As a PhD student in the Health Services and Outcomes Research Track you are expected to be knowledgeable of the policies and requirements of the graduate program. If you are not clear about anything, you must ask your advisor or the program director to explain. Ignorance of the requirements or expectations will not be considered a valid excuse for any infringement.

A.  Academic Standards

1.   Standards

It is expected that students will perform satisfactorily on all required courses.   To remain in good standing in the Ph.D. program a student is required to maintain the following standards:

  1. An overall grade point average of 3.0 in graduate level coursework. Note that this is higher than the university standard of 2.75.
  2. Removal of any incomplete grades within one semester or summer session of their award, unless special permission is granted by the Assistant Vice President for Research. Failure to remove an incomplete within one semester results in a permanent F on your transcript and this F figures into the GPA.
  3. Satisfactory written comments describing the student’s performance in research courses.

Failure to comply with these standards will result in the student being placed on academic probation and may result in dismissal from the graduate program.

2.  Grading System and Reporting of Grades

Courses are graded as follows: A, B, C, D, or F, and P (pass) or F (fail). The Course Coordinator may submit letter grades with + or -, but your grade point average (GPA) is calculated using the basic letter grade. Grades of D and F are not acceptable for course credit toward a graduate degree but are used in calculating the GPA. Letter grades are given for the short lab experience in Year 1. Research 797 is graded S/U; U’s in research are not counted for the calculation of the GPA.   The first unsatisfactory (U) grade for 797 results in placement on probation; a second U in research 797 is grounds for dismissal from the graduate program.

The grade of Incomplete (I) is given when the instructor believes that the coursework is incomplete. All incompletes must be removed within the next semester of the calendar year; however, an individual instructor may require their removal within a shorter time period. If you receive an incomplete grade, you must contact the faculty member who issued the incomplete grade to discuss its removal. If an incomplete grade is not rectified within the next semester, it will be changed to a grade of F (IF). Changing an Incomplete grade requires a Grade Modification Form that should be submitted to the Office of Research and Graduate Education. The instructor of the course, the director of the graduate program, and the Assistant VP for Graduate Education must sign these forms. If the removal of an Incomplete (I) grade cannot be met within the appropriate time frame, a written request from the faculty instructor must be made to the Registrar’s Office.

NOTE: You cannot graduate with a D or F grade on your Plan of Study. You must retake the course and improve the grade to graduate. Both grades will count toward your GPA on your transcript, and the higher grade will be placed in the Plan of Study.

B.  Professional Standards

The professional standards code govern student behavior in classrooms, research endeavors, academic and professional gatherings and travel, and in their daily conduct outside of the University. In addition to the code outlined below, all students will uphold the WVU Student Conduct and Discipline Policy. This code can be found at: https://studentconduct.wvu.edu/

1.   Academic Integrity

Students will:

  1. not plagiarize the work of others either by directly copying that work or by summarizing the thoughts of others as their own;
  2. not cheat on any examinations, on academic assignments and activities, and will not provide unauthorized help to others during an examination or graded academic assignment;
  3. not alter examination scores, answer sheets, other graded materials, or their academic record;
  4. adhere to the University policies on academic integrity (http://catalog.wvu.edu/graduate/enrollmentandregistration/#academicdishonestytext)

2.   Scientific Integrity

Students will:

  1. have actually carried out experiments as reported; 
  2. represent their best understanding of their work in their descriptions and analyses of it;
  3. accurately describe methods used in experiments;
  4. not report the work of others as if it were their own;
  5. adequately summarize previous relevant work in their publications;
  6. treat submitted manuscripts and grant applications confidentially and avoid inappropriate use when acting as reviewers; and
  7. disclose financial and other interests that might present a conflict-of-interest in their various activities such as reporting research results, serving as reviewers, and mentoring students;
  8. adhere to the University Research Integrity Procedures that can be viewed at: http://oric.research.wvu.edu/

3.   Scientific Citizenship

     Students will:

  1. strive to provide timely, efficient and high-quality work;
  2. function as an effective and respectful team member in the performance of collaborative research;
  3. strive to always acknowledge the contributions of their co-workers;
  4. strive to keep all work areas clean, organized, and conducive to high-quality research;
  5. respect shared work areas and reagents and insure that steps are taken to replenish reagents when they are in low supply;
  6. refrain from activities that might be disruptive to the work of others, including playing music, conversation, telephone calls
  7. be attentive in presentations by their colleagues and provide constructive criticism as appropriate;
  8. seek and accept criticism without reprisal or defensiveness;
  9. strive to address and remedy situations as they arise and to follow through on all promises and commitments to co-workers;
  10. wear appropriate clothing in the laboratory and other research settings that is consistent with federal, state, and University regulations;
  11. speak-up and report any practice, condition, or situation, that may cause harm or that is against federal, state, and University regulations;
  12. behave in a professional manner, uphold the rules of the laboratory with respect to the sharing of data, report expenses in a truthful manner, and refrain from frivolous use of travel funds for meals or modes of transportation that are unnecessary when traveling as a representative of the University and laboratory.

4.   Professional interactions

Students will:

  1. strive to increase their knowledge and expertise in order to maintain qualifications consistent with the highest standards available in their discipline;
  2. accept and adapt to the continual change inherent in the creation and delivery of knowledge;
  3. be appropriate in dress, language and demeanor at all times and avoid language and dress that is offensive to others;
  4. respect and protect all students’, staff, faculty, study participants’, and patient’s rights to privacy and confidentiality;
  5. minimize personal text messaging, e-mailing, telephone calls, and social media while at work;
  6. respond to all communications in a timely manner;
  7. listen carefully and to be thoughtful and respectful in all forms of communication and during the attendance of seminars;
  8. provide training and experience to advance the scientific skills and knowledge of ethical research practices for any trainee under their supervision;
  9. treat all individuals in a caring, respectful, professional, and empathetic manner.

5.   PSP Department Standards, Citizenship/Requirements

Apart from the above general standards, the PSP faculty want you to give special attention to becoming a good citizen in the department. The following are their expectations of you during your stay.

Students will:

  1. Actively participate in seminars,
  2. Actively participate in ISPOR chapter activities
  3. Attend and participate in social events to the extent your other obligations allow.
  4. Take the initiative to build professional relationships. Don’t wait for faculty members to come to find you.
  5. Act as a “junior colleague” – ask questions, advance ideas, show interest and support for shared goals.
  6. Not isolate yourself - Seek input and collaboration from your peers.
  7. Transition from being told what to do TO deciding what to do by yourself.
  8. Meet with your faculty advisor every week.
  9. Speak in English in all work situations and your offices to be respectful of others who do not understand your native language.
  10. Be prepared and ready to learn – (Complete assignments on time, provide sufficient time for review of your written work, submission to journals, abstract submission). Abstracts must be reviewed by a collaborating faculty member at least a week prior to submission to the conference.
  11. Maintain a clean and organized work environment at your desk and in your office space. Be responsible to other users’ needs and sensibilities when using the microwave or the refrigerator.
  12. Conduct research responsibly; exercise ethical behavior; acknowledge contributions of others; maintain a detailed, organized, and accurate record of all your research work.
  13. Self-reflect about what you expect of yourself, your mentors, and your graduate program. Have a personal and professional growth agenda.