Biochemistry Graduate Program

Entering Students

Graduate students must demonstrate a satisfactory level of undergraduate knowledge in key areas to be eligible for the M.S. or Ph.D. programs. All graduate students must pass a General Chemistry ACS exam (pass score TBD). Students will have three chances to pass these exams: (1) during their first week in the program, (2) ~1 month after entering the program and (3) ~3 months after entering the program.

To serve as a TA with a standard assignment (i.e. overseeing one or more sections of a lab course), students must obtain the TA pass score (TBD) or better on the General Chemistry ACS exam. Students who do not meet this threshold on their first chance will either be assigned an RA position if funding is available or a special TA assignment (i.e. lab prep) during their first semester in the program.

Students must obtain the program pass score (TBD) or better on the General Chemistry ACS exam within three chances and by the end of their first semester. The program pass score is TBD but will be more rigorous than the TA pass score. Students who do not meet this requirement will be dismissed from the program even if they have RA funding.

During orientation week, new students who have not selected an advisor will be advised by the biochemistry faculty. New students are required to participate in a Workshop on Responsible Conduct in Research that is organized by the Graduate School during their first semester of residence. New students are required to develop and submit an initial curriculum vitae (CV) according to a provided template. This CV will be updated each year and kept in the student’s file. All biochemistry graduate students will be invited to attend the Chem 5700 and Chem 5710 lectures to reinforce foundational biochemistry concepts. All biochemistry Ph.D. students will take the exams associated with the Chem5700/5710 courses and need to pass seven of the eight exams with a score of 80% or higher prior to taking the qualifying exam for promotion to Ph.D. candidacy. All MS biochemistry students will need to pass five of the six hourly exams with a score of 75% or higher (final exams are excluded) prior to scheduling a thesis defense. Additional details concerning this process are included in the “Chem 5700/5710 Examination Details” section below.

Also, during orientation week, students will be provided with a list of faculty who participate in the biochemistry graduate training program. Entering students will meet with each faculty member on the list to learn about their research programs. The students who have not already selected their faculty advisor will then select three laboratories in which to do laboratory rotation projects during the fall Semester (3 laboratory rotations beginning the 1st, 6th, & 11th weeks of the semester).

Major Advisor

Students who have not selected a major advisor at the time of matriculation, will do so after the first semester has been completed. After lab rotations have been completed, the students will submit a list of 1st, 2nd, & 3rd choices for major advisor to the Department Head no later than December 14. After some deliberation with the people involved, the Department Head will assign a major advisor to the student, normally within two weeks of the submission deadline.

Supervisory Committee Composition and Responsibilities

In consultation with the major advisor, the student will then select a supervisory committee for approval by the Department Head. For a Ph.D. student, a minimum of 5 faculty are required, with at least 3 members coming from the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and one from outside the Department (but within USU); a minimum of 2 members must be chosen from the Division of Biochemistry. For M.S. Students, 3 faculty from the Department are required, including a minimum of 2 USU Biochemistry faculty. Selection of the committee should be accomplished by April 1.

If all members of the committee cannot be present for the entirety of any supervisory committee meeting with the student (annual, oral defense, final defense, etc.) then the meeting must be rescheduled. Electronic participation is permitted but for all such meetings following the same rules as those which the Graduate School prescribes for the final defense.¹ The committee letter to the department describing the outcome of any meeting of the supervisory committee with the student must also report attendance and certify that all committee members were present for the entire meeting, specifying if this was in-person or virtually.

Annual meetings with the supervisory committee must be held each academic year in the spring. The purpose of these meetings is to monitor and assess progress of the student in coursework and research. For the first meeting, students must submit a one-page research statement, an updated CV, and completed self-evaluation form to the supervisory committee one week prior to the committee meeting. The one-page report should include a paragraph detailing methods learned to date and any other research progress. A second paragraph should outline expected research directions for the coming year.

