Requirements for the Doctorate
Ph.D. students in Chemistry and Chemical Biology are required to choose three or more faculty members to serve as a Special Committee to represent their major and minor areas of study. The representative of the major area serves as Chair of the Special Committee, and usually has primary responsibility for directing the student’s research and studies. Each fall, first-year graduate students attend orientation lectures in which faculty members give presentations to introduce their research. From these seminars students make an informed selection of a research advisor by the end of the first semester. Degree requirements are kept to a minimum, and there are no specific course requirements. The number of formal courses required depends on student’s previous preparation, their chosen concentration, and the advice of the Special Committee.
Every student takes an oral examination for admission to candidacy within the first two years of graduate study. The exam takes place after the student’s coursework has been completed and before the commencement of full-time research. The thesis, which is the final outcome of this research, must constitute an original contribution to chemical knowledge and be defended at a final examination overseen by the Special Committee. The Ph.D. degree is awarded on successful defense of the thesis. Typically students take five years to complete the Ph.D. program.
Contact Information
Graduate Studies Office
Dept. of Chemistry and Chemical Biology
Cornell University
Baker Laboratory
Ithaca, NY 14853-1301
chemgrad@cornell.edu
607-255-4139
Graduate Program Coordinator
Pat Hine
pah3@cornell.edu
607-255-5287
Director of Graduate Studies
Brian Crane
bc69@cornell.edu