Terminal Master's students:

Doctoral students:

You must complete at least 96 hours of 400- or 500-level courses (64 hours beyond the M.S. requirements) with grades no lower than B or S.

You must also complete at least two semesters of favorably evaluated teaching before receiving your degree.

Best practices for first committee meeting:

Meet with individual committee members during your first year to discuss research questions and approaches.

Agenda for the first committee meeting:

• Bring a brief presentation or document outlining the research questions that will be addressed by thesis research, and a justification for the proposed work.
• Be prepared to discuss your preparation to carry out the proposed work. What skills are needed? What skills do you already have? What skills will you need to acquire?
• Bring a list of courses that will help build your skills to address these questions, and meet PEEC course requirements, and discuss this list with your committee.
• Complete the annual assessment of learning outcomes with your committee.

For information on Research Assistant appointments, contact the department your advisor is in, since that department will process the appointment papers. 

Teaching Assistant appointments are made by the department that controls the course.

The following is a partial list of Fellowships available to PEEC students the applications of which must be sent through the PEEC office.

1. Graduate College Conference Travel Awards
2. Graduate College Dissertation Completion Fellowships
3. Graduate College Master's Project Travel Grants - Fall Competition and Spring Competition
4. Graduate College Dissertation Travel Grants - Fall Competition and Spring Competition
5. PEEC Travel Grants - offered at the same time and using the same application as the Graduate College Conference Travel Awards.
6. PEEC Summer Research Grants - offered and information provided through an email around the same time as the Spring Graduate College Conference Travel Award.
7. SIB Grants and Awards

A partial list of other fellowships may be seen at https://www.grad.illinois.edu/fellowship/.

1. American Association of University Women (AAUW) American Fellowships
2. American Association of University Women Educational Foundation (AAUW) International Fellowships
3. American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB)-Pioneer Hi-Bred Graduate Student Fellowship
4. American-Scandinavian Foundation Fellowships & Grants for Research in Scandinavia
5. Association for Canadian Studies in the United States (ACSUS) Thomas O. Enders Endowment Fellowships
6. Beckman Institute Fellows Program
7. Belgian American Educational Foundation (BAEF) Fellowships for Study or Research in Belgium
8. Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies (CLACS) Tinker Grants for Summer Field Research in Latin American and Iberia
9. Center for Tropical Forest Science (CTFS) of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute - Research Grants
10. Chateaubriand Fellowships in Science and Technology - Embassy of France, Office for Science & Technology
11. DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) Graduate Research Grant
12. DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) Short-term Graduate Research Grant
13. Dartmouth College - Chavez/Eastman/Marshall Dissertation Fellowships for Underrepresented Students
14. Dewson Fellowships for Underrepresented Students
15. Dissertation Completion Fellowships
16. Dissertation Travel Grants
17. Dolores Zohrab Liebmann Fellowships
18. European Molecular Biology Association (EMBO)- Short-Term Fellowships
19. Five College Fellowship Program for Underrepresented Students
20. Ford Foundation Diversity Fellowships - Dissertation
21. Gates Millennium Scholarships
22. Great Lakes Commission Sea Grant Fellowships
23. Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL) Summer Student Fellowships
24. John A. Knauss Fellowship in Marine Research
25. Knowles Science Teaching Foundation - Research Fellowships
26. Knowles Science Teaching Foundation - Teaching Fellowship
27. Leakey Foundation - Grants for the Study of Human Origins
28. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Graduate Student Researchers Program
29. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Graduate Student Researchers Program
30. National Consortium for Graduate Degrees for Minorities in Engineering and Science GEM Fellowships
31. National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowship
32. National Estuarine Research Reserve System Graduate Research Fellowship
33. National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)/National Sea Grant Office Fellowship Program
34. National Science Foundation (NSF) Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grants (DDIG)
35. National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)
36. National Science Foundation (NSF) International Research Fellowships (IRFP)
37. National Science Foundation (NSF) Minority Postdoctoral Research Fellowships
38. National Science Foundation East Asia and Pacific Summer Institutes (NSF-EAPSI) Program for Students in Science & Engineering
39. National Sea Grant College Program - Knauss Marine Policy Fellowships
40. NIH National Institute of Aging - Aging Research Dissertation Awards to Increase Diversity (R36)
41. Nordberg Fellowship for Students from Sweden
42. Paul D. Doolen Scholarships for the Study of Aging
43. Sigma Delta Epsilon Graduate Women in Science Fellowship
44. Smithsonian Institution Fellowship Program
45. ThinkSwiss Research Scholarship
46. U.S. Department of Defense - Science, Mathematics, & Research for Transformation Defense Scholarship for Service Program (SMART)
47. U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Biological and Environmental Research - Graduate Fellowships (GREF)
48. U.S. Department of Energy - Office of Science Graduate Fellowship (DOE SCGF)
49. U.S. Department of Energy Computational Science/Krell Institute - Graduate Fellowship (DOE CSGF)
50. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) STAR Graduate Fellowships in Environmental Studies
51. Udall Foundation - Environmental Public Policy & Conflict Resolution Dissertation Fellowship
52. US Dept of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) Postdoctoral Fellowships
53. Women's Research and Education Institute (WREI) Congressional Fellowships on Women and Public Policy
54. Yahoo! Key Scientific Challenges Program

