Graduate Field of Molecular and Integrative Physiology at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine

Search Veterinary Medicine Search Cornell

Molecular and Integrative Physiology

Useful Links

Program of Study -
Field of Molecular and Integrative Physiology

Program of Study: General aspects of the program of study are given below. Each section has a link to a series of "tips" written by students in the College of Veterinary Medicine. These articles are all a part of the Physiology Graduate Student Handbook which can also be downloaded in its entirety. A general program timeline is available on the CVM Office of Graduate Education site.

Rotations: First-year students spend the year rotating in the laboratories of faculty in the Program (this includes not only faculty in the Field of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, but any of the Fields in the Biological & Biomedical Sciences Program). The purpose of the rotations is to give the students a range of research experiences and techniques and to help them make an informed decision about their thesis laboratory. Rotations may also help to drive collaboration between faculty (students can include faculty from more than one Field on their Special Committee). Funding during this year comes from the Biological and Biomedical Sciences Program; in subsequent years, funding is provided by the faculty mentor or from outside resources secured by the student.

All three rotations do not have to be set at the beginning of the academic year. Students generally set the first rotation with the help of the Director of Graduate Studies during the Orientation period. Subsequent rotations may be set with the help of the current rotation supervisor.

At the end of each rotation, faculty supervisors should go over the Rotation Evaluation form with the student prior to submitting the form to the Office of Graduate Education. The purpose of this form is to provide the student with constructive feedback which will help them to be successful graduate students and researchers.

Ten Tips for the Rotating Student

Graduate Course Recommendations:

The course program will be formulated by the student and the Special Committee. However, the Field of Molecular and Integrative Physiology recommends that students take the following courses to acquaint themselves with various important aspects of the field.

Students should take a course for depth of understanding of systems or cell physiology. This course should be chosen from a list made available by the Director of Graduate Studies. An example is BIOAP 458 (Mammalian Physiology).
Students should take a course that stresses methods. Familiarity with methods of experimentation and an understanding of techniques available for addressing questions in the physiological sciences are required of our graduates. All students should take a course stressing method. Examples are BioAP 416 (Cell Physiology and Genomics Laboratory), ANSCI 650 (Molecular Techniques for Animal Biologists), BIOG 403 (Transmission Electron Microscopy for Biologists), and VETMM 470 (Biophysical Methods). This recommendation can also be met by an organized rotation through two or more research laboratories where technique is stressed.
Students should gain awareness of the current state of knowledge in diverse areas of physiology by completing at least one (MS students) or two (PhD students) 600-700 level courses(at least one credit hour per course) chosen from those offered by Members of the Field, or others approved by their Special Committee.

Physiolology Graduate Student Seminar

The Graduate Students in the Field of Molecular and Integrative Physiology meet weekly during the academic year. Attendance and participation is required for all majors during all semesters in residence --BIOAP 720 (Animal Physiology and Anatomy Seminar). In these seminars, students present their research project to their peers. Guest speakers are brought in to discuss topics of importance to the graduate students.

Students who wish to may get course credit for the seminar series by registering for BIOAP 720 (Animal Physiology and Anatomy Seminar).

Please note: Grades below B- do not normally constitute satisfactory progress in courses taken by a student enrolled in the Graduate School.

Physiology Requirements: Tips for First-Year Students

Special Committee:

The Student's graduate program is supervised by a Special Committee composed of Graduate Faculty members. The committee system places considerable responsibility on the Student to determine, with the Special Committee, an appropriate program of study to fulfill the degree requirements. Under this system, the Student works with those faculty members who can best direct the course of study, regardless of college or department affiliation. Members of the Special Committee must be chosen by the end of the Student's second semester.

An annual progress form must be submitted by the Field-Appointed member for each Ph.D. Student to the Director of Graduate Studies by May 1 of each year. The report summarizes progress toward completion of the program requirements: course work, research, teaching, examination, and residence. To prepare the report, the Student should hold a meeting with the members of his/her Special Committee. The report can be partially filled out on-line and printed to obtain signatures or may be downloaded as a Microsoft Word document, or obtained from the Field of Molecular and Integrative Physiology Office. Annual progress reports for M.S. Students should be submitted by the Special Committee Chair to the Director of Graduate Studies.

Description of Special Committee Membership

Ph.D. Students

Chair: The Chair holds primary responsibility for:

guiding the Student through his/her research project,
finding financial support for the Student and the project,
determining the coursework that will provide the Student with a background in his/her major subject. The major subject should be one of the concentrations of the Field of Molecular and Integrative Physiology.

Field-Appointed Member: The Director of Graduate Studies appoints one member to the doctoral Student's Special Committee immediately upon the arrival of the Student. The duties of the Field-Appointed Member are:

to represent the interests of the Field on the Special Committee. The Field-appointed Member should ensure that all Field recommendations are followed in the spirit in which they were written. The Member is also responsible for ensuring that an annual progress report is submitted in timely fashion to the Director of Graduate Studies.
to act as an interface between the Student, other members of the Special Committee, and the Field in matters not directly related to the Student's research, but which may impact on the Student's progress and career.

Minor-Subject Members: The Student, in consultation with the Chair, should select committee members to represent two (or more) subjects differing from the major concentration. At least one of these members must represent a graduate field other than Physiology. The other member(s) may represent another field or another concentration within the Field of Molecular and Integrative Physiology.

