The Special Committee

General degree requirements of the Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences are minimal in order to give maximum flexibility in choosing a desirable program of study. The student's program of study is determined with the aid and direction of a Special Committee, consisting of at least three faculty members chosen by the student who best fit his or her area of research interest. At least one member of the committee must represent a program different from the candidate's major program. Satisfactory progress toward a degree is judged solely by the committee rather than by arbitrary standards imposed by the Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences. There are no regulations from the Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences governing the specific content of instruction, courses, or grades to which the Special Committee must subscribe, except those imposed by the programs. The committee is primarily responsible for the candidate's development as an independent scholar and scientist.

The major sponsor (thesis advisor) usually advises the student concerning the selection of other committee members. Members may agree to serve until the candidate has had the opportunity to become acquainted with areas of research in the programs of his or her choice. On selection of a thesis project, a permanent Special Committee is formed, the membership of which can be changed during the thesis project with approval of the Program Chairperson or Director. Members of the Special Committee decide on the student's program of study and research. They judge whether progress toward a degree is satisfactory and prepare term reports on the candidate for submission to the Dean. The members of the committee serve on all of the candidate's examining committees and they approve his or her thesis. The formation of a permanent Special Committee requires the submission by the student of a Nomination of Special Committee form to the Graduate School Office. The Nomination of Special Committee form must be on file to schedule the Admission-to-Doctoral Candidacy Examination.

Registration and Course Grades

At the beginning of each term, students are required to register with the Office of the Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences. A fee of $10 is charged for late registration. All courses for which the student registers for credit will be entered in the official transcript record. Grades of graduate students are reported as: Honors (A equivalent), High Pass (B equivalent), Low Pass (C equivalent), Fail (F equivalent), Incomplete (I), Absent (Abs), Unofficially Withdrawn (W) or Audit (Aud). Registration for the summer term is required of graduate students who will be engaged in research.

Residence

The Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences regards study in residence as essential. Each candidate for an advanced general degree is expected to complete the residence requirements with reasonable continuity. A student must register each term from the time of initial registration in the Graduate School until the student either withdraws or completes a degree (unless a leave of absence has been granted). Full-time study for one-half academic year with satisfactory accomplishment constitutes one residence unit. Two units of residence are the minimal requirement for the masters degree and six units are the minimum for the doctoral degree. However, the time necessary to obtain the degree generally exceeds the minimal requirements. Currently, the average time to achieve the Ph.D. degree is 5-6 years. A candidate for the Ph.D. degree must spend two of the last four units of required residence in successive terms on the New York City or the Ithaca campus of Cornell University. No more than seven years may intervene between the time of first registration and the completion of all requirements for the doctoral degree. A student must complete all requirements for the master's degree within four years.

Study In Absentia

A candidate for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy may petition for permission to earn residence units for study away from Cornell University while regularly registered in the Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences. A candidate to whom this privilege has been granted must register as a Candidate In Absentia and may work temporarily under the immediate supervision of an individual designated by the Special Committee. An In Absentia student's thesis research will continue to be directed by the Special Committee.

Leave of Absence

A candidate who finds it necessary to interrupt the continuity of his or her residence must petition the Assoicate Dean for an official leave of absence. This written petition must specify the term of absence, state the reason for the requested leave of absence, and be approved by the student's major sponsor.

Candidacy for Degree Only

A graduate student who has fulfilled all degree requirements, with the exception of the final thesis submission, and is no longer a full-time student, is granted Candidate for Degree Only status, which remains in effect until graduation. Degree conferral takes place three times per year, January, May and August, with the May commencement held jointly with M.D. degree graduates of Weill Cornell Medical College.

Examinations

Three examinations are required by the Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences: (1) Examination for Admission to Doctoral Candidacy, (2) Final Examination for the MS degree and (3) Final Examination for the Ph.D. degree. MS and Ph.D. Examinations are administered by an Examining Committee consisting of a chairperson appointed by the Dean, the members of the candidate's Special Committee and one additional member from outside the student's Program of Study that is selected from either the Faculty of the Graduate School of Medical Sciences or from another institution.

The Admission to Doctoral Candidacy Examination is administered independently by each program, with attendant separate requirements. In addition to these examinations, the Program may require a qualifying examination as part of its evaluation of the candidate after two units of residence have been completed.

For the MS Degree

The Final Examination may be oral or both oral and written.

For the Ph.D. Degree

The Admission to Doctoral Candidacy Examination is both oral and written and certifies that the student is eligible to present a thesis to the Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences. The examination should be taken after course work is largely finished but before significant thesis research has begun. Accordingly, the usual examination time will be at the end of the second year of residence. The examination may not be taken until two units of residence credit have been accumulated and a minimum of two units of residence credit is required after passing this examination before the final examination can be scheduled. The final examination for the Ph.D. degree is an oral defense of the candidate's thesis. It must be passed within four years after completion of the required residence units, or within seven years from the date of first registration, whichever is earlier.

Thesis

A principal requirement for both the MS and the Ph.D. degrees is the presentation of a thesis constituting an original contribution to the body of scientific research. Ordinarily, the thesis is written on a research topic in the candidate's major field of study, under the direction of the chairperson of his or her Special Committee. The time between the thesis defense and submission of the thesis in its final form is limited to 60 days. The Ph.D. thesis will be published in abstract and recorded on microfilm.