Before the Defense:

1. Register for 599 Thesis Research. Terminal master's students should register for at least one semester of 599 and may register in 599 for all terms.
    
2. Complete at least 32 credit hours of course work in your three core areas with grades no lower than B or S. No more than 12 hours of research can be counted.
    
3. Add yourself to the degree list in the term you plan to deposit your thesis via UI Integrate Self-Service. You do not need to be registered in the semester in which you deposit your thesis if it is not the same semester as the one in which you took your exam.
    
4. Reserve a Room or provide a Zoom Meeting link for your defense after the date and time have been approved by your defense committee. Inform the PEEC Office Administrator of the date, time, room/zoom link, and the names of your committee members at least 3 weeks before your defense date. If you need help reserving a room, contact the PEEC Office Administrator. Terminal Master's Advisory Committees do not need to be approved by the Graduate College; however, membership of the Advisory Committee must be approved by the Director of the Program as outlined in PEEC’s Graduate Program Handbook.
    
5. Schedule your exit seminar. Inform the PEEC Office Administrator of the date, time, and room/zoom link of your exit seminar.
    
6. While writing your thesis, be sure to follow the Grad College Thesis Requirements for formatting. Click on the following link to view a sample Title Page, Sample (Master's). If you have any questions about any of the formatting requirements, ask the PEEC Office Administrator, who is required to approve the formatting of your thesis before you are allowed to deposit.

After the Defense:

1. After you have made the revisions recommended by your committee, make sure that you have followed the Grad College Thesis Requirements for formatting your thesis, and then email the PEEC Office Administrator a copy of your thesis (Word docx version) for format review at least 5 business days before the deposit deadline.
    
2. After making any necessary format changes suggested by the PEEC Office Administrator, resubmit the final revision to the PEEC Office Administrator for a final review and approval. The Office Administrator will then submit a Thesis/Dissertation Approval (TDA) form to the Graduate College and notify you that you may then submit your thesis for electronic deposit to the Graduate College.
    
3. Deposit your thesis and submit supplemental materials.
   1. Convert your thesis file(s) to a single PDF file, if not already in that format.
      1. Name the PDF file: Lastname_Firstname.pdf (Use last and first names as they appear in Banner and listed on the title page; do not include middle names/initials in the filename.)
          
      2. Do not embed audio/video files in or apply security settings to PDF file.
          
   2. Go to grad.illinois.edu/thesis/submit to create a submission profile and submit your electronic thesis.
       
   3. At the same time, submit the following to the Thesis Office (the deposit is not complete until all items are received):
      1. IDEALS deposit agreement. See the Release Options page for a detailed overview of the IDEALS release options and license text. You will agree to the IDEALS license agreement during step 2 of the thesis submission process.
          
      2. Copyright permission letters (If applicable). The author determines if letters granting permission to reprint copyrighted material are needed. If so, there will be an opportunity to upload them with your submission. If you need to send them separately, please email them to thesis@illinois.edu. For more information about this item, see the Copyright Tools page.
          
   4. Make all necessary corrections to your thesis, if any, as required by the Thesis Office. They will notify you of required changes via email.
       
   5. The Thesis Office will notify you via email when your deposit is complete. The deposit fee ($25) will be charged to your student account.
       
   6. All final corrections and required materials are due no later than 4:45 p.m. on the final day of the deposit period for your intended graduation (see Graduate College Academic deadlines).

Before your Preliminary Exam:

1. Register for 590 Individual Topics. (After your Prelim, you will register for 599 Thesis Research until your Final Defense.)
    
