ENTM RESEARCH REQUIREMENTS

Establish Semester Goals – Documentation of Expectations for Research Credits

Before students are eligible to register for any semester, a written set of minimum expectations must be agreed upon by student and advisor. Think of this as a roadmap for what the student expects to be working on and accomplish in the upcoming semester. The purpose of this exercise is to provide more transparency to expectations and ensure that student-advisor are on the same page. Ideally, these expectations would be discussed and developed jointly by student and faculty. The expectations and deliverables should align with the number of credits that the student is registered for (i.e., greater expectations for more credits). Thus, less would be included on the document during semesters in which students are taking a high course load and, correspondingly, register for fewer research credits.

The specific activities and goals must be documented in a written agreement using the approved Research Deliverables/Expectations Form. The form must be completed and signed by both the student and the faculty advisor. A copy of the completed and signed form must be submitted to the major advisor two weeks before the start of the semester before the student is eligible to register for the upcoming semester. The student will receive a pin from their major advisor to enable them to register. Registration approval will not be granted until the major advisor and/or the advising office has received the signed form.

Students and faculty advisors are required to use the approved Research Deliverables/Expectations Form here. The number and type of research expectations and deliverables included in the agreement should be determined jointly by the student and faculty advisor and are ultimately at their discretion. Students are encouraged to develop SMART – Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Timebound goals

Examples of commonly listed items include:

  • Completion of a writing project such as a dissertation chapter or thesis proposal. This could be the whole document or just part of it (e.g., I will have a rough draft of the Introduction and Methods sections).
  • Submitting a grant or fellowship proposal
  • Conducting all or part of an experiment
  • Processing or analyzing samples collected as part of an earlier study
  • Performing a statistical analysis or other forms of data entry and interpretation
  • Meeting with committee members or collaborators to provide research updates
  • Giving a talk or poster presentation at a conference
  • Reviewing the published literature on a given topic

Research Proposal Guidelines & Examples

Below are general guidelines for preparing your research proposal. Sections and format may vary, so make sure to discuss your research proposal topic and format with your major advisor and advisory committee. Your research proposal must be approved by your advisory committee, typically by the end of the first year of your graduate program. If your proposal is determined to be unsatisfactory, you will be asked to make edits and revisions before it is officially approved.

The research proposal length will vary. As a general guideline, a MS should be 10-12 pages and PhD 15-20 pages (not including References) but can be longer. Single-spaced, 12-point font.

Examples of a few previous MS an PhD proposals from the department are available here for MS (Ex. 1, Ex. 2, Ex. 3) and PhD (Ex. 1, Ex. 2). No proposal is perfect and neither are these examples; they are simply provided as a general reference to illustrate what a finalized proposal should look like in the end. The style, structure, section headers/ordering and other formatting aspects are up to the student’s discretion; however, below we outline a widely accepted and effective proposal framework that is recommended for use by all students.

Research Proposal Narrative [10-15 pages]

The following sections are typically included in a MS/PhD research proposal – they represent standard sections and formatting for grant proposals to agencies like USDA/NSF and will therefore broadly prepare students to write future grants. Sections can vary, check with your major advisor on their expectations for proposal structure and content.

Project Overview/Summary:

  • Provide a general overview of your research proposal that includes: 1) broader research questions, 2) specific objectives, 3) proposed methods, and 4) overall significance. Similar to an abstract of a manuscript or grant proposal summary (500 words max) - the purpose is to concisely give an overview of your proposed research that is understandable to a broad audience. Sell the reader on your ideas and get them excited to read more! Another option is to expand this section to 1pg, ending with a statement of research objectives/aims as well as expected outcomes. Both formats are common in grant writing.
Introduction/Background:
  • Identify the problem or broader question you are interested in and then narrow down to your specific questions. Frame the knowledge gaps by providing relevant background information (previous theory, research, etc.). The goal is to funnel from broad to specific questions (i.e., hierarchy of questions, bridge from large problems to narrow research questions) while clearly identifying the knowledge gaps and why they are important.

This section should be more than a literature review, it should provide a framework of questions and outline knowledge gaps. Use subsections to identify key areas/ideas if needed.

Lastly, include several paragraphs describing the study system in which you intend to address your specific research questions. This section does not need to be overly detailed but should provide the reader enough background information to understand the basic biology of the system and how it will be used to address your research questions/test hypotheses (e.g., life cycles, previous research in system relevant to research questions).

