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Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences 2021 - 2022 Catalog

Core Curriculum Coordination (CCC) Committee

The duties of the CCC Committee are to provide leadership and organization of the courses and other educational experiences required of first-year, first-semester GSBS students in the Biomedical Sciences program. This committee is composed of the course directors from the GSBS first-semester core curriculum in the Biomedical Sciences. Two graduate student members and an additional faculty member not involved in administration of a first-semester core course are also members. Both Course Directors and additional members are appointed each year by the GSBS Dean with advice from GSBS Graduate Council. The Chair and Vice-Chair of the committee is elected by its voting members. The Chair will serve a two-year term ending on July 31st. After which time, the Vice-Chair will become Chair for two years, and another Vice-Chair will be elected (implemented Fall 2019). The new Chair will hold elections for the Vice-Chair in August every two years. The GSBS Sr. Associate Dean responsible for curriculum is an ex officio member. The CCC Committee will meet as needed. Clerical support for meetings will be provided by the GSBS Office Staff.

More specifically, the CCC Committee will do the following: 

  • Promote excellence in the biomedical sciences by developing rigorous, relevant curricula that provide the fundamentals needed by all graduates of the Biomedical Sciences program. 
  • Organize the scheduling of classes, exams, and alternative teaching formats to ensure orderly progression of the educational experience. 
  • Establish mechanisms to recruit and mentor new course directors and ensure an equitable distribution of teaching responsibilities among the various departments and concentrations. 
  • Work with the individual concentrations to provide and organize laboratory rotations for first-year, first-semester GSBS students. 
  • Report annually to the GSBS Dean and Graduate Council on the status of the core curriculum and student performance. 
  • Provide advice to the GSBS Dean and Graduate Council, as needed, on general education issues. 

 This committee charge will be reviewed and revised as needed yearly by the GSBS Dean with advice from CCC Committee members and Graduate Council. Subsequent charge reviews and revisions will occur as needed.

Course File Maintenance

Purpose: To outline information that should be maintained for each course taught within the GSBS.

A completed course file is kept for each graduate course offered in the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. Programs/concentrations utilizing GSBS 5098 and GSBS 5099 courses for their students are responsible for course file maintenance.

The course file includes the following:

  1. Course syllabus utilizing the GSBS Template available online. This syllabus must be submitted to the GSBS office two weeks prior to the first day of each semester. Every course syllabus should clearly differentiate the number of lecture hours vs. semester credit hours earned for the course. Only minimal changes to the syllabus submitted to the GSBS are allowed (**see note below)
  2. Required assignments/notes
  3. A copy of each test administered
  4. One sample item for each course activity. Student names are to be removed from each sample and faculty are encouraged to ask the student for permission to place the item in the course file
  5. Copy of the course evaluation
  6. Roster of all faculty teaching in the course
  7. Number of students enrolled and grade distribution

GSBS Lubbock courses are maintained electronically and house in Sakai.

Course directors may use the following as a guideline for gathering the information:

  • Two months after the first day of class, submit the faculty roster and copies of all course materials (required assignments, lecture notes, syllabus, etc.)
  • After each exam, submit a copy of the test that was administered
  • At the end of the course, the course director should submit:
    a. sample items for each course activity (such as papers, projects, exams, etc.)
    b. number of students enrolled and the grade distribution
    c. copies of the course evaluations

Course files should be kept for ten years to align with Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board program review schedule and reporting. After 10 years, the course materials will be house with the program review files.

**Regents' Rule 10.03 Ownership.
10.03.1 Except as specifically provided in research agreement sponsored by third parties, and as provided in Section 10.03.3, intellectual property created by covered persons with the use of TTUS resources or during the course of covered persons' TTUS responsibilities is automatically owned by TTUS. All covered persons must, and do hereby, assign their rights in such intellectual property to TTUS. Intellectual property that is developed on a covered persons' own time without TTUS support or use of TTUS resources is not owned by TTUS. Ownership of intellectual property developed under a sponsored research agreement or other funding arrangement shall be determined in accordance with the terms of the sponsored research agreement or other agreement, or, in the absence of such terms, is owned by TTUS.


Course Evaluation and Review

Purpose: To secure regular and systematic information regarding student satisfaction of courses to improve overall instructional performance. In order to increase subsequent program/concentration effectiveness and to assess participant satisfaction with each particular course, on-line evaluations will be solicited from all students at the end of each semester. The main goals of the evaluations are to provide information to instructors about how effectively their teaching is for student learning and to help them improve their teaching.