2. Schedule your Prelim. No later than your sixth semester in the program, work with your Advisor to schedule your Preliminary Examination. The first part of the three-hour oral exam will be general and cover the three core areas of emphasis (see Step 5). The second part of the exam will be a defense of your research proposal (see Step 6).
    
3. Reserve a Room or provide a Zoom Meeting link for your Prelim after the date and time have been approved by your committee. Inform the PEEC Office Administrator of the date, time, room/zoom link, and the names of your committee members at least 3 weeks before your Prelim date. NOTE: For this exam, a member of the Doctoral Committee other than your major advisor needs to be appointed Chair by the Director of the Program. See PEEC’s Graduate Program Handbook for specifications for your committee. If you need help reserving a room, contact the PEEC Office Administrator.
    
4. Submit a Graduate College Preliminary Exam Committee Approval Request through the Graduate College Student Portal exactly 3 weeks before the date agreed upon by you and your committee for your Prelim Exam. You will need to submit the date, time, and place of the exam, as well as the NetIDs of all your committee members while also distinguishing which one is the Chair of the Committee (other than advisor) and which one is your Director of Research (advisor). You can find the NetIDs of most of our faculty and affiliates in the Graduate College Faculty Database.
    
5. Get the Prelim Form completed and send copies to all your Doctoral Committee members. The PEEC Pre-Prelim Form is a means for you to get recommendations from your committee regarding the material/areas you are expected to know or study up on. Each member of your committee should fill out the form while you are present. You should then make copies of all to send to each committee member.
    
6. Two weeks before your Prelim, send your research proposal to your Doctoral Committee. The proposal should describe the objectives of the research project, the experimental plan and rationale, the results of pilot studies, a budget, and a tentative timetable for its completion. Present evidence of feasibility and significance of the proposal, but the main research for the dissertation must not have been performed prior to the Preliminary Examination.

Best practices for prepping for your Preliminary Exam:

• Your prelim is trying to find the edge of your knowledge, and you need to accept in advance that your committee is going to find it. Be prepared to know when to say: “I don’t know.”
• Don’t include too much basic background in your presentation. Your committee has read your proposal and are experts in your field.
• Do mock exams with peers.
• Be prepared to answer specifics.
• Be prepared to diagram, etc., on the whiteboard.

After your Preliminary Exam:

A detailed report of the exam and a copy of the research proposal will be submitted to the Graduate Committee. A passing grade qualifies the student as a Ph.D. candidate. A failing grade will require the student to take a second Preliminary Examination no later than the following semester. A second failure will result in dismissal from the program.

Before the Defense:

1. Register for 599 Thesis Research after Prelim and until Final Defense. You must be registered in the semester in which you take your final exam. Doctoral students should register for 590 Individual Topics up until your Prelim and then register for 599 Thesis Research from the time of your Prelim until your Final Defense.
    
2. Complete at least 96 credit hours of 400- or 500-level courses (64 hours beyond the M.S. requirements) with grades no lower than B or S, and complete at least two semesters of favorably evaluated teaching.
    
3. Add yourself to the degree list in the term you plan to deposit your thesis/dissertation via UI Integrate Self-Service. You do not need to be registered in the semester in which you deposit your dissertation if it is not the same semester as the one in which you took your final exam.
    
4. Reserve a Room or provide a Zoom Meeting link for your defense after the date and time have been approved by your defense committee. Inform the PEEC Office Administrator of the date, time, room/zoom link, and the names of your committee members at least 3 weeks before your defense date. If you need help reserving a room, contact the PEEC Office Administrator.
    
5. Submit a Graduate College Final Exam Committee Approval Request through the Graduate College Student Portal exactly 3 weeks before the date agreed upon by you and your committee for your Final Defense Exam. You will need to submit the date, time, and place of the exam, as well as the NetIDs of all your committee members while also distinguishing which one is the Chair of the Committee (your major advisor) and which one is your Director of Research (your advisor, as well). You can find the NetIDs of most of our faculty and affiliates in the Graduate College Faculty Database. See PEEC’s Graduate Program Handbook. for specifications for your committee.
    
6. Schedule your exit seminar. The Exit Seminar can be scheduled 1) as one of PEEC’s weekly seminars by contacting the PEEC Office Administrator or the seminar coordinator before the beginning of the school year, 2) the first hour of your scheduled Final Defense, 3) or at a different date/time. Again, inform the PEEC Office Administrator of the date, time, and room/zoom link of your exit seminar if not scheduled as one of PEEC’s weekly seminars.
    
