Administrative Policies
Class attendance
Class attendance is required. Arrangements for absences should be made in advance with the teaching assistant and faculty.
Minimum GPA
The minimum cumulative GPA required to graduate from the Ph.D. Program is 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. Grades of "satisfactory" ("S") are not calculated in the GPA. At least half the credits taken must be graded using the A-F system.
Probation and dismissal
Poor academic performance or poor nonacademic conduct may result in probation or dismissal from the program. See Mayo Clinic School of Graduate Medical Education Probation and Dismissal — Academic and Probation and Dismissal — Nonacademic policies for more information (must be logged in to the Mayo network).
Plagiarism
Mayo Clinic considers plagiarism a form of scholastic and scientific misconduct. Any instances of suspected plagiarism will be investigated. If plagiarism is proven, it may result in a failing grade or other disciplinary action.
Anytime you use someone else's published works — either directly (verbatim) or in an edited or summary form — and do not cite the original author, you have plagiarized that author's work. All nonoriginal (or previously published) work must be noted through quotations, citations and proper references.
The American Medical Association Manual of Style explains plagiarism this way: "In plagiarism, an author presents as his or her own ideas, language, data, graphics or even scientific protocols created by someone else, whether published or unpublished, without giving appropriate credit."
Source: Iverson C, et al. American Medical Association Manual of Style: A Guide for Authors and Editors. 9th ed. Baltimore, Md.: Williams & Wilkins; 1998.
Residence requirement
Regardless of how many transfer credits are awarded, you must complete a minimum of two years in residence after admission to the program.
Scientific misconduct
Ethical conduct in clinical practice and research constitutes an integral part of the Mayo Clinic culture. The Office of Research Integrity, part of the Department of Health and Human Services, defines scientific misconduct this way:
"Research misconduct means fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism in proposing, performing, or reviewing research, or in reporting research results.
- Fabrication is making up data or results and recording or reporting them. Falsification is manipulating research materials, equipment, or processes, or changing or omitting data or results such that the research is not accurately represented in the research record.
- Plagiarism is the appropriation of another person's ideas, processes, results or words without giving appropriate credit.
- Research misconduct does not include honest error or differences of opinion."
See Mayo's policies regarding the responsible conduct of research for more information (must be logged in to the Mayo network).
Transfer credits
A total of 21 credits may be transferred into the Ph.D. Program.
Core courses. Students who wish to transfer graduate credits to substitute or to waive credits for a Mayo core course must contact the Mayo course director and the CCaTS predoctoral programs director. To substitute or to waive core course credits, the student is required to prove competence by taking an exam on the subject dictated by the course director. If the course director and the CCaTS predoctoral programs director determine that a student has the knowledge equivalent to satisfactory performance in the Mayo core course, the student may request the transfer or waived credits. A letter from the course director and the CCaTS predoctoral programs director must be sent to the Mayo Graduate School office documenting this.
Elective courses. Students who wish to transfer graduate credits to substitute for a Mayo elective course must contact the Mayo course director and the CCaTS predoctoral programs director. If the course director and the CCaTS predoctoral programs director determine that a student has the knowledge equivalent to satisfactory performance in the Mayo course, the student may request the transfer credits. A letter from the course director and the CCaTS predoctoral programs director must be sent to the Mayo Graduate School office to document this.
Track-required courses. Students who wish to transfer graduate credits to substitute or to waive credits for a track-required course must contact the Mayo course director and the CCaTS predoctoral programs director. To substitute or to waive track-required course credits, the student is required to prove competence by taking an exam on the subject at the discretion of the Mayo course director and the CCaTS predoctoral programs director. If the course director and the CCaTS predoctoral programs director determine that a student has the knowledge equivalent to satisfactory performance in the track-required course, the student may request the transfer or waived credits. A letter from the course director and the Graduate Program Director must be sent to the Mayo Graduate School office to document this.
External courses. Students who wish to transfer credits not in substitution for a Mayo course may request credit for graduate courses taken at another institution if they received a grade of A or B. The request must have the approval of the CCaTS predoctoral programs director and Mayo Graduate School. A description of the course from the course catalog or a course outline must accompany the request. The time interval since the credits were earned is a consideration in such decisions. Credits must normally have been earned within the previous five years or as determined by the CCaTS predoctoral programs director.
Trips
You are allowed a maximum of 18 trip days for presentations each appointment year. Repeated presentation of the same material is discouraged. One trip a year (maximum of five days absent) for attendance only is allowed. Weekends or holidays do not count as trip days.
All trip requests must be approved by the CCaTS Predoctoral Programs Committee. To allow for committee review, trip requests must be made a minimum of two months in advance. You must submit the following to the predoctoral programs coordinator:
- Name of the conference, workshop or meeting
- Purpose of attendance
- Agenda or website for the conference, workshop or meeting
- Funding source (such as your mentor or a training grant)
You must make air travel reservations at least one month prior to the meeting dates. Airfare and all other travel arrangements must comply with Mayo Clinic travel policies.
Vacation
You are allowed 15 days of vacation each appointment year, which begins on the date the student's appointment first commenced. Weekends and holidays are not charged as vacation time. Vacation cannot be carried over from one appointment year to the next.
Approval to take vacation is obtained from the CCaTS predoctoral programs coordinator until a thesis adviser has been identified. Since no official record of vacation usage is kept, you're not paid for unused vacation when you graduate.