Second Semester Students

All graduate students admitted to the Department of Biological Sciences at UAA are required to submit a written thesis proposal that details the plan for the students’ graduate work. The thesis proposal should be formatted much like a research proposal to a funding body, and should be 5-20 pages long (or longer if additional detail is required). This document is developed in consultation with the graduate advisor, and should follow the format outlined below.

Once prepared (in consultation with the advisor), the student must submit the proposal to the student’s Graduate Studies Committee (GSC) and present an oral defense of the proposal at a committee meeting. The committee should receive the written proposal at least two weeks in advance of the meeting at which the proposal is defended. Upon satisfactory completion of the defense, the student will initiate the Thesis Proposal form and the GSC will sign to indicate their approval.

This must be done by the end of the second semester in residence (end of their first academic year). An example of a thesis proposal’s formatting is provided below:

A. Introduction and literature review: This section will place the specific research project within the larger picture. It should involve a fairly extensive literature review of relevant research, and provide the reader with sufficient information to understand why the proposed research project is scientifically valid and unique. If the research project is built on other ongoing work in the advisor’s laboratory, and there is baseline or preliminary data available that are relevant, such data should be discussed in the proposal.

B. Specific Hypotheses or Research objectives: This section will detail the specific questions that the student’s research will address. Enough information should be provided so that the reader can understand why these particular hypotheses have been framed.

C. Methods: Here the student should outline, with as much detail as possible, the methods that will be used in their research. This should include information on species, sample sizes, field and laboratory techniques, statistical analyses, and any other methodological issues. While the specific details of the methods may change during the course of the thesis, this section will provide information on how the research is to be carried out.

D. Expected Findings: Here the student should provide information on what they expect to discover in the course of their research. Specifically, the student should cover what insight will be gained if they accept or reject their stated hypotheses (or research objectives). This section may include reference to other studies, and should again place the work within a larger framework.

E. Timeline for Completion: This will allow the committee to evaluate whether the research planned will be able to be accomplished in a timely fashion, and can subsequently be used as a guideline to assess the student’s progress.

F. References Cited

Students who started their degree in summer or fall semester should submit this report by May 15th each year.

Students who started their degree in spring semester should submit this report by December 15th each year.

Annual Progress Report submission is required for all M.S. Biological Sciences students regardless of fellowships or assistantships funding.

Follow these steps to complete your Annual Progress Report

1. Read these instructions. You will provide the required documentation in the Self-Evaluation in step 2.
2. Download and complete a Self-Evaluation in Word. Once you have completed the Self-Evaluation, convert it into a PDF.
3. Update your CV. Convert the updated CV to PDF.
4. Initiate Annual Progress Report. Attach the above documents within this DocuSign PowerForm.