7. While writing your dissertation, be sure to follow the Grad College Thesis Requirements for formatting your dissertation. Click on the following link to view a sample Title Page, Sample (Doctoral). If you have any questions about any of the formatting requirements, ask the PEEC Office Administrator, who is required to approve the formatting of your dissertation before you are allowed to deposit.
    
8. Previously the Graduate College has required that depositing doctoral students make their dissertations available through ProQuest to ensure the wide dissemination of the work. These dissertations are included in ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global and Dissertation Abstracts International. Since 2010, all dissertations are now included in IDEALS, the Illinois digital repository, which also provides access through web and WorldCat indexing. The Graduate College Executive Committee recently voted to remove the requirement that students provide their dissertations to ProQuest for dissemination and have now made it optional. It is recommended that you discuss with your defense committee whether they feel you should make your dissertation available through ProQuest or not. There will be a step during your deposit in which they will ask you to make a choice.

After the Defense:

1. After you have made the revisions recommended by your committee, make sure that you have followed the Grad College Thesis Requirements for formatting your dissertation, and then email the PEEC Office Administrator a copy of your dissertation (Word docx version) for format review at least 5 business days before the deposit deadline.
    
2. After making any necessary format changes suggested by the Office Administrator, resubmit the final revision to the PEEC Office Administrator for a final review and approval. The Office Administrator will then submit the Thesis/Dissertation Approval (TDA) form to the Grad College and notify you that you may then submit your dissertation for electronic deposit to the Graduate College.
    
3. Deposit your dissertation and submit supplemental materials.
   1. Convert your dissertation file(s) to a single PDF file, if not already in that format.
      1. Name the PDF file: Lastname_Firstname.pdf (Use last and first names as they appear in Banner and listed on the title page; do not include middle names/initials in the filename.)
          
      2. Do not embed audio/video files in or apply security settings to PDF file.
   2. Go to grad.illinois.edu/thesis/submit to create a submission profile and submit your electronic dissertation.
       
   3. At the same time, submit the following to the Thesis Office (the deposit is not complete until all items are received):
      1. IDEALS deposit agreement. See the Release Options page for a detailed overview of the IDEALS release options and license text. You will agree to the IDEALS license agreement during step 2 of the thesis submission process.
          
      2. Doctoral Exit Survey. The Doctoral Exit Survey is required for all doctoral students. Upon completion, the Thesis Office will be notified automatically. However, please retain your certificate of completion as evidence that you have completed this requirement. The average amount of time required to complete the Doctoral Exit Survey is about 10 to 15 minutes.
          
      3. Survey of Earned Doctorates. After you complete the Survey of Earned Doctorates, the Thesis Office will be copied on the email with your certificate of completion. However, please retain your certificate of completion as evidence that you have completed this requirement. The average amount of time required to complete the SED is about 20 minutes. The SED is not required for dissertations submitted for the Ed.D. and D.M.A. degrees.
          
      4. Copyright permission letters (If applicable). The author determines if letters granting permission to reprint copyrighted material are needed. If so, there will be an opportunity to upload them with your submission. If you need to send them separately, please email them to thesis@illinois.edu. For more information about this item, see the Copyright Tools page.
          
      5. ProQuest publishing agreement (optional). During the thesis submission process, doctoral students may opt to have the Graduate College transfer a copy to ProQuest. ProQuest provides non-exclusive distribution via the ProQuest Dissertation & Theses Database. Please review the Release Options page for an overview of the ProQuest publishing and release options. Students who wish to send their dissertation to ProQuest should agree to the ProQuest publishing agreement during step 2 of the thesis submission process. Note: Paper agreements are no longer accepted.
   4. Make all necessary corrections to your dissertation, if any, as required by the Thesis Office. They will notify you of required changes via email.
       
   5. The Thesis Office will notify you via email when your deposit is complete. The deposit fee ($50) will be charged to your student account.
       
   6. All final corrections and required materials are due no later than 4:45 p.m. on the final day of the deposit period for your intended graduation (see Graduate College Academic deadlines).

When do I have to take my preliminary exam?

Doctoral students must take a Preliminary Examination no later than your sixth semester in the program. For this exam a member of the Doctoral Committee other than the major advisor will be appointed chair by the director of the program. The first part of the three-hour oral exam will be general and cover the student's three core areas of emphasis. The second part of the exam will be a defense of the research proposal.

What do I need to give to my Doctoral Committee prior to the prelim?

