BMCB Current Student & Faculty Resources

All students must register at the beginning of each term, including summer. The only exception would be if a student is granted a leave of absence. You will not be automatically enrolled by the Graduate School for the academic year or for the summer.

Registration can be completed through Student Center.

Students that have completed their B-exam will have fulfilled their degree requirements, and they will not (and cannot) register as a student in the semester following their B-exam. 

Semester course enrollment can be completed any time during the first three weeks of classes, but should be done as soon as possible. Please refer to the curriculum section for course requirements for major concentrations within BMCB and GGD. You should talk with your Special Committee to discuss any coursework associated with your selected minor.

You must register for the summer session before the end of May. To register, enroll in the Graduate School’s Graduate Summer Research course, GRAD 9016 through Student Center. 

If you wish to receive stipend payments and have access to university facilities you need to enroll for the summer session. If you do not enroll for the summer semester, you will not receive a stipend and you will not have access to university facilities such as libraries, computer centers, and the Cornell Health Center. 

If you enroll after the May deadline, FICA taxes will be withdrawn from your paycheck.

Please note that there is no tuition associated with summer enrollment of BMCB or GGD students. Your funding package covers academic year tuition. Your funding package covers any course in the course catalog during the academic year, not summer. If a student wishes to enroll in a summer course, either they or their advisor would need to cover the tuition cost. 

before you register each term, your bursar’s bill should acknowledge the receipt of your financial assistance. If not, check with the GFAs to rectify the situation.

Academic Standards

In the first year, students are expected to complete the required courses as detailed in their Benchmark document and three successful rotations. A mark of “unsatisfactory” in the rotation evaluation will be considered an unsuccessful rotation, and a student with an unsuccessful rotation will risk being asked to leave the program. 

Students are expected to select a thesis advisor and join a research group after the third rotation period ends. Students that have not selected an advisor after the end of the third rotation and want to initiate a fourth rotation should consult with the DGS. Failure to select a thesis advisor (Special Committee Chair) by the end of the Spring semester of the first year (May 17, 2025 for the 2024–25 academic year) will lead to the student being withdrawn from the Field and the Cornell Graduate School. This will preclude further registration in the Graduate School. For students that select an advisor for the fourth rotation period, students should plan to formalize the advisor selection in their Student Center and notify the GFAs no later than 10 days before the end of the semester (May 7, 2025) in order to enable uninterrupted funding for the Summer period.

For all required courses with a letter grade, students are expected to receive a B- or higher in order to remain in good standing in the program. If a student receives a C+ or lower grade in any BMCB or GGD core course or elective, no credit will be given for that course towards the major or minor requirements. Similarly, a mark of Unsatisfactory (U) in an S/U graded course will result in no credit for that course towards the major or minor requirements. The course must be retaken if it is a required course. In rare situations of unsatisfactory progress, an equivalent course or experience may be recommended to fulfil a core requirement in consultation with the DGS, your Committee Chair, and your Special Committee. If a student receives a grade below B- and/or U in two or more classes, they may be asked to leave the program. 

Attendance and participation in the student seminar series is required for students in years 1-5. Students are expected to receive a passing grade (S) over these 10 semesters**. An exemption will be provided if the student seminar series is in conflict with a student’s teaching experience requirement. An exemption may be arranged also if the student seminar series is in conflict with a course considered important for their academic preparation by their advisor and Special Committee. If a student receives a U for the student seminar course, they will be expected to complete an additional semester of the seminar course in order to successfully fulfil the BMCB or GGD requirements for a major concentration within these fields.

** For students in the Class of 2022 or earlier, the expectation of attendance (registration) for the student seminars may have been less than 10 semesters. Please refer to your original benchmarks for details. 

Academic Progress

To earn a PhD, students must complete a minimum of six academic semesters, with at least two semesters occurring after the A exam. Summer semesters do not count toward the six academic semesters required for the PhD. Students are expected to maintain good academic standing and make consistent progress toward fulfilling Graduate School milestones in order to continue receiving funding.

Unsatisfactory progress may include factors such course grades, unsatisfactory performance as a teaching assistant, and/or unsatisfactory performance in the lab. If you are facing academic challenges or experiencing issues that may impact your academic performance, you should communicate these challenges to appropriate individuals on campus in order to receive support and guidance. It is crucial to communicate challenges you are having with your faculty mentor, the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS), and/or the Office of Graduate Education as soon as possible. These individuals are there to provide support and guidance.

To earn a Ph.D. degree from the BMCB or GGD Field, students are expected to complete rigorous academic and research training with absolute integrity. A student must fulfill the following requirements:

• Successfully complete the required coursework associated with their selected major and minor.
• Pass the Admission to Candidacy examination (A exam).
• Complete a one-semester teaching experience.
• Conduct original research and generate new knowledge in the areas of BMCB and GGD.
• Make research progress that results in primary authorship on at least one peer-reviewed journal article.**
• Pass the final thesis defense ("B-exam").

