Graduate Student Handbook - 2003-2004
 

Academic Pursuits

Graduate students at Columbia University are expected to engage full-time in advanced study and research. The program demands initiative and self-discipline from the student; it offers the student the opportunity to study and learn to the extent of his/her ability. Each student is expected to undertake intensive study of those areas of science that are of special interest and that will further their research goals. The stipends provided are for a full-time effort; students are not allowed to hold additional jobs.

First year Activities

A. Courses and seminars- New students must take the two semester Core sequence and Pre-Research seminars (G6001-6002).  Students are encouraged to begin their elective courses as well.

B. Degree requirements - Teaching is begun in the second year or second semester (see Teaching Guidelines). Teaching resources at Columbia can be found at http://www.columbia.edu/cu/tat .

C. Laboratory rotations- Students are encouraged to engage in laboratory research. Such experience, an essential component of graduate education at Columbia, facilitates the development of practical skills that open the way to independent research and provides an opportunity for becoming better acquainted with some of the faculty and other students.

Faculty Advisory Committee 

A Faculty Advisory Committee for each student is appointed during the second year of study. Each committee is composed of three members of the faculty, including the student's research sponsor, selected by the Graduate Student Advisor in accordance with the research proposed by the student. The student should consult the Advisor if he/she has specific recommendations as to the composition of the Committee.

 The Committee keeps track of its advisee’s progress by administering the qualifying examination Part II. Students also meet with members of their committee at least once each year to review the progress made by th e student during the year. A student may request a committee meeting to discuss special issues or problems.

Research Sponsor

An important aspect of a student’s program is developing a compatible association with a research sponsor. A sponsor not only guides the student in design, the performance and analysis of experiments, but also makes effective use of all the faculty to ensure that the student is not only well-trained, but also well-educated. A student wanting to initiate thesis work should ask an appropriate faculty member with whom he or she would like to be associated to act as research sponsor. Faculty members are not required to act as research sponsors and students are not assigned to laboratories. The relationship is a personal one, established after thoughtful consideration by the student and by the prospective sponsor.

English Placement Test 

The University requires that all foreign students from non-English speaking countries take an English Placement Test. This test is offered in the Language Labs in Lewisohn Hall. Once this test is evaluated, the student may be placed in a course offered by the American Language Program. This course, designed specifically to assist foreign students with both language and cultural difficulties, is required for all students whose scoring on the placement test demonstrates a need. The American Language courses are given at many different times, accommodating laboratory and course schedules.

Graduate Student Requirements

Courses:

THE CORE COURSE: The Core Course is a common curriculum for all first-year students; it includes everything students need as a foundation for elective courses and thesis work. Needless to say, our faculty have put forth a great deal of effort determining the content and means of presentation in the Core Course. Students will be graded by individual faculty members teaching blocks of the Core Course. Adequate academic performance in a student's first year entails passing all sections of the Core Course; failure of a single section (grade below B-) will be result in academic probation for the following semester, while failure of two or more core sections, or additional failure during the time a student is on academic probation may be grounds for dismissal from the Ph.D. program. Thus, students should take the Core Course very seriously, learn all they can in it, and seek help in any section in which they feel their understanding and possibly their grades may be inadequate.

BIOLOGY: In addition to G6001 and G6002, the Biology Core courses, three graduate biology seminar courses are required (not including Pre-Research Seminar or journal clubs such as G9006 or G9007). These courses generally must be at the G4000-level or above, and one may be in physics, chemistry or mathematics. One of the following W4000 level courses may be substituted for one of the G4000 level courses: W4065, W4004, or W4005. No more than one of these three elective courses may have a grade of "C" and the average must be "B" or higher. A list of courses including those offered at the medical school can be found on the Web page:  http://www.columbia.edu/cu/biology/grad/typgradsched.html

CHEMISTRY: Those students who have not had a formal course in physical chemistry during their undergraduate studies should take Chemistry C3079 (or the equivalent P-Chem course at Barnard).