Outline Research Objectives:

Before describing the research you will conduct, clearly state the research objectives.

Objective 1 [i.e. Examine…, Characterize…, Compare…, Determine.., Evaluate…, Develop…]

Objective 2

Objective 3     

Rationale and Significance:

Describe long-term goals and broader significance of proposed research. Frame your proposed research in a more general context – why does anyone that is not a bug nerd care about your work? Emphasize what is novel about your proposed research and how your research will advance our knowledge in the field. Should be 2-3 paragraphs.

Proposed Thesis/Dissertation Research: Outline Chapters

For a MS Thesis you will typically have 1-2 Chapters and for a PhD Dissertation you will typically have 3-4 Chapters. Each research chapter should include the following sections outlined below.

Chapter #: [Objective #]

  • Hypothesis & Predictions (if applicable)
    • State hypothesis you will be testing. Use “If []… then []” format to make specific predictions in data/results based off of hypothesis. The predictions are a way for you to begin to think about potential outcomes of your experiments and what patterns/trends you might see in your data that would either support or refute your hypothesis.
  •  Methods & Materials
    • Include a description of 1) insects, plants, etc. that will be used or collected, 2) experimental design (treatments, replicates, sampling locations, species, etc.), and 3) the data you are collecting (what are you measuring?). It should be clear what your controls are and why they are being used. If applicable, you should also describe how you are rearing/maintaining insect colonies, growing plants, etc.
  • Data Analysis
    • Describe the statistical analyses you plan to use to test your hypotheses. Include relevant descriptions of stats models (e.g., ANOVA, PCA, GLMM, Phylogenetic analyses) and programs you will use (e.g., R packages, SPSS, SAS, other)
  • Potential Pitfalls & Limitations
    • Identify potential issues that may arise and limitations to your experimental design. For example, describe additional approaches/measures/treatments that could be incorporated should your original design not work out.
  • Preliminary Results/Progress to Date
    • Report any activities/progress to date. This could be a description of a method you have developed (e.g., RNA/DNA extraction, bioassay, model developed, insect cage design) or when and where samples have been collected for future analysis. If you performed a prelim/pilot study report results here. You should include relevant pictures, graphs, or tables.
  •  Project Timeline [1 page]
    • Provide a table or figure showing the timeline of experiments, data analysis, and when you will begin to write up results for publication. Identify when key activities associated with experiments will be completed. For example, will samples be collected at specific times of the year (fall, spring, etc.), how long will experiments run (a month, a week) and how much time do you estimate sample processing will take (e.g., data analysis, sequencing, field work).
  • References [no page limit]
    • Provide a list of references in a standard journal format of your choosing (e.g., Environmental Entomology, Current Biology). Please check these carefully to ensure there are no mistakes or inconsistencies. We strongly recommend using a reference manager like

Annual Committee Meeting Guidelines & Expectations

The advisory committee is required to meet at least annually, starting in year one of the degree, to determine the student’s progress and provide guidance. Committee meetings are tracked using grad tracker. Students must notify gradtracker@purdue.edu of all scheduled meetings. Students shall log into grad tracker and complete the “student data form” to initiate the meeting. Once this is complete, each faculty member will complete an “annual progress form”. Students will sign off on the annual progress form once completed. Review the student grad tracker manual for specific details.

Typically, students coordinate a meeting day and time using platforms such as When Is Good. Faculty are notorious for having extremely busy schedules so this should be arranged well ahead of your preferred meeting time (at least several weeks). You should plan for a 1–2-hour block of time. Some meetings take one hour, but many end up a bit longer than this (75-90 mins). Upon agreeing on a meeting time, students should send a calendar invite to their committee with the date, time, and location. To do so, you will need to reserve a conference room with a projector. See Sabrina in the main office to make a reservation; there are several options across a few buildings on campus. Students should also send an email to gradtracker@purdue.edu, so the meeting date can be updated.