Course Evaluations: Evaluations are conducted around the last two weeks prior to the exam week of each academic term. The GSBS office sends e-mails (including the direct link to the online survey) to students requesting that they participate in the evaluations. Evaluations are conducted in such a way as to encourage a high rate of return and thoughtful responses from students. Evaluation results and comments are available to the instructor with no identifying information; therefore, all evaluations are completely anonymous and confidential. The GSBS office utilizes a software program to record who has submitted an evaluation so reminder email can be sent to non-respondents. Note: Independent studies, thesis, dissertation, and research courses are not evaluated. Courses with enrollment of less than three in a semester are not released independently. The results of those evaluations are merged with the next year’s results for that course and are released when there is a class cohort of more than 3 for that course.

Course Reviews: Once course evaluations have been collected by the GSBS office, they are e-mailed to the course directors. The course directors have 2 weeks to have a wrap-up meeting with all instructors of the course and provide a summary (to the GSBS office) which includes 1) Changes to the course from the prior year, 2) Addressing student complaints, 3) evaluate how the course compared to last year's student evaluation, and 4) provide ideas or recommendations proposed for next year to improve the course.

The curriculum committee reviews student evaluations and the course director summaries at the end of the Spring and Fall semesters.

Curriculum committee: The curriculum committee consists of one GSBS faculty from the Biotechnology & Pharmaceutical Sciences programs and one faculty from each concentration with the Biomedical Sciences Program as well as 2 students. The positions are appointed by the GSBS Dean and serve 3-year terms. This committee makes recommendations to the course director if there are serious issues mentioned in the evaluations. The committee also compares prior year evaluations to verify that issues have been addressed.

Distribution of results: Results shall be reported according to the following guidelines:

  • Department Chairs, graduate advisors and course directors will receive only the evaluation summaries for the courses they oversee.
  • Faculty providing instruction in a course will receive their individual faculty evaluation along with the overall course summary.
  • Academic coordinators will receive confidential copies to file 1) in the course file (required by SACSCOC) and 2) in individual faculty files (for promotion and review)

Use of evaluations: The curriculum committee systematically reviews evaluation results to assess program/concentration effectiveness and inform, as appropriate, graduate advisors and instructors of evaluation results and take steps to correct any deficiencies. Ongoing course evaluation helps identify potential areas for improvement, determines training effectiveness, and helps shape future curriculum and course updates.

Graduate Academic Review

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (GSBS) contains the following Graduate Programs: Biomedical Sciences, Biotechnology, Graduate Medical Education Sciences, Masters in Public Health (MPH) and Pharmaceutical Sciences. The Biomedical Sciences program consists of  4 concentrations: Biochemistry, Cellular and Molecular Biology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Molecular Biophysics, and Translational Neuroscience and Pharmacology. The graduate academic review of Biomedical Sciences will include: recruitment, admissions, the Integrated First Year Core Curriculum, and the assessment of the individual concentrations. References within this document to "program", refer to Biotechnology, Biomedical Sciences, Graduate Medical Education Sciences, Public Health, and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

Purpose:

The main objective of ongoing, continuous assessment is to provide a mechanism for improving the quality of graduate program/concentrations at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (GSBS).

Graduate Academic reviews consist of two interrelated activities. The first is a formal review, which occurs every 10 years. The second is continuous, ongoing assessment of key program/concentration outcomes, as identified by the graduate faculty of each academic area. Collection and analysis of data related to these outcomes, as well as resulting changes, are reported to the GSBS Office annually. At the time of the next formal review, summaries of these reports will be included in the self-study. The formal review process comprises five major components: (1) a self-study prepared by the graduate faculty, (2) an external review committee (ERC), (3) an internal review committee (IRC) evaluative report and recommendations, and (4) program and concentration faculty’s response to that report, containing an action plan. The action plan is developed from a post-review meeting of the graduate advisors, Department Chairs and the GSBS Associate Dean. Annually, through the use of Weave Online, the program/concentration reports to the GSBS on progress toward implementing the action plan formulated from the 10-year review. The action plan along with a summary of the self- study and external reviews will be submitted to the TTUHSC THECB Liaison who will forward to the THECB Academic Affairs and Resource Division no later than 90 days after the conclusion of the review.

Complementing the formal review is a continuous, ongoing outcomes assessment. Outcomes assessment focuses primarily on student learning. It asks and answers the questions:

1. What do we want our students to know and be able to do when they graduate?
2. How well does our program/concentration promote that learning?

