Applicable only to students admitted during the 2014-2015 academic year.

Biomathematics

School of Medicine

Graduate Degrees

The Department of Biomathematics offers the Master of Science (M.S.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees in Biomathematics, and the Master of Science (M.S.) degree in Clinical Research.

Clinical Research

Admissions Requirements

Master’s Degree

Advising

The co-chairs of the departmental Executive Committee for the M.S. in Clinical Research confer with incoming students about their goals and prior preparation. Students are assigned a major adviser, either from the Executive Committee, the Admissions Committee, or from a faculty mentor list available within the department. Clinical fellows may use a faculty member from their subspecialty training program as an additional adviser. Students meet with their adviser(s) at least once a month. Detailed student progress assessments are reported to the Executive Committee.

Areas of Study

Consult the department.

Foreign Language Requirement

None.

Course Requirements

Master’s degree candidates must complete a minimum of 48 units, including 32 units of required upper division and graduate courses; at least five of the courses must be graduate level. The nine required courses (32 units) are Biomathematics 170A, 259, M260A-M260B-M260C, M261, 265A, 266A (formerly numbered 171) and 266B (formerly numbered 266). Elective courses (8-units required) are selected in consultation with and approval by the assigned adviser(s). Eight units of Biomathematics 596 are required for thesis research.

With approval by the graduate program advisor, equivalent courses may be substituted to meet the program’s coursework requirements.

Teaching Experience

Not required.

Field Experience

Clinical experience is obtained in subspecialty training and clinic rotation.

Comprehensive Examination Plan

None.

Thesis Plan

Every master’s degree thesis plan requires the completion of an approved thesis that demonstrates the student’s ability to perform original, independent research.

A master’s thesis is required. A master’s thesis committee consisting of a minimum of 3 faculty is nominated by the department and appointed by the Graduate Division. Students discuss with their adviser(s) their choice for the chair of the thesis committee (which must be a faculty within the Department of Biomathematics). The committee composition must be approved by the Executive Committee. The completed thesis is presented to the thesis committee for approval.

Time-to-Degree

The normative time to degree is two years. The maximum time to degree is three years. Exceptions require approval of the Executive Committee.

Termination of Graduate Study and Appeal of Termination

University Policy

A student who fails to meet the above requirements may be recommended for termination of graduate study. A graduate student may be disqualified from continuing in the graduate program for a variety of reasons. The most common is failure to maintain the minimum cumulative grade point average (3.00) required by the Academic Senate to remain in good standing (some programs require a higher grade point average). Other examples include failure of examinations, lack of timely progress toward the degree and poor performance in core courses. Probationary students (those with cumulative grade point averages below 3.00) are subject to immediate dismissal upon the recommendation of their department. University guidelines governing termination of graduate students, including the appeal procedure, are outlined in Standards and Procedures for Graduate Study at UCLA.

Special Departmental or Program Policy

None.