For committee meetings, students usually prepare a PowerPoint presentation describing their progress. Keep in mind that most faculty will stop and ask you questions along the way. This should be accounted for in the length of your planned presentation. Although most of the presentation should be dedicated to research progress, don’t forget to also include topics such as: coursework (presentation of the Plan of Study for approval), professional development activities (e.g., conference presentations), CV development (e.g., awards or grants received), and plans for the prelim exam (for PhD students). All of the above should be presented from two perspectives: first, what have you accomplished in these areas since you last met (i.e., past 12 months) and, second, what are your plans for the upcoming year? It is also helpful to include an anticipated timeline to graduate as you pass the mid-point of your degree.

Exam Guidelines (PhD Prelim Exam, PhD/MS Defense & Final Exam)

PhD Preliminary Exam

The format and general areas to be included in the PhD Preliminary Exam will be defined by the members of the examining committee in consultation with the student. The student is urged to consult with the examining committee regarding the areas of knowledge for which they may be required to show competency. The purpose of the exam is to assess student progress and aptitude in a way that enables the program to be tailored to the specific needs and career aspirations of each student. In general, the Preliminary Exam tests a student in the following areas to identify strengths and areas that need improvement.

  • Breadth and depth of knowledge in entomology and relevant STEM fields
  • Critical thinking skills (e.g., ability to frame testable hypotheses, identify critical scientific knowledge gaps, review & synthesize literature, understanding of broader significance of student’s research)
  • Written and oral communication skills
  • Mastery of the scientific method; experimental design & analysis

It is recommended that the preliminary exam be taken by the end of the second year after entering the PhD program, but must be completed no later than the first semester of the third year. Advancing to candidacy early in their doctoral study affords students several advantages, including pursuing supplemental federal grant funding opportunities that are restricted to candidates only (e.g., USDA NIFA predoctoral fellowships) and allowing the student to focus more clearly on research, analysis and dissertation writing in the latter years of their course of study at Purdue. The precise timing of the exam is at the discretion of the committee and will consider progress made on the Plan of Study, previous educational background of the student, and the student’s post-graduate plans.

Student Eligibility & Examining Committee

To become eligible to take the preliminary exam, a graduate student must have filed a Plan of Study, uploaded an approved research proposal to Grad Tracker and satisfactorily completed most of the required coursework.

The examination is conducted by an examining committee of at least three graduate faculty. Typically, in entomology the examining committee is identical to the advisory committee.

The Request for the Appointment of the Preliminary Examination Committee Form (Electronic GS Form 8 via MyPurdue) must be filed not less than two weeks prior the oral examination.

General Structure (Written & Oral Components)

The exam has both a written and oral component, which offers considerable flexibility.

Written component – The decision on which written option to pursue is made by the student’s advisor and examining committee in consultation with the student. It is highly recommended and standard that individuals email their committee the written document 2 weeks prior to the exam. Student and examining committee choose one of the following options:

  1. Answer set of questions from each examining committee member covering both general & subject-specific knowledge
  2. Critical analysis of selected journal publications related to dissertation research. Exam committee approves articles, student submits 3–5-page analysis/review.
  3. Critical review of literature or meta-analysis. This would, ideally, lead to publication with advisor/committee help and guidance.
  4. Grant proposal written for an outside agency (e.g., NSF, USDA, NIH) on a topic related or unrelated to the student’s dissertation research, ideally to be submitted for funding (this is not mandatory). However, the proposal must be in the format specified by a federal granting agency (i.e., follow the guidelines of a recent RFA), including narrative, budget, project summary, etc. In cases where the proposal is related to the student’s dissertation work, the topic should be sufficiently different that it pushes students outside of their comfort zone. In other words, this should not simply be a 4th or 5th chapter of the PhD project. The degree of “closeness” of the proposed work is at the discretion of the examining committee and should be discussed ahead of time.

Oral component – Revisit/defend written exam portion. The oral exam is limited to 2 hours in length. When the written preliminary examination has been completed to the satisfaction of the examining committee, an oral examination will be conducted and may cover all subjects that the examining committee feels are reasonable in assessing the potential of the PhD candidate. The specific format of the exam depends on the written option selected, but may include, for example, clarification or additional detail on the student responses to questions, literature omitted from their review, or the feasibility of implementing experiments proposed in the grant proposal (i.e., mock grant review panel).