Its purpose is to monitor whether a program/concentration is achieving its goals so that where goals are not being met, changes and improvements can be made. This process begins when graduate faculty identify the major objectives of their program/concentration, the more specific outcomes derived from these objectives, and the data that must be collected and analyzed to determine whether those outcomes are being achieved. To the extent possible, the data are supplied by the GSBS and other university sources. However, some data- e.g., data aggregated about student performance on prelims, the final oral defense, etc. – must be collected within each academic area.

Once outcomes and relevant data sources have been identified, the next step is to develop an outcomes assessment plan. The plan should identify which outcomes will be assessed over the ten-year cycle between formal reviews. Annually, the graduate advisor or another faculty member designated by the department Chair reports to the GSBS, within Weave, as to which outcomes were assessed, what the findings were, and any resulting improvements. A summary of these reports, as well as the assessment plan, becomes part of the self-study for the next formal review.

Annual Report on Action Plans

Each program will be reviewed on a ten-year interval. Every year between formal reviews, each graduate advisor or designee of the programs, or concentrations, will be asked to provide a brief summary of progress made on the “action items” listed: What, if any, items are behind schedule, and what are the hindrances to their timely completion? What strategies have been developed to address these hindrances (e.g., modifying the action item, seeking other resources to fund the action item, etc.)? Is there anything the GSBS office or TTUHSC administration can do to help address any uncompleted action items? This information will be captured in the Weave Online system.

Periodic graduate academic reviews give the school important information about the strengths and weaknesses of academic areas such as: the quality and accomplishments of its graduate students, the future resource needs, and its contribution to the mission of the university. These reviews are designed to help faculty and administrators gain a clear understanding of the following: 

  1. The academic purpose within TTUHSC and GSBS. 
  2. Objectives and outcomes (faculty expectations) for the program/concentration. The effectiveness in achieving these purposes & outcomes. 
  3. The overall quality. 
  4. The faculty’s vision, i.e., future aims and changes necessary to achieve those aims. 
Schedule of GSBS Academic Reviews (all dates tentative)
Biomedical Sciences2021-2022
Public Health2023-2024
Biotechnology2024-2025
Pharmaceutical Sciences2026-2027
Graduate Medical Education Sciences2029-2030


Sections included in this policy

Review Process Timeline
Review Format Task of the Internal and External Reviewers Guidelines for Internal and External Reviewers
Attachment A: Suggested Faculty Activity Report Template
Attachment B: Graduate Academic Review Assessment Form

Formal Review Process Timeline
Jul

Notification of Review: The GSBS Office will schedule a meeting with all Graduate Advisors and Department Chair(s) of the program to be reviewed to discuss the guidelines of the review process. If the Biomedical Sciences program is reviewed the Graduate Advisors and Department Chair(s) of the concentrations will be included.

Aug

The Department Chairs will submit to the GSBS office the names of the Data Subcommittee faculty along with the names and contact information for possible external reviewers. The GSBS Office will be responsible for contacting the external reviewers and securing their cooperation.

Preparation of the Review Document: The self-study document should follow the format shown in the next section. The Department Chair(s) may designate a team of faculty members, considered the Data Subcommittee, to prepare the Graduate Academic Review Document. This subcommittee should have a Chair appointed by the Department Chair(s). However, the Department Chair(s) should be actively involved in overseeing its preparation and is responsible for the content, accuracy, and completeness of the report. All current graduate faculty members of the program/concentration being reviewed should be involved in the preparation of the report. The participation of enrolled students, alumni and professional staff is highly encouraged. The report should be evaluative rather than simply descriptive. It should incorporate not only an analysis of incoming students, time to degree, attrition rates, etc. but also a summary of the program and each concentration’s continuous and ongoing outcomes assessment and the faculty’s vision for the future. To ensure that the GSBS meets FERPA regulations, please ensure that all student information does not include private information such as SSNs.

Selection of GSBS Internal Review Committee Members: Departmental Chairs will select two graduate faculty members from each program/concentration to serve as representatives on the GSBS Internal Review Committee. In addition, the GSBS Office will select 2 student representatives.

Nov

Submission of Program/Concentration Review Document: The GSBS Office will review the document and may request that revisions be made if it is incomplete or simply descriptive. The report should address the appropriateness of the academic goals, the quality of the students, and those elements influencing student success: mentoring, research, the faculty, the curriculum, professional development opportunities, facilities, and student funding. The report should also summarize the strengths and weaknesses of the program and concentrations and make recommendations for improvements. The GSBS office will send copies to the GSBS review committee and the external reviewers. The original document will remain in the GSBS Office (UC 115).

