[Graduate Studies] – Rules – Departamento de Parasitologia

RULES

I - Program Coordinating Committee (CCP – “Comissão Coordenadora do Programa”) Composition

A – The CCP shall be composed of a Chair (Program Coordinator), a Vice-Chair, an accredited Professor as Program Advisor and respective substitutes, and a student representative.

II - Selection Criteria

The Program shall publish one Call per year, defining deadlines, procedures and requirements for student admission.

A – Admission in the Master’s Program shall be on a continuous basis, within the period of time established in the Call, provided that the following requirements are met:

a) Official acceptance given by a program advisor who meets the criteria for opening of vacancies.

b) Certificate of Proficiency in English, according to Section V of the present Rule, issued by institution accredited by the Program.

c) Presentation of Research Project approved by advisor.

d) Letter from the applicant to the CCP, expressing the following:

his/her motivations, interests, expectations for the graduate program;
reasons for choosing the Program and the selected line of research.

This letter will be evaluated by the CCP for the applicant’s writing ability and appropriateness of his/her intentions in relation to the objectives of the program. This letter will be evaluated together with the project and it is not eliminatory per se.

e) Approval in written test, based on reading and interpretation of scientific articles in the Parasitology.

This evaluation will be carried out three times per year by the CCP, and it will be valid for one year. It will be based on scientific articles published in journals of Parasitology, in English, which shall be read and interpreted by the applicant. This evaluation does not substitute the Certificate of Proficiency in English.

f) A foreign applicant shall also demonstrate proficiency in Portuguese on the occasion of his/her application for the admission test or until the application date for the “qualification test”.

As evidence of Proficiency in Portuguese, the following certificates are accepted: Certificate of Proficiency in Portuguese for Foreigners (CELPE-Bras) granted by the Brazilian Ministry of Education (MEC) or a Certificate of Approval in the Portuguese Language Proficiency Test administered by the Language Center of the School of Philosophy, Languages, and Humanities of the University of São Paulo (Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas, FFLCH/USP).

B – The admission in the Doctoral Program (PhD) shall be on a continuous basis, within the period of time established in the Call, provided that the following requirements are met:

B1 – Doctoral with previous Master’s Degree:

a) Master’s Degree with thesis defended or to be defended in “stricto-sensu” graduate program recommended by CAPES.

b) Official acceptance given by a program advisor who meets the criteria for opening of vacancies as set forth in Section XI of this Rule.

c) Certificate of Proficiency in English, according to Section V of the present Rule, issued by institution accredited by the Program.

d) Letter from the applicant to the CCP, expressing the following:

his/her motivations, interests, expectations for the graduate program;
reasons for choosing the Program and the selected line of research

e) Approval in written test, based on reading and interpretation of scientific articles in the Parasitology.

f) Approval in a public test which includes presentation of the thesis proposal, followed by oral examination carried out by committee appointed by the CCP, which will assess the following aspects:

Understanding of the importance and the scientific context of his/her doctoral research project, as well as of the experimental strategies and techniques to be used. his/her motivations, interests, expectations for the graduate program;
Transcript of courses associated with the applicant master’s program, taking into consideration his/her grades in regular courses and extracurricular activities, especially presentations in scientific meetings and published articles.

g) A foreign applicant shall also demonstrate proficiency in Portuguese on the occasion of his/her application for the admission test or until the application date for the “qualification test”.

B2 – Direct towards a Doctoral Degree (PhD):

a) Official acceptance given by a program advisor who meets the criteria for opening of vacancies as set forth in Section XI of this Rule;

b) Certificate of Proficiency in English, according to Section V of the present Rule, issued by institution accredited by the Program.

c) Letter from the applicant to the CCP, expressing the following:

his/her motivations, interests, expectations for the graduate program;
reasons for choosing the Program and the selected line of research.

d) Approval in written test, based on reading and interpretation of scientific articles in the Parasitology.

e) Approval in a public test which includes presentation of the thesis proposal, followed by oral examination carried out by committee appointed by the CCP, which shall assess the following aspects:

Understanding of the importance and the scientific context of his/her doctoral research project, as well as of the experimental strategies and techniques to be used.
Transcript of applicant’s undergraduate courses, taking into consideration his/her grades in regular courses and extracurricular activities, especially those associated with undergraduate introduction to scientific research, presentations in scientific meetings and published articles.

f) A foreign applicant shall also demonstrate proficiency in Portuguese on the occasion of his/her application for the admission test or until the application date for the “qualification test”.

