Graduate Field of Horticulture Student Handbook

• All MS students are required to be a full-time student for at least 2 semesters.  

• MS degree candidates generally complete degree requirements in two to three years but have up to 4 years to complete requirements. After 4 years a student is required to petition the Graduate School to extend degree timeline.  Funding is contingent on the original offer letter. 

• Teaching experience is expected but not required and can be satisfied by receiving a Teaching Assistantship or an Extension Outreach Assistantship (if approved by the student’s committee). 

Courses 

• Coursework and credits required for the Ph.D. degree are determined by the student’s Special Committee 

• Four semesters of PLSCI 7000: Seminar in Horticulture for credit. 

• Registered for PhD thesis/research credit (PLSCI 9900) each semester after the first semester of study. Credit hours will vary and should be determined with your chair. 

• In order to be a full-time student, enroll in a minimum of 12 credits per semester. After consulting the special committee, students enroll in courses appropriate to their academic program. All research students, except those taking a vacation from research activities and work toward degree progress, must be registered and enrolled in 6 credits of Graduate Summer Research (GRAD 9016) for the summer term. Summer registration is especially critical for students receiving financial aid (fellowships, summer loans, assistantships, travel grants, or tuition awards) during the summer. There is no charge for summer registration. 

Potential A Exam Outcomes: 

Passing 

If you pass an exam, all members of the examining committee should report this decision to the Graduate School within three business days. No further action is required. 

Failing 

If you fail an exam, a reexamination is allowed only with the approval of the special committee. At least three months must pass from the time of the failed exam to the reexamination. 

If a student fails the A Exam, but performs at a level considered equivalent to a Master’s Degree the special committee may nominate the student for a terminal M.S. degree without completion of a thesis; such non-thesis master’s degrees are not automatically awarded but must be designated at the time of the A exam and the student must withdraw from the Ph.D. program. 

If the minor members, but not the chair, oppose allowing a reexamination or terminal MS; or the chair, but not all of the minor members oppose a reexamination or terminal MS, you must petition the Graduate School General Committee to continue study. 

Graduate faculty members who attend the exam, but are not on the examination committee, may inform the dean in writing if they disagree with the results of the exam. 

• Preparing for the defense: Schedule an exit seminar during one of the PLSCI 7000: Seminar in Horticulture lectures, or one-hour prior to the final exam using the B exam scheduling form available on the Graduate School’s Forms page. The scheduling form must be approved by all committee members and the DGS at least 7 days prior to the exam. We recommend you start this process at least 2 weeks prior to the exam date.  

• Pass the B exam which covers the subject of the dissertation. Must be taken in or before the 14th semester of study. 

Section I:  Application Timeline 

• Mid-November: TA solicitation for the coming academic year is released. 

• January 31: TA applications due. 

• Mid-February: Initial TA appointments announced for the coming Academic Year. Applicants not receiving appointments remain on a waitlist. 

• May 1: Last day to decline a TA offer for the Fall semester. 

• May 1 – ongoing: TA rebalancing to fill vacant TA positions for the Fall semester. Waitlisted applications are given priority for open slots. 

• May 15: TA appointments finalized for the Fall semester. 

• August 1: Last day to decline a TA offer for the Spring semester. 

• August 1 – ongoing: TA rebalancing to fill vacant TA positions for the fall and spring semesters. Waitlisted applicants are given priority for open slots. 

• August 15: TA appointments finalized for the Spring semester. 

A. Application 
All students who are planning to TA or who would like to request TA support must submit an application by the stated application deadline. Even those students who have been promised a TA position in their appointment letter must submit a TA application in order to be assigned to a TA appointment in the coming academic year. You can check on the status of your application by contacting the GFC for your home Field. Only SIPS Graduate students in non-professional degree programs (i.e. MS and PhD) are eligible to apply. SIPS TA Application Form 

B. Selection Process and Selection Criteria 
All assignments for each Section will be approved by the DGS of your field. Your application will initially be reviewed by the DGS home Section/Field to be considered for TA assignments within your home Section. Following initial review by your DGS, your application may also be considered by members of the SIPS Graduate Field Council to be considered for TA assignments in other SIPS Sections. In some cases, your application may also be reviewed by course instructors. Those applicants that do not receive an initial TA assignment will be waitlisted. Each year some number of TA appointments are declined by students, due to the adventitious availability of grant and fellowship funding. Students on the waitlist will be given first priority for TA positions that become available when a TA assignment has been declined. Once all TA positions are filled the remaining applicants are dismissed from the waitlist. A new application needs to be made for each new academic year in which TA support is requested. 

TA selection is based on multiple criteria and the weighting placed on each criterion will vary from year to year and from Section to Section based on the needs of instruction and the need to support all of our continuing graduate students. The two main priorities for TA selection are to ensure that: all of our MS and PhD students receive tuition and stipend support while they remain in good standing, and that all of our courses are well staffed by qualified TA’s. The following are criteria that will be considered in selecting individuals for assignment to TA positions: 

• applicant skills, training, and prior teaching experience 

• instructional needs of the course and instructor needs for support 

• applicant funding plan for the coming academic year 

• the availability of alternate sources of funding for the applicant 

• explicit guarantees of support which must be honored 

• the number of previous TA appointments the applicant has received 

• whether the applicant needs to TA to meet a teaching requirement 

• approval of the faculty adviser 

C. Notification Procedures 
If you are offered a TAship, you must accept it or reject it by the deadline specified in the contract letter (May 1 for a Fall TAship and August 1 for a Spring TAship). 