MATHEMATICS: A background of one year of calculus plus one additional semester of college-level math is required. Students who need to take an additional mathematics course are encouraged to take a course in statistics

Teaching:  

The duties of the Teaching Fellow vary, depending on the course. They generally include grading (exam papers, homework or lab reports), running discussion sections, holding office hrs (in person or by email), preparing course materials and (for laboratory leaders) supervising laboratory sections. Each graduate student is required to teach the equivalent of 8 units (= about 2 semesters). Ordinary assignments count for 4 units. Project labs, which involve heavier time commitment, count for 8 units; teaching the introductory lecture course, which involves a greater than average workload, counts for 6 units. Therefore the average graduate student teaches for 2 semesters. Students who enter with a master's degree (who have generally taught in their previous institution) are required to earn 8 units instead of 12. Beginning Teaching Assistants will attend a workshops in teaching techniques, given by Debby Mowshowitz at the start of each semester.  Teaching assignments should be discussed with Debby Mowshowitz before the start of the teaching semester. See Teaching Guidelines for more details

Research Presentations:

Third, fourth and fifth year students will present a 30-minute description of their research as a public seminar once each year, on the day of their annual advisory committee meeting.  The advisory committee will meet with the student and sponsor following the seminar. 

Dissertation:    

Once the dissertation is completed, the student will present a Departmental Seminar on the work, and this will be followed by an examination by a panel of five professors, three from the Department and two from other Departments.

Qualifying Examinations

Qualifying Examinations:

Part I (first year):

Successful completion of Biology G6001and G6002. These courses must be completed by the end of the student’s first year.

Part II (spring of second year):

Students will prepare a written proposal based on their intended research project, as perceived at that time. The proposal will be in the form of a postdoctoral fellowship application. After submission to a 2-faculty qualifying exam committee, the student will present and defend the proposal before this committee. By its questions, the committee will probe the student’s general knowledge in the area represented by the project, the area represented by the sponsor’s laboratory, and the areas covered in courses the student has taken. Students should be prepared to describe any procedure proposed in the research plan. Although the structure of the oral examination will be that of a defense of the proposal, the emphasis will be as much on general knowledge in these areas than on the merits of the specific research proposed.  The examination is of the student's ability to master a body of background material, to organize a plan of research, and to understand the context, aims, methods and limitations of the proposed research. It is not an appraisal of preliminary results or research productivity to that point: laboratory productivity is  evaluated as a separate criterion of student performance. The examining committee will be made up of two faculty members and will generally not include the student’s research sponsor. This committee, plus the sponsor, will constitute the student’s research progress committee that will meet at least annually with the student thereafter. Students whose performance is judged unsatisfactory on this exam will be given one additional opportunity to take the exam before the Fall of the third year. In this case, a new committee would be constituted for the second exam, consisting of 2 new faculty members plus the sponsor. Should the student pass the second exam, the new committee would continue as the student’s research progress committee. 

The links ( http://www.columbia.edu/cu/biology/grad/qeii/qeiiexam.html ) below show examples, in two different styles, of research proposals that may be useful in preparing Qualifying Exam Part II thesis proposals for second year graduate students

1. Research proposal of Jin Wang, a graduate student

2. Postdoctoral research proposal (successful) of I-tsuen Chen

General Degree Requirements

Residence Requirements

Residence at the University is required for each advanced degree and is completed through the accumulation of Residence Units during the autumn and spring terms. The Residence Unit, rather than registration for individual courses, provides the basis for tuition charges. Two Residence Units are required for the Master of Arts degree and six Residence Units, including the two for the M.A. degree, are required for the Master of Philosophy degree. The residence requirement for the Doctor of Philosophy degree is satisfied by the six Residence Units earned for the Master of Philosophy degree. An M.A will be awarded in the Fall of the third year of study to those students who have completed 2 full satisfactory calendar years of study. This requirement includes completion of the Qualifying Exam Part II and satisfactory research performance.