**At least one first-author manuscript submission (for journal review or to a pre-print server) prior to the B-exam is expected. If circumstances exist that necessitate a delay in submission of a manuscript until after the B-exam, this should be discussed with the Special Committee and DGS prior to the B-exam scheduling. 

Details pertaining to these requirements, including important deadlines, can be found in the corresponding sections of this handbook.

All members of the Special Committee and Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) must agree to the awarding of the Ph.D. degree. The Special Committee and DGS are required to sign the forms associated with progression through the various milestones throughout your degree progress. 

The thesis advisor and Special Committee may have additional academic and research requirements for graduation beyond the minimal expectations of the field outlined above. Expectations should be discussed at the annual committee meetings and confirmed prior to scheduling the B-exam. If you have questions about the degree requirements, you are encouraged to discuss them with your Special Committee and DGS. 

The Fields of BMCB and GGD do not offer a formal master’s degree program. 

Consistent with the absence of a formal master’s degree program, the advisor / student should check the ”no” box on the A-exam results form in response to the question “Committee recommends a MA/MS to be awarded without thesis (non-thesis Master’s) to the continuing PhD student”. 

Yet, under certain circumstances, graduate students that enter the BMCB-GGD program may wish to change their degree program to the Masters of Science (MS). For example, the individual goals of the student may evolve to a point where pursuit of the PhD is no longer an aspiration. Alternatively, the student’s Special Committee may recommend an MS as a degree that is more in keeping with what they recognize as the student’s strengths and /or career objectives. 

A change in program to the MS should be discussed by the student with  their Special Committee and the DGS. After these discussions, the student can work with the DGS and GFAs to make a formal request to the Graduate School via the Change of Program form. The Graduate School will pass this form on to the Field for approval and, if the request is approved, a new admission letter will be sent to the student.

The requirements for a MS are at the discretion of the Special Committee. Generally, the requirements for the MS degree include completion of the core curriculum and focus topics courses (normally completed in the first two years), three rotations, one semester of teaching experience, and a research-based thesis (including a thesis defense; M-exam). At a minimum, the Special Committee of a Master’s degree candidate is composed of a chairperson and a faculty member representing a minor subject, and these members will be present at a M-exam. The student may invite a third faculty member to be on the committee and attend the M-exam, if they choose.

When you submit your Special Committee request, you will be asked to identify the “major” and “minor” that each member of your committee represents. The Graduate School Catalog provides a list of subject concentrations for all graduate fields at Cornell that can be used to help as you make your major and minor selections.

Selection of a Major Concentration Area: After the rotation period, you will select both your Special Committee Chair and your major subject concentration within Student Center. When you applied to the BMCB or GGD Field, you selected a degree program. The major area of concentration must be aligned with your degree program. Your Chair must be faculty in the Field of BMCB or GGD.

If you applied to the BMCB Field, you selected either the Biochemistry (PhD) or Molecular Cell Biology (PhD) program. If you applied to the GGD Field, you selected the Genetics (PhD) program. In Student Center, you have the following options for your major concentrations for each of these programs:

Note that if you and your selected Chair decide that your original degree program and the connected major concentration(s) do not align with your program goals, you can decide to change original degree program selection within the BMCB-GGD umbrella. A change in degree selection within BMCB (Biochemistry PhD <-> Molecular Cell Biology PhD) or transfer between the two fields (BMCB <-> GGD) can be initiated at the time of committee chair selection. If you wish to change degree program and/or field, you will need to contact your DGS and work with the GFAs to initiate this process through the Graduate School. Once the change has been approved, you will then complete the chair and major selection in Student Center.

Selection of a Minor Concentration Area: Students in the BMCB and GGD programs are required to designate one minor. Students can select a second minor, but it is not required. 

You will select a faculty member on your Special Committee to represent your chosen minor. The faculty available to represent specific minors can be found using the Graduate School Catalog (by following the links associated with the Fields of Study). It is up to the faculty member who represents the minor to decide, in consultation with the student, how many courses and which courses are to be taken to fulfil the minor. You should discuss with potential committee members which courses they would want you to take, given your background and interests. 

Many BMCB and GGD students select a minor within the BMCB or GGD Field of Study (see above options). For example, a BMCB student may select “biochemistry” as the “major” and select "molecular biology" as the minor, or “cell biology” as the “major” and “molecular biology” as the minor. Alternatively, a GGD student may select “genetics” as the major and “genomics” as the minor.

Students can also pick a minor that is not represented within the BMCB or GGD associated degree programs, depending on the student’s interest and/or the relevance to their research. Minors associated with other programs (e.g., Graduate Minor in Stem Cell Biology) may outline coursework associated with that minor concentration, and the suggested coursework should be discussed with your Special Committee Minor Member. Many fields have guidelines, rather than strict requirements, for the number of courses needed to satisfy a minor. It is not unusual for students minoring outside of BMCB or GGD to take an additional two courses to fulfil the minor requirement.

Students should aim to complete any coursework associated with their minor by the end of the second year, prior to the A-exam. 