The PEEC Pre-Prelim Form (please refer to the forms and links above) has been developed for students preparing to take their Prelim Exam. The form is a means for students to get recommendations from their committee regarding the material/areas the student is expected to know or study up on. Each member of the student's committee should fill out the form while the student is present. The student then makes copies of all to send to each committee member. PEEC students are required to get this form completed in anticipation of the prelim exam.

Two weeks prior to the exam, you must present to the Doctoral Committee a proposal prepared in the format of a proposal for an NSF Dissertation Improvement Grant. It should describe the objectives of the research project, the experimental plan and rationale, the results of pilot studies, a budget, and a tentative timetable for its completion. You will present evidence of feasibility and significance of the proposal, but the main research for the dissertation shall not have been performed prior to the Preliminary Examination. A detailed report of the exam and a copy of the research proposal shall be submitted to the Graduate Committee. A passing grade qualifies you as a Ph.D. candidate.

What happens if I don't pass my prelim?

A failing grade will require you to take a second preliminary examination no later than the following semester. A second failure will result in dismissal from the program.

What's involved in the final defense?

Upon completion of your dissertation and the other requirements of the program, you shall be subject to a Final Examination, which shall consist of a defense of the dissertation. Copies of the completed dissertation, approved by the advisor, should be submitted to the Doctoral Committee at least two weeks prior to the Final Examination. The thesis will be judged in relation to published scholarly work in the field, and students are encouraged to began publishing their results before taking their Final Examination. Passing this exam and presentation of the dissertation by the student at a public seminar sponsored by the program qualify you for the Ph.D. degree. Failure will require you to conduct additional research and to repeat the Final Examination.

What format does the dissertation need to be in? Who checks it?

Information pertaining to formatting can be found on the Thesis Office website. The Thesis Office and the PEEC secretary will need to perform a thesis check one week prior to the date of deposit. (This allows time for any errors to be corrected.)

Who do I need to notify about setting up the prelim and/or defense?

Provide the PEEC secretary with the following information for the prelim and final:

1. Date of exam
2. Members of your committee and their department:
   1. Chair (must be a member of the Graduate Faculty). For a prelim exam, a member of the Doctoral Committee other than the major advisor will be appointed Chair by the Director of the Program. For the final exam, the Chair is usually the major advisor.
   2. Contingent Chair (optional)
   3. Director of Dissertation Research (advisor)
   4. Other members 

The committee must include at least four voting members, three of whom must be members of the Graduate Faculty and two tenured members of the faculty. Non-voting members, such as an external reader, a member of the faculty who is off campus, or others who can make a significant contribution to the research, may be appointed. For any non-member of the Graduate Faculty, a letter of justification is required. A CV would be helpful to submit; and (e) the committee should include faculty members from more than one area of specialization.

I'm confused when people ask me what Department or Program I'm in. What should I tell them? 

Your Department is the School of Integrative Biology (not the department your advisor is in) and your Program is Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology. 

Does an MS student enroll in "590" or "599" and what CRN do I use?

An M.S. student should always enroll in "599," which requires a defense and a thesis to be deposited in the Graduate College. Approved 599 rubrics are BIOL, NRES, ENT or PBIO. See Masters Checklist from the Thesis Office website.

Get CRN: To obtain the correct CRN for your advisor for these courses, please contact the secretary of that department, or the PEEC secretary can also provide the correct CRN. Note: The CRN is not always the same number for all semesters. The number in the Course Schedule is a generic number and is NOT the correct number to use.

Does a PhD student enroll in "590" or "599" and what CRN do I use?

For research prior to your prelim, enroll in "IB 590." After you have passed your prelim, enroll in "599" which requires a dissertation to be deposited in the Graduate College. Approved rubrics are BIOL, NRES, ENT or PBIO. See Doctoral Checklist from the Thesis Office website.

Get CRN: To obtain the correct CRN for your advisor for these courses, please contact the secretary of that department, or the PEEC secretary can also provide the correct CRN. Note: The CRN is not always the same number for all semesters. The number in the Course Schedule is a generic number and is NOT the correct number to use.

What do I need to do to petition?

To petition, print out petition from the Graduate College. All petitions should be commented on and signed by your advisor and Director of PEEC and brought to the PEEC secretary to check. She will send the petition with supporting documents to the proper office for processing.

Who should I notify of changes to my address, phone, etc.?

Inform the PEEC secretary of all changes (address, phone, email, leaving campus for extended period of time, etc.). You should also inform the PEEC secretary of all TA and RA appointments, grants, fellowships, awards, and publications each semester.

Can I take a course Credit/No Credit?

No. PEEC students cannot take courses Credit/No Credit.

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