• Your failure to accept an offer by the specified deadline may preclude you being offered the same TAship again. 

• Only your DGS and/or GFC can make an official offer and supply a contract. 

• All conversations with course instructors or others members of the Cornell community are purely a preliminary review, and those entities cannot make an offer. 

• TAship offers can only be made to students in a research track paying contract college rates of tuition. If you are in a professional graduate program, e.g., MPS, you will be excluded from consideration. 

• Once you have signed a contract letter, you are bound to adhere to the contract. 

• If your funding situation changes before and/or after you are offered a TA contract, e.g., your NSF GRFP, USDA-NIFA or other proposal is awarded or your advisor is awarded funding, please let us know IMMEDIATELY so that we can either remove your application or assist in finding a suitable replacement. Bear in mind that some fellowships (e.g. NSF GRFP/USDA-NIFA) can be deferred or paused to enable you to take on a TAship, and some allow the student to combine the stipends. (See Graduate School Stipend Rates page.)  Also, even if funded separately, a student can TA for credit. These options should be explored in a good faith effort to fulfill your obligation to TA once you accept an assignment. 

• If an alternative funding source is offered by your PI, please discuss good faith practice obligations with your PI, DGS and Chair. 

• Email your DGS, GFC, and Advisor indicating why your application status is changing. We, in conjunction with your Section Chair, DGS, and Advisor, will strive to find an alternate person to fulfill your obligation, and release you from the contract. However, the fulfillment of the contract is ultimately the student’s responsibility. 

While the Field commits to fully funding graduate students for the anticipated duration of their study, getting independent funding provides more flexibility for the student and is a valuable demonstration of ability to get external funding. We encourage and assist students in obtaining such funds.  

Fellowship information is available from the Cornell Graduate School website. Two common sources are National Science Foundation Graduate Researcher Fellowships (apply in the first year) and USDA Graduate Fellowships (apply in A Exam year.) Additional information is forwarded via e-mail to the graduate student list. 

• To convene the committee members and the student to discuss and evaluate the student’s proposed research plan. Students should schedule the Q Conference when they have a clear focus on what they are going to work on and have had a chance to put together a written outline or research proposal on the topic. The expectation is for the student to have read much of the literature directly relating to his/her research project and be prepared to answer questions justifying his/her approach to the research. This should take place before the beginning of the third semester of the Ph.D. 

• To determine what courses still need to be taken or discuss ways the student can gain the necessary background to accomplish their research program. Students should bring a list of courses they have taken at Cornell and relevant course work from their MS or undergraduate days. They should write down their goals for the research work and any other academic goals they might have (e.g. getting teaching credentials, getting extension experience, writing for various audiences, etc.). 

An outline of the proposed research or research proposal, list of relevant classes, and academic goals should be given to each of the committee members and the DGS at least two weeks before the Q Conference.  This will provide a clear focus and discussion on the proposed research project. Is it well thought-out? What have others done in this area? Is it doable in the time frame given? Are there adequate facilities and support to carry it out? Is the student ready to take on this project? Does his/her background allow for critical thinking in this subject area? Are there courses that are missing and should be added? 

The Q Conference is a way to officially launch the Ph.D. work, with the agreement of the committee as to how the research will be pursued. It is also a good way to encourage the student to organize their thinking. It should be a positive experience. A minimum of two hours should be scheduled. 

The student must notify the GFC at least two weeks in advance of the Q Conference so that other faculty members of the graduate field can be notified should they wish to attend or contribute. The DGS or an externally appointed faculty member are required to attend. When scheduling the Q conference please include the DGS so that they or an externally appointed faculty member can attend. A Q Conference form will be given to the student for all committee members to sign at the end and the form should be returned to the Graduate Field Coordinator. 

In rare instances, if the Special Committee determines that the Q conference results indicate that the student is not prepared to undertake a PhD program, the student may be found to be not in good academic standing. The committee chair shall write a detailed evaluation and counsel the student with their options. 

M Exam (MS) 
Thesis Defense Exam for MS.  
For a student pursing an independent MS: 
This oral exam will discuss the student’s research and thesis manuscript. The exact format varies by committee, so it is good to have the members agree on the format well in advance. In general, students start the exam with a brief (10-15 minutes) oral presentation of the main methods and results of the project to set the stage for the discussion and to demonstrate the ability to present their work. Questions may address the scientific background of the research and hypotheses, the general approaches and specific methods used, the results, and the interpretation of the results. At least 2 hours should be scheduled for the MS thesis defense. The Special Committee often requires changes in thesis after the exam and these may require from a few days to a few weeks to complete. 

For a student pursing a MS/PhD: 
An MS-PhD student continuing with the same project and Special Committee, and with that committee’s approval, combine the M exam and A exam. If combined the first hour will be dedicated to the M exam followed by the A exam (see details below). 

