Current Students

BMG students will find downloadable PDF documents and forms (or links to forms) that will be needed at certain points during your graduate careers. These forms/documents will be updated as necessary so please check back periodically.  Please note that a copy of each form needs to be kept in your folder in the graduate student office.

General Information

First Year Students

  • Lab Rotations Choices Form (pdf)
    At least one week before your first rotation begins, please submit Lab Rotation Choices to one of the Directors of Graduate Studies (DGS).  This will allow us to help you arrange rotations if there are conflicts.
  • RotationForm – Home Deptartment (pdf)
    For each rotation, you need to submit a signed rotation form by the Wednesday before the rotations begins. This standard rotation form that needs to be completed for rotations within the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics.
  • Rotation Form – Outside Deptartment (pdf)
    You are required to do your first rotation within our department, but may do later rotations with other GEMS faculty (though we encourage you to search out interests within our department).  Be aware that there is a different rotation form for out of department rotations, which requires more signatures. So give yourself additional time to get everything arranged and signed if you plan to rotate outside of our department.
  • Permanent Thesis Advisor (pdf)
    At the end of your first year, when you have chosen a permanent lab, you and your thesis advisor need to fill out and sign the Permanent Thesis Advisor form.

Second Year Students

  • Preliminary Exam Guidelines (pdf)
    At the end of your second year in graduate school, you will be required to take your Preliminary Exam in order to advance to Ph.D. candidacy and continue your graduate studies. This document provides general guidelines to help you prepare. The DGS’s will also meet with you in the early Spring to discuss the exam and answer any questions you may have.
  • Preliminary Exam Mentor Evaluation (pdf) or Preliminary Exam Mentor Evaluation (Word)
  • Prior to you Preliminary Exam your thesis advisor needs to fill out the evaluation form. Please tell your advisor that the form can be downloaded here, and remind him or her to fill it out and turn it in (to be put in your folder) at least one week before your exam.
  • Committee Recommendation Form
    IMPORTANT: please remember that you will need to complete the graduate college’s Committee Recommendation Form at least three weeks before your exam date.

Third Year and Beyond

  • Thesis Advisory Committee Report (pdf)
    After you successfully pass your preliminary exam, you are required to have annual Thesis Committee meetings.  At each of these committees, each committee member needs to complete the Thesis Advisory Committee Report. It is your responsibility to print these forms out, fill in the general information, and bring them to your committee meeting.

Graduation Information

  • Thesis Manual (on Gradutate College Site)
    Before you can graduate, your thesis committee needs to agree that you are ready to write up your thesis and defend it (this meeting is referred to as a Pre-hearing). For information about the expectations for what your thesis/dissertation should include, please refer to the BCMG Graduate Program Overview (see above). To make sure that your thesis format fits the Graduate College Guidelines, please download the Thesis Manual from the UIC Graduate College site.
  • Intent to Graduate (on Graduate College Site)
    When you are ready to graduate, you need to file an intent to graduate with the Graduate College at the beginning of the semester.
  • Committee Recommendation Form
    IMPORTANT: please remember that you will need to complete the graduate college’s Committee Recommendation Form at least three weeks before your exam date.