Graduate Education at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine

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Graduate Program for Veterinary Scientists/Scholars - Guidelines

Eligibility

Cornell's Graduate Program for Veterinary Scientists/Scholars is intended for individuals who are U.S. citizens or "permanent U.S. residents."

Admission

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Admission to the program is contingent on the individual's acceptance by the Cornell Graduate School, and by a field of graduate study represented in the College of Veterinary Medicine. Participation in the program does not relieve trainees of their field obligations; however, students can seek exemption from program provisions that are also field requirements.

Qualified individuals are encouraged to apply for admission to the program immediately after their acceptance by the Cornell Graduate School.

An Executive Committee selects students for admission to the program and ensures that its provisions are fulfilled. Selection is based on the Committee's assessment of the individual's potential as a scientist/scholar, his or her professional experience and accomplishments, grade point average, class rank (when known), Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores, and letters of recommendation.

Program Features

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The Program for Veterinary Scientists/Scholars combines faculty mentoring with formal instruction and a variety of professional enrichment activities. The latter have been selected for their value in developing the trainee's critical capacity and scholarly skills. Special features of the program include its focus on the delivery of training at a high level; the development of critical thinking and communications skills, and provisions that enable participating students to maintain their professional skills while simultaneously gaining experience in basic research. Trainees move progressively toward independence. A timeline schematic for the program is shown in Figure 1.

Formal Instruction

Required Courses:Contemporary training in biomedical research requires a thorough knowledge of biochemistry, cell and molecular biology. That need is addressed by requiring students to complete three major courses that have been selected for their content and excellence of presentation. The recommended courses are:

Experimental Cell Biology - BIOBM 630
Experimental Molecular Biology - BIOBM 638
The Nucleus - BIOBM 639
Biosynthesis of Macromolecules - BIOBM 633
Protein Structure and Function - BIOBM 631
Kinetics and Regulation of Enzyme Systems - CHEM 672
Mammalian Physiology - BIOAP 458
Bacterial Genetics - BIOMI 485
Molecular Aspects of Development - BIOGD 483
Cancer Cell Biology - VETPA 750
Current Topics in Cell Biology - BIOBM 636
Eukaryotic Cell Proliferation - BIOBM 437
Molecular Techniques for Animal Biologists - ANSCI 650

Students are required to register for "letter grade" assessment of required courses.

Optional Courses: More than 1,300 courses are offered by the Cornell Graduate School. Some are required by individual fields, while others afford opportunities for special training in areas related to the trainee's research project, interests, and career goals. Optional courses are selected by the trainee in consultation with the scholar's Individual Training Committee; Executive Committee approval is not required. While students are encouraged to take optional courses for letter grade, they can, with the approval of their mentor, request for "pass/fail" assessment.

Biostatistics and Experimental Design: Knowledge of statistics and experimental design are required to properly design experiments that yield mathematically significant data and answer biologically relevant questions in an objective and definitive manner. This need is recognized by requiring participants to complete a graduate level course in biostatistics and experimental design before the second anniversary after their enrollment in the program. Clinical Biostatistics (VETCS 707) was developed expressly for this purpose. It is highly recommended to those who have not already fulfilled the biostatistics requirement. VETCS 707 emphasizes design principles, practical application of statistical methods and the use of relevant data sets, personal computers and existing software. It also includes instruction in design strategies and analytical techniques that are especially relevant to research conducted in a clinical setting. Participation is limited to 20 students.

Methods Minicourse: A methods minicourse is an obligatory feature of the program. It is offered in alternate years by the participating faculty. The course is limited to program participants and is offered without credit. Its purpose is to acquaint trainees with a wider range of experimental methods than they might otherwise learn. Students are rquired to complete the course before the second anniversary after their enrollment in the program.

Biomedical Ethics: Instruction in the proper conduct of research is a mandated feature of the program. Several ethics courses and seminar series are offered through the Cornell Graduate School. Program participants must complete an ethics course or provide evidence of faithful participation in a relevant seminar series before the end of their second year after enrollment in the program.

Seminars in Comparative Medicine

A seminar series has been developed expressly for the program. Special emphasis will be given to the use of animal models for the study of animal and human diseases, and the analysis of disease processes at the cellular and molecular levels. Program participants are expected to take part in the seminars and in special meetings with the scheduled speakers.

Professional Enrichment

Group meetings involving trainees and faculty are important additional elements of the program. The various fields of graduate study at Cornell sponsor journal clubs, conferences, seminars and special lectures. All afford opportunities for trainees to develop their creativity and broaden their knowledge, critical capacity, and communication skills. Participation in these events is arranged by the trainee in consultation with his or her Special Committee Chair.

