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MS in CTS Program Master’s Thesis Research Project Policies and Procedures The program will follow the general requirements of the OUHSC Graduate College for the Thesis Master’s Degree Program (http://graduate.ouhsc.edu/GCBulletin/content.html#MSDegree). A detailed timeline for completing the MS thesis can be found at: http://graduate.ouhsc.edu/currentstudents/documents/MasterThesisTimeline_12.pdf In addition, the following CTS program-specific policies and procedures apply:

Plan of Study No later than the end of the first year of graduate study, the student will submit an Outline of Graduate Work to Dr. Stoner. After her review and approval, Dr. Stoner will submit the Outline of Graduate Work to the Graduate College. http://graduate.ouhsc.edu/currentstudents/documents/OutlineGradWork.pdf

MS Thesis Committee Each student will have a Graduate Committee consisting of at least four Graduate Faculty members. Three of the faculty members on each committee will be Graduate Faculty members in the Clinical and Translational Science program. The remaining member of the graduate committee will be chosen by the student with concurrence by those faculty members and the approval of the Program Director and should have expertise in the student’s chosen area of specialty. The Chair of the Graduate Committee must be a Graduate Faculty member of the Clinical and Translational Science program and will be the primary mentor for the research project. The Chair must be identified prior to program admission. The remaining three members of the graduate committee must be identified by the end of the second semester. At least two of the members must have had prior experience serving on or chairing a graduate MS thesis or PhD dissertation committee and at least two of the members must be from departments outside the home department of the Chair. Students are strongly encouraged to include a faculty member with expertise in research design methods, either quantitative methods such as biostatistics or epidemiology, or qualitative research methods, as appropriate for the proposed thesis research project.

After the members have been identified, the student will email Dr. Stoner with the list of proposed committee members. Dr. Stoner will then review the list relative to the program requirements. If approved, the student will complete the Committee Appointment form found in Appendix A of this document.

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Research Prospectus Students are required to write a research prospectus in a research grant proposal format, which will provide an opportunity for students to apply program competencies to their field of interest and will serve as a guide for their thesis research project. Students will receive guidance and feedback from their research committee on effective grant writing and written communication. The research prospectus should be completed by the end of the first summer semester for a 2-year plan of study and by the end of the second summer for a 3-year plan of study. The prospectus must be approved by their thesis committee.

Process:

1. The student develops the prospectus, following the outline available in Appendix B of this document, with input from committee members. The prospectus reflects the research hypotheses and methods for the proposed thesis research project.

2. The student schedules a committee meeting (plan for 1.5 to 2 hours). During the meeting, the student presents a 30-40 minute oral summary and defense of the research prospectus (PowerPoint presentation). The committee may ask questions about the prospectus and suggest revisions. The committee then determines whether the prospectus is approved or not approved. If approved, the student then implements the research plan and moves forward with the thesis research. If not approved, the prospectus will need to be revised and successfully defended before progressing to the implementation phase of the thesis. Following the defense, the Prospectus Report of the Committee (Appendix C) must be completed by the committee and returned to Dr. Stoner.

Mentored Research Project

Students are required to write a thesis on an area of original clinical or translational research under the supervision of a designated faculty mentor and thesis committee. This project will involve 9 credit hours of mentored research. The goal of the project is to generate preliminary data needed for the K23 or K08 grant proposal prepared through the writing and defending of a Master’s Thesis. The student will choose a research topic, which will be approved by the student’s graduate committee. The research project will involve literature review, development of an original hypothesis and specific aims to test the hypothesis of interest, research design, data collection and analysis, and written and oral summaries of the research findings. Though program completion is not contingent on the submission of research findings to a professional organization or academic

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journal, this will be encouraged, as peer-reviewed publication is a critical element in academic success.

