Ph.D. in Integrated Molecular and Biophysical Chemistry (IMBC)

Just before the semester in which they will take MSEC 7301, students are required to attend the first part of boot camp, which is multiple days long and is typically held the last week of summer, before school starts in August. In this boot camp, students get practice in entrepreneurship by building a very simple company from the ground up.

The first boot camp is followed by a two-course series on entrepreneurial skills (MSEC 7301 and MSEC 7302). This series is team-taught between the McCoy School of Business and MSEC. In the first few weeks of the course, the students are required to pick an idea related to their research or research interests upon which a business plan and considerable market research and validation can be created that may potentially lead to launching a business.

After completing MSEC 7302, students must participate in the second boot camp, which is multiple days long and typically held after the end of the spring semester in May. 

The business plan produced during the two-course entrepreneurial series is used to propose a start-up company related to their research.

During the first day of Boot Camp II, students practice pitching their start-up companies and are given feedback and training on their pitches. 

On the second day, each student gives a business pitch on their idea for a start-up company, to panels of professionals, investors, staff and faculty. Additional feedback is provided, and the top four pitches are selected to move forward to the finals.

The teams are then given several days to work with MSEC and IMBC faculty and Entrepreneurs in Residence (EIRs) to improve their pitch and branding. 

On the final day, a panel of external judges, including investors and professionals will see and rank the four pitches. The top team receives a cash award, and the top two teams work with MSEC and IMBC faculty and EIRs to prepare to compete in additional competitions, including the Rice Business plan competition held the following spring. 

Students who are members of the top two teams may receive elective course credit (MSEC 7304) for their business development activities.

Students applying for candidacy must have completed all required course work (with the exception of dissertation credit hours) toward the doctoral degree with a GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale with no grade earned below “B” on any graduate course work to be applied toward the Ph.D. degree. Incomplete grades must be cleared through the Graduate College at least ten days before approval for advancement to candidacy will be granted.

Students must have successfully completed both entrepreneurial boot camps.

The student must identify a Dissertation Committee Chair (research advisor), who must be approved by the doctoral program director, the dean of the College of Science and Engineering, and the dean of the Graduate College. The student also must select a dissertation committee comprised of three additional members of the College of Science and Engineering's doctoral faculty and at least one external member from outside the College of Science and Engineering or Texas State University. Other committee compositions are possible but require the approval of the dissertation advisor and the doctoral program director.

The student must choose a research topic with the approval of the student’s Dissertation Committee Chair. Preparation of a dissertation proposal by the student and approval of this proposal by the student’s Dissertation Committee Chair and a majority of the other members of the dissertation committee is a requirement for Advancement to Candidacy. The proposal must outline the problem to be studied, outline the substance and scope of the dissertation research, discuss the relevant literature, present the methodology to be used, and substantiate the feasibility of the proposed work by presenting preliminary data. The students must follow the proposal content and format detailed in the IMBC Student Handbook.

The completed dissertation proposal must be provided to the student’s dissertation committee at least one week prior to the scheduled date of the Advancement to Candidacy Examination.

The Advancement to Candidacy Examination will consist of two parts: a) Oral presentation and defense of dissertation research proposal b) Oral examination

• Part (a) is to be conducted as a public forum, and the student will be expected to answer questions from the audience.
• Part (b), the oral examination, will be restricted to the student and the student’s dissertation committee members. 

Students must notify IMBC administrative staff about the date, time and location of the candidacy examination at least one week prior to the exam so that IMBC faculty and students can be notified about the event.

• Title Page (1 page, not counted in the page limit): Include the title of the proposed work, your name, the names of the chair and members of your dissertation committee.
• Abstract or Summary (typically 1-3 pages): The abstract should summarize the motivation, problem, proposed research, and the goals and scope of the proposed work. This section should stand alone, meaning that the reviewer should get a very good idea of all the content of the proposal simply by reading it, without the need for more background. This section could be written in a format similar to a “Specific Aims” page for an NIH grant or a “Project Summary” page for the NSF. Follow the “Abstract” formatting guidelines provided by the Graduate College. 
• Background (4 – 8 pages): Provide a succinct summary of background directly related to the problem being addressed and to the proposed solution. You may break this section into subsections as needed. Make sure to tie in the background to the problem and proposed research. That is, as you describe the background, make sure that you explain how it is relevant to the work described in the proposal. Use this space wisely. The proposal is not meant to be a review paper. This and the following sections should utilize the “Text Section” formatting guidelines provided by the Graduate College. 
• Proposed Work (1 – 5 pages): Explain in detail what it is that you are proposing to do to address the problem identified. You may include schematics of the material’s design, flow charts of processes, data supporting the idea, etc. You may also explain the significance or impact of the proposed work here and how this work advances fundamental knowledge in the field. 
• Proposed Research Plan (5 – 10 pages): This is one of the main parts of your proposal as it shows your committee that you have put significant thought into how you will achieve your proposed work. This section is typically better organized by breaking it into 2-4 goals. Within each goal, describe in detail the tasks to be carried out, including the instrumentation or techniques to be employed, reagents/supplies to be utilized, characterization methods that will be needed, etc. Avoid the use of simple “task lists”. 
  • Include schematics of proposed work as necessary (for example chemical synthesis schematics, in vitro or in vivo workflow charts, etc.). Specify variables that will be studied and controls to be utilized. Identify milestones that would demonstrate success for a task, if applicable. Identify potential issues that could be encountered during the performance of the research and provide suitable ways to overcome them. 
• Preliminary Data (2 – 5 pages): Provide preliminary data gathered by you that supports the feasibility of the proposed work. This section should demonstrate that you have already made significant progress and convince the committee that you are capable of achieving the goals proposed. This section may be either presented separately, or could be combined with the proposed research plan above. 

All doctoral students are required to complete a dissertation. The dissertation must represent an original contribution to scholarship based on independent investigation. Preparation of the dissertation should follow the guidelines in the current edition of the American Chemical Society (ACS) Style Guide (available as an e-book from the Texas State University Library) or in an appropriate professional journal in the designated field, as deemed acceptable by the Dissertation Committee.

After being admitted to candidacy, students must be continuously enrolled for dissertation hours each long semester until the defense of their dissertation. If a student is graduating in the summer, they must be enrolled in at least one hour of dissertation credit that summer. All candidates for graduation must be enrolled in dissertation hours during the term in which the degree is to be conferred. Students must complete a minimum of 36 semester hours of dissertation research and writing credit.

Students are expected to complete the dissertation within five years after Advancement to Candidacy and by the time 99 SCH have been accrued. Any exceptions to the time limit require the approval of the IMBC Director and the Dean of The Graduate College. The IMBC Director or Assistant Director will review each student annually to ascertain their progress in pursuing the degree and will consult with the student’s Ph.D. research advisor and dissertation committee on this matter as appropriate. Any student who does not pass the dissertation defense by 99 SCH will be dismissed from the program.