Minor requirements are determined by Special Committees. The recommendations below are guidelines offered by the Field.

For Ph.D. candidates in fields outside of BMCB or GGD who opt to minor in a concentration associated with BMCB (biochemistry, cell biology, or molecular biology) or GGD (genetics, genomics, or developmental biology), the faculty member representing the minor on the Special Committee is responsible for determining the appropriate course requirements. Courses listed on the BMCB-GGD Curriculum pages (under Focused Topics Courses) can serve as a guide. Generally, six credits of advanced lecture courses at the 6000-level are recommended. 

For MS candidates that have selected a minor concentration associated with BMCB or GGD, the faculty member representing the minor on the Special Committee is responsible for determining the appropriate course requirements. Generally, at least four credits of advanced lecture courses (and a lab if appropriate) are recommended. Courses listed on the BMCB-GGD Curriculum pages (under Focused Topics Courses) can serve as a guide.

An important decision you will make as a graduate student is the selection of the members for your Special Committee. This group of Cornell graduate field faculty will help to supervise and guide your progress towards the PhD degree.

The Special Committee system aims to support you as a student. We encourage you to talk to other graduate students and faculty as you consider building your committee members. It is appropriate to make first contact by email, and ask to make an appointment to meet with each of your potential committee members. You should plan to bring relevant materials to the meeting (e.g., curriculum vitae, course records, and summary of research plans if possible). Be prepared to discuss why they would be an appropriate committee member, and what role you expect the faculty member to assume on your committee (Minor Representative, Field Appointed Minor Member, or Additional Member). It is important that you both understand each other’s expectations. If you plan to have a faculty member represent a minor outside of BMCB / GGD, it is important to discuss whether they will require courses for the minor, and if so what courses they will require. It is especially important to confirm with your Field Appointed Minor Member that they are willing to assume the role of advocate.

Timeline: A full Special Committee should be assembled by the end of the third semester of registration. The committee nominations should be submitted via Student Center no later than the end (last day) of the Fall semester of the second academic year. You are encouraged to start working to assemble your committee in September-October of your second year, which will allow you ample time to meet the end of semester deadline.

If there are extenuating circumstances that necessitate you have additional time to assemble your committee, an online General Petition form can be filed to request an extension. The petition must be filed prior to the end (last day) of the Fall semester.

If a committee nomination is not completed by the end of the third semester, an enrollment hold will be placed on your record and you will no longer be in good academic standing. Unresolved enrollment holds will result in a cancellation of funding and withdrawal from the university.

Committee Composition: The Special Committee should have four members*, including your thesis advisor(s). The composition of your Special Committee is outlined below, including the Committee Member Role that should be selected within Student Center:

*Composition instructions apply to the Class of 2023 and later. Students in the Class of 2022 and earlier did not include a Field Appointed Minor Member, and students still in training in these classes are not expected to reassemble a committee with a Field Appointed Minor Member. Instead of a Field Appointed Minor Member, students in these classes included an ad hoc member from the field for the A-exam. The Minor or Additional Member can assume the roles outlined below for the Field Appointed Minor Member on the committee during regular committee meetings.

1. Special Committee Chair.

Committee Member Role: Chairperson

Your thesis research supervisor serves as the Chairperson of your committee. Students should identify their Special Committee Chair (thesis advisor) at the end of the rotation period. The DGS serves as your Chairperson and advisor until you choose the Special Committee Chair. The Special Committee Chair must be a member of your graduate field.  

Your Chair also represents your major concentration area. Your major concentration must be within one of the concentration areas within your field. For BMCB students, your major concentration should be either biochemistry, cell biology, or molecular biology. For GGD, your major concentration can be in genetics, developmental biology, or genomics. You should discuss your selection of a major concentration with your Chair.

As the major representative, the Chair is responsible for validating that all coursework has been completed prior to the A-exam, and that satisfactory attendance at the student seminars is achieved.

2. A Faculty Member Representing the Minor Subject. 

Committee Member Role: Minor Member

This member represents a minor concentration selected by the student (and required by the Graduate School). It is important that the faculty member and student are clear about what concentration (minor) the faculty member is representing on the committee.

Many BMCB / GGD students minor in a concentration associated with BMCB / GGD, and in this case, the faculty member representing the minor will be a member of the BMCB / GGD field(s). However, students can minor in areas outside of BMCB / GGD (e.g., stem cells, microbiology), and this faculty does not need to be a member of BMCB or GGD.

The role of the faculty member representing the minor is to ensure that the student is academically prepared in the area of the minor concentration. The minor member may suggest coursework in the minor area (if needed). The minor member may ask questions within the minor concentration area during the A-exam to ensure adequate preparation in the minor area. 

The BMCB and GGD fields only require one minor subject.

3. A Faculty Member Representing the BMCB or GGD field.

Committee Member Role: Field Appointed Minor Member

The student should select a member of the BMCB or GGD Field to fill the role of the Field Appointed Minor Member. This member must represent a minor concentration within the field of BMCB or GGD. They  can represent the same minor subject selected for the faculty member representing the minor subject.