Timeline A detailed timeline and checklist of required procedures for completing the MS thesis can be found at: http://graduate.ouhsc.edu/currentstudents/documents/MasterThesisTimeline_12.pdf Semester-specific deadlines for graduation can be found in the Academic Calendar: http://www.ouhsc.edu/admissions/ (see Academic Calendar link on left side of page) Here is a summary of the process:

1. The format of the thesis must follow the Graduate College guidelines available at: http://graduate.ouhsc.edu/currentstudents/documents/GuidelinesforPreparationoftheMastersThesisandDoctoralDissertation.pdf The thesis can take 1 of 2 forms: I. Traditional organization with the following chapters

a. Chapter 1: Introduction b. Chapter 2: Methods and Materials c. Chapter 3: Results d. Chapter 4: Discussion e. Chapter 5: Summary

Examples are (Stavrakis, Madhoun theses)

http://library.ouhsc.edu/epub/theses/Madhoun-Mohammad.pdf

http://library.ouhsc.edu/epub/theses/Stavrakis-Stavros.pdf

II. Manuscript Submission /Publication Organization with an Introduction

chapter, the manuscript, and a Discussion Chapter.

Examples are attached (Clinton, Cottrell theses)

http://library.ouhsc.edu/epub/theses/Clinton-Rachel-Michelle.pdf http://library.ouhsc.edu/epub/theses/Cottrell-Mackenzie-Leigh.pdf

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2. The student prepares the thesis, with feedback and guidance from the committee, and distributes the reading copy to the committee for their review (please allow at least 2 weeks for the committee to review the reading copy). At the beginning of the semester in which the student expects to graduate, the student will send Dr. Stoner an Admission to Candidacy form for the Master's degree in the Graduate College (consult the Academic Calendar for specific deadlines) http://www.ouhsc.edu/graduate/currentstudents/documents/AdmCandidacy.pdf

3. The committee reviews the thesis reading copy and sends comments/requested revisions to the student. The committee should identify a tentative date for the oral thesis defense to ensure that all are available to meet prior to the end of the semester. The defense can take place in a conference room that is convenient for the student. The oral defense will involve a PowerPoint presentation and so an appropriate room should be identified.

4. After the committee members are satisfied with the changes to the reading copy and are comfortable with moving forward to the oral defense of the thesis, the student will finalize the date, hour, and location of the thesis defense, and complete the Request for Master’s Thesis Defense form.

http://www.ouhsc.edu/graduate/currentstudents/documents/ReqMastersThesisDefense.pdf. The approved reading copy does not need to be the perfect, final version, but needs to be polished enough that the committee is comfortable signing off on the permission to defend form.

5. The student then submits the signed Request for Master’s Thesis Defense form and the approved reading copy to Karolyn Ruffin at the Graduate College at least 10 days prior to issuing the paperwork for the thesis defense.

6. During the defense (schedule 1.5 to 2 hours), the student presents a 30-40 minute oral summary of the thesis. The committee and audience ask questions during and after the presentation. The questions may be specifically related to the thesis or may be a review of course material. After the question session, the student is excused and the committee deliberates and makes a decision regarding the defense (satisfactory/unsatisfactory). The committee then calls the student back into the room and discusses with her the committee’s decision and any additional required revisions for the thesis. The committee completes the committee report form (the student will receive this form from the Graduate

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College prior to her defense). As additional documentation, each committee member should also complete the Oral Defense Summary Form (Appendix D).

7. The student has 72 hours after the defense to submit the signed thesis defense forms to the Graduate College and has 60 days to submit the final copy of the thesis to the Graduate College.

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APPENDIX A: COMMITTEE APPOINTMENT FORM

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MASTER OF SCIENCE IN CLINICAL AND TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE

University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Graduate College

MEMORANDUM

TO: James J. Tomasek, Ph.D.

Dean, Graduate College Director, MS in Clinical and Translational Science Program President's Associates Presidential Professor Department of Cell Biology

FROM: Julie Stoner, Ph.D.