In all subsequent years, the student will provide a progress report, an updated CV, and completed self-evaluation form to the supervisory committee no later than 10 days prior to the committee meeting. This report should be 2-5 pages in length and should provide a progress report of results to date and a clear outline of future directions. Within two weeks following the meeting, the committee will forward a letter to the student, summarizing the conclusions from the meeting, which the student will sign acknowledging understanding of its contents. The signed letter will be sent to the student's file. The letter will detail the progress of the student, perceived deficiencies, steps to be taken to remedy them, and expectations for successful completion of the degree. The letter will also include a recommendation as to whether the student should be allowed to continue in the program.

Curriculum

Students should discuss course schedules with the biochemistry faculty during the first year and with the major advisor and supervisory committee in subsequent years. The Master’s degree requires 30 credit hours. Ph.D. students entering with a BA/BS need 60 credits; students entering with a Master's degree need 30 credits. Students should check the graduate catalog for resident and other requirements. Students must meet with the Department Graduate Program Coordinator prior to registering for classes each semester.

Every graduate student in biochemistry must complete 1) the six-credit graduate biochemistry core curriculum, 2) one additional graduate class having a CHEM prefix, 3) at least one additional graduate class having any prefix (with committee approval), and 4) must register for seminar as described below. M.S. and Ph.D. candidates must complete a total of at least 10 credits in advanced courses as approved by the supervisory committee, exclusive of seminar and research.

Seminar

Students must register for the biochemistry seminar, CHEM 7800, each fall and spring semester during the first two years of their program. Annual participation in the Departmental section CHEM 7800-001 of the seminar program is mandatory regardless of the student’s registration status. Seminars will expose new students to current graduate biochemistry research programs in the Department and will give advanced students the opportunity to describe progress in their research projects and to get experience in giving scientific presentations. First and third year graduate students will provide a seminar presentation on a research paper of their choosing.

The paper must be unrelated to their graduate research project and must be approved by their graduate advisor and/or the faculty member in charge of Chem 7800. Students in years 2, 4, 5, and beyond will present their research. No more than 2 unexcused absences from biochemistry seminars per semester will be allowed. Students’ attendance and a satisfactory annual seminar presentation are a requirement for continuation in the program and will be evaluated at the annual meeting with the supervisory committee. Occasionally outside speakers will be invited to present technical lectures. These lectures will be open to the entire Department. Seminars will be announced to the Department one week in advance.

Research Proposal Workshop

At some point during their first two years in the program, each biochemistry graduate student will participate in the proposal-writing workshop, “Getting Started as a Successful Proposal Writer and Academician,” organized by the Office of Research and Graduate Studies. This will help prepare the student to write their research proposal that accompanies the oral exam, described below.

Academic Status

Students who make satisfactory progress are considered candidates for a degree, even though they may not have been formally advanced to candidacy by the Graduate School. Students must maintain a 3.0 average GPA in all courses taken at Utah State University as part of their graduate program and must not receive more than one C in any graduate course taken throughout the program. A student's progress will be evaluated at the yearly supervisory committee meeting. The supervisory committee will advise the Department Head of students who have failed to meet any of the requirements and recommend that the student either be dropped from the program or be given a probationary semester to make up the deficiency. If the deficiency has not been satisfied by the end of the probationary semester, further reinstatement will be a decision of the entire biochemistry faculty. Every studentmustmeet with the supervisory committee atleast once each yearto present a written and oral research progress report.

CHEM 5700/5710 Examination Details

All biochemistry graduate students are required to demonstrate proficiency in foundational biochemistry by taking and passing exams administered in the upper division undergraduate courses CHEM 5700 and CHEM 5710. Students in the Ph.D. program must pass 7 of the 8 CHEM 5700 and CHEM 5710 exams, including final exams, with an 80% or better prior to scheduling their qualifying examination. Students in the M.S. program must pass 5 of the 6 hourly exams (final exams are excluded) with a 75% or better prior to scheduling their thesis defense. Each student will be encouraged to attend the CHEM 5700/5710 lectures and will be given access to all Canvas materials for the course, including examples of past exams. Ph.D. students who do not achieve 80% or higher on 7 of the 8 exams within the described twoyear window, will be advised on degree alternatives. M.S. students who do not score 75% or better on 5 of the 6 exams within the described two-year window, will not be allowed to remain in the graduate program.