III - Program Durations

Master’s: 30 months;
Doctoral (PhD) with Master’s: 60 months;
Direct PhD: 72 months.

IV – Minimum Credits

Master’s: 96 credits being 32 credits in courses and 64 credits in thesis preparation;
Doctoral (PhD) with Master’s: 160 credits being 24 credits in courses and 136 credits in thesis preparation;
Direct PhD: 192 credits being 56 credits in courses and 136 credits in dissertation preparation.

The maximum number of special credits that can be credited as courses is:

Master’s: 16 special credits
Doctoral (PhD) with Master’s: 12 special credits
Direct PhD: 28 special credits

V - Foreign language

Proficiency in English will be required for Program admission. A Certificate of Proficiency may be issued by the following institutions:

a. FFLCH/USP Language Center – administered once per semester for the ICB/USP graduate program applicants. Approval Requirement: Sufficient in different levels for Master’s and PhD;

b. TEAP (Test of English for Academic and Professional Purposes). Approval Requirement: Grades 70 and 65 for Doctoral and Master’s respectively;

c. WAP (Writing for Academic and Professional Purposes. Approval Requirement: Grades 50 and 45 for Doctoral and Master’s respectively;

d. TOEFL iBT (Test of English as a Foreign Language – (Internet –based Test). Approval Requirement: Grades 60 and 55 for Doctoral and Master’s respectively;

e. TOEFL ITP (Test of English as a Foreign Language – Institutional Test Program). Approval Requirement: Scores 500 and 480m for Doctoral and Master’s respectively;

f. IELTS (International English Language Testing System). Approval Requirement: Scores 4.5 and 4.2 for Doctoral and Master’s respectively;

g. Cambridge University Exams. Approval Requirement: C in the FCE (First Certificate in English) and A in the PET (Preliminary English Test) for Doctoral and Master’s respectively.

For admission purpose in the graduate program exclusively, the certificates issued by the aforementioned institutions will be valid for 5 years.
Alternatively, as evidence of proficiency in English, proof of being a student, in the previous two years, in two sequential semesters of the English course at the FFLCH/USP Language Center or proof of training/internship in an English speaking country, for at least 6 months, in the previous 5 years shall be accepted.

VI – Courses

Each accredited advisor shall teach at least one course/subject every two (02) years.

1. Accreditation:

Requests for accreditation or change of disciplines shall be analyzed by the CCP and shall include: justification showing its importance and consistency with the Program lines of research, clear and well defined objectives for the student development, syllabus demonstrating updated knowledge, relevant and updated bibliography and objective evaluation criteria. Professors shall hold a PhD degree with a demonstrated record of success in research in the related area and in teaching;

2. Reaccreditation:

For reaccreditation, in addition to the aforementioned criteria, professors shall demonstrate the importance of the course for the student academic development, its currency and regularity.

VII – Cancelling of Courses

CCP criteria for cancelling a course:

a) Change into a new course proposal.

b) Insufficient enrollment.

c) Unfeasible due to problems with the responsible professor or physical problems with the infrastruture.

The CCP shall make a decision up to 2 (two) days before the deadline for cancelling a class of this Course, according to established schedule. A Professor may request cancelling of a course within up to 7 (seven) days before the beginning of classes.

VIII – “Qualification Test” (EQ - Exame de qualificação)

A – It is required for the Master’s and PhD programs.

B – Students may enroll for the EQ before completing all necessary credits.

C – Deadlines (for Master’s, PhD and direct PhD):

Enrollment: within 12 months after registration in the Master’s program and 24 months in the PhD.
Date of Actual Test: up to 45 days after enrollment
To redo the test in case of failure: up to 60 days after failure

D – Examining Committee appointed by the CCP composed of three (03) members, with at least one member from other Programs. The advisor shall not be a member of this committee.