This member is the student’s advocate on the committee. Along with the Chair(s), the Field Representative is responsible for ensuring that all milestones and requirements of BMCB or GGD have been met in a timely manner. At the A-exam, the Field Appointed Member and Chair should review that all first-year and second-year curricular requirements have been fulfilled. If requirements have not been fulfilled, the reason for lack of completion and a plan to timely completion should be discussed. This member should be a mediator of conflicts that arise between student and chair, and they should be able to provide knowledge and perspective on the student’s degree progress. 

Please notify the DGS and GFAs of your choice prior to formally selecting this member. This will ensure that the faculty member is aware of their responsibilities as the Field Appointed Minor Member.

4. An Additional Faculty Member. 

Committee Member Role: Additional Member

A fourth member of the committee is selected as an Additional Member that does not represent any specific concentration. This faculty member can be selected from any Cornell faculty (i.e., from any field on campus). 

If a student wishes to select a second minor (which is not required for BMCB or GGD students), the additional member can be substituted with a second Minor Member. If the faculty member is selected as a minor representative, their role is as outlined above, and they are responsible for ensuring the student is academically prepared for the minor they are representing. 

Students with co-advisors (i.e. two Special Committee co-Chairs) do not need an additional member, as their committee would already have four members. 

The Graduate School also allows individuals that are not a member of the Cornell Graduate Faculty to serve as an “ad hoc” minor or additional committee member. An ad hoc committee member request must be filed and approved by the Graduate School. This member is expected to participate actively, including attendance at all exams and committee meetings. 

Changing Your Committee: As your research program develops, don’t panic if you realize that someone else might be more appropriate as your Special Committee member. Students can change their Special Committee. If you plan to change your Special Committee Chair, this should be discussed in advance with the DGS. If your Chair plans to leave / leaves the university, you should reach out to the DGS to discuss the various options for your degree completion and how this impacts your committee membership. 

Prior to the completion of your A-exam, you can request Committee change in Student Center. To change your committee after the A-Exam, you must petition the Graduate School through a Post A Committee Change Petition. All of your new and continuing Committee members must sign this petition. It does not require approval of the member(s) leaving the committee. Your new committee member must agree to accept the results of your A-exam in order for the petition to be considered by the Graduate School. You may not schedule your B exam within three months of a committee change.

Any member of the Special Committee, including the Chair, has the right to resign from the committee at any time. You (the student) are responsible for reconstitution of a complete committee. You will not be permitted to continue registration in the Graduate School if you fail to reconstitute a committee. The timeline for committee reconstitution will be outlined at the time of the committee member(s) resignation.

Additional information on changing your Special Committee can be found on the Graduate School Website.

Committee Meetings: You are required to meet with your entire committee at least once a year to discuss progress and plans. It is the student’s responsibility to arrange the meeting. You are encouraged to coordinate your meeting with your annual student seminar. You should also complete your SPR prior to your Committee Meeting, and share the SPR with your committee to allow for discussion. (Refer to the 

BMCB and GGD students in the second year and beyond are expected to meet with their entire committee at least once a year to discuss progress and plans for their research project and timeline for degree completion. The discussion of the annual Student Progress Review (SPR) document should occur at the annual committee meeting (refer to SPR section of handbook for details).

Regular meetings with the full committee will help keep your progress on track. You are also encouraged to meet with individual members of your committee along the way in order to get information and feedback on your research and career goals and plans. Use your committee for guidance and feedback. That is why they are there. 

You and every committee member have a role to play at your committee meeting.

Scheduling: You are responsible for scheduling your committee meeting, distributing all necessary documents to the committee in advance of the meeting, setting the meeting agenda, and running the majority of the committee meeting.

You should schedule a meeting with your Special Committee to coincide with your annual student seminar. The committee meeting should take place within two weeks of your seminar, if not immediately thereafter. 

You should reach out to your committee no later than one month in advance of your seminar to facilitate the scheduling of your committee meeting. Remember to reserve a location for your committee meeting and send a copy of your draft SPR to your committee.

It is good practice to send a reminder to the members of your committee about your seminar and/or committee meeting the day prior to the meeting. Remember to include the time and location of these events. Re-sending the PDF of your draft SPR (see SPR section) at this time is also good practice.

Prior to the committee meeting, you should set an agenda for the meeting. Discussing the agenda with your Chair can help ensure that everyone has the same vision for the meeting and that the meeting runs smoothly. 

The Meeting: All meetings should include a discussion of your research progress and future research plans and goals for the coming year. Attendance of your committee at your student seminar provides a foundation for this discussion, as does your description of your plans in your SPR that you will have been distributed to your committee. You may wish to design additional slides to supplement your discussion.

