The second-year qualifying examination (BQE) is designed to examine the student's ability to think critically, analytically, and independently, and to apply the skills acquired in classes to a real research project. The subject of the exam is the student's current research project, but the focus is the student's critical analytical ability and command of relevant methods and subjects. In this vein, committee members may ask general questions that, while originally prompted by the student’s proposal, are intended to test the student’s depth of knowledge in significant areas of bioinformatics or systems biology.
The exam is normally taken before the completion of spring quarter in the student's second year; however, requirements for the first two years must be completed before or in the quarter it is taken, including core classes, rotations, colloquia, student seminars, and ethics.
The exam consists of two components: a ten page written proposal and an oral exam. One week prior to the exam date, the student will submit a ten page proposal. Both written and oral formats should have the following sections, in line with NIH proposals (page counts are for the written proposal, and will differ for oral presentation slides):
- Specific Aims: A one page description of specific objectives of the project.
- Significance and preliminary data: The report must clearly articulate the significance of the proposed activity, and describe preliminary work that illustrates the promise of the approach. We expect this part to be the bulk of the proposal (5-7 pages).
- Approach: A 2-3 page description of what the student proposes to do to extend the preliminary results and to achieve the specific aims.
- References: In addition, the proposal should cite, and provide references to, related work in the area. The bibliography is not included in the ten page limit.
The second component is the oral exam, where the student defends their proposal. Again, we expect the student to spend the bulk of the time describing their preliminary data.
For each student, the Program will appoint three Program faculty to form the Second-Year Qualifying Exam Committee, one of whom will serve as chair. The student is responsible for scheduling the exam in the fall, winter or spring quarter of their second year. The student's dissertation advisor is not included in the Qualifying Exam Committee. The student will present a practice talk in the Student Research Talks (BNFO 283).
Please read these links well in advance of your exam:
- FAQ on scheduling exams: allowed modalities, how to schedule it, etc.
- Qual exam evaluation form (PDF PREVIEW) (last updated August 2024)
- Qual committee members: Don't use the PDF preview. See the "Qual exam evaluation form" section below to fill it out online in Google Docs.
Qual exam evaluation form (Google Docs; last updated Aug 2024)
OLD FORM (Fillable PDF, last updated April 2024): Qual exam evaluation form. We're keeping this available temporarily for any committees that started with this version, but we will remove it once we've fully transitioned to the new form.
NEW FORM (Google Docs, last updated August 2024):
This form is designed to be completed in Google Docs by the Qualifying Exam Committee.
- Setup: The committee chair or the BISB coordinator should copy the template as follows. This can be done in advance of the meeting or during the meeting.
- Login to your Google account (typically @ucsd.edu or @gmail.com).
- Open the form template (Google Docs; last updated August 2024).
- Copy it to your Google account using "USE TEMPLATE" or "Make a copy" (varies by browser/device; see table below).
- In the filename, change "NAME" to the student's name.
- Share the copy (with "Editor" access) to each committee member's Google account.
- If you cannot use Google Docs, you may download the form in Word (to edit on your computer) or PDF (to print, fill out by hand, and scan).
- The committee should collaboratively fill in the form during the committee meeting (continuing afterwards if necessary).
- When it's completed, save it to a PDF and email the PDF to the BISB Graduate Coordinator.
- Google Docs notes:
- Some email addresses are linked to Google accounts and some are not; you may need to verify what addresses to use for sharing.
- The "form template" link above is to the blank form. Your copy will be at a new URL in one of the committee member's accounts. To find it again, open Google Drive. If you don't see the student's form, try searching Google Drive for the student's name and/or for "QUALIFYING EXAM EVALUATION FORM".
- Where to find things in Google Docs menus:
| Computer | iPad | Android | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Copy file (if button shows) |
Click on USE TEMPLATE or Make a copy if that shows when you open the link; otherwise, use the menu item below |
Same as on computer | Same as on computer |
| Copy file (via menu) |
File > Make a copy | Three dots menu (⋯) > Share & export > Make a copy |
Three dots menu (⋮) > Make a copy |
| Share file | File > Share > Share with others | Three dots menu > Share & export > Share |
Three dots menu > Share |
| Make a PDF | File > Download > PDF or File > Print and pick Destination "Save as PDF" |
Three dots menu > Share & export > Send a copy > PDF |
Three dots menu > Download |