Nov

External Reviews: Each program will be reviewed by at least 2 external reviewers (ERC) outside of Texas who will be provided the self-study for each concentration/program and will be brought to the campus for an on-site review in January. The external committee will consist of 5-6 reviewers for the Biomedical Sciences review and 2 external reviewers for Biotechnology, GMES, MPH, and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

Nov

The Review Process: The GSBS Senior Associate Dean will meet with the Internal Review Committee (IRC) members within the first two weeks of November. At this meeting instructions and advice on the review process, including an optional review template (Attachment B) will be given and the committee will be asked to select a Chair from its membership.

The Program Review Document will be mailed to External Reviewers no later than Nov 15.

Jan

External Reviewers Site Visit: A site visit by External Reviewers should be scheduled sometime around the first week of GSBS classes, but no later than Jan 31. External review documents due to GSBS by February 15.

Feb

Internal and External Report Due: Copies of the external review report are provided to the Internal Review Committee Chair.

External Review sent to IRC for comments.

Mar

Documentation Distributed: Copies of the IRC report and the external reports will be provided to the Graduate Advisor(s), Department Chair(s) and Data Subcommittee Chair(s), with a request for a written response from the program/concentration faculty. The response (Action Plan) outlines the means and timetable by which the faculty plans to implement the recommendations of the GSBS review committee and specifies any additional resources needed to do so.

May

Action Plan sent to GSBS

May

Post-review Meeting: The GSBS Senior Associate Dean will schedule a meeting with the Graduate Advisor(s), the Department Chair(s), Data Subcommittee Chair(s) (if applicable), the Chair of the GSBS review committee, and the GSBS Dean, for mid-May. At this meeting, the graduate advisor(s) and Department Chair(s) summarize the faculty's response (Action Plan). For the Biomedical Sciences review, the GSBS Associate Dean will provide a summary of the recruitment efforts, admissions process, and the Integrated First Year Core Curriculum.

Jun

Executive Summary Due

Note

During the review process for the Biomedical Sciences program, the GSBS office will include a summary of the recruitment efforts, admissions process and the Integrated First Year Core Curriculum. In addition, the GSBS office will merge all data provided by each concentration to summarize the Biomedical Sciences program. The final report will include aggregate data no concentration specific data.


THECB Criteria for Review
  • The 18 Characteristics of Texas Doctoral Programs;
  • Student retention rates;
  • Student enrollment;
  • Graduate licensure rates (if applicable);
  • Alignment of program with stated program and institutional goals and purposes;
  • Program curriculum and duration in comparison to peer programs;
  • Program facilities and equipment;
  • Program finance and resources;
  • Program administration; and
  • Faculty qualifications
Review Format

All data should be collected for the prior ten academic years

Program/Concentration Overview

1.1

Title of Program/Concentration

1.2

Department Name

1.3

Brief History and Mission: Provide a brief history of the development of the graduate program/concentration. Briefly describe the mission.

1.4

Degree Objectives and Outcomes: List the objectives and outcomes (faculty expectations) for the program/concentration.


Graduate Curriculum

2.1

 Course offerings and their enrollment during the review period (Summary and table).

2.2

Describe any significant changes in curriculum and instruction since the last review. Explain the reason for the changes, such as different needs of students, shifts or emphasis in the discipline, changes in faculty, perceived weakness in the curricula, problem with facilities, etc.

2.3

List required courses: First-year curriculum, statistics, ethics, etc.

2.4

What specifically is done to facilitate critical thinking and problem solving to prepare graduates for a wide variety of positions in academics and other environments?


Faculty

3.1

Alphabetical by list, by rank (graduate faculty membership), of graduate faculty members in the program/concentration including a statement of how many new faculty members have been hired since last review.

3.2

Report on Faculty Activity for the past 7 years:


3.2.1

Education - See Appendix


3.2.2

Teaching - list all graduate program's courses taught; number of hours lectured per year in those courses; student enrollment in courses taught.


3.2.3

Committee responsibilities



3.2.3.1

Number of advisory committees that each members has served or chaired during the past 7 years, including the students name and when student graduated



3.2.3.2

Service to GSBS committees; graduate council, Chair of recruitment committee, core curriculum committee, etc.


3.2.4

Honors and Awards


3.2.5

Major Publications - Number of scholarly publications during the period of review (excluding abstracts)


3.2.6

Funded projects/Grants - Active external and internal grants and contracts


3.2.7

Service - should include any program/concentration, university, professional and community service activities (grant review panels, editorial boards, leadership positions in professional societies)

3.3

Advising: Describe how and when faculty advisors are assigned to graduate students, as well as any guidance that new faculty are given in direction graduate student research.