The discussions that occur at the committee meeting will evolve during your time in the program. As a second-year student, your first committee meeting is likely to focus more on future goals and plans. At the first meeting, you should discuss what coursework has been completed and/or remains to be completed to fulfil your selected major and minor. Your first committee meeting should also include a discussion of your plans for the A-exam, including the timeline you and your advisor have discussed. As you progress in the program, your meetings are likely to focus more on research progress and career goals and plans. Committee meetings for students in year 4+ should include a discussion of the thesis outline that was uploaded as part of the SPR. 

Your committee meeting should include these procedural steps. 

1. The Chair of the committee should temporarily run the start of the meeting. They should ask the student to leave the room. After the student’s departure, the Chair should outline the student’s progress to date. They should discuss areas of strength as well as raise any concerns they may have about student academic or research progress. This discussion should be brief, and it should last on the order of 5–10 min. The student should be invited to return to the meeting upon completion of the Chair’s discussion. 

2. The Field Appointed Minor Member should then ask the Chair to leave the room. For students in the Class of 2022 or earlier, the Minor member should take on the role of the Field Appointed Member. This request should not be phrased as an optional request, as the goal is to ensure that the student feels no pressure to decline a meeting without the Chair present. The Field Appointed Minor Member is the student’s advocate on the committee. The Field Appointed Minor Member should then ask the student if there are any concerns the student has about their progress that they wish to share or discuss without the Chair present. This can be as brief as a statement that the student has no concerns at this time. This discussion can also be extended if there are issues to be raised and discussed. The discussion will usually last on the order of 2–10 min. 

   If a student feels that more time will be needed for this discussion, the student should consider reaching out to the Field Appointed Minor Member prior to the committee meeting to allow for a more extended and uninterrupted conversation.

3. When all preliminary discussions are complete, the entire committee will assemble, and the meeting will commence. As noted above, the student should present their progress to date. The presentation should also include an outline and discussion of future goals. The committee should discuss milestones completed in the last year and a timeline for completion of upcoming milestones, including coursework, teaching experience, A-exam, and/or B-exam. Students in year 4+ should be discussing plans for graduation and a timeline for manuscript(s) submission and completion. Students should also solicit feedback on their student seminar presentation and the SPR. 

   Depending on issue raised in the first two sub-committee discussions, the Field Appointed Minor Member may take on the role of ensuring a balanced discussion of student progress, working to provide their view and input of the student’s progress and outlined goals. 

4. After the committee meeting, the SPR should be edited by the student to include a clear outline of the feedback and goals discussed at the annual meeting. Upon submission of the SPR by the student, the faculty member should then fill out the faculty section, including their assessment of the student’s progress in the last year and the goals/areas of focus for the coming year.

The completion of the SPR, including the acknowledgment in the SPR of the committee meeting, will complete the requirement of annual Student Progress Review. If a student fails to complete the SPR during the current academic year, a hold will be placed against the student’s record, and the student will be unable to register for the following year.

As part of the annual progress review, all BMCB and GGD graduate students in the second year and beyond are required to complete the Student Progress Review (SPR). First year students in the BMCB and GGD programs are not required to complete an SPR.

A draft of the SPR should be completed by the student prior to their annual meeting of their Special Committee. It is the student’s responsibility to provide faculty with a copy (PDF) of the draft SPR report prior to the meeting. In turn, the SPR should be discussed at the annual committee meeting by the student and all committee members. After the committee meeting, the chair will complete their section of the form. 

Completion of the SPR by students is monitored by the Graduate School. If the SPR is not completed during the current academic year, a hold will be placed against the student’s record, and the student will be unable to register for the following year.

The SPR: The SPR process is designed to support the exchange of constructive, written feedback between students and their mentors. The process includes self-reflection and goalsetting by the student. 

It is expected that the chair will meet in person with the student to discuss the SPR and provide feedback, clarify expectations, and establish shared objectives for the year. Discussion of the SPR at the annual committee meeting will fulfill this expectation of an in-person discussion between the student and chair. 

The student and faculty portion of the SPR is added to the student’s file. The Graduate School staff and DGS may contact students who receive a rating of “needs improvement” or “unsatisfactory” to help develop an academic support plan.

Any students in the second year or beyond who are registered for any part of the semester are required to complete an SPR for that academic year, including students who complete their B exam, plan to graduate, are in absentia, and/or are taking their A exam. Students on leave of absence do not need to complete an SPR.

Deadlines: Graduate fields can set their own deadline for the SPR. 

For BMCB and GGD students, the SPR is due within 30 days of their annual student seminar or by April 1, whichever comes first. Due to the timing of the second-year student seminar presentations, the SPR deadline of April 1 will usually be the deadline second year students will need to meet for submitting of the student section. In order to meet the Graduate School deadline of April 1, second-year students may share a PDF of the completed (versus draft) SPR with their committee prior to their seminar and committee meeting.

Faculty are encouraged to submit their part of the form within 30 days of the student’s committee meeting to ensure that the discussions from the committee meeting are clearly outlined, but no later than May 31st. For second-year students, the chair will have time to complete and submit their comments after the student committee meeting, and they will be able to facilitate any revisions to your submitted document, if necessary.

