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The graduate program leading to the PhD in physiology usually requires four to five years. The program is flexible and designed to meet the needs and interests of the individual student. During the first year, most of the student’s time is devoted to basic course work, including some medical courses as well as graduate courses. Any deficiencies in undergraduate preparation may be made up in this year. Also during the first year, the student is expected to examine current research programs in the department and to select a research area. Dissertation research should be under way early in the second year, before the student has completed formal course requirements. The second year and beyond include advanced courses consistent with the student’s training and needs, with at least 12 hours in one or more other disciplines (biochemistry, pharmacology, cell biology, etc.) but the student’s own research occupies an increasing amount of time as the course requirements are fulfilled. A satisfactory PhD dissertation is an original research contribution of significance, deserving peer reviewed publication in a journal of international repute. All students throughout their tenure are required to participate in the teaching programs of the department and to register for and attend departmental seminars.
Credit Hours Required for Graduation A minimum of 60 credit hours is required and at least 30 of those hours must be taken in courses which require a letter grade for evaluation. It is expected that a student should have at least twelve hours outside of the major field. At least 15 hours must be in courses outside of the medical or dental curriculum. No more than fifteen credits may be counted for research and dissertation. Physiology 205, 206, 207, 251, Biochemistry 201, and Ethics in the Biomedical Sciences INT 220 are required for all students. Registration in and attendance at seminar (Physiology 298-299) are required during all semesters of enrollment for all graduate students. All students will be required to present a seminar at least once a year. A maximum of four credits for seminar will be counted toward the degree. Physiology 205 Basic Physiology Lecture,
6 cr Highly Recommended Physiology Courses Physiology 212 Cardiovascular Physiology,
3 cr Highly Recommended Courses Outside of Physiology Biochemistry 240 Molecular Biology,
2-4 cr Biochemistry 260 Molecular Biology of
Cancer, 3-4 cr Part 1 (Written) Questions from all areas of physiology (cardiovascular, pulmonary, renal, endocrine, gastrointestinal, etc) will be solicited from the entire Physiology Department faculty. These questions will be discussed and reformulated by the Physiology Graduate Studies Program Committee (PGSPC). The questions may be multi-layered, asking for basic information about physiological processes as well as questions on how experiments could be designed to address physiological questions. The student must answer 6 of 8 questions over a period of 2 days. Answers will be read by all members of the faculty and opinions submitted to the PGSPC, which will then determine whether the student’s performance is satisfactory. Grading will be on a pass/fail basis. Students must pass Part 1 to progress to Part 2. At the discretion of the committee, a student will be allowed to retake the written exam within a designated period of time. Part 2 (Oral examination) Upon completion of Part 1, a student will be given an oral examination. All Physiology faculty and members of the student’s research committee (if formulated) will be invited to attend and ask questions, which may pertain to any area of physiology. Following the question and answer period, the PGSPC will discuss the student’s performance, determine whether the student passed Part 2, and recommend further coursework if appropriate. Grading for this component will be based on general physiology knowledge, and ability to respond to questions and integrate answers. The student becomes eligible for the Preliminary Examination not less than one academic year (three consecutive semesters) before graduation. The student and major professor, with the approval of the Department Head and the Dean, will recommend a research committee and petition the Dean at least two weeks prior to the examination to appoint the committee and allow the student to schedule the examination. The Preliminary examination committee will ordinarily consist of the student’s major professor and at least four other Graduate Faculty members representing major and minor disciplines. At least one member must be from another Department and one member could be from outside the Health Sciences Center . Substitution or addition of committee members may be made by the Dean, after consultation with the major professor and Department Head, but continuity of membership is sought to provide consistent guidance of the student throughout the program. This examination is the most thorough in the doctorate program. It requires the candidate to demonstrate competence in a broad segment of the major and minor fields. The examination is oral and written. If there is no more than one negative ballot out of a minimum of five, the student becomes a "candidate" after the Dean has been notified of successful completion of the preliminary examination by the student’s major professor and Department Head. The exam will be conducted by the student’s research committee and will consist of a written grant proposal followed by an oral defense of the proposal. The student should start working on the grant proposal after the Qualifying Exam has been completed. The grant proposal should be written using the NIH R21 format or equivalent but the background and significance sections should be 4-6 pages. The grant proposal should be on the student’s research project. The written application should cover a research program sufficient to produce publishable work sufficient for a dissertation. Care should be taken by the committee to insure that the proposal is written by the student. It is recommended that the student develop ideas through discussions with his major professor, other committee members and others that would provide meaningful input. Written drafts of the proposal should be submitted to the entire committee and/or interim presentations can be made that help shape the thoughts of the proposal. When the student’s research committee determines that the grant is “ready for submission” to a funding agency, a final oral presentation and defense of the proposal is required at an open seminar-like session (faculty, postdoctoral fellows and graduate students allowed to attend). At the completion of this presentation, the committee will meet with the student to complete the exam with additional questions. Once satisfied the committee will designate that the student has passed the Preliminary Exam and submit appropriate forms to the School of Graduate Studies. The dissertation must be a significant contribution to the field, suitable for publication in a refereed journal of international repute. Whenever possible, a student is urged to present a paper on the results of the student’s research before a national or international society of the student’s field. One year (three consecutive semesters) following the preliminary examination, the student is eligible to take the final examination, if the dissertation is completed to the satisfaction of the research committee. The examination may be preceded by an open seminar of the student’s dissertation research. The student must petition the Dean for permission to take the examination at least 2 weeks prior to the scheduled date of the examination. The examining committee is approved by the major professor, Department Head and Dean and then appointed by the Dean. Traditionally, this examination is a test of the student’s intimate knowledge of the area of the field in which the student is working. However, at the discretion of the committee or the Dean, the examination may include general questions from the major or minor fields. Voting is by secret ballot with no more than one negative vote permitted. If not more than one member of the examining committee dissents and if the dissertation is accepted, the candidate will be certified to the Graduate Faculty and Chancellor as having met all requirements for the degree of doctor of philosophy. The faculty considers teaching an important part of academic training. As a rule, after the first year, students will be expected to participate as teaching assistants in medical, nursing, dental, or allied health courses offered by the Department. Teaching assignments will be made before the beginning of each academic year. During the second and third years, students may be responsible for lecture and laboratory attendance, supervised presentation of a portion of lecture and/or laboratory material, administration of exams, grading of quizzes, participation in review and discussion sessions, and tutoring as assigned by the course director. Students are strongly encouraged to interact with each other and the faculty on a daily basis from the start of their tenure as Physiology graduate students. Laboratory research and investigation are vigorously emphasized at all stages of the program, including the first year of study. To provide broader experience, rotation through at least three laboratories during the first year is strongly recommended. Registration in Methods in Physiology (208) is necessary to obtain academic credit for laboratory rotation. Until the Major Professor has been identified, research and didactic activities are coordinated by the Departmental Coordinator of Graduate Studies. In so far as possible, required and elective course work should be completed during the first two years of graduate study, and advanced years should be spent predominantly in the research laboratory. The LSUHSC Catalog should be consulted for additional information regarding the policies and programs pertaining to the PhD degree.
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