Doctoral Committee and Thesis

The committee considers the scope of the proposed research, its suitability for doctoral research and the appropriateness of the research plan. The committee may approve the proposal without reservation or may recommend modifications.

In general, the student is expected to submit his/her research proposal within 2 years after passing the qualifying exam. In accord with regulations of the School, each student is expected to submit a thesis and defend it before a committee of five faculty, at least one of whom hold primary appointments in another department.

Every doctoral candidate is expected to have had at least one full-length paper accepted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal prior to recommendation for award of the degree.

Proposal Defense

• Expected within 2 years after passing the qualifying exam.
• 3 committee members (BME core faculty preferred); at least 2 Biomedical Engineering core faculty should be listed as proposal committee members.

Thesis Defense

The doctoral defense will be conducted by a final defense committee that is composed of exactly five members. Three of the members of the final defense committee (Dissertation Defense Moderator, Dissertation Advisor, and Third Examiner) must be inside examiners (holding a formal appointment or approved as a dissertation advisor in the doctoral candidate's home department or program). 

At least one (but preferably two) of the five thesis defense committee members must be an outside examiner, defined as:

• a faculty member, clinician, or practitioner who holds a position at another university or research institution
• a full-time faculty member at Columbia University outside the student's own department or program
• a research scientist at Columbia University outside the student's own department or program
• an adjunct professor at Columbia University outside the student's own department or program
• a full-time faculty member whose appointment is at Barnard College, Jewish Theological Seminary, Teachers College, or Union Theological Seminary 
  OR
• a full-time faculty member in the student's interdisciplinary program whose field is outside of the student's dissertation field