Process for SPR completion and discussion:

• Schedule a meeting with your Special Committee that coincides with your Field seminar. You should reach out to your committee no later than one month in advance of your seminar to facilitate the scheduling of your committee meeting.
  • The purpose of this meeting is to discuss your seminar as well as your portion of the Student Progress Review.
  • This meeting should take place within two weeks of your seminar, if not immediately thereafter.
• Complete the Student Section of the online Student Progress Report using the SPR Forms Portal.
  • Be aware that the SPR Form is designed to be used by graduate students across campus and across years. Not all questions may be relevant to you at this time. If a question is not applicable, enter “NA” or “not applicable”.
• Be sure to upload the requested Field Specific Documents on the Student Document Upload Page:
  • A current curriculum vitae.
  • NEW in 2024-2025: the BMCB and GGD SPR Field-Specific Questions Document, This document can be accessed through the MBG Graduate Community Intranet (Student Progress Review Folder). This document replaces the previously embedded additional question section present in prior BMCB and GGD SPRs.
  • 4th Year+ students should also upload a Thesis Outline.
• Save and print a PDF of the draft (or a complete version for students in year 2) of your SPR to distribute to your entire Special Committee at least seven (7) days prior to your committee meeting.
• After your seminar, meet with your Special Committee (at your scheduled meeting) to discuss your progress and planning.
• After your meeting, finalize the Student Section of the SPR and submit it. Once you click submit, your progress report will be routed to your Chair so they can complete the advisor section and submit it.
  • Once you submit the SPR, you will be unable to edit it. If there are edits that need to be made, the Chair can use the “return” function in the online system to re-route the form back to the student for revision.
• Your Committee Chair should submit their portion of the online form within 30 days of your seminar, and no later than May 31st.
  • The Chair section is designed to provide written feedback on the student’s demonstrated strengths and areas for improvement, as well as an overall evaluation of the student’s academic progress.
  • The Chair is encouraged to incorporate feedback from the Special Committee that was discussed during the annual meeting.
  • The categories used by faculty to evaluate student’s overall progress are outlined below. A more extensive description for each category can be accessed on the Graduate School SPR Page (see FAQ – What categories are used).
    • Excellent – Exceeds expectations overall; progress and performance are exceptional in one or more areas.
    • Satisfactory – Reliably meeting expectations for academic progress and performance; planning and goal setting is realistic and appropriate.
      • Most students who are meeting the requirements of their program, making good progress, and developing and acting on thoughtful plans and goals should be assigned this rating.
    • Needs improvement – Academic progress and performance are not consistently of the quality needed to meet expectations.
    • Unsatisfactory – Academic progress has stalled, and performance is below expectations. 

Defending a thesis successfully requires at a minimum that the student has obtained sufficient data to contribute to one first-author manuscript submission (for journal review or to a pre-print server) prior to the B-exam. If circumstances exist that necessitate a delay in submission of a manuscript until after the B-exam, this should be discussed with the Special Committee and DGS prior to the B-exam scheduling. If this expectation is not met, the Chair (thesis advisor), with help from the thesis committee, must determine that circumstances beyond the student's control that prevented the student from meeting these expectations.

Students should discuss with their Special Committee their readiness to complete the B Exam. If the student and Committee are all in agreement to move forward to the B Exam, it is an expectation that significant research progress has been made, and that the student is on track to fulfill all PhD requirements (see PhD Degree Requirements). A failure outcome for a B Exam is unexpected.

Students should plan to schedule a date for their B Exam with their committee members far in advance of the actual exam date. The student is responsible for arranging for room reservations for the thesis seminar and B Exam.

A Schedule B Examination form must be signed by all of the members of the Special Committee, the Director of Graduate Studies, and the GFA at least seven calendar days prior to the exam. To ensure that the form is signed by all members in advance of the seven-day deadline, you should submit the paperwork well in advance of your scheduled defense date.   

In addition, you are required to provide the title and abstract for your dissertation and the list of your publications to the GFAs for the announcement of your exam at least seven calendar days in advance of the exam. 

Thesis Format

A section of the Graduate School Thesis & Dissertation website is dedicated to information about the dissertation process. You should read and follow the process it lays out in planning submission of your thesis and graduation. The website also includes important deadlines for thesis submission and degree conferral. You are advised to schedule your B Exam in advance of the submission conferral date in order to allow for sufficient time to complete any revisions that may be suggested by your committee.

Your thesis may be organized either as a single work (traditional thesis) or as a series of relatively independent chapters (“papers option” thesis). The work in your thesis must be primarily, if not entirely, your own. Most BMCB-GGD students write a thesis in the independent chapter format, which allows you to prepare your thesis as a series of papers in a format ready for publication. These chapters can be published before the thesis defense. 

If your published work includes co-author(s), you may cite the work of your co-author(s) in your thesis with appropriate acknowledgment, but you should not include the data of your co-author(s) in your thesis. If data from a co-author are needed for clarity, the legend to the figure including the data should acknowledge the author of the data. 