Graduate Liaison, MS in Clinical and Translational Science Program DATE: DATE SUBJECT: Request for Approval of Graduate Committee The following Graduate Faculty members have agreed to serve as members of the MS Thesis Committee for STUDENT (ID NUMBER) and are requesting approval of the Committee by the MS in Clinical and Translational Science (MS in CTS) Program Director. This committee meets the following MS in CTS program requirements:

Each student will have a Graduate Committee consisting of at least four Graduate Faculty members. Three of the faculty members on each committee will be Graduate Faculty members in the Clinical and Translational Science program. The remaining member of the graduate committee will be chosen by the student with concurrence by those faculty members and the approval of the Program Director and should have expertise in the student’s chosen area of specialty. The Chair of the Graduate Committee must be a Graduate Faculty member of the Clinical and Translational Science program and will be the primary mentor for the research project. The Chair must be identified prior to program admission. The remaining three members of the graduate committee must be identified by the end of the second semester. At least two of the members must have had prior experience serving on or chairing a graduate MS thesis or PhD dissertation committee and at least two of the members must be from departments outside the home department of the Chair. Students are strongly encouraged to include a faculty member with expertise in research design methods, either quantitative methods such as biostatistics or

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epidemiology, or qualitative research methods, as appropriate for the proposed thesis research project.

Committee Member’s Name

Committee Member’s Signature

Committee Member’s Home

Department

Committee Member’s Role

__________________________________ ______________________ MS in CTS Program Director’s Approval Date

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APPENDIX B: THESIS PROSPECTUS OUTLINE

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MS in Clinical and Translational Sciences

Thesis Research Prospectus

Policy

Students are required to write a research prospectus in a research grant proposal format, which will provide an opportunity for students to apply program competencies to their field of interest and will serve as a guide for their thesis research project. Students will receive guidance and feedback from their research committee on effective grant writing and written communication. The research prospectus should be completed by the end of the first summer semester of a 2-year program and by the end of the second summer semester of a 3-year program and must be approved by their thesis committee. A summary of the research prospectus will be orally defended by the student.

The prospectus is a general description of the proposed thesis research project, and review and signature by the MS Thesis Committee represents an understanding between the student and the Committee as to the conduct of the thesis research. Substantial revisions from the prospectus that arise during the course of the research must be reviewed and approved by the MS Thesis Committee.

Outline

The prospectus should be titled and include an abstract, specific aims, background and

significance, research design and methods, anticipated results, potential pitfalls and alternative

approaches, proposed timeline, and information regarding human subjects and/or animals in

research.

The following provides additional information about each section:

Abstract: The abstract should be no more than 30 lines of text and include the following:

a brief background of the project

specific aims and hypotheses

the significance of the proposed research

the methodology to be used, including a summary of the research design

expected results

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Specific Aims and Hypotheses: This section should be limited to 1-1.5 pages in length and

include the following:

Opening statement (public health importance)

Current state of the knowledge

Gaps in knowledge

Long range goal of research program

Specific aims and hypotheses of thesis research

Outcomes and expectations

Importance

Background and Significance: Summarize the relevant literature and include the following:

the rationale for the proposed project

the state of existing knowledge, including literature citations and highlights of relevant

data

gaps that the project is intended to fill

Research Design and Methods: The methods section should include the following information:

an overview of the research design (with specific methods related to the type of study

proposed: qualitative, quantitative, mixed methods), including a sample size justification

and a sampling plan

a detailed description of specific methods to be employed to accomplish the specific aims

a detailed description of intervention and control therapies, if proposing an experiment

a detailed description of the data that will be collected, specifying primary and secondary

endpoints, and measurement protocols

a detailed description of the methods that will be used to analyze the data

a description of any new methodology used and why it represents an improvement over

the existing ones

Anticipated Results:

a description of expected results

Pitfalls and Alternative Approaches:

a discussion of potential difficulties and limitations and how these will be overcome or

mitigated

alternative approaches that will be used if unexpected results are found

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Timeline:

a projected sequence and timeline (work plan) for thesis research

projected timeline for completing thesis writing and defense

Human Subjects and/or Vertebrate Animals:

The following general information should be included:

description of the status of IRB application and approval, IACUC application and

approval, and/or acquiring a certificate of confidentiality

(http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/policy/coc/), as required

Research involving human subjects - the following specific information should be included (if

relevant): (see the PHS 398 instructions available at

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/phs398.html for additional information)

Risks to Human Subjects o Human Subjects Involvement, Characteristics, and Design o Sources of Materials o Potential Risks

Adequacy of Protection Against Risks o Recruitment and Informed Consent o Protections Against Risk

Potential Benefits of the Proposed Research to Human Subjects and Others

Importance of the Knowledge to be Gained

Data and Safety Monitoring Plan

Inclusion of Women and Minorities

Inclusion of Subjects from Vulnerable Populations (prisoners, children, pregnant women, human fetuses, neonates, persons at risk for suicidality, persons with impaired decisional capacity)

Research involving vertebrate animals - the following specific information should be included (if

relevant):

Provide a detailed description of the proposed use of the animals for the work outlined in the Research Strategy section. Identify the species, strains, ages, sex, and numbers of animals to be used in the proposed work.

