The student’s supervisors and the genetic counseling program directors work together in mentoring the student. In the second semester, the student should select the faculty member with whom he or she will work on the project. Course schedules of first-year students must be approved by the graduate program director.
By the beginning of the second year, the student must have selected the members of his or her committee. The committee must include at least three faculty members with a rank of assistant professor or above. Additional members may be added if needed for optimal project advising. The composition of the student’s committee must be approved by the department chair and the dean of the School of Medicine and be on file in the dean’s office six months prior to the oral examination (i.e., by Oct. 1 of the second year).
Comprehensive exams are given at the end of the first and second years and must be passed in order to graduate. The first-year exam is a one-day exam generally composed of half multiple-choice “Board-type” questions and half short-answer questions. Both sections of the exam must be passed. The second-year exam is a similarly structured but more a comprehensive day of written work followed by an oral exam administered by the student’s research project committee. The oral exam date must be posted at least 10 working days in advance.
Students will be evaluated by supervising faculty in an ongoing manner. The evaluation will be based upon performance in course work, as well as input from the supervisors of the student’s clinical and laboratory rotations, the leaders of the Wednesday meetings, and his or her project advisory committee. The purpose of these evaluations is to provide regular feedback to students regarding their progress and to develop plans to ensure a timely completion of the requirements of the M.S. program.
