# Requirements to Graduate All students will need to meet the following degree requirements in order to successfully earn the PhD degree: * Complete a minimum of 72 credits, with an average grade of B or better in all required core courses (i.e., Biostatistics and Core) and a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher. * Submit and successfully defend a Thesis Proposal * Write an original dissertation that is accepted by the student’s Thesis Committee and is defended orally in front of a panel of experts. * Deposit Thesis on Proquest * Submit all required forms including student checkout form **See** [**Standards for Maintaining Satisfactory Progress**](/graduate-student-handbook/chapter-1-1/phd-in-biomedical-sciences-and-neuroscience/program-requirements/standards-for-maintaining-satisfactory-progress.md) --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://ismms-gs.gitbook.io/graduate-student-handbook/chapter-1-1/phd-in-biomedical-sciences-and-neuroscience/program-requirements/requirements-to-graduate.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.