3.4

Faculty Quality: Describe the ways in which the department evaluates the quality of its graduate faculty (e.g., teaching evaluations, peer review, publications, research grants, graduate students advised and their time to degree) and how it uses the results of these evaluations.

3.5

Faculty Distribution: Is the department staffed adequately to meet the needs of various fields of specialization in your discipline? If not, please provide a realistic plan for how an appropriate distribution of faculty could be achieved across specializations offered.


Graduate Students

4.1

Data Collection - admission criteria


4.1.1

Number of applications for last 7 years


4.1.2

Percent of applicants offered that actually matriculated


4.1.3

List of where students came from (previous schools)

4.2

Data Collection - student information


4.2.1

Students graduated during the review period, graduate GPA's and attrition rates


4.2.2

Average time and credit hours per degree


4.2.3

Students during the review period that have received national and university recognition, including fellowships, scholarships, departmental and other awards (include name, type and amount of awards received)


4.2.4

Number and percent of doctoral graduates employed in the field (or in a post- doctoral position) within one year of graduation and the average length of time to secure the job.


4.2.5

Present position and place of employment of students graduating from the academic area during the review period


4.2.6

Publications & presentations by student

4.3

Quality: Comment on how you evaluate and assess the quality and performance of your graduate students. Referring to the above data, comment on student quality and trends over the past 7 years. What specific measures does the department use to evaluate the quality of entering students? (For example, what use is made of the GPA or of standardized test scores such as the GRE?). Are your students as good as you would like them to be? If not, what are the contributing factors? What are the specific admissions criteria for masters and doctoral students? Provide summary of recruitment efforts.

4.4

Degrees Granted: Comment on the trends in the number of degrees awarded annually and the average length of time required to complete each degree. What is currently the approximate attrition rate? What has been the trend in attrition over the past 7 years? If attrition has been increasing, what measures, if any, have been taken to address that increase?

4.5

Need/Placement: Describe past, present and anticipated future need for graduates in the TTUHSC community, region and nation. Report any information you have on the level of employer satisfaction with your graduates and the students post graduate performance (if available). Describe the level and kinds of assistance you offer in the placement of your graduates. Assess the strength of student demand for your program/concentration over the last 7 years.

4.6

Funding: Describe the research assistantships and other support packages available for your students and the approximate annual number of assistantships awarded.  


Current Research

5.1

Current Research: Provide a brief description of significant ongoing research in your program/concentration, including the number of post-docs in the labs. Indicate the major strengths or emphases of this research. Describe three to five major research accomplishments over the past 7 years by faculty and/or graduate students and any new research emphases planned for the near future (through new faculty hires, redirection of current faculty’s research, etc.) 

5.2

External Research Support: Evaluate the level of external funding for research. Are graduate faculty competing effectively for external support? What were the levels of outside funding in research grants and other grants (a) at the time of the last review, and (b) the current year? Comment on any trends.

5.3

Research Development: What is being done to encourage and develop research collaborations with faculty performing similar research elsewhere in the university? Also, please describe deficiencies in facilities and resources that impede the attempts to reach research objectives and any plans to address deficiencies.

Conclusion - (maximum two-page summary)

6.1

Summarize the major strengths and weaknesses of the graduate program/concentration and the challenges and opportunities it faces in the foreseeable future. Include summary information (highlights and challenges) captured in WEAVE online annual reports.

6.2

Briefly describe the vision/strategic plan for the immediate future: Project the major goals for the next 7 years.

Appendices - could include, but not limited to, the following

7.1

Strategic plan to improve/maintain the program/concentration

7.2

Specific graduate program/concentration guidelines

7.3

Weave online reports for 7 years


Task of the Internal and External Reviewers

Assessment: The task of the reviewers is to formulate objective judgments of the quality and effectiveness of the academic area. This evaluation is concerned mainly with the quality of graduate education received by students.

Sources: The GSBS review committee is encouraged to focus attention on questions regarding the relationship of program/concentrations to the goals of the university. It is the task of the reviewers to single out those features that merit special commendation, and to make recommendations where there is room for improvement. Reviewers should formulate their evaluations not only from the review document, but also from interviews with the graduate advisor, his/her departmental Chair, other graduate faculty members, and the students.