M.S. Students

Chair: The Chair holds primary responsibility for:

guiding the Student through his/her research project,
finding financial support for the Student and the project determining the coursework that will provide the Student with a background in his/her major subject. The major subject should be one of the concentrations of the Field of Molecular and Integrative Physiology.

Minor-Subject Member: The Student, in consultation with the Chair, should select a committee member to represent another Graduate Field (other than Physiology). Additional committee members may be added at the discretion of the Student and the Committee Chair.

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.

Changes in Special Committee Membership: 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. The Field Appointed Member is not subject to change by the student in a manner comparable to other Committee members. If problems arise with respect to this individual, they should be brought for consideration before the Executive Committee of the Field.

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.

Selecting Minors and Committee Members

Annual Meeting of Special Committee:

It is required that the Special Committee be convened each year to review the student's progress toward the degree. The purpose of the meeting is to assess the student's progress toward the degree and discuss whatever issues may have arisen over the year. An annual progress report should be filled out, signed by the entire committee and filed with the Office of Graduate Education. (MS Word version; pdf version)

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.

Examinations:

All examinations are conducted by the Special Committee. Notification of the time and place of both of these examinations must be provided to the membership of the Field of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, and attendance by any member of the Graduate Faculty is welcomed. The decision of pass or fail rests with the members of the Special Committee.

The student must provide the CVM Office of Graduate Education a copy of his or her examination schedule form at least two weeks in advance of the scheduled exam date.

A-Exam:

Graduate students within the Field of Molecular and Integrative Physiology may take their Admission-to-Candidacy examination (A Exam) after completion of two residence units (two semesters) and essentially all required coursework. The A Exam is administered by the student's Special Committee including the thesis advisor, two minor members and the Field-Appointed member.

The Field of Molecular and Integrative Physiology strongly recommends the following format for the examination:

The exam will be comprised of a written component and an oral component. The written component will consist of a research proposal consistent with guidelines for a federal granting agency (NIH, NSF, USDA, etc.); generally this is limited to 15-25 pages. The scope and structure of the proposal should be developed in consultation with the thesis advisor and Special Committee members.
The proposal can focus on the student's own research goals or on a related topic or on a completely unrelated area. The topic should be chosen in consultation with the thesis advisor and Special Committee members. The proposal should contain:
   i) a description of the background and significance of the proposed studies;
   ii) preliminary studies completed by the student (if applicable);
   iii) carefully articulated specific aims and hypotheses examined within the specific aims;
   iv) a description of the experimental plan;
   v) discussion of expected outcomes, potential pitfalls and alternative strategies and;
   vi) a brief outline of future plans.
The proposal is to be the original work of the student, although some general guidance and editorial consultation may be provided by the thesis advisor. The thesis advisor must approve the distribution of the proposal to the Special Committee members.
Within reason, the student is encouraged to request/obtain feedback on the proposal by his/her close colleagues (labmates, other graduate students, postdoctorals, etc) prior to submitting the proposal to the Special Committee. The proposal should be distributed to the Special Committee at least one week in advance of the A Exam. At the discretion of the Special Committee, the student may be asked to prepare a brief oral presentation describing background information for the proposal as well as an outline listing the specific aims and research plan.
During the student's oral exam, the Special Committee members will use the proposal to ask specific questions that test the student's knowledge of the experimental system described in the proposal. The A Exam will also include some questions related to the course work completed by the student prior to the A Exam (for example, questions examining Major and Minor areas of specialization and broad knowledge of physiology).
The goals of this A Exam format are as follows:
- provide a framework for the A Exam that is equitable for all students within the Field of Molecular and Integrative Physiology
- introduce the student to grant writing skills
- emphasize and encourage comprehensive review of the literature to gain insight into the background and significance of the students research problem
- encourage students to develop and express their thoughts and insights about their research projects independently of the insights provided by the research mentor
Students should consult their thesis advisor regarding a timeline for preparing for the A exam. Commonly, a student will spend four to eight weeks drafting the research proposal, revising the text, and reviewing coursework and current scientific literature. For additional details, contact the Director of Graduate Studies.

B Exam: The Final Examination (B Exam) is oral and deals with the general subject of the dissertation.

Each PhD candidate is required to present a seminar on the thesis research after the experimental work is essentially complete but before the dissertation is in final form. An appropriate time would correspond to the deadline for provision of an outline and draft copy of that document to the members of the Special Committee (i.e. a minimum of six weeks before the date of the final examination).

Masters Students: Candidates for the MS degree must pass a single, comprehensive Final Examination, which may be oral or oral and written. For Students enrolled in the MS/PhD program this examination may be combined with the Admission-to-Candidacy Examination at the discretion of the (expanded) Special Committee and if all prerequisites for the latter have been met.

A-Exam Tips

B-Exam Tips

Seminars:

Each student is expected to participate in the Physiology Student seminars which are traditionally held on Tuesday evenings. These seminars include guest speakers, and presentations on topics of interest to graduate students, as well as Work-In-Progress seminars by graduate students.

Thesis:

Each candidate for a Ph.D. is required to submit a dissertation in a format acceptable to the Graduate School and the Special Committee. An outline and preliminary draft must be distributed to all members of the Special Committee at least six weeks prior to Final Examination, and final copies, complete in all respects and editorially acceptable for final approval, must be distributed at least seven days in advance of the exam. For an MS degree each candidate must submit an acceptable thesis which may comprise a major or minor part of the degree requirement at the discretion of the Special Committee members.