Graduate Field of Zoology at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine

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Program of Study - Field of Zoology

Program of Study: General aspects of the program of study is given below. A general program timeline is available on the CVM Office of Graduate Education site.

Special Committee: Graduate Education at Cornell is highly individualized according the research interests of each student. The basis of the program of a graduate student is the Special Committee. This Committee is formed by the student with the assistance of a faculty mentor (the Chair of the Committee or the Director of Graduate Studies for the Field). The student, with guidance from this Committee, designs the academic program for the student. The members of the Special Committee direct the student's program and decide whether satisfactory progress toward the degree is being made. They conduct and report on oral examinations and approve or reject the thesis. This Committee is made up of the following:

Special Committee Chairperson: this person represents the chosen research concentration of the student, directs the student's thesis research and also provides the student with funding or helps them to secure outside funding.
Minor Members: A PhD student is required to have two minor members of their Committee. These faculty may represent other research concentrations within the Field of Zoology or any of the other Graduate Fields within the University, depending upon the research interest of the student.

The student must file a Special Committee Selection form between the end of the second semester and end of the third semester of study. A copy of this form must be filed with the CVM Office of Graduate Education; the original must be taken to the Graduate School in Caldwell Hall.

Students may change the members of their Special Committee if the circumstances warrant. A change of Committee must be reported on the Change of Special Committee form. A change in the Special Committee after the Admission to Candidacy Examination requires the approval of the General Committee of the Graduate School.

Courses:

Prerequisite Courses: All students in the Field of Zoology should have extensive undergraduate training in the biological sciences, as well as preparation in physics, calculus, and chemistry. Students should discuss their background and course preparation with individual faculty prior to admission. It is recommended that students have some experience with at least one foreign language, or computation language as well.
Graduate Courses: There are no courses or credit hour requirements imposed by the Graduate School. Necessary coursework for major and minor subjects is chosen by the student and the student's Special Committee. The courses should be chosen with the goal of enhancing the student's ability to successfully complete his/her chosen research project. Grades below B- do not normally constitute satisfactory progress in courses taken by a student enrolled in the Graduate School.
Seminars: All students are expected to participate in one of several departmental based seminar series that are affiliated with their primary interest.

Residence Requirements and Time to Degree: The Graduate School requires a minimum of six Residence Units for a Ph.D. degree. One Residence Unit (RU) is defined as one semester of full-time study at an acceptable level at Cornell. A student for a Ph.D. program may earn no more than two Residence Units, for all work done in summer sessions, summer research, and the Division of Extramural Courses. A student must complete all the requirements for the Ph.D. degree in seven years from the date of first registration in the Graduate School, or petition the Graduate School for an extension.

In Absentia: A candidate for the degree of Ph.D. may, on prior petition, be permitted to earn residence units for study away from the University while regularly registered in the Graduate School, provided such an arrangement offers superior advantages for prosecution of the candidate's program. A candidate who has filed the In Absentia form and to whom this privilege has been granted shall continue to work under the general direction of his/her Special Committee. Whenever possible, the work should be under the immediate supervision of a competent director designated by the Committee and acting for it. The following limitations apply:

The candidate shall receive no compensation during the period of study in absentia except in the form of a fellowship, or in the form of an assistantship or its equivalent from Cornell University.
(S)He shall have spent at least two terms of residence in study toward the degree of Ph.D. while registered in the Cornell Graduate School.
Not more than two residence units may be earned toward fulfillment of minimum residence requirements for the degree of Ph.D. for work in absentia.

Exams: Two examinations are required for the doctoral degree. The comprehensive Admission to Candidacy Examination (commonly referred to as the A-exam), and the Final Examination (which is known as the B-exam). A candidate for either examination in the Field of Zoology is required to submit to the DGS and CVM Office of Graduate Education a written notice of his or her examination schedule at least two weeks in advance of the scheduled exam date.

A-Exam: The Admission to Candidacy Examination is required for formal admission to doctoral candidacy and may be taken after the student has earned at least two Residence Units. This examination must be passed before six Residence Units have been accrued, and at least two Units must be earned after completion of the examination. The 'A' exam tests the student's knowledge and understanding in his major and minor subjects (areas of concentration) and ideally should be taken soon after the students' course work has been completed. The format of this exam may be written or oral, or both; this decision is made by the Special Committee of the student.

B-Exam: The B-exam is based on the content of the Ph.D. thesis. In addition, each Ph.D. degree candidate is required to present, prior to the final oral examination, a one-hour seminar on the results of his or her thesis research. Faculty, staff and students will be notified of this seminar one-week in advance.

Thesis: A thesis in a format acceptable to the Graduate School is required for a Ph.D. degree. A relatively polished draft of the thesis including all tables, figures, appendices and references must be presented to all members of the Special Committee at least one week before the Final Examination.