In addition to the paper-based chapters, most students include a general introduction to the thesis in the form of a literature review (as Chapter 1). This chapter most often ends with a few paragraphs that outline the content and goals of the work that will be discussed in the subsequent chapters, including how the paper-based chapters work to answer the open questions in the field covered in the literature review. A final chapter is used to outline and discuss the conclusions of the thesis work, to provide a general discussion of the implications of the work, and to outline new directions opened by the thesis that may be the focus of future study. This final chapter can include speculation and may include preliminary data that speaks to open areas for future study. In the independent thesis format, there may be a unified introduction and bibliography or separate introductions and bibliographies for each chapter. An abstract is required for all theses, which provides unified summary for all chapters. 

If your work is published, you may need to obtain permission from the publisher (the copyright holder) to include the data in your thesis. It is your responsibility to review the publishing agreement and determine if you retained the rights to reuse the data in your thesis, or if you need to seek written permission from the publisher to include the copyrighted materials (e.g., figures, tables, images) in your thesis.

Copies of dissertations are uploaded to the Cornell Library Repository, eCommons. This database is a good resource of example theses.

You should distribute a copy of the written proposal to each member of the examination committee no later than a week before the oral exam. Note that the Graduate School suggests a submission of the thesis to your committee six weeks in advance, and anytime between this six week to one week timeline is appropriate. It is appropriate to share this as a PDF by e-mail. It is expected that the thesis distributed to your committee is in its final form, including that is formatted to the specifications outlined by the Graduate School.

Thesis Seminar & Thesis Defense (B Exam)

The thesis seminar should be a presentation of your thesis work. The seminar is open to the public. The thesis defense (the “B” Exam) is most often scheduled immediately after the thesis seminar. The B Exam is an oral defense of your dissertation. The thesis defense will be a closed meeting involving the student and their Special Committee.

The outcome of the B Exam is determined by the Special Committee, and the results will be communicated by the Committee to the student at the end of the B Exam. Possible outcomes include: Pass, Conditional Pass, or Fail. It is a common outcome that a student will receive a Pass with clear guidance for revisions that should be completed in the written dissertation prior to submission. In cases where revisions are considered significant and/or areas of knowledge are not well articulated during the exam or in the thesis, a committee may agree on a Conditional Pass and advise on what steps must be completed prior to conferring a Pass. 

If a student does not perform as expected at the B Exam and the Committee agrees on a Fail outcome, the Committee should discuss if a master’s degree is appropriate and the timeline for withdrawal from the program. 

Students should complete a Results of Final Defense of Ph.D Degree (B Exam) form after completion of the defense with three business days of the exam. 

You will need to submit a final electronic version of the thesis to the Graduate School, according to the Thesis and Dissertation Submission Process guidelines. Once uploaded, this version of the thesis will be circulated for approval by all members of your thesis committee. Submission of the final thesis to the Graduate School must be completed within 60 days of completing the exam. Please see the Graduate School website for up to date degree conferral dates.

(No) Registration Post-B Exam

Once a student passes the B Exam, a student is no longer eligible to enroll as a graduate student. Note that it is the date of the B Exam that determines enrollment eligibility, not the thesis submission date and not the date of degree conferral. Enrollment in future semesters is not permitted even if the 60 day submission window falls within a subsequent semester. 

For example, a student that defends their thesis within the Spring semester but after the May degree conferral deadline of May 1 will be ineligible to enroll as a summer student. The student would have 60 days from the B Exam date to submit the thesis. The thesis submitted in this timeline would be consistent with a degree conferral date of August.

All graduate students in the Fields of BMCB and GGD are required to participate in a one semester teaching experience. This requirement has two components: (1) Students participate as a teaching assistant (TA) for a Molecular Biology and Genetics (BIOMG) course. (2) During the semester of the TAship, students enroll in the course BIOMG 6980: Graduate Student Teaching Assistant Experience in Molecular Biology and Genetics, which focuses on providing students with the pedagogical skills necessary for teaching at the college level. The teaching experience is completed in either the Fall or the Spring of the second year of matriculation.

The teaching experience offers many benefits to our students. The teaching experience helps students to hone their teaching and communication skills. Through the experience, students additionally build a deeper understanding of subjects within the BMCB-GGD field of study. By forging new relationships with faculty and students in the field, students also expand their mentor network.

The Teaching Experience (Year 2)

In the late Spring (usually early April), students will receive an email from the MBG TA Coordinator, with a link to the MBG TA application site. (Please note that this email will not come from the Office of Undergraduate Biology (OUB), which also coordinates TA positions that include a subset of BIOMG courses.) The TA application site will list the available TA positions and the responsibilities of the TA(s) in each course. Students will have the opportunity to identify and rank preferred courses for their teaching experience. The TA Coordinator will assign positions following a review of submitted applications. The TA Coordinator will try to accommodate student preferences. However, the teaching needs of the department will take precedence over individual preferences. Students should plan to enroll in BIOMG 6980 during the same semester that they will TA (either Fall or Spring). 

