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Microbiology Ph. D. Program
Master's Degree Program
Frequently Asked Questions
General Graduate School Information
Graduate School Catalog
Graduate School Requirements
Graduate School Checklist
Deadlines and Test Requirements
Criteria for Satisfactory Progress
MMI Graduate Courses
MMI 677 Vaccines: Past, Present & Future
MMI 720 Topics in Immunology
MMI 740 Mechanisms of Microbial Pathogenesis
MMI 773 Eukaryotic Microbial Pathogenesis
MMI 900 Journal Club Schedule
MMI 901 Seminar Schedule
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Master's Degree Program Frequently Asked Questions
What, if any, financial responsibility does a faculty member have for advising a master's student? Does the faculty member have to provide the student with a stipend, or simply materials and lab space?
- As noted in our website, "financial support for students in the Master's program is not generally available". In some cases, a faculty advisor will offer to provide the master's student with a stipend. The stipend may be any amount, up to the amount provided to Ph.D. students. However, the advisor is not responsible for paying any stipend, or for assisting the master's student in finding other forms of financial support, such as teaching assistantships, etc. The faculty advisor is required to provide the master's student with the space and lab supplies needed for completion of the master's student research project.
How long does the MMI masters program take to complete?
- Students may earn the MMI masters degree in two years or less. Sometimes, slightly more than two years to completion may be required.
How much time is a master's student expected to spend in the lab doing research as opposed to time spent in coursework?
- As noted in our website, the MMI Master's Degree program is a "research-intensive program, requiring a research thesis to graduate. This is different from programs that emphasize classroom instructions where students graduate after completing an established curriculum." Accordingly, MMI masters students should expect to spend considerable time in the lab, as compared to the classroom.
- Most MMI masters students take 3-4 credits of coursework per semester, with the remaining 8-9 credits being research. Students are generally expected to take 12 credits in the fall and spring semesters, and 2 credits in the summer session.
- If a faculty advisor is providing the MMI master's student with a stipend, the student can expect to spend 30-40 hours per week in the lab. If the faculty advisor is not providing a stipend, the number of hours spent in the lab each week is more flexible, and may be closer to 20. It is recognized that a higher number of hours spent in the lab does not always translate to higher productivity; efficient use of one's time can reduce the number of hours required to complete the research thesis. Most advisors assume that the MMI master's student is personally motivated to learn, discover and grow. There is no timeclock to punch, or timesheets to turn in. There is, however, the expectation that satisfactory progress is consistently being made during the student's degree program. If insufficient time is spent working towards the degree, satisfactory progress will not be achieved and the student could be asked to leave the program.
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