University of New Haven
University of New Haven,
300 Boston Post Road,
West Haven, CT 06516
1-800 DIAL-UNH or 1-800-342-5864

Research Requirements

RESEARCH OPTIONS FOR CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY GRADUATE PROGRAM

THESIS OPTION (MB 695, MB 698 and MB699)

The thesis option is highly recommended to CMB students who wish to further their education in a Ph.D. or other doctoral program. Students who elect to write a thesis must include MB 695 Independent Study, MB 698 and 699, Thesis I and II or the chemistry or physics equivalents. All the research for the thesis must be performed at the University of New Haven, and must be advised by full time faculty members of the University and one of the advising faculty members should be selected from the Department of Biology and Environmental Science. Students can select the Thesis option after completing 9 to 20 credit hours of graduate study with a minimum GPA of 3.3 and the approval of the program coordinator.

The first research course, MB 695 Independent Study, is designed to introduce the student to the specific research field and allow the student to develop the necessary research techniques as well as to work on the Thesis proposal. Prior to registering for MB 698 Thesis I, the student must complete the Proposal for Thesis form, in which the proposed subject, the methodology and the hypotheses are described as the cover for the formal proposal written during the independent study. The student next secures an approval signature from a faculty member who will serve as adviser. The student must then receive approval for the proposed thesis and the thesis adviser from the department chair, program coordinator and the Vice Provost of graduate studies. Only after the registrar has received the approval form with necessary signatures will the student be permitted to register for thesis.

Thesis I and II must be taken over a minimum of two academic terms. A preliminary draft of the thesis must be presented to the adviser at least 75 days prior to commencement. Upon approval by the adviser and program coordinator, unbound copies are presented to the Vice Provost of graduate studies. The thesis adviser will then schedule the thesis defense before the student's thesis committee and the dean of graduate studies. Successful defense of the thesis must be completed at least three weeks prior to the date of commencement. Students must complete and defend the thesis within the time limit for completion of the degree.

After successful defense and approval by the Vice Provost of graduate studies, thesis credit is awarded. Final, unbound copies of the thesis are deposited with the Vice Provost of graduate studies, to be forwarded for binding at the University library where they become part of the permanent collection. The department or program coordinator may require additional copies of the thesis.

For guidance in the preparation of theses, graduate students should consult the University's Dissertation & Thesis Manual (3rd edition, 2011). Questions not resolved by the instructions should be settled in consultation with the adviser and by reference to a standard style manual.

The University of New Haven Graduate School participates in the University Microfilms, Inc. (UMI) Dissertation Services program and provides assistance to doctoral students for registration of dissertations and copyrights.

NON-THESIS RESEARCH OPTIONS
1. MB 695 Independent Study I or MB 688 Internship I

Work related to these courses can be performed at the University of New Haven or at an outside laboratory that satisfies the University's requirements. Student can choose from these courses after a minimum of 18 credit hours of graduate course work with a minimum GPA of 3.0 and the approval of program coordinator. 

Research Project (MB 690):

The approval of the research project requires a research proposal written by the student. Proposals must be submitted 2 weeks before the beginning of the registering semester. Proposals should include the outline of the research project, a description of where the research will take place and an estimated timeline for the project.
Format for the research proposal,

At the end of the research project the student is required to submit a research paper that describes all the results gained during the research and their interpretation. The first version of the final paper is due 2 weeks before the end of the registering semester. The ultimate goal is that the research will result in a manuscript that is ready for publication; therefore its format is very similar to a regular research manuscript format.
Format of the final paper.

Internship (MB 688):

The Internship program is a unique experience that exposes students to a new research setting and allows them to see cross-disciplinary principles/teams in action, and provides trainees with an important new perspective on biomedical research. Internships can be performed in an academic or pharmaceutical company setting nationwide. During an internship, the intern is required to have 600 hours of research completed at the site. Similar to the research project, the internship requires an approval based on the internship proposal. The format and the submission deadlines are the same as for the research project proposal (see above).