If a biochemistry Ph.D. student chooses to change their degree plan to the biochemistry M.S. program, any exam attempts they have already made will count toward the M.S. requirements and their original timeline for completing the exams will remain in effect. A biochemistry Ph.D. or M.S. student who took CHEM 5700 and/or CHEM 5710 as an undergraduate at USU (within 7 years) will have the opportunity to count their exam attempts while an undergraduate toward the required 5/6 or 7/8 passes for their graduate program. If a student wishes to count their passed exams during the time they were an undergraduate, all exam attempts as an undergraduate (passed or not) and the time used to take the exams as an undergraduate will count toward the exam attempts and the two-year limit for completing the exams. In other words, if a USU undergraduate passed took Chem5700 and Chem5710 once each, passed five of the exams, and then was admitted to the biochemistry Ph.D. program, they can count the 5 passes toward the required 7 but will only have one additional year (the year they enter the graduate program) to pass the remaining two exams to reach the required 7/8. On the other hand, the student can choose not to count any of the passes during their time as an undergraduate and they then have two years to pass the necessary number of exams that a student who had not taken the CHEM 5700/5710 courses at USU has. The decision to count undergraduate exams or not must be made and communicated in writing to the Graduate Program Coordinator prior to the administration of the first exam following admission into the graduate program.

Qualifying Examination Overview

Learn about the Biochemistry Ph.D. Qualifying Examination process, including timelines, proposal requirements, and retake policies, by visiting our Qualifying Examination Overview page.

Guidance of Employing AI in Graduate Study and Research

Visit our Guidance of Employing AI in Graduate Study and Research page for important information on acceptable practices, risks, and expectations regarding AI use in the Chemistry graduate program.

Final Requirements

After passing the qualifying examination, Ph.D. students will submit the approved candidacy form to the School of Graduate Studies. With the Graduate School's approval, students will then be advanced to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree. The candidacy form must be submitted to the Graduate School Office at least one semester (three months) prior to the final defense.

When the research project nears completion, students should check on final requirements and scheduling with the School of Graduate Studies. Prior to scheduling the defense seminar, students should meet with the supervisory Committee that will provide the student with guidelines and expectations concerning the written thesis/dissertation and its defense. When the research is complete, the results must be reported in a thesis/dissertation that conforms to Graduate School guidelines and that must be presented in a formal and public departmental seminar. It is the student's responsibility to ensure that the seminar is announced at least one week in advance. The purpose of this seminar is to demonstrate the ability to present materialto chemists and biochemists outside of a specific research area. The seminar is an important degree requirement and must be presented to the satisfaction of the supervisory committee. The thesis/dissertation must be given to each member of the supervisory committee at least four weeks prior to the final seminar. After the seminar, the supervisory committee will conduct a final oral examination and determine whether the student has passed the defense and what, if any, modifications are required to the written thesis/dissertation.

Biochemistry Graduate Student Timeline - Summary of Important Dates and Deadlines

Stay on track in your graduate studies by reviewing our Important Dates and Deadlines page, which outlines key submission deadlines and academic milestones from your first year through final defense.

Guidelines for the Qualifying Examination

Visit our Biochemistry Guidelines for Qualifying Examination page for a complete breakdown on proposal requirements, committee procedures, and exam expectations.

Guidelines for Annual Progress Report Meetings

Learn more about annual supervisory committee meetings—including preparation requirements, evaluation criteria, and reporting expectations—on our Annual Progress Report Meetings page.

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¹ As of 2024-2025 Section H.1 of the Graduate School’s General Catalog states the following: A faculty member should not be appointed to a supervisory committee if, for any reason, they will not be available for committee meetings. Ideally, all members should be present for the final defense, and the defense should be scheduled accordingly. While in person defense is preferred and recommended, members of the committee may particpate, remotely with both audio and video interaction. Students should work with their committee members to arrange defense participation and details prior to submitting an Appointment for Examination.