Bioengineering
The Doctoral Student Hub is your central resource for navigating the Bioengineering Ph.D. program. Organized by year, this guide outlines the major academic milestones, required submissions, deadlines, and resources you’ll need as you progress toward your degree. While every student’s timeline is unique, most students complete the program in five to six years.
Use the sections below to understand what to expect during each stage of your doctoral journey. Expand each section for detailed requirements, forms, and submission instructions.
Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Years 4 – Completion Registration Forms | Meeting Scheduling Tools
Most students enter the program already matched with a research advisor and begin research during the fall semester. Some students complete research rotations before selecting a permanent advisor by the spring semester.
The primary milestone during your first year is the Qualifying Evaluation, which should be completed during the summer after your first year and no later than November of your second year. The Qualifying Evaluation assesses your readiness to continue toward doctoral research and fulfills your first annual committee meeting requirement.
Over the summer of your first year and later than November of your second year.
The student should record and submit PhD milestones through the BP logix portal. To access the appropriate form for the proposal, choose – “Penn Graduate Forms,” select “Available forms,” then choose and complete the “Qualifying Examination” form by simply entering the date you successfully completed your qualifying exam and then click submit. This will ensure that your official school record is updated.
Following the exam, the student’s committee chair should complete the Qualifying Evaluation of Exam and Overall Recommendations Form. The qualifying exam satisfies the student’s first annual committee meeting.
During your second year, you’ll work with your advisor to assemble your dissertation committee. Your committee will serve as a source of mentorship and scholarly guidance throughout the remainder of your doctoral studies while helping evaluate your research progress.
This is also the time to continue refining your research direction and preparing for your thesis proposal.
Beginning after your Qualifying Evaluation and continuing through graduation, you are expected to meet with your faculty committee annually to review your research progress, receive feedback, and discuss goals for the coming year.
The Annual Ph.D. Committee Meeting Progress Report may be submitted any time after your committee meeting but must be received no later than June 1 each year.
Each year, you are responsible for:
As you progress in your research during this phase.
As you progress in your research and writing, note that/be aware of the Dissertation Formatting outlined by the University on the Penn Provost PhD Students page.
The below tips on how to assemble your thesis committee have been modified from https://www.servicescape.com/blog/how-to-assemble-your-dissertation-committee.
The committee shall typically be composed of 3-4 faculty members (in addition to the advisor), recommended by the advisor, and approved by the Bioengineering Graduate Group Chair. In special circumstances, an additional member may be added, subject to the approval of the Graduate Group Chair. Appointment of committee members who are not part of Penn faculty requires details of their full title, affiliation and a short biographical sketch.
As you research and write your dissertation, you will seek feedback from your advisor frequently, and you will get some good old-fashioned practice at this during the committee selection process. In Step 2, your advisor recommended a handful of candidates for your committee. Since then, you have added more names to your list, so ask your advisor for feedback on your complete choices. Here are some questions you might want to consider asking:
Email your preferred candidates a brief summary of your research topic and ask if you can schedule an appointment to discuss the possibility of them serving on your dissertation committee. If candidates don’t reply to your email within a reasonable time frame, assume that they are too busy to serve on a dissertation committee and remove them from your candidate list. Similarly, if a candidate does not have any availability to meet with you during your selected time frame, that candidate is likely overbooked. You might want to take this as a sign and scratch this person off your list.
Send a separate email to each potential member and highlight a few reasons that you think he or she will be an ideal choice for your dissertation committee. Explain that you are currently in the process of gathering your dissertation committee and ask candidates to give you an answer by a (reasonable) deadline.
If you decided after a meeting that a candidate was not a good fit for your committee, send a follow up email and thank the person for meeting with you. After expressing your appreciation, state that you have filled all positions on your dissertation committee at this time. If applicable, you might consider asking if you can consult him or her if you have questions while working on your dissertation.
Students are expected to complete their dissertation proposal during the fall semester of the third year. The proposal outlines your planned dissertation research and is presented to your dissertation committee for evaluation.
Upon successful completion of the proposal, you advance to Ph.D. candidacy.
After advancing to candidacy, students meet with their dissertation committee annually to discuss research progress, receive feedback, and establish goals for the coming year.
Students are expected to complete their dissertation proposal during the fall semester of Year 3.
Following a successful proposal, the committee chair will submit the Acceptance of Proposal Form.
Students are expected to complete their thesis proposal during the fall semester of Year 3.
If the student and advisor need an extension of this deadline, they must co-submit in writing an extension request to the Graduate Group Chair with a timeline for when the proposal will occur.
If the proposal is delayed, the student will continue to have yearly meetings with their dissertation committee.
During the spring semester of Year 3 students will begin going deeper with their research and start thinking about the next stages of their dissertation.
Go to Penn Provost PhD Students page and review the “Dissertation Formatting” section.
Most students complete the Bioengineering Ph.D. program within five to six years (note, there is a 10 year program limit). The final stage of the program includes completing the dissertation, defending the research before the dissertation committee, and fulfilling all University graduation requirements.
At the start of each term it is recommended to review the Penn Provost Ph.D. Students page.
When you and your advisor determine that your dissertation research is complete, and you will begin to plan to graduate and proceed with your dissertation defense.
When you and your advisor determine that your dissertation research is complete, you may begin preparing for your dissertation defense.
To be eligible for exemption from tuition and fees in the final semester before graduation, the PhD candidate must have successfully defended their dissertation within the Provost’s “defend by and deposit by” deadlines of the final term they list below. All necessary course work and other requirements must be completed.
Please note the student MUST be registered for 9950 dissertation credit in their final term to request the waiver.
Your stipend ends at graduation, either on your deposit date or if you are continuing to do work in a lab until the official graduation date and degree is posted.
