Doctoral Degree

Doctoral Curriculum

To earn the doctoral degree in Biomedical Informatics, a trainee must complete a program of study approved by a committee of biomedical informatics faculty. This program must include successful completion of (a) the required coursework described below;

• (b) a preliminary evaluation;
• (c) a comprehensive examination composed by the doctoral committee;
• (d) research work leading to an acceptable dissertation; and
• (e) the writing and presentation requirements listed in the Requirements prior to Admission to Doctoral Candidacy section.

Preliminary Evaluation

The preliminary evaluation, to be held at the spring TP Core Faculty Meeting focused on trainee evaluations, will assess appropriate progress in the first year in both coursework and research.

1.  All first-year coursework will be reviewed to ensure minimal grade requirements (3.0 GPA and successfully passing all courses) and to address any performance concerns identified by instructors.
2. The trainee will make a short presentation (15-20 minutes) to faculty in an open forum, providing an introduction to the trainee’s research.  The goal of this presentation will be to inform the faculty about the trainee’s proposed project, including relevant background, and to establish that the trainee has the potential to succeed in graduate studies.  
3. The research mentor will provide a letter assessing the trainee’s progress and prospects for success.

Note that the short presentation (#2) is the only item that is in addition to regular coursework.

Doctoral Comps

Biomedical Informatics Doctoral Comprehensive Examination Guidelines

The comprehensive evaluation will challenge the trainee to demonstrate their depth of knowledge in biomedical informatics, while making concrete steps relevant to their dissertation research.  This examination will have two components:

1. a written document and
2. an oral examination