Evaluation & Advancing to Candidacy

The Preliminary Exam oral/written components are evaluated and assigned one of the following categories: (report exam results on G.S. Form 10 and complete Prelim rubric on gradtracker)

  1. Satisfactory/pass: no other action required.
  2. Conditional Pass: the student does not repeat any component of the exam but is         given feedback on specific, mandatory areas for improvement by the committee (may include additional coursework, rewriting sections of written portion, etc.)
  3. Unsatisfactory: the portion of the exam evaluated as unsatisfactory must be retaken. The student may make one additional attempt, but not within the same semester.       Failing the second attempt will result in dismissal from the program (per Graduate School guidelines).

The student is admitted to doctoral candidacy upon satisfactory completion of the preliminary examination. If the report is unfavorable, the examining committee may recommend that the student be permitted to request a second examination by submitting a new request G.S. Form 8. The student must wait at least until the following session (including summer session) to repeat the examination. If failed twice, a student may not be given a third examination except upon the recommendation of his/her examining committee and with the special approval of the University’s Graduate Council.

The Report of Preliminary Exam (Electronic Form GC 10) must be signed by the examining committee and recorded by the Head of the Graduate Program (who is the Dept. Head of Entomology) and received by the OGPSP two weeks before the end of the semester. Preliminary examinations cannot be held during dead week.

PhD/MS Final Defense & Examination

After a student’s research has been completed and the written dissertation/thesis has been presented to the advisory committee for approval, a final oral defense and examination must be held in which the candidate defends the dissertation/thesis and demonstrates to the examining committee the capabilities for which the PhD/MS degree is to be awarded.

Final examinations must be held before the last week of classes and cannot be scheduled during “dead week”. The examination is limited to two hours on one day, but, if necessary, it may continue a subsequent day. Each PhD/MS Final Defense & Examination will be publicly announced so that interested members of the Purdue faculty and student body may attend. Please consult the OGSPS Calendar of Dates & Deadlines for specific dates each semester.

The final defense and examination must be scheduled with the OGSPS by submitting the Request for Appointment of Examining Committee (Electronic GS Form 8 via MyPurdue) no less than two weeks in advance of the final examination. When the Request for Appointment of Examining Committee (G.S. Form 8) is approved by the OGSPS, an approved copy of the form will be sent to the departmental graduate office with the following additional materials for the candidate: a) Report of the Final Examination (G.S. Form 11); b) Thesis Acceptance (G.S. Form 9); c) exit questionnaire; d) a Doctoral Dissertation Agreement Form with ProQuest Information and Learning and an Addendum (G.S. Form 14) to that form; and e) a survey form on Earned Doctorates Awarded in the United States.

The Final Examination Reports (Electronic GS Form 7 (for master’s) or Electronic GS Form 11 (for PhD) must be signed by the examining committee and recorded by the Head of the Graduate Program (who is the Department Head for Entomology) and received by the OGSPS two weeks before the end of the semester.

The final exam is conducted by an examination committee, which is generally the same as the student’s advisory committee. As with the advisory committee, 51% of your committee must be a “regular faculty” member (i.e., they must be on Purdue payroll and have regular graduate faculty classification). The first part of the examination includes an oral presentation (at least 30 minutes in length) of the thesis research and is open to the public. It is followed by a closed session during which the examining committee may ask questions over major and related areas, and the student presents a defense of the thesis.

Master’s Degree Final Examination Requirements

The final exam for the MS is conducted by an examination committee consisting of three or more members. Three positive votes are required for the student to pass the final exam.

Doctoral Degree Final Examination Requirements

At least two semesters must elapse between the preliminary and final doctoral examinations. For instance, a doctoral student who passes the preliminary examination in a summer session is eligible to take the final examination (provided that the student is registered the following fall and spring semesters) beginning with the following summer session. The final exam for the PhD is conducted by an examination committee consisting of four or more members. A majority positive votes of committee members is required for the student to pass the final exam.

Thesis & Dissertation Guidelines & Examples

We strongly encourage students to visit the Purdue OGSPS Thesis & Dissertation Office website for up-to-date information and guidance on preparation and submission procedures. This website also provides thesis templates and an option to schedule a formatting consultation meeting with an advisor. While this step is optional, it ensures that you will be 100% formatted before you defend and can help reduce the number of formatting errors that are typically caught during the deposit process.

All graduate thesis/dissertation documents in the Department of Entomology shall include as a minimum: Thesis/Dissertation Acceptance Form, Title Page, Table of Contents, Abstract, and the text body shall include a general introduction to the project (e.g., a literature review) and chapters that are presented in a style suitable for submission to refereed journals. The general format of the thesis shall be as outlined in the university catalog (2026-27 catalog). Students are strongly encouraged to consult the catalog and the Thesis Office website while preparing their final draft.