Research Proposals

The research proposal is an effective and practical training instrument. The preparation of such proposals affords an opportunity for students to focus their thinking; to critically evaluate existing knowledge of their discipline; to develop hypotheses, and to design experiments to test those hypotheses in a logical and connected way. The skills needed to construct research proposals that are strong, well organized, and lucid are best acquired with guidance by a successful mentor. The process requires time and patience, but the benefits justify the investment. A properly crafted proposal becomes a model for future proposals in which the trainee further hones his or her scholarly skills while assuming a progressively greater degree of independence.

Program scholars must develop a research fellowship proposal for submission to an external sponsor before the first anniversary after their enrollment in the program. Still later in their training, they are encouraged to compete for more advanced training awards such as the NIH SERCA or a Mentored Research Scientist Award.

Professional Activities

Trainees have the opportunity to maintain their professional skills by devoting up to 10% of their effort to clinical duties, pathology service activities, clinical conferences and teaching in areas that conform with the individual's specialty interest and career goals. Assistance in arranging this aspect of the training experience is provided by the Executive Committee, the Director of the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, or the Chair of the scholar's relevant academic department.

Program Structure

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The Graduate Program for Veterinary Scientists/Scholars is a cooperative learning experience: it involves the trainee, his or her mentor, the trainee's Special Graduate Committee, and the Executive Committee. Entry level students rotate through the laboratories of several eligible faculty members before selecting the individual who will serve as their Special Committee Chair. Rotations are arranged through consultation with the Program Director and the Graduate Faculty Representative of the trainee's field of study.

Mentor Eligibility: Fifteen members of the College of Veterinary Medicine faculty who were parties to the NIH proposal that defined the program are eligible to serve as student mentors. All were recipients of individual NIH research grants when the proposal was submitted. Their eligibility to accept newly enrolled trainees is predicated on their maintaining that support. Their research interests span several disciplines and a variety of research topics. They include molecular biology, cell biology, reproductive biology, oncology, immunology virology, and parasitology.

Student Obligations:

At least one year of academic experience in a clinical discipline, pathology or laboratory animal medicine.
Satisfactory completion of three required courses in biochemistry, cell and molecular biology. (Must be completed by the second anniversary of enrollment in the program.)
Satisfactory completion of a graduate level course in biostatistics and experimental design. (Must be completed by the second anniversary of enrollment in the program.)
Satisfactory completion of program-linked methods minicourse. (Must be completed by the second anniversary of enrollment in the program.)
Completion of a minicourse in biomedical ethics. (Must be completed by the second anniversary of enrollment in the program.)
Submission of an individual research training grant application to an external sponsor. (Must be completed before the first anniversary of enrollment in the program.)
Presentation of a program seminar before the end of the second year and each year thereafter.
Participation in a seminar series in "Comparative Medicine" that has been organized specifically for the program.
Participation in other professional enrichment activities arranged by the student in consultation with the student's mentor. These activities include journal clubs, seminars, conferences, and laboratory meetings.

Mentor Obligations:

Commitment to promote the professional growth of trainees by providing research guidance, guidance in the development of research proposals, and honing of the student's critical capacity and communication skills.
Commitment to advise students in regard to the appointment of Special Committee faculty members who are themselves nationally competitive research scientists.
Commitment to cooperate with the Executive Committee in monitoring student progress and compliance with the program's provisions.
Assurance that tuition, fees and a stipend commensurate with the student's professional qualifications and experience will be provided for a period sufficient to ensure completion of the student's graduate studies as defined by guidelines governing graduate education in the College of Veterinary Medicine.

Executive Committee Obligations:

Selects trainees for admission to the program.
Cooperates with the student, the trainee's mentor, and his or her Special Committee to ensure effective mentoring and fulfillment of the program's provisions.
Meets annually with the student and with the student's mentor to monitor the student's progress and to provide assistance when needed.

Financial Support

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Trainees receive full tuition ($20,800 for 2006-07), health insurance ($1,428 for 2006-07) and an annual stipend of $36,996 to $51,036 (for 2006-07) depending on years of relevant experience, a travel allowance, and a training related allowance.

To Apply

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Application kits may be obtained by writing or telephoning:

Ms. Casey Isham
Graduate Education Coordinator
Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine
Office of Graduate Education, Schurman Hall S3-016
Box 38
Ithaca, NY 14853-2602
Telephone: (607) 253-3276
Fax: (607) 253-3756
E-mail: graduate_edcvm@cornell.edu