The Department considers students admitted to the doctoral program with a B.S., B.A. or M.S. degree to be doctoral students. However, the Graduate School considers as doctoral students only those in the Ph.D. program that already have a M.S. degree or those who have completed 24 credits of graduate work. The Doctoral degree is a RESEARCH degree. The most important requirement is that a student must make an original, publishable contribution to their field of study. Ph.D. students are required to have submitted or published at least one primary authored manuscript in a peer-reviewed journal prior to graduation. PhD students are also required to present a Colloquium in the Department of Biological Sciences prior to graduation. A doctoral candidate must complete the University residence, formal course, and language/data analysis proficiency requirements and pass the entire Ph.D. Preliminary Examination. (INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS ONLY) Submit your TOEFL/iBT or your IELTS scores unless you have completed a baccalaureate degree from an institution where English is the sole language of instruction. The degree must have been earned within 2 years of your expected enrollment and you must have attended that institution for a minimum of 2 years. UWM requires a minimum TOEFL score of 550 on the paper-based test, 79 on the TOEFL internet-based test, or 6.5 on the IELTS. The Department of Biological Sciences also requires a minimum score of 23 on the Speaking portion of the TOEFL test for thesis programs, and a minimum sub-score of 18 in each skill for the Master's Non-Thesis program. The UWM Center for International Education has more information about international language testing and any possible fees for foreign degree evaluation.