Students must complete all academic requirements, as well as residence requirements, within four consecutive terms for the M.A. degree (except in designated part-time M.A. programs described under Master of Arts Degree, below) within four calendar years for the M. Phil. Degree, and within seven calendar years for the Ph.D. degree. A student transferring with the M.A. degree, or the equivalent, from another university must, if granted standing, complete all the requirements for the M. Phil degree within no more than three years and all the requirements for the Ph.D. degree within no more than six years.

The student must have satisfied the academic requirements in force at the time a degree is awarded. Accordingly, if the student takes more than the normal time to complete requirements for any degree, he or she may be required to satisfy increased or changed requirements.

Continuous Registration

Continuous registration until completion of all requirements is obligatory for each degree except for requirements completed extra muros (see Doctor of Philosophy Degree, below).

After completing the appropriate number of Residence Units, students are required to register for Extended Residence for any term in which (a) they hold a fellowship of University appointment or (b) they are completing a degree requirement such as course work, language or qualifying examinations, deposit of an essay, or the defense of dissertation. Students who neither hold a fellowship or a University appointment nor are completing a degree requirement can satisfy the continuous registration requirement and maintain their status as graduate students by registering for Matriculation and Facilities, which allows them to make use of various University facilities. (Exception: a student may defend a dissertation or deposit an essay while registered for Matriculation and Facilities if registered for a Residence Unit or Extended Residence in the immediately preceding term. However, any student holding a fellowship or University appointment must register for Extended Residence for that term.) Students are exempted from the requirement to register continuously only when granted a leave of absence.

Leave of Absence

A student who must interrupt studies for a compelling reason – for example, sustained ill health – may be granted a leave of absence for a stated period, usually not to exceed one year. During the period of leave, a studen t may not use University facilities. Forms requesting leaves of absence may be obtained in the Office of Student Affairs, 107 Low Memorial Library.

If a leave is granted, the fact is entered on the student’s permanent academic record. The period of a leave of absence is not counted as part of the time allowed for the completion of degree requirements.

Students on leaves of absence may be eligible to defer payment of University loans and National Direct Student Loans. Consult the Office of Student Affairs, 107 Low Memorial Library, for further information.

Readmission

A student who leaves the University without obtaining a leave of absence, or who fails to pay the Matriculation and Facilities fee, is not usually readmitted. The special approval of the Dean, contingent upon the merits of the student’s request and the recommendation of the department, is required for readmission.

If a student wishes to apply for readmission, he or she must submit the application to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Office of Student Affairs at least four weeks before the first day of registration for the term in which he or she wishes to resume studies. If readmitted, the student becomes subject to all current requirements, as interpreted by the Dean to fit the student’s case. Because an unauthorized absence does not relieve a student of the obligation to register continuously until the completion of all degree requirements, readmitted students are also required to pay the Matriculation and Facilities fee for each term of absence after June 1972, ordinarily for a maximum of eight terms. (Students who are absent for more than eight terms and who continued to work toward the degree during the entire period are liable for additional payment.)

Termination

A satisfactory rate of progress toward a higher degree is required at all times. A department or doctoral program subcommittee has an absolute right to terminate a student’s candidacy at any time for academic reasons, or t o deny the student readmission.

Advanced Standing

Advanced standing is limited to students who, upon entrance to the Graduate School, have completed the requirements for either an appropriate M.A. degree or the equivalent, or an appropriate professional degree, at Columbia or elsewhere. On the basis of such work a maximum of two Residence Units may be accepted for credit toward the M. Phil. and Ph.D. degrees. Usually, work is accepted for credit when a) it has contributed directly and substantially to the fulfillment of t he requirements for the M. Phil. and Ph.D. degrees and b) it meets departmental standards. Students granted advanced standing under the foregoing provisions are not eligible to receive the M.A. degree from Columbia.