E – The qualification test aims at evaluating the status of student’s research project, defining essentially whether the student is able to contextualize his/her project, is aware of its importance, knows relevant literature; objectives and reasons for project are clearly defined, the methodology used is the most appropriate and current and if student has the ability to use necessary techniques.

The EQ shall assess whether obtained data until that time allow to predict if thesis will be defended within regulatory deadline, if a followup committee is necessary, or in case of a master’s student, if it is recommended a direct PhD. In the latter case, the student shall deposit his/her PhD dissertation within 72 months, as of the date of enrollment in the Master’s program. The recommendations of the examining committee shall be approved by the CCP.

F – The EQ shall consist of a public presentation of the research project and the experiments carried out until that time; followed by an oral examination performed by the committee and the audience. At the discretion of the examining committee, part of the examination may be behind closed doors, between the applicant and the committee, after the initial public examination. This additional stage aims at assuring a more in depth debate, especially when a Master’s student is going straight towards a PhD, or the student enrolled directly in a PhD program. When applying for the EQ, the student shall deliver at the Program Registrar’s Office his/her research project, approved by the advisor, together with study results obtained until that time. This document will be forwarded to the Examining committee.

IX - Master’s student going straight towards a PhD degree

Changing from a Master’s Program to a doctoral program can only be done when requested by student on the occasion of the qualification test, upon advisor’s approval.

In this case, a justification and project proposal supplement for the doctoral program shall be attached. When in agreement with the change of program, the committee shall issue a detailed opinion.

The CCP’s opinion shall be submitted to the CPG (graduate committee).

X –Unsatisfactory Academic Performance

In addition to Article 54, student may be dismissed from the Program for unsatisfactory academic or scientific performance. Student’s advisor or the CCP may request that student be dismissed from the Program for unsatisfactory academic and scientific performance. An academic and scientific performance shall be considered unsatisfactory when student does not hand in reports by deadline or if it is not approved by the advisor or by the CCP. When a report is not approved by the advisor, the CCP shall authorize the advisor’s decision. The CCP decision to dismiss the student shall be forwarded to the CPG for official confirmation.

XI - Advisors and co-advisors

A – Maximum number of students per advisor is 10 (ten) and 03 (three) co-students.

B – Accreditation shall be valid for 5 years.

C – Criteria for accreditation of new advisors and co-advisors

USP Professors (active or retired) may be accredited as full advisors, provided that:

They have scientific production consistent with program requirements, demonstrated by regular publications in related field, in international journals indexed by the ISI (minimum of 3 articles classified as Qualis CAPES ³B3 in the last three years).
They have coordinated individual research projects or participated in joint projects, funded by supporting agencies in the last five years;
They have access to appropriate facilities and physical spaces for implementation of projects

USP Professors or researchers, as well as researchers from other institutions may be accredited as specific advisors to fill in Program thematic vacancies, provided that they meet the same requirements for full advisors, regarding scientific production, facilities and research funding.

D – Criteria for reaccreditation of advisors and co-advisors:

USP Professors (active or retired) may be accredited as full advisors, provided that:

They have scientific production consistent with program requirements, demonstrated by regular publications in related field, in international journals indexed by the ISI (minimum of 3 articles classified as Qualis CAPES ³B3 in the last three years).
They have coordinated individual research projects or participated in joint projects, funded by supporting agencies in the last five years;
They have access to appropriate facilities and physical spaces for implementation of projects;
They have taught at least one course in the graduate program in the last two years.

USP Professors or researchers, as well as researchers from other institutions may be accredited as specific advisors to fill in Program thematic vacancies, provided that they meet the same requirements for full advisors regarding scientific production, facilities, research funding, and courses offered.

XII - Procedures for deposit of dissertation/thesis

Upon approval by the advisor, the student shall deposit at the Graduate Program Office 10 copies of his/her Master’s thesis or 12 copies of his/her PhD dissertation, together with a memorandum from the advisor suggesting members for the Examining Committee, and an electronic version of his/her work.

XIII – Name of the Title

The name of the Master’s and PhD degrees will be according to the areas of science in the Host-Pathogen Biology Program.