Degree Requirements
Plan of Study
The graduate curriculum varies mostly according to the research a
student chooses or is assigned. Early in their graduate studies students
will select a graduate faculty member to serve as a thesis mentor or
Major Advisor. Together the student and Major Advisor will select two
additional faculty members from the Graduate Faculty to serve on a Thesis
Advisory Committee. The student and Major Advisor will develop an
academic sequence of courses to support the thesis research, fulfill
general research requirements in anatomy and strengthen their academic
preparation.
In addition to courses specifically related to the student’s chosen
research specialty, additional courses in biostatistics and research
design, research ethics, and experience in scientific presentation are
required of each student (see Required courses listed previously).
Additional curricular and extra-curricular experiences are required of
the student related to research. Students must attend Graduate Division
Seminars (presentations by invited scientists, as well as the defense of
research by graduate students) and are expected to participate in a
research colloquium (an informal discussion of primary literature) of
their choosing each term. Graduate students also complete courses that
are designed to develop their research methods. Students must be
competent in the broader field of anatomy. Therefore, all students are
required to demonstrate an academic background in each of the following
areas: gross anatomy, microanatomy, neuroscience, biomechanics, and
development to the satisfaction of their committee. The sequence of
courses developed will constitute a Plan of Study (minimum 36 credit
hours, of which 6 may be A700 Thesis), which is reviewed by each Thesis
Advisory Committee and approved by the Division of Graduate Studies. The
plan of study not only assists the student and committee to plan, but
also will assure the timely offering of unique courses by the Division of
Graduate Studies.
Thesis
Topics: Each graduate faculty member who will mentor
(serve as Thesis Major Advisor) a graduate student on a thesis develops a
thesis module. A thesis module supports a portion of that faculty
member’s larger research program, but is compact enough to provide
effective training and research experience for a graduate student and
sufficient to constitute a thesis. When students select a Thesis Major
Advisor, they also have selected a subspecialty within the field of
Anatomy in which to complete their required research. At Palmer research
topics generally fall within any one (or a combination) of three
subspecialties: Anatomy, Neuroscience or Biomechanics. Each area will
have required courses, determined by the committee, based upon specific
research goals. Thus a student’s Plan of Study will consist of the above
requirements, courses needed to complete a background in anatomy and
those additional courses needed to prepare for the thesis research.
Anatomy thesis topics address a wide area of research into human and
vertebrate structure including these specialties: anthropology,
evolutionary change, morphometry, histology and ultrastructure. Topics in
Biomechanics draw on a variety of research approaches to understand the
structure and function of the musculoskeletal system in humans and other
vertebrates in health and pathology. Thesis topics in Neuroscience draw
on a variety of research approaches to understand the structure and
function of the nervous system in humans and other vertebrates in health
and pathology. Because of the emphasis of ongoing research programs at
the Palmer Center for Chiropractic Research (PCCR) and the relationship
of graduate student research to the PCCR, unique opportunities exist for
thesis topics to combine Biomechanics and Neuroscience in research to
address basic questions related to normal and abnormal vertebral
function.
Proposal: Early in their second year, graduate students
should prepare a formal proposal describing the basis for and methods
used in completing a thesis. The Thesis Research Proposal is written in
the format of an extramural grant proposal, using an established
application format (PHS398). The student then defends this research
proposal before the Thesis Advisory Committee.
Manuscript: The length of the thesis may vary, however,
it must contain the following: a title page; an annotation page;
abstract; table of contents; table of figures (if appropriate); table of
tables (if appropriate); Chapter I – Introduction; Chapter II – Methods;
Chapter III – Results; Chapter IV – Discussion; References Cited;
appendices, and Vita. The Thesis must conform to standards established by
the Division of Graduate Studies (see the Thesis Handbook for additional
information) and be of a sufficient scientific standard to constitute a
thesis.
Defense: The thesis (the completed graduate research and
its compiled report constitute a thesis) must conform to standards
established by the Division of Graduate Studies and be of a sufficient
scientific standard to be eligible for defense. A copy of the thesis,
approved for display by the Thesis Advisory Committee, must be available
for public examination for at least one week before its public defense.
All members of the academic community shall be invited to attend a
defense of the thesis. Successful defense (usually before the end of the
second year) qualifies a candidate for graduation. The Thesis Advisory
Committee has sole authority to determine if a defense is successful and
to recommend a candidate for graduation – their decision is final.
Conferring the Degree
Candidacy: Graduate students in the Anatomy Program are
required to pass a qualifying examination to be admitted to candidacy for
the master's degree. This examination assesses the student's preparedness
to begin thesis research, and should be completed only after the thesis
proposal has been approved. It may consist of a comprehensive test of the
graduate courses taken previously or it may focus on mastery of the
specific coursework and research techniques related to the thesis
proposal. This examination is administered by and its content and format
determined by a Thesis Advisory Committee. The defense of the thesis
proposal can be incorporated into the qualifying examination at the
discretion of the Advisory Committee.
Any student who fails the qualifying examination may be allowed a
second examination, provided that it does not come earlier than two
months from the date of the previous examination and provided, further,
that the application for the second examination has been authorized by
the advisor of the student. Failure on the second examination is final.
Graduation: A candidate for the master's degree in
anatomy is qualified for graduation by successful defense of the thesis,
as judged by the Thesis Advisory Committee. Only upon the recommendation
of a Thesis Advisory Committee and following the filing of a signed copy
of the thesis with the Division of Graduate Studies, will the Graduate
Council consider a candidate for graduation.
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