Exceptions to the regulation on advanced standing may be granted for students who transfer from other graduate programs within Columbia University. Such students may offer a maximum of 30 points in fulfillment of no more than two Residence Units, provided that the candidate does not offer the courses toward another degree. No more than one such Residence Unit may be credited toward the M.A. degree and no more than one toward the M. Phil. and Ph.D. degrees.

Students transferring from institutions outside of Columbia who have not completed an appropriate M.A. degree program or the equivalent, or an appropriate professional degree, are not eligible for advanced standing.

Doctor of Philosophy Degree

The degree of Doctor of Philosophy is the highest that can be achieved by a course of study in the University. Every student who wishes to earn the Ph.D. degree must have earned the M. Phil. degree at Columbia, and must fulfill satisfactorily the requirements of the Graduate School and of the department.

The student must prepare a dissertation embodying original research, successfully defend it in a final examination before a committee of the faculty, appointed by the Dean of the Faculty of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and submit the required number of approved copies to the Office of the Dean for deposit in the University library.

The student is responsible for distributing copies of the dissertation at least three weeks before the defense. Once the thesis has been completed and initially revised to the satisfaction of the faculty advisory committee (which generally will form the core of the defense) the student's faculty advisor arranges the thesis committee and the date of the defense. The advisor informs the department Administrative Coordinator of the composition of the committee and the date and time so that the University Administration (i.e. Dissertation's Office) can "formally" notify each member of the Thesis Defense Committee.

A student must be registered for a Resident Unit or for Expended Resident Unit for the term in which the dissertation is defended. Exception is made for a student registered for a Resident Unit of an Extended Resident Unit in the term immediately preceding the term in which he or she defends and for a student returning from a leave of absence for a defense who was registered for a Resident Unit or for an Extended Resident Unit in the term immediately before beginning the leave. In both exceptional instances, the student may defend while registered for Matriculation and Facilities.

Thesis Defense

The thesis defense consists of a public presentation of the work in a forty-five minute seminar. This seminar is followed by an examination related to the thesis work of the candidate by the thesis committee. The outcome of this examination is either an acceptance of the thesis with minor revisions, acceptance with major revisions or failure.

Graduate School policy requires that all dissertations be written in English. Rare exceptions may be granted only with prior approval of the Executive Committee of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and the Dean (after departmental approval of the topic, but before research is begun). Guidelines governing exceptions are available from the Office of the Dean, 109 Low Memorial Library.

Deposit of the Dissertation

When the faculty committee has certified that the student has passed the final examination, the candidate must, in order to receive the degree, arrange with the Dissertation Secretary, 108 Low Memorial Library, for the deposit of the dissertation in the University library. The student has two options regarding the form in which copies of the work are acceptable - print or microfilm. The student should obtain from the Dissertation Secretary the statement of rules governing the two options. A deposit fee is payable at the time of deposit.

Award of the Degree

When all requirements have been satisfied and all outstanding fees paid, the degree is awarded on the next conferral date (October, January, or May) following the final deposit of the dissertation (see Academic Calendar ). The deadlines for applying for degrees through the Office of Student Information Services do not apply to the doctoral degree. Once all requirements for the Ph.D. degree have been completed, the Office of Student Information Services is notified th at the degree should be awarded on the next degree date. For employment or other purposes, candidates may obtain official certification of the completion of all degree requirements from the Office of Student Information Services. Information about the annual Ph.D. Convocation held the day before Commencement is mailed from the Office of the Dean in March. Information about the annual Commencement ceremony in May is mailed from the Office of the President in March.

Departmental Facilities

 Business Office, 500 Fairchild

This office is responsible for the financial accounting of the department including payroll (John), purchase orders (Tammy), special equipment orders and petty cash vouchers (Al). Keys are also issued here (Greg).

Photocopying and Fax Machines: One of the departmental photocopy machines and the fax machine are located in the rear of the Business Office. Each lab is given a code number which allows access to the machines. First-year graduate students will have an account with monies allotted for copier use. There is are additional photocopying machines located in the 600 office and the library. Our departmental fax number is (212)865-8246. Use of the fax machine should be limited to departmental/laboratory business.

