Qualifying Exam (QE)
The exam consists of two parts; Written (Core) exam and Oral (Area) exam.
-
Written (Core) Exam
The written exam consists of two sections. Section 1 covers the main topics of the Fundamentals of Biotechnology (BTEC503) course and Section 2 is a project proposal presented as a written report. A minimum score of 70% is expected from each section.
1) Fundamentals of Biotechnology
The questions cover the fundamental science and technology underlying biotechnological processes, and the basics of developing biotechnological processes from laboratory to industrial scale.
2) Project Proposal Topic
This section involves the preparation and assessment of an original research project written proposal by the student that is independent of the Ph.D. topic. The student should submit one short descriptive title and an abstract (maximum word limit of 400 words) along with his/her current or expected PhD thesis topic.
The advisor must submit a signed declaration that s/he has not and will not play any role in the design and writing of the proposal. The student and advisor must also submit a co-signed declaration that the proposed topic has no overlap with the PhD research topic, as well as ongoing or completed grants from the lab. This rule aims to ensure that the proposal does not overlap with existing proposals. In the event that the qualification exam committee detects such an overlap, the student will be asked to re-take the exam in the next round with a fresh proposal.
A brief guide to the formatting and organization of the written proposal report is available at the end of this document.
Evaluation
The evaluation will include a critical assessment of the written project proposal. The overall purpose is to evaluate the student's analytical thinking skills, including abilities in forming testable hypotheses, developing realistic experimental strategies, identifying the risks, and suggesting plans to mitigate the risks.
Written Project Proposal Evaluation
Evaluation of the written project proposal is as follows:
-
Background and Literature Review - 25 points
-
Scientific and Technological Excellence - 20 points
-
Methodology - 30 points
-
Work-Time Schedule - 5 points
-
Risk Management - 10 points
-
Overall quality - 10 points
-
Total - 100 points
The mean of the grades by the five (5) QEC members will be calculated as the written examination grade. Any submission that receives an average grade of <70/100 will be considered as a failure, and the student will not be invited for the oral examination. Checks that result in evidence of plagiarism and AI-generated content will lead to a failing grade.
B) Oral Examination
The oral examination will include questions to evaluate the student's theoretical background and analytical skills in the field. The student may also be expected to defend her/his written project proposal and demonstrate that the ideas and content were originally developed by herself/himself.
The jury will independently grade the oral examination. If the mean grade of the oral examination is <70/100, the student will fail.
Rules and Formatting for the Project Proposal Written Report
Draft a project proposal of a maximum of 10 pages (Arial, 11pt, 1.5 spacing). This page limit excludes work time schedules and a list of references. These sections are submitted separately. The project proposal will assume a duration of three (3) years.
1. Abstract of the Project
This section is a scientifically oriented executive summary of the project. It will describe the following aspects in separate paragraphs with brief and informative statements [maximum 400 words].
-
A brief introduction to the topic
-
Aim of the project and its importance/originality
-
Theoretical approach and guideline of the methodology used,
-
Expected contributions to the field.
Keywords: Up to 10 keywords.
2. Background and Literature Review
This section will describe the current state of the art and ongoing developments in fields relevant to the project, including personal previous work if applicable. This section also includes an assessment of future research needs that encompass a literature review about the related scientific and technological field and the assessment of how the project will contribute to those areas [maximum three (3) pages].
3. Scientific and Technological Excellence
This section will state methodological/conceptual/theoretical contributions to the related scientific and technological areas. It will explain the quality of the project (sound concept, quality of objectives, methodology) and its innovative potential [maximum one (1) page].
4. Methodology
This section will include a description of the approach and research design in relation to the project objectives and research questions. It is advised that this section is presented as work packages and explains clearly the quality and effectiveness of the scientific and technological methodology and research techniques (including data collection techniques, tools, and data analysis methods) with references to the literature [maximum four (4) pages].
5. Risk Management
This section will describe the risks that can affect the success of the project negatively and clearly describe the alternative plan(s) (Plan-B) that will be implemented in case of encountering such obstacles [maximum one (1) page].