A first draft should be sent to the major professor at least six weeks before the tentative exam defense date, or a time mutually agreed upon. After approval by the major professor, the document should then be submitted to the final examining committee for evaluation. Each member of the advisory committee must receive a copy of the thesis/dissertation at least two weeks before the date of the final defense examination.

After the examining committee meets, the student prepares a final copy of the thesis or dissertation. That copy, called the “deposit” copy, incorporates all revisions requested by the members of the examining committee. Students will submit their deposit copies in electronic form via the Purdue Electronic Thesis Deposit (ETD) website.

Upon successful deposit, degree candidates are provided a Thesis Receipt (G.S. Form 16) from the Thesis/Dissertation Office. A copy of the receipt must be delivered to the OGSPS Student Records Office (Room 170, Young Hall) no later than the close of business (5 p.m.) on the last day of classes of the session in which their degree is to be awarded.

Choice of Non-Thesis Option

Students may choose a non-thesis option (MS degree only, not PhD) based in part on a careful consideration of the student’s interests, career goals, and discussion with their major advisor.

Requirements of the Non-Thesis Student

  1. A minimum of 30 semester hours of graded course work (i.e., not research credits); must be included in Plan of Study.
  2. A maximum of six credits of 300 and/or 400-level courses, taken while enrolled as a graduate student, may be included in the plan of study: 100- and 200- level courses are not permitted.
  3. In lieu of a thesis project, some individual creative activity—above and beyond course work—related to the student’s area of interest, and approved by the advisory committee shall be undertaken at some time during the student’s tenure. This may, for example, involve short-term research projects; hands-on field, laboratory, extension, or teaching experience; an apprenticeship in a skill-oriented job; library research; documentation; cataloguing, or display. The student will make an oral and written report of the activity that will be made available to the faculty.
  4. A written and/or oral examination must be passed as partial fulfillment for the degree. The examination is to be administered in the proposed final semester of study. The examination shall be formulated and conducted by an Examining Committee consisting of three or more members. If the Examining Committee is composed of individuals different from the Advisory Committee, the written and/or oral examination must be scheduled by the OGSPS by submitting the G.S., Form 8, Request for Appointment of Examining Committee (see appendix) and specifying non-thesis master’s option not less than two weeks in advance of the final examination. If the Examining Committee has four or more members, only one negative vote may be recorded if the student is to pass the final exam. The Final Examination Report must be signed by the Examining Committee and recorded by the Head of the Graduate Program (who is the Department Head for Entomology) and received by the OGSPS at least two weeks before the end of the semester. To meet this deadline, final examinations must be held before the last week of classes. Final examinations cannot be scheduled during “dead week”. An oral examination is limited to two hours on one day, but, if necessary, it may continue on a subsequent day. A candidate should consult with members of his/her committee regarding the areas of competency expected and the format of the examination.

Thesis & Dissertation Format Review

We continue to strongly encourage students to take advantage of this free resource.  Thesis and dissertations must meet all formatting requirements to be accepted for graduation, so early use of the format review service can help students to keep formatting on track for deposit. 

Students interested in a format review are welcome to email thesishelp@purdue.edu for more information. 

Format review deadlines vary for CAND 99200 (Degree Only) and CAND 99100 registrants, and students will need to ensure that they adhere to the correct format review deadline based on their candidacy registration. Please review the Graduation Dates and Deadlines calendar to locate semester format review deadlines. Please note that only one format review will be conducted per student each semester and it must occur prior to the designated format review deadline. Format review assistance will not be available after the candidates’ designated semester format review deadline has passed.

To support format compliance, all thesis option master’s and doctoral students must use one of the official thesis templates and accompanying formatting handbooks provided on the Templates website,

https://www.purdue.edu/academics/ogsps/thesis/templates/.  If students are unsure which template to use, they should consult their department to ensure that the appropriate template is selected and used.

At the departmental level, there is always a fall picnic in fall semester to welcome new and returning students, and a holiday awards party in December. Similarly, there is usually an off-campus social event to introduce new grad students to the department at the start of the semester. Details on these events (time & location) will be shared via email as they draw nearer.