Justify the use of animals, the choice of species, and the numbers to be used. If animals are in short supply, costly, or to be used in large numbers, provide an additional rationale for their selection and numbers.

Provide information on the veterinary care of the animals involved.

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Describe the procedures for ensuring that discomfort, distress, pain, and injury will be limited to that which is unavoidable in the conduct of scientifically sound research. Describe the use of analgesic, anesthetic, and tranquilizing drugs and/or comfortable restraining devices, where appropriate, to minimize discomfort, distress, pain, and injury.

Describe any method of euthanasia to be used and the reason(s) for its selection. State whether this method is consistent with the recommendations of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Guidelines on Euthanasia. If not, include a scientific justification for not following the recommendations.

Format

The prospectus should be no more than 10 pages (double-spaced, 11 point font, ½ inch margins),

excluding the abstract, bibliography, and human subjects/vertebrate animal research

considerations.

References:

The following documents were reviewed when preparing this outline:

National Cancer Institute. Quick Guide for Grant Applications.

http://deainfo.nci.nih.gov/extra/extdocs/gntapp.htm

Frontiers in Bioscience. GUIDELINES FOR WRITING GRANT APPLICATIONS

http://www.bioscience.org/guides/grant.pdf

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APPENDIX C: PROSPECTUS REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE

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Masters Program in Clinical and Translational Sciences

THESIS RESEARCH PROSPECTUS APPROVAL FORM

Student Name: ________________________________________

Date of Oral Defense: ___________________________________

Title of Prospectus: _____________________________________

_____________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________

We, the undersigned, as a committee, report the following results:

APPROVED NOT APPROVED

(cancel one)

__________________________ __________________________

Committee Chair Signature Printed Name

__________________________ __________________________

Committee Member Signature Printed Name

__________________________ __________________________

Committee Member Signature Printed Name

__________________________ __________________________

Committee Member Signature Printed Name

__________________________ __________________________

Committee Member Signature Printed Name

I disagree with the Committee’s evaluation.

__________________________ __________________________

Committee Member Signature Printed Name

__________________________ __________________________

Committee Member Signature Printed Name

Comments: ____________________________________________

______________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________

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APPENDIX D: ORAL DEFENSE SUMMARY FORM

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Graduate College

Clinical and Translational Science Program

Summary Evaluation of Student Performance During Oral Examination

Students Name and ID:

Date:

Part I: Evaluation of Comprehensive Oral Examination/Defense

A. Rating of Student’s substantive knowledge

Examiner: Satisfactory

Marginal

Unsatisfactory

Examiner:

Satisfactory

Marginal

Unsatisfactory

Examiner:

Satisfactory

Marginal

Unsatisfactory

Examiner:

Satisfactory

Marginal

Unsatisfactory

Satisfactory: Demonstrated knowledge of subject matter and applicability.

Marginal: Generally accurate information and some appreciation of its relevance.

Unsatisfactory: Generally inaccurate information and little evidence of its relevance.

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B. Other comments about student performance

Part II: Faculty’s final evaluation of student’s performance on comprehensive

oral:

Satisfactory

Marginal

Unsatisfactory

Recommendations for any remedial work and/or doctoral studies if appropriate:

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Part III: Evaluation Summary of Student’s Thesis

Title: Date Submitted:

Date signed off:

Student’s performance in writing thesis/dissertation

Satisfactory

Marginal Unsatisfactory

Difficulty of topic

Creativity in dealing with topic

Demonstrated mastery in use of scientific procedure

Ability to write clearly

Contribution to new knowledge

Signature of Evaluating Faculty:

Date: