Curriculum

The Graduate School does not set course requirements; these are set by the Field of Biophysics and your Special Committee (see Course Enrollment). You should talk to the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) and/or your Special Committee about the courses that you should take. Dates for course enrollment are set by the University Registrar (https://registrar.cornell.edu/). Make sure that you register in accordance with the published dates. NOTE: The Graduate School will only consider Course Enrollment Petitions in extremely extenuating circumstances.

Federal regulations require that all students enroll in at least 12 credit hours/semester. You should not feel obligated to enroll in 12 credit hours of actual coursework unless your DGS/Special Committee consider(s) it necessary. Enroll only in the courses that you need/want to take. In the fall and spring semesters, the Graduate School will enroll students in their Graduate Dissertation Research course in order to ensure that your record reflects 12 credit hours.

Summer Enrollment: All graduate students are required to enroll in the Graduate Dissertation Research (via Student Center) for the summer; the deadline for this is the end of May. This is necessary if you are receiving a stipend or plan to use university facilities such as libraries, computer centers, and the Gannett Health Center. (Please note: If you register after May 31, FICA taxes will be withdrawn from your paycheck.)

Time Away From the University: The graduate student schedule/calendar does NOT follow the undergraduate schedule. Graduate students are paid on a 12-month stipend and are expected to be present and actively working on their academics and research project unless the university itself is officially closed. If you plan on being gone for a significant period of time, you must have the approval of your advisor and notify the Graduate Field Assistant of your intentions.

Biophysics Major Requirements

Courses should be taken for letter grade with a minimum grade of B-. Option of S/U for one course is allowed. Audits are not acceptable. Subject or Course Subject Complete 1.

Grade Expectations: For courses with a letter grade, students are expected to receive a “B” (3.0) or better in order to remain in good standing in the program. If a student receives a C+ or lower grade in any core Biophysics course, no credit is given for that course, implying that the course must be retaken if it is a required course.

SKILL DEVELOPMENT CORE

Fall each year: BIOMG 6312 Frontiers in Biophysics
Fall second year: BIOMG 7940 Current Topics in BMCB (Grant writing)
Spring second year: BIOMG 7510 Ethical Issues & Professional Responsibilities

BIOPHYSICS CORE (List of relevant courses can be found on Grad Student Intranet (log-in required)

One math course
One physics course
Two biology courses
One advanced biophysics course

Biophysics Minor Requirements

For Ph.D. candidates with a minor in Biophysics, the suggested requirements are at least six credits of advanced lecture courses (usually at the 6000-level, but some 4000-level courses may be appropriate, e.g., BIOMG 4370, BIOMG 4380, BIOMG 4450. Appropriate courses in BMCB include: BIOMG 6310, 6330, 6360, and 6390. 6000- and 7000-level courses in other departments, i.e., Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Plant Biology, Vet Molecular Medicine, and Vet Microbiology & Immunology, may also be suitable, as determined by the Special Committee. If a student who wants to minor in BMCB has not been exposed to appropriate lab work in the general area of BMCB, then he/she should also take the lab course BIOMG 4400.

For MS candidates with a minor in BMCB, the suggested requirements are at least four (4) credits of advanced lecture courses and a lab if appropriate. Some suggestions for appropriate courses are indicated in the paragraph above.

Note that requirements are determined by Special Committees, and that the recommendations above are guidelines offered by the Field.

Responsible Conduct of Research Training

The integrity of research conducted at Cornell University is of the utmost importance to the institution as well as to the Biophysics Field. Cornell is committed to promoting and supporting the ethical and responsible conduct of research across all disciplines. As a result, all students are required to take the on-line Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) training in their first year of study. For more information and to access the training, go to http://www.oria.cornell.edu/rcr/index.html.

In addition, all Biophysics students are required to participate twice in the Annual RCR Symposium, offered in January of each year. In addition, each student must participate in lab group meetings where RCR is discussed once a year and report the date of that meeting on their annual progress report.