The Executive Summary Report:The findings and recommendations of the GSBS review committee should take the format of a concise one to two-page executive summary. Overall observations, reputation, strengths/commendations, weaknesses/recommendations, and value of the program/concentration to the mission of the university should be included in this report. Specific and prioritized recommendations should be made regarding what is needed to strengthen areas that have weaknesses, or perhaps what is needed to further strengthen an excellent program/concentration. The GSBS review committee should rate the program/concentration under review and provide an overall assessment similar to the following:
 • Excellent • Satisfactory •Needs improvement

Guidelines for Internal & External Reviewers

During the review of a graduate academic area, reviewers are encouraged to evaluate with respect to the areas shown below. Reviewers should approach this evaluation with the same seriousness and thoroughness as if they were performing peer review of a manuscript or extramural grant application. Reviewers are encouraged to give a numeric rating for each area and the optional review template may be useful in this area. Reviewers should not feel confined to the areas specified and can examine and comment on other areas that they deem important to the review process. The primary goal of the review is to provide the university, graduate school, and graduate program/concentration under review with a meaningful and critical assessment of the academic area. .

Overview and Vision. Reviewers should examine the mission and vision of the graduate program/concentration, paying special attention to academic planning, organization, size, and success at achieving the stated mission.

Faculty Productivity. Factors that should be considered include: faculty resources, particularly external research funding; faculty publication records, scholarship, and awards; faculty external recognition.

Quality and Quantity of Graduate Students and Graduates. Factors that should be considered include: student recruitment, student retention, applicant pool, placement of graduates, career success of former students, and student productivity.

Curriculum. Factors that should be considered are: degree requirements, course offerings and frequency, areas of specialization, nature and type of qualifying exams.

Recommendations & Suggestions. Provide recommendations and suggestions for improvement.

External Review Reports. External Reviewers may use whatever format they prefer to submit their review to the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. If you do not have a preferred method, we will provide you with a template that may be utilized.  



Inclement Weather/Campus Closures and Course Delivery Policy

Purpose and Scope:

The purpose of this TTUHSC Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (GSBS) inclement weather course delivery policy is to describe the process for making course materials accessible to students in the event of class cancellation due to weather delays and other campus closures. It applies to all courses designated for synchronous broadcast from an instructor located at the originating campus to a classroom of students at a delivery campus.

Policy

The GSBS is expected to comply with the SACSCOC Principles of Good Practice for Academic Degrees and Certificate Programs and Credit Courses Offered Electronically, and the THECB standards found in the Certification Form for Electronically Delivered and Off-Campus Education Programs, to ensure that courses offered electronically are coherent and complete, and student learning is comparable to that of students learning in programs offered at the campus where the courses originate. It is the policy of the GSBS to record all lectures given via synchronous broadcast to students at a delivery campus and to post the recordings on Sakai. Students are expected to meet all attendance requirements of the course as addressed in the course syllabus. Faculty who wish to opt-out of posting of their recorded lectures may do so, except in the event of weather delays or campus closures, no later than 2 weeks prior to the first day of each semester. Electronically delivered courses will be recorded and made available to students in the event of a campus closure or weather delay according to the following procedure:

Procedure
  1. Regional campus closures will be communicated from TTUHSC Campus-wide Information delivery system (via TTUHSC email, or posted on the Announcements page). Students and teams are advised to sign up to TTUHSC STAT ALERT for their regional campus. 
  2. GSBS Regional Deans will designate a point of contact for communicating impact of campus closures on classes scheduled for the duration of the weather delay. 
  3. The Program Coordinator at the originating campus shall communicate all class cancellations, and plans to reschedule, directly to all students in the course and the Program Coordinator at the delivery campus. The Program Coordinator at the originating campus will email class participants and the Course Director via TTUHSC email. 
  4. All class cancellations at the delivery campus shall be communicated directly to the Program Coordinator at the originating campus. 
  5. Recorded lectures will be posted to Sakai by the Program Coordinator at the originating campus within 48 hours after the lecture and will be removed at the end of the semester. 
  6. In the case of excused absences due to unforeseen circumstances, students may request lecture recordings from the Course Director. Recorded lectures will be provided to such students via Sakai only when the instructor has not opted out of the lecture posting process.

Concentrations and Programs (New, Terminating & Changing Delivery Format)

Purpose: To outline the procedure for initiating and developing new concentrations and degree programs, for changing delivery format for degree programs, and for terminating existing degree programs. The process listed in this policy and steps 1 – 4 of the GSBS New/Restructured Program Checklist should be followed prior to conforming to HSC OP 60.11 (part e, below).

