|
|
2016-2017 University Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
Biomechanics, PhD - for continuing students only
|
|
 Return to: Degree and Certificate Programs
PhD program is closed for entry beginning fall 2015.
Note For the Current Academic Year:
Incoming PhD students should refer to the Integrated Biomedical Sciences section of this catalog. The following information is intended for incoming MS students, current MS and current PhD students. Questions about the future plans should be directed to the program director.
|
Biomechanics: Admission Requirements
Applicants must enter the program in the fall semester in order to begin the required coursework in the core curriculum. The deadline for submission of applications is generally March 1. International applications can be accepted after March 1 but must take into consideration the delays associated with the necessary visa arrangements. In addition to the basic requirements established by The Graduate College, the division has the following requirements for admission to its program:
Applicants must have completed a Baccalaureate degree or higher from a regionally accredited college or university and provide official transcripts from each college or university attended. Prior degrees would most likely include physical sciences, engineering, computer science, mathematics, biology, or medicine; although students with degrees from other areas and those who consider themselves to have special or unique qualities and a reasonable likelihood of success are also encouraged to apply.
Admission criteria include: completion of all prerequisite courses with a minimum grade of 3.0/4.0 scale; an overall cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0/4.0 scale; a minimum combined Verbal and Quantitative score of 1000 on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE); three letters of recommendation from persons who are knowledgeable about the quality of the applicant’s scholarly activities and/or work experience; an essay including the applicant’s personal statements and future goals; and an application fee. Additional factors influencing admission to the programs include: professional work experience; positions of leadership held; and communication and writing skills (as demonstrated in the personal statement essay). Specific admission requirements may be waived by the Graduate College Council. These will be addressed on a case by case basis.
Prerequisite coursework includes (but is not limited to): General Physics and Chemistry; Algebra, Calculus, and Differential Equations; Introductory Biology and Biochemistry, Introduction to Physiological Systems; Bio-Instrumentation; Properties of Material; Fundamentals in Statistics; and Dynamics and Senior Design.
The PhD program in Biomechanics will target applicants who are practicing bioengineers from industry or health professionals and individuals with backgrounds in biology and Medical Physics. The PhD program will also be available to eligible Masters prepared junior faculty members of Rush University, providing them a mechanism for obtaining their doctoral degrees.
Acceptance of transfer credit
30-45 credit hours of graduate credit may be transferred into the PhD program with approval of the Section Director for students who are directly entering into the PhD program after completing a Baccalaureate degree. Graduate transfer credit may be given for graduate level courses taken at other institutions if approved by the major advisor and Section Director and if they are judged to meet divisional requirements. Courses taken outside of the United States may be considered for transfer with the approval of the Section Director. All such courses must be evaluated by the Education Credentials Evaluators (ECE) and be judged equivalent by U.S. standards. Academic credit for life experiences will not be given.
The Division Director and the Admissions Committee evaluate applications. All prior academic experience and the letters of recommendation will be evaluated for an indication of the applicant’s potential for success as a graduate student and future independent investigator. The statement by the applicant describing goals and motivation will be studied to determine the compatibility between the applicant’s requirements and the capabilities of the graduate program.
The number of faculty available to mentor the student’s research limits acceptance into the master’s program. Students are therefore encouraged to apply early. Generally, students entering the master’s program will not be eligible for stipends and must pay tuition. Under certain circumstances, if the faculty has sufficient funds, it may provide financial support to the extent of tuition.
Research Dissertation (PhD) (74 semester credit hours total minimum requirement)
Students must choose an area of concentration in order to complete the dissertation requirements of the degree program. The overall aim of the dissertation is to make the students work on a clinically relevant topic in the following musculoskeletal biomechanics categories: Human Motion, Implant Design and Analyses, Spine Biomechanics, Bone Mechanics, Cartilage Mechanics, Biomechanics and Biochemical Analyses of Ligaments, Tendons and Muscles.
All doctoral students must complete faculty-guided independent research that culminates in a dissertation as a part of degree completion requirements. The dissertation must be original and cannot have been used to meet the requirement of any other degree, either at Rush University or any other university.
Each student will have a dissertation committee whose role is to assure that the student’s dissertation is of high quality and meets the standards of the division, the College and the University for originality, contribution to the field and scholarly presentation. The committee is also to assure that the student is making satisfactory progress toward completion of the degree. The dissertation committee is chosen by the student in conjunction with the student’s primary advisor and should consist of at least five total members that include the student’s primary advisor. Two of the committee members and the primary advisor must be from the Graduate College. At least one member of the committee should be from outside of the division, and preferably from outside of the institution. Once the committee convenes, it will choose a chairperson who cannot be the student’s primary advisor. The chairperson will oversee the scheduling and activities of the committee.
Preliminary examination
The PhD seeking student is expected to attempt and pass a written and an oral examination (referred to as preliminary examination) WITHIN the second year after admission to the program (summer of the 2nd year). Preliminary exam can be from course work to examine their preparedness. The preliminary examination presentation format will closely follow that of the NIH grant application but excludes portions such as budget, resource statement, etc. The student is expected to provide some preliminary results and, more importantly, outline his/her research plan.
The prelim exam committee consists of 5 faculty (including the Advisor and the Division Director). Specific requirements for the committee include: 1) at least one faculty from outside the Division of Biomechanics; and 2) at least one faculty from outside of Rush University and approved by the Divisional Graduate Program Committee (which will be formed a program oversight body). The Preliminary Examination Committee will, preferably, remain the same and become the final dissertation committee. The preliminary exam may be open to the academic community of the university. The committee must approve the research proposal.
During the course of the research work, each student must, annually, present their findings in a seminar.
