Student Advising, Evaluation, and Thesis Lab Selection
Student Advising and Evaluation
The MS-RSM program supports students from matriculation to graduation. Before students join research laboratories, the DGS and Director serve as student advisers. Students should identify research mentors during quarter 1 and join laboratories at the beginning of quarter 2 to prevent research and graduation delays. Research mentors are responsible for advising and providing direction to students on their thesis projects. Students will continue to meet with the DGS each quarter and will meet with the DGS and Director during quarter 4 and quarter 6.
Selecting a Thesis Research Lab and Committee
During the first fall quarter, students will have an informal weekly forum where faculty members with openings in their laboratories will present their research. The DGS will also participate in these forums. These events will allow incoming students to identify laboratories for their research work, build relationships within their cohort, and access advising from the DGS and additional faculty members.
Students confirm research mentor selections by the end of quarter 1 and begin research at the beginning of quarter 2. Upon choosing a research laboratory, the student will form a thesis committee with the assistance of the DGS. The committee will consist of the laboratory head and two additional program members.
Students are required to meet with their committees during quarter 3 and quarter 5. Students may meet with individual committee members as necessary for their projects. Students may also hold additional committee meetings if the student and mentor determine additional meeting are beneficial to the student’s project.
Thesis Preparation and Defense
The culminating academic activity of the MS-RSM program is a written thesis. The thesis serves as the student’s final examination to earn a Master of Science degree from Northwestern University.
Students will prepare a paper describing their research project to include the research question/hypothesis, rationale and importance, a literature review, experimental approach, data, and future directions. The paper is formatted as a scientific manuscript. The completed thesis will be submitted to the thesis committee who will assign a final grade and recommendation for the Master of Science degree.
Students are also expected to present their research to the reproductive science community through an oral or poster presentation during the Translational Reproductive Science in Medicine Summit or Oncofertility Conference. However, the oral or poster presentation is not considered for the final grade.