that includes the rationale for the ongoing research project; (iii) the objectives to be achieved; (iv) methods; (v) the main results obtained; (vi) a brief discussion on what has already been achieved that must be accompanied by perspectives (or next phases); (vii) bibliography. It is important that the text demonstrates that the doctoral student has mastery of theme and the relevance of the work (in progress) in the area in which it is inserted. The obstacles or difficulties should be pointed out and discussed. The text must be coherent and concise and occupy, in the maximum, 30 pages with figures and tables (Times New Roman, 12 pt – 1.5 spacing).
  3. In the case of an article deposited in a public repository, submitted, accepted or published in scientific journal, it is essential that it forms part of the student’s doctoral thesis and that the student is the first author or shares the first authorship of this article.
  4. The written material must be delivered to the examining members of the qualifying panel with at least 7 (seven) days prior to the date of the exam. If this limit of seven days is not complied with, the examining board may reject it without taking the exam.
  5. The oral presentation of the results generated by the doctoral student must contain: justification, objectives, results, discussion and perspectives for its completion, with a minimum duration of 30 minutes and a maximum of 45 minutes.
  6. The presentation can be made in Portuguese or English. Slides must be prepared in English.
  7. The student will be questioned by the examining committee on the oral presentation and the text presented. Each committee member will have 15 minutes to argue and the candidate will have up to 15 minutes to respond to each committee member.
  8. The exam must evaluate the maturity and mastery of the subject by the student, who must have a vision clear picture of the progress, difficulties and perspectives of the work in progress.
LEVEL TRANSPOSITION EXAM (LTE).
Guidance on the LTE (master’s degree for PhD without dissertation defense).

The request for the exam must be made by the student with the favorable opinion of the advisor. It is desirable that the exam take place at the time of the master’s qualification. When the request for transfer of the course occurs after the qualification exam, the request must be deliberated by the CCP, based on a detailed opinion.

Format:

The LTE consists of an oral presentation of the results obtained during the Master’s program and the project to be developed during the PhD. The student must demonstrate maturity to discuss the results and future perspectives for the adaptation of the studies for a PhD thesis. The presentation must have a minimum duration of 30 minutes and a maximum of 45 minutes and will be followed by questioning by the examining board. The board will be defined by the CCP and will be composed of 3 faculty members. The president of the board will be responsible for issuing a final opinion on the result.

Approval/Failure

To be approved, the student must:

I) present clearly and adequately the results generated during the master’s degree;

II) demonstrate ability to explain and defend the doctoral project, highlighting the suitability of the project for a doctoral thesis.

In the case of failure in the LTE, the student will remain in the master’s degree.

PDF – Diretrizes do Exame de Qualificação

PDF – Checklist do Exame de Qualificação