At or near the completion of the dissertation, each student will share, by means of a seminar with the academic community, the knowledge that the student has developed and the findings obtained. Students are responsible for posting announcements (at least two weeks prior to the presentation) on institutional bulletin boards and e-mailing all faculty and students of the Graduate College the title of the dissertation, the student’s name, and the location, date and time of the presentation. This presentation must precede the final approval of the written dissertation by the Dissertation Committee.
Upon completion of the public presentation, the student will meet with the dissertation committee to review the presentation, the dissertation document, and the student’s preparedness to enter the scientific community. A majority of members of the committee must sign the dissertation certifying the completion of all requirements for the doctor of philosophy degree.
Admission to Candidacy for PhD
Admission to candidacy is evidence that the doctoral student has successfully completed all preliminary coursework and is prepared to move into his/her intensive research experience. Admission to candidacy is not completed until the student successfully defends his or her dissertation proposal. This proposal must be in the form of an R21 NIH application. Admission to candidacy is a demonstration of confidence that the student will successfully accomplish the remaining requirements of the program.
Practicum, internship, Clinical or field experience requirements
Internship or field experience with reputed implant manufacturers may help the students with their dissertation work for PhD students.
Time to completion of the degree
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) candidates are expected to meet all requirements for graduation within five enrolled academic years (excluding leaves of absence). This period begins the semester in which the student formally matriculates. A student exceeding that time limitation must submit to the Graduate Council, in writing, a request to extend his or her candidacy beyond that time period. This request must identify the reasons for the extension and provide a written plan with reasonable deadlines for completion. This document will be co-signed by the student’s advisor, section director and division director. The council will vote whether to accept the extension or not (passed by simple majority). The student’s advisor will then provide an update on the student’s progress after six months. One year after the extension is granted the student is expected to complete all requirements. A second request may be made by the student’s advisor and section director, but will only be accepted through a two-thirds majority of the voting members present at a formal hearing of the Graduate College Council. Within one year of that second request, the student must complete all requirements for the PhD degree or face dismissal. Alternatively, the student may be awarded a MS degree upon the recommendation of the student’s graduate division.
Biomechanics: Academic Policies
The minimum satisfactory grade for course credit is “B”, and all stipulated segments of a course must be passed by this standard. If a student earns grades lower than “B,” or the student’s overall GPA falls below a 3.0, the student may not be permitted to register for subsequent courses or semesters without the approval of the section Committee on Progress and Promotions and the student may be subject to probation, suspension or dismissal from the program. Students who withdraw or have been dismissed from the program may reapply and will be considered on the same basis as a new applicant.
Students requesting readmission must submit a letter to that effect to the Committee on Progress and Promotions.
Students are expected to attend all classes and spend the appropriate time in the lab. Outside employment is not allowed for anyone receiving a stipend because it interferes with the time and effort necessary to complete the program.
Each student is expected to conduct herself or himself at all times in a dignified manner-a manner which conforms to the ethics of the profession and which instills confidence in one’s abilities as a working scientist. Irresponsible, unprofessional or unethical behavior, as determined by the instructor, may result in dismissal from the program.
The department will not condone cheating in any form. Allegations of cheating will be reviewed by the Committee on Progress and Promotions and if merited, dealt with in a strict manner including immediate dismissal from the program. Any student found to be cheating on an examination will automatically receive a “0” for the examination and, at the discretion of the Committee on Progress and Promotions, will be subject to dismissal from the program.
This Rush University Catalog details the policies regarding inclusion of minorities and those with disabilities as wells as the policies and procedures for reporting harassment.
The Division of Biomechanics follows the University Policies on Academic Honesty and the University Statement on Student Conduct.
Student Academic Appeals Policy
Numerous checks are in place to assure the fair treatment of students. Any student of the Graduate College may appeal a final course grade or failure of the thesis that results in his or her academic probation or dismissal from the University. A student may also appeal an unreasonable delay in graduation from the University.
The process for filing an appeal is maintained by each division.
Graduate College/ Rush University Academic Policies
Academic policies specific to The Graduate College are located earlier in this catalog. In addition, the Academic Resources and Policies section of this catalog contains Rush University academic policies.
Biomechanics: Curriculum
The PhD in Biomechanics will require a of minimum of 132 semester hours of academic course work taken at the graduate level and consists of core courses in biomechanics, strength and properties of biomaterials, basic anatomy and cellular biochemistry (15 semester hours); research core courses in biostatistics, writing practicum, ethics and journal club, introduction to laboratories, experimental design and models of research and introduction to research (11 semester hours); professional track course in connective tissue biochemistry, kinematics of human motion, bioengineering material and spine biomechanics (11 semester hours); advanced topics such as non-linear tissue biomechanics, implant biomechanics, bone biology, advanced biomaterials and tribology of implants that will help the students to perform high quality, up-to-date research in orthopedic biomechanics (18 semester hours) and doctoral dissertation work (74 semester hours). In addition, students will be able to further their knowledge in any subject using the 3 semester hours of elective or independent study. The program may be completed in approximately 4 years of full time study.
Upon matriculation the division shall provide the student with a handbook which contains information outlining:
- all course requirements with a year-by-year synopsis of recommended courses with course numbers
- required grade performance for all required and elective courses
- requirements for qualifying exams
- description of the general content of the qualifying exam
- process for passing qualifying exams
- process for remediating qualifying exams
- selection of an advisor
- requirements for dissertation committee selection
- expectations for research work
- form of dissertation proposal
- dissertation committee process
- requirements for completion of degree
- time line for degree completion and other materials relevant to the division not covered by the Graduate College student policies
A typical course sequence is described as follows:
|
Return to: Degree and Certificate Programs
|
|