This oral exam will discuss the student’s research and thesis manuscript. The exact format varies by committee, so it is good to have the members agree on the format well in advance. In general, students start the exam with a brief (10-15 minutes) oral presentation of the main methods and results of the project to set the stage for the discussion and to demonstrate the ability to present their work. Questions may address the scientific background of the research and hypotheses, the general approaches and specific methods used, the results, and the interpretation of the results. The Special Committee often requires changes in thesis after the exam and these may require from a few days to a few weeks to complete. 

A Exam (PhD) 

Exam for Admission to Doctoral Candidacy for PhD students. Normally, the A exam is taken in the fall or spring of the third year of the Ph.D. program. The A exam must be taken before starting the 7th semester of registration. The A exam is a comprehensive exam given by the student’s committee to test their general knowledge in the areas of plant sciences and related fields relevant to the student’s PhD program in Horticulture and minor fields. It is designed to determine your ability to begin research. It does not necessarily focus on your specific research topic or research results. Although questions of specific factual nature are common, emphasis is also placed on your ability to utilize and synthesize your knowledge to address more complex problems. A minimum of 3 hours should be scheduled; although there is no time limit. It is typically an oral exam and some written questions are allowed if a faculty member so chooses. It is appropriate and useful to discuss examination expectations with your committee members well in advance of the exam. Other faculty members in the Field are invited to participate, are allowed to ask questions. Each exam is unique. Therefore others’ experiences only represent what can happen, not what will happen. 

The student generally provides a list of courses they have taken as a graduate student. Questions relating to these classes as well as background information relating to the student’s current research are fair game. You are encouraged to chat with each of the committee members to get a sense of topics that the committee member may ask about. 

Note: The Director of Graduate Studies will not sign off your name on the provisional degree list until the field has received a copy of your thesis. 

Planning Timeline 
The Code of Legislation requires students to submit a completed draft for committee review six weeks prior to scheduling the exam. Submission of the final thesis/dissertation must be within 60 days of the final exam. Students who miss the 60 day submission deadline are ineligible to register in future terms. 

May Conferral Deadlines 

• Submit Draft to Committee: First week in March 

• Schedule Exam: First week in April 

• Take Exam: Mid April 

• Complete Revisions: End of April 

• Submission Deadline: May 1, 2023 

August Conferral Deadlines 

• Submit Draft to Committee: First week in June 

• Schedule Exam: First week in July 

• Take Exam: Mid July 

• Complete Revisions: End of July 

• Submission Deadline: August 1, 2023 

December Conferral Deadlines 

• Submit Draft to Committee: First week in October 

• Schedule Exam: First week in November 

• Take Exam: Mid November 

• Complete Revisions: End of November 

• Submission Deadline: December 1, 2023 

Student Office and Lab space 
Desk Assignments 
The Section has several rooms in the Plant Science building set aside for graduate students to share, and a desk will be made available for each graduate student upon their arrival. A student will be assigned and occupy only one desk regardless of location. Assignments will be made by the Graduate Field Coordinator. Students on a Leave of Absence or with space elsewhere (such as in Geneva, or have lab/desk space) may be asked to forfeit their desk space to others, if there is a need for space when new students arrive. Students should not switch desk without GFC approval; and they must empty and clean their assigned desk prior to departure. 

Laboratories and Equipment 
Most research projects and professors have one or more laboratories with research equipment. Students will normally use of their advisor’s laboratory and equipment. To use other equipment in the Section, permission should be obtained from the professor involved. 

Laboratory space is assigned by the major advisor. Equipment, glassware, reagents, etc. are generally purchased to use in specific laboratories. They should not be transferred to other locations unless approved by the faculty member in charge. Before using laboratory equipment, students are expected to obtain permission and instruction from the faculty member in charge or his/her designate. Each student is responsible to keep their work areas clean. Laboratory supplies or other purchases should be approved by the student’s major advisor. Disposal of toxic materials must follow proper safety procedures 

Society of Horticulture (SoHo) 
The field of horticulture has a dynamic graduate student association called, The Society for Horticulture (acronym: SoHo). All graduate students are automatically members. SoHo promotes fellowship among peers and future colleagues with food at regular meetings, cook-outs, and a holiday party. Events during the year promote professional growth by giving members the opportunity to develop communication, inter-personal, and future career skills. They raise funds to maintain and acquire common resources (e.g., a computer lab and lunch room). They represent graduate students on several Section committees. Once a year they invite a speaker to deliver a key Section seminar. Participation in SoHo is an excellent means to learn about and prepare for success within the field and as graduate students at Cornell. 

Special Events 
There are several events that occur throughout the year and are open to all members of the Section. You are encouraged to get involved in planning and participating in all of them. Some of the standard events are listed below. Watch for notices! 

• Summer Picnic – July 

• Horticulture Section Picks (cherries, blueberries, etc.) – for the Section community and immediate family members 

• SoHo Welcome BBQ – July or August 

• SIPS Holiday Party– early December  

• Annual Banquet and Dance in Geneva – wintertime