In order to show that they have learned sufficient material from their classes, students must take and pass the Graduate Board Oral exam. To see previous GBO Committees compiled by students, look at the list below. If you would like to submit information on your own GBO committee, please fill out the form on the Submit Committee Information page, under the Submit Information section. Thanks!! :)

Facts about the GBO

• Requirements, as determined by the Hopkins GBO Committee:
  • At least THREE WEEKS BEFORE your GBO exam date, you need to turn in the BME GBO form to Hong Lan. She'll turn it into the Hopkins GBO Committee, and hopefully they'll approve your committee. If they don't approve it, then you need to revise your committee members according to their requirements.
  • Upon completion of a majority of student's course work, he/she must pass a Graduate Board Oral (GBO) examination. 
  • The examination committee will consist of five faculty of the Johns Hopkins University. Currently, at least one and no more than two members of the examining committee may be from the BME Department and/or Committee, or be Whitaker Biomedical Engineering Institute faculty. Students may discuss the composition of their examination committees with their advisory committees. The composition of this committee must be approved by the BME Graduate Program Director and the Graduate Board. 
  • The Graduate Board requires two weeks notification before scheduling any GBO examination, and special permission is required for examination scheduled outside of the normal fall, winter, and spring examination periods. 
  • The GBO examination must be completed within 6 months of the end of classes for the Spring semester of the second year (for Ph.D. candidates) or third year (for MD-Ph.D. candidates).
  • PhD Curricula: GBO Requirements
• Summary of Requirements:
  • Committee Members: one or two professors from within the Biomedical Engineering Department and at least three from outside the BME Dept
  • Committee Chairman: will be the highest-ranking (Associate Professor or Professor) outside faculty member on the committee that is not your research advisor
  • Content: must include some engineering, some math, and some biology
  • Paperwork: at least THREE WEEKS BEFORE the GBO, you need to download the GBO form and turn it into Hong Lan, our course administrator. 
• Link to Previous GBO Committees:
  • See below for a list of students' GBO committees.
  • The First Edition of the GBO List (compiled by Jacob Vogelstein and dating back to a loooong time ago)

How to Prepare for the GBO

Helpful Tips:

• Email your preferred professors at least four months in advance to take care of any scheduling issues.
• Go to these professors and ask them, "What topics should I focus on?" Some will explicitly tell you, "Your research covers this, so focus on [this particular area]." Some will give you a paper or a book chapter to read. Some will be "mysterious" -- but it's worth a try, anyway. 
• Take at least a month off from lab and study.
• Schedule a "Mock GBO" a week or more before your "real" GBO. Look through the lists for students who've had the same professors on their committees. Ask them to act like the professors and drill you with questions. (This REALLY helps.)
• Arrange for coffee and/or refreshments for your committee members. That way, no one will be grouchy or hungry while testing you. If you're doing your GBO in Talbot Library on the JHMI campus, you can schedule a catering-ish event w/ the Daily Grind (located in Broadway Research Building).

List of Previous GBO Committees

The following list shows previous committees from students who have passed their GBOs. If you are preparing for your GBO and have a similar professor on your committee, or if you're covering a similar research area, you can look up these students' contact info on JHED and ask them to be on your "Mock GBO."   Also, the following page is dated but might be helpful for some:  http://etienne.ece.jhu.edu/jvogelst///gbo_list.htm