PhD Graduation Timeline and Transitioning to BUSM III

Julie Shine, 617-638-5250 Administrative Coordinator

John H. Schwartz, M.D., Director, Professor of Medicine

Steven C. Borkan, MD, Advisor, Department of Medicine

A candidate must be registered for the semester in which the degree requirements are completed and during the preceding semester. Candidates also must adhere to the guidelines as stipulated in the Guide for Writers of Theses and Dissertations, published by the Mugar Memorial Library.  All forms as well as the graduation calendar & important dates can be found online.

Ph.D. DEGREE CANDIDATES
		January Award	May Award
Dissertation Prospectus due in the Division Office		Prior April First week	Prior October First week
*Diploma Application Due in the Division Office		Prior November First week	Prior January First week
Dissertation abstract (max. 350 words) Approved by Department, due in theDivision Office for review and approvalby the Associate Dean in L-317.		At least three weeks prior to Final Oral Exam	At least three weeks prior to Final Oral Exam
Schedule of Final Oral Examination (to be arranged by Department) due in the Division Office with fourteen copies of the approved abstract .		Two weeks prior to the Final Oral Exam	Two weeks prior to the Final Oral Exam
Last date to hold Final Oral Exam. (Note: See below deadline for submission of Dissertation).		Prior December Second week	Prior April Second week
Dissertation Format Reviewed		Two weeks prior to final deadline	Two weeks prior to final deadline
**Approved and signed dissertation (2 copies due in the Division Office on or before this date.)		Prior December Second week	Prior April Second week
**Prior to the dissertation defense, the candidate must schedule an appointment with Ms. Millie Agosto, GMS Registrar, for review of the dissertation format. All Ph.D. degree requirements are complete only when both copies of the dissertation have been certified as meeting the standards of the Division of Graduate Medical Sciences.

M.D./Ph.D. DEGREE CANDIDATES WHO ANTICIPATE ENTERING BUSM III

Since M.D./Ph.D. degree candidates are awarded both the M.D. and Ph.D. degrees simultaneously (at the time of completion of both degrees), the dates for submission of dissertations vary from the above schedule of deadlines for Ph.D. candidates. Consequently, M.D./Ph.D. students who expect to complete the Ph.D. portion of their studies in the 2010-2011 academic year and anticipate entering BUSM III in June of 2011, the following rules apply:

Oral Defenses must be scheduled prior to returning to the third year. Dissertation Outline Approval Pages are due in the Division Office prior to the scheduling of the Oral Defense.  All necessary forms are available online.

M.D./Ph.D. students should then submit the Ph.D. Dissertation Abstract to the Division Office for review and approval. Once your abstract has been approved and you have scheduled your oral defense, you will need to submit a Schedule of the Final Oral Examination for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy, along with 14 copies of your approved abstracts. Oral Defenses should be scheduled 2 weeks prior.

Approved and signed dissertations (2 copies) are due in the Division Office no more than 60 days after passing the Final Oral Examination. M.D./Ph.D. scholarships are not awarded until approved and signed dissertations have been accepted by the Division Office.