  1. Proposing a New Concentration within an Existing Program 
    • Although a proposal for a new graduate concentration typically originates at the departmental level, development of the proposal should be preceded by conferences with the GSBS Dean and representatives from each participating department. The Dean will encourage or discourage continued development of the proposal on the basis of university and GSBS priorities. 
    • Once development of a new concentration receives the support of the Dean, a modified new program proposal document will be prepared in accordance with the guidelines of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB). Highest priorities for consideration of new concentrations shall be given to: 
      • Adequacy of faculty and facilities to undertake the program;
      • Cost and relative impact on existing programs; 
      • Need for the program and benefits that will accrue to Texas from approval and implementation of the proposed program; 
      • Numbers and kinds of students who likely will enter the program; 
      • Market relevance for the academic degree, availability of existing or similar program in the state and region; 
      • Long-term market and educational sustainability; 
      • Degree of fit with TTUHSC mission; and 
      • Allocation of resources within the state and university in consideration of priorities. 
    • The proposal first should have the review and approval of the department(s) and then be forwarded to the GSBS Office. The GSBS Office will send the proposal to the Graduate Council for review and approval at the next monthly Graduate Council meeting. 
    • A proposal for a new graduate concentration is reviewed by members of the Graduate Council. The graduate council may recommend approval, or it may send the proposal back for revisions and/or clarification before making a recommendation to the GSBS Dean. Proposals approved at the Graduate Council level are forwarded to the GSBS Dean for review and approval.
    • If approved by the GSBS Dean, the proposal and attachment A will be routed through all university levels via attachment B (as per OP 60.11), through the Office of the Provost. At any one of the review stages, a proposal may be rejected or sent back to the originating department for revision and/or additional information. 
    • The Office of the Provost will notify the THECB of the change to the existing program inventory as per THECB guidelines and procedures. Programs may not begin accepting students into the new concentration until the GSBS receives acknowledgement from the THECB of the administrative change.
  2. Proposing New Programs
    • Although a proposal for a new graduate degree program typically originates at the departmental level, development of the proposal should be preceded by conferences with the GSBS Dean and TTUHSC President, who will encourage or discourage continued development of the proposal on the basis of university priorities. 
    • Once a department receives encouragement or approval to develop a new degree program, it will prepare the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) new program proposal in accordance with the guidelines of the THECB, which is available from the THECB Web site. If the proposal includes delivery of all or part of the program through distance learning, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) Substantive Change Procedures, available on the SACS-COC Web site, will be consulted and followed. Highest priorities for consideration of new programs shall be given to:
    • Adequacy of faculty and facilities to undertake the program; 
    • Cost and relative impact on existing programs; 
    • Need for the program and benefits that will accrue to Texas from approval and implementation of the proposed program; 
    • Numbers and kinds of students who likely will enter the program; 
    • Market relevance for the academic degree, availability of existing or similar program in the state and region; 
    • Long-term market and educational sustainability; 
    • Degree of fit with TTUHSC mission; and 
    • Allocation of resources within the state and university in consideration of priorities. 
    • The proposal first should have the review and approval of the department and then be forwarded to the GSBS Office. The GSBS Office will send the proposal to the Graduate Council for review and approval at the next monthly Graduate Council meeting. 
    • A proposal for a new graduate degree program is reviewed by members of the Graduate Council. The graduate council may recommend approval, or it may send the proposal back for revisions and/or clarification before making a recommendation to the GSBS Dean. Proposals approved at the Graduate Council level are forwarded to the GSBS Dean for review and approval. 
    • If approved by the GSBS Dean, the proposal and attachment A will be routed through all university levels via attachment B (as per OP 60.11), through the Office of the Provost to the TTUHSC President and on to the Board of Regents. At any one of the review stages, a proposal may be rejected or sent back to the originating department for revision and/or additional information. 
    • If the proposal is approved by the Board of Regents, it will be transmitted by the Office of the Provost to the THECB for final review. The staff of the THECB requests a minimum of three months for review prior to Board action although, frequently, a longer timeline is needed. 
    • Prior to offering any distance education or off-campus courses or programs for the first time, GSBS must submit an Institutional Plan for Distance Education and Off-Campus Instruction to the THECB for approval.
  3. Reviewing Courses for New Programs or Concentrations
    • Any new courses proposed as part of new program/concentration proposals will be reviewed as all other new courses are reviewed: with the understanding that final approval is dependent upon THECB acceptance of the new program or concentration, where applicable. 
    • Proposed new courses must be submitted using the Course Approval Form and forwarded with the program proposal so that both courses and the overall program description may be treated as a package. 
    • The GSBS Office will hold the course applications until the Board of Regents and the THECB approve the program. The office will then complete the paperwork and send to the Registrar’s Office where the courses will be entered on the THECB inventory. 
    • New courses proposed as a part of a new degree program will not be included in catalog copy until the program is approved by the THECB. New courses must be approved by Graduate Council prior to December 31st in order to be added to the course catalog and to be available for the upcoming scholastic year. 
  4. Changing Method of Delivery of Existing Programs
    • Changes in method of delivery of existing programs that result in 50 percent or more of the program being offered via electronic telecommunications require prior approval by the Board of Regents and subsequent notification to the THECB. These changes also require prior SACSCOC notification and approval and the submission of a substantive change prospectus. The Substantive Change Procedures, which may be obtained from the SACSCOC Web site, should be submitted along with the request to change the method of delivery of the existing degree program. The Office of the President will notify SACSCOC six months prior to the anticipated implementation of the modified degree program. 
    • The following routing is required to approve changes in method of delivery: Department, GSBS Office, Graduate Council, Office of the Provost, President and Board of Regents. 
  5. Termination or Merger of Existing Programs a.
    • A program may be terminated, or two or more programs may be merged, for various reasons, but such action will be preceded by full study and consultation by the parties concerned. Persistent under-enrollment, loss of critical faculty, a shift in priorities, or financial exigency are some of the issues that might lead to termination/merging of programs. 
    • Before any program is terminated or merged, the rationale for such action will be presented and considered by the program involved and its department Chair and GSBS Dean. When the necessity for action has been established, the Graduate Council will review the proposed change for graduate programs. After such review, the GSBS Dean will render the final decision in consultation with the Provost. 
    • The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board will be notified by the Provost's Office of any program terminations or mergers. 

