51ĀŅĀ×

TBS requires that each student complete a body of primary research of publishable quality.
While we do not require a first-author research paper for degree attainment, we hope that the vast majority of graduating students will have at least one (1) publishable first author, peer-reviewed, primary research paper submitted by or largely completed prior to graduation. In addition to evaluating completed experiments and manuscripts, readiness to graduate will also be considered with respect to maturity and independence in scientific judgement ā€“ there are indeed cases where maturity outpaces publications, and this should be acknowledged positively and considered.

When the DAC agrees that the student has met the requirements for earning a PhD and is ready to begin drafting their dissertation, the committee will indicate this fact on the studentā€™s DAC meeting report. The studentā€™s dissertation defense must take place within three (3) to six (6) months of the date on which the decision was made; to delay the defense beyond this time requires that the student petition the TBS Steering Committee for permission.

Attributions to the Dissertation

While the student does all of the work for the dissertation in some cases, more often than not portions of the dissertation result from collaborative research. In all dissertations containing collaborative results, the dissertations should indicate concisely who contributed to the work. For example, a chapter containing multi-authored, published work must include a complete reference and a brief description of the candidate and their colleague(s)ā€™s contributions. For work that is not published but which resulted from multiple researchers, the contributors must be named, and respective attributions made clearly. This policy allows stylistic flexibility ā€“ depending on the amount of collaborative work in the dissertation, and the status of the publication(s), the attributions can be together at the end of either the Acknowledgements or Introduction sections of the dissertation, or before each relevant chapter. It is permissible for more than one student to include work from the same
collaboration(s) or publication(s) as long as the required attributions are clear, justified, and complete.

Dissertation & Graduation Requirements

The TBS Program has two degree granting pathways: a masterā€™s degree and a doctorate degree. We do not recruit or admit students to the masterā€™s program, but it may be used by doctoral students who do not feel they will be able to complete the requirements for a PhD.

Masters

The TBS master's is not considered a thesis degree. It requires completion of Milestones 1 and 2. The student will need to be registered for at least one credit in their final semester and apply for graduation on time.

PhD

Students who plan to obtain a TBS doctorate degree must follow the dissertation guidelines set by 51ĀŅĀ×ā€™s Thesis and Dissertation Services (TAD). Please refer to their website for deadlines, checklists, and required forms. They update these frequently, so make sure you are working with the most current information. Please work closely with the TBS Program administrator and your mentors to ensure you will complete all paperwork on time.