International students may need to participate in a Language Assessment Interview by the International TA Development Program (ITADP) prior to accepting a TA position. Students should review the current Cornell English Language Proficiency Requirements available on the Graduate School website to determine if they need to participate in a language assessment. These interviews usually take place remotely in advance of Orientation. On the basis of this assessment, some international students are required to take an additional ITAP course(s) either prior to, or current with, their teaching experience.

To successfully fulfill the teaching experience requirement, students are expected to perform the TA responsibilities outlined by the course instructor in a timely and professional manner. TA expectations should be provided to the student by the course instructor in advance of the course. To maintain good academic standing and fulfill the teaching experience requirement, students must also receive a Satisfactory (S) grade in BIOMG 6980 (See Academic Expectations & Progress).

Additional TA Appointments

Once the Teaching Experience requirement has been fulfilled, students may choose to apply for Teaching Assistantships (within or outside of MBG), either because they would like more teaching experience or because student costs are then paid by the department offering the TA appointment. Students applying for an additional appointment through MBG will use the same application portal as outlined above. Note that preference for MBG courses will first be given to any student that has not yet met the Teaching Experience requirement, and next to those students whose thesis research advisor is a member of the MBG Department. Students applying for appointments in other departments, or through the OUB, should follow the application instructions as outlined by those entities.

Faculty membership application package: 

Any faculty with research aligning with the general focus areas of BMCB / GGD are welcome to apply to become a field member.  Interested faculty are strongly encouraged to start the process by first discussing it with the DGS. Applicant is welcome to apply to both BMCB and GGD fields simultaneously, due to the partnership between these two fields.

Please be aware that Field membership comes with significant service responsibilities.  We hope all Field members ensure that their schedules leave enough time for these efforts.  See Termed Membership document under “Faculty responsibilities”, which lists these expectations.  

Application for field membership is a two-step process: 

Step 1, approval by the executive committee, which is required prior to moving forward to a field vote (Step 2). 

The executive committee will review an applicant CV to assess the fit for the field, etc.

Department chairs (any department) can initiate this process on behalf of a potential hire, by mentioning field membership in an offer letter. Upon arrival on campus, the expectation would be to submit a full packet to complete the application process and the field will vote on the membership.

Step 2, membership will be voted on by the whole field. 

The application and vote count will then be forwarded to the Graduate School for final approval.  

Prior to the field vote, applicants must submit to the DGS:

•                   Cover letter
•                 CV
•                 Two letters of recommendation from current faculty in the BMCB-GGD Fields 

Renewable 3-year Term Membership for the Fields of BMCB & GGD

The mission of the BMCB and GGD Fields is to provide students with rigorous graduate training in the broad areas of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, Genetics, Genomics and Development, so that they develop into excellent independent scientists. Smooth operation of the fields is a laborious and complex task requiring all Field members to contribute to recruiting, teaching, training, mentoring, and supervising students. 

To enhance faculty participation in a fair and transparent way, faculty will be asked to report their participation of field activities yearly. 

The BMCB/GGD DGS/Executive Committee will review the activities of Field faculty every year. 

• Faculty who have not been participating consistently over a 2-year period will be alerted and given a 1-year probation period to rectify their participation and engagement. The faculty will be informed of specific criteria of improvement to avoid further restriction. (Faculty on leave will be granted the appropriate extension.)
• Faculty who do not improve during the 1-year probational period will lose the privilege of giving rotation talks or accepting rotation students.
• If a faculty member has not improved their participation and engagement with the field 3 years beyond the probationary period (during which time they cannot accept BMCB-GGD rotation students), they will be withdrawn from the field. 

To hold active Field membership, faculty should plan to meet the following expectations.

1. Mandatory yearly (and timely):

• Completion of rotation evaluations and SPRs, and additional field-required forms, for each student they supervise.
• Review of admission applications (as a reader), as outlined by the BMCB-GGD Admission Chair.
  • Outcome of non-compliance: rotation privileges will be immediately suspended.

2. Expected yearly (and timely):

• Attendance at a yearly workshop focusing on effective mentoring
  • (e.g. Cornell Graduate School offerings, similar workshops at Conferences or via various Societies)
• Attendance at the annual Field meeting
• Sharing of availability to interview students via zoom or in-person visit
• Sharing of availability to attend meals during recruitment weekends
• Participation in interviewing students and meal attendance during recruitment weekends, regardless of whether they plan to accept rotation students
• Self-report service participation
  • Outcome of non-compliance over a 2-year period: probationary status.

3. Expected participation, rotating basis:

• Admission Committee (which assists Admissions Chair to make final admission decisions based on scoring from readers and interview feedback)
• BMCB-GGD core courses, including
  • Soft skills (Fall) & Paper reading (Spring) classes for 1st yr students
  • Grant writing (Fall) and Ethics (Spring) classes for 2nd yr students
    • Outcome of non-participation over a 2-year period: probationary status

4. Expected of Tenured Field members:

• Take on leadership roles, such as Executive Committee membership, Admissions Chair, DGS.