 For more institutional information reference HSC OP 60.11 (New Degree Programs, Change in Delivery Format, and Degree Program Termination).

Recruitment & Retention

Purpose: To describe recruitment and retention strategies for GSBS

RECRUITMENT STRATEGIES
GSBS Website: This is an effective tool for exposing prospective students to the programs available in the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. The GSBS website has links to webpages for each program/ concentration.

Online Applications: Students are able to apply to the Graduate School electronically via the website.

Research Assistantships: Many GSBS students receive a Research Assistantship which helps them financially and classifies them as employees of TTUHSC. This classification qualifies them for in- state tuition and health insurance benefits.

Competitive Scholarship: Exempts a student from payment of nonresident tuition over and above resident tuition. Student must be awarded a competitive scholarship of at least $1,000 for the academic year or summer of their enrollment and be either a nonresident or citizen of a country other than the United States. Student must compete with other students including Texas residents and the award must be made through a duly recognized scholarship committee. Certification is sent from the GSBS office to the Financial Aid Office. GSBS Scholarships and Public Health Scholarships.

Regional and National Recruiting: GSBS attends various school career fairs and national science conferences to attract a wide range of students.

Local Recruiting Events: GSBS offers many on-site events that draw students regionally and nationally.

  • Student Research Week. An interdisciplinary forum designed to:
    • stimulate exchange of research information among students
    • highlight exceptional research performed by students in training
    • expose students to the latest research advancements through seminars presented by distinguished biomedical scientists
    • recruit regional students into our graduate degree program • award scholarships in various categories of the poster presentations 
  • School of Pharmacy Research Days. A forum for faculty, graduate students, research interns, postdocs, technicians, and residents to interact and exchange ideas for possible collaborations. It is a mixture of oral presentations from leading scientists that are invited, and poster presentations from faculty, students, postdocs, and residents. This meeting provides an opportunity for graduate students to showcase their research work and provides opportunity for faculty/student interaction. 
  • Summer Accelerated Biomedical Research (SABR) Internships. Available to students interested in pursuing a career in basic biomedical research. The SABR Internships are intensive, 10 week opportunities for students to perform basic biomedical research while receiving a research assistantship. This summer program is offered in Lubbock, Texas. 
  •  Amarillo Biomedical Research Internships (ABRI). Available to students interested in pursuing a career in biomedical research. ABRI is a 10 week program of intense research organized by the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Pharmacy in conjunction with the Pharmaceutical Sciences Program through the GSBS. Each student receives a research assistantship during the internship. 
  • GSBS Open House - Annual Tour and Dinner. Every year GSBS invites top TTU students to an evening of lab tours and dinner with some of our faculty. Students are targeted from undergraduate areas of study that naturally lend to getting a graduate degree in Biomedical Sciences.