The Graduate Field of Zoology & Wildlife Conservation (ZWC) is the descendent of one of the earliest areas of advanced study established at Cornell. The research focus of faculty in the Field is on vertebrate and invertebrate studies at the organismic level, emphasizing comparative, functional and developmental morphology. Many of our faculty and students have taxon-oriented, physiological, or ecological approaches to the study of life.
Opportunity for Collaboration with Conservation Biology Institute of the Smithsonian Institute (SCBI). Faculty in the Field of Zoology & Wildlife Conservation have multiple collaborations with scientists at the Conservation Biology Institute of the Smithsonian Institute (SCBI) of the National Zoological Park. Please see the Program Overview for more information.
Press Release - October 27, 2011
New Cornell Smithsonian Joint Graduate Program Trains Future Wildlife Conservation Scientists
Since the Field of Zoology & Wildlife Conservation is a member of the Biological & Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program (BBS), applicants should follow the BBS application guidelines. ZWC requires two (2) letters of recommendation for an applicant to the Field.
The Field of ZWC is one of the Fields that make up the Biological & Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program (BBS); therefore, program requirements of the BBS should be followed by all graduate students in the Field (with the exception of those admitted through the Employee Degree Program). You should consult the BBS Program guidelines and the Graduate School Guide to Graduate Study to ensure that you are compliant with all requirements. Consult the Office of Graduate Education with any questions you might have.
Elements of your PhD program which are specific to the Field of ZWC are detailed below.
Concentrations: Faculty in ZWC may represent the following concentration(s) on a Special Committee: animal cytology; comparative and functional anatomy; developmental biology; ecology; histology; wildlife conservation.
Special Committee: As a member of the BBS Program, the Field of ZWC requires three laboratory rotations during the first academic year. During this time, the Director of Graduate Studies serves as temporary Chair of your committee. By the end of the rotation period, you should have a Special Committee Chair. By the end of your third semester of registration, you should have a full Special Committee and the Special Committee Selection & Change Form should be filed with the CVM Office of Graduate Education and the Graduate School. The Field of ZWC requires that you have four faculty on your Special Committee.
Annual progress reports are required of all ZWC students. You should meet with your entire Special Committee at the end of the Spring semester to review progress over the academic year and to set goals for the coming year. A written report of the meeting, signed by the entire committee, must be filed in the CVM Office of Graduate Education before the beginning of the following Fall semester.
Courses: During your first year, your coursework is chosen in consultation with the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS), who serves as your Special Committee Chair until a permanent committee chair is selected at the end of your rotations.
In subsequent years , the courses that you take are chosen by you in consultation with the members of your Special Committee. Once your Special Committee is selected, you should meet with the entire Committee to formulate a program plan, in which coursework is included. Each faculty person will determine the courses that you should take to meet major and minor requirements. Coursework should be designed to meet the needs of your research program and to assure a broad range of knowledge in the Field that is expected of a PhD candidate.
Teaching Experience: A one-semester teaching experience is required of all ZWC students.
A-Exam: The format of your A-exam is determined by your Special Committee; it may be written or oral or a combination of both. You should consult with your Special Committee to determine the format and content of the exam well in advance of the proposed exam date. A Schedule of Exam Form must be filed with the CVM Office of Graduate Education fourteen (14) days prior to the exam. The Results of Exam Form must be filed within three (3) days of the exam date.
B-Exam/Dissertation: The B-exam is based on the contents of your dissertation and is an oral exam for defense of your dissertation. A preliminary draft must be distributed to all members of your Special Committee at least six (6) weeks prior to the B-Exam and final copies, complete in all respects and editorially acceptable for final approval, must be distributed at least seven (7) days in advance.
You are required to present a one-hour seminar on the results of your thesis research prior to the exam; this seminar is open to the College and University communities.
Your dissertation must follow the Graduate School guidelines.
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Last Update 11/22/2011