Academic Office, 600 Fairchild

This office is responsible for handling any academic or clerical issues. Reimbursements are also processed here (Sarah). The main departmental phone number is (212) 854-4581. This office schedules the use of all of the rooms in the Fairchild Building. Should you wish to reserve rooms 700, 800 or 1000, please contact the office to find out the schedule and availability. Overhead & slide projectors may be checked-out from this office with your student ID. You are welcome to use the copy machine located in this office.

Postage Machine: Located in the 600 office, this is to be used for departmental business only

Stockroom, 212 Schapiro

Hours: Monday thru Friday, 9am-1pm and 2pm-5pm. The stock room supplies most of the standard items used in our laboratories. Other supplies should be requisitioned through the 500 Business Office (    ). All deliveries are made to the stockroom and are then distributed to each laboratory. All supplies are charged to your laboratory or Principal Investigator’s account. The stock room can also send packages by United Parcel Service (UPS). You should wrap parcels yourself before bringing them to the stock room for shipping.

Graduate Student Lounge, 900 Fairchild

This lounge is reserved for the use of all graduate students in our department. You may obtain a key from the 500 office.  The ping-pong table must be folded up after use.

Computer Facilities, 731 Mudd

There are several different computer systems available for use by graduate students…IBM’s, Macintoshes, a Sun workstation and laser and color printers.

Departmental Mail Boxes, 7^th floor Fairchild

All Departmental Faculty, Staff and Graduate students are assigned mailboxes. This is also where you may drop your outgoing mail as well as local campus mail. All first-year graduate students are assigned mailbox 2425 or 2427. Please remember to check your mailbox frequently for material. Once you have finished your laboratory rotations, you will be assigned a mailbox in association with the lab in which you work. Your work address will be:

Your Name
Department of Biological Sciences
Columbia University
700 Fairchild, M.C. (2425 or 2427)
1212 Amsterdam Avenue
New York, NY 10027

Address for package delivery (UPS, FedEx, Airborne Express):

Your name
Biology Stockroom
530 W. 120th St.
New York, NY 10027

Library Facilities

The Libraries at Columbia, consisting of more than 5.5 million volumes, 3.3 million microform pieces, 22 million manuscripts, and access to more than 350 online databases through terminals located in the Libraries and other on-campus sites, are designed to serve the instructional and research needs of the University. The Libraries’ primary purpose is to provide information in subject fields pertinent to University goals. The Libraries strive to fulfill this purpose by (1) identifying, acquiring, or otherwise making available library materials in all formats needed within the University, (2) providing reference, bibliographic and other specialized library services that reinforce academic objectives, (3) making re sources accessible through the support services and facilities of central and specialized library units, and (4) assuring the security and condition of the collections. http://www.columbia.edu/cu/libraries/

Fall & Spring Semester Hours:

*Hours vary during the summer sessions, inter-sessions and holidays.

The Biology Library’s collection includes 46,000 books and journals primarily focused on genetics, biochemistry, developmental biology, molecular biology and the neurosciences. The Health Sciences library has many books and journals which are of interest to biology students and we will obtain books or copies of articles from Health Sciences when they are needed. Any titles that are not owned by the Columbia University Libraries can be obtained from other Universities on interlibrary loan. The library has many resources for literature searching. These include access to the MEDLINE and GENBANK databases. In addition, online searches of many other databases (such as the science citation index, zoological record, and chemic al abstracts) are available. Please contact Kathleen Kehoe, x44182, for instruction in database access, or any other library assistance you may require.

Physics Library, 810 Pupin, 854-3943

Chemistry Library, 454 Chandler, 854-4709

Mathematics/Science Library, 303 Mathematics, 854-4712

Medical School Library, 701 W. 168^th Street, Health Sciences Building

[There is a shuttle bus service between the Morningside Campus and the Medical School at 168^th Street. See http://cpmcnet.columbia.edu/library/shuttlesched.html or call 854-5508 for an updated schedule.]