Graduate Education in Entomology at Cornell

Our graduate program offers both M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in a wide range of basic and applied research areas.  The program permits an outstanding degree of flexibility to the interests of individual students.  The Field of Entomology has particular strengths in Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Behavior, Physiology, Molecular Biology, Genetics, and Genomics, and Managed Systems Entomology.

The Cornell “Graduate Field” System

The Graduate School at Cornell is organized into “Training Fields,” that span college and department administrative units. Fields draw  their graduate faculty from multiple disciplines and departments, so students have access to a diversity of scholarship in their respective areas of study.  Faculty members may belong to multiple Graduate Fields, so individual research labs may include students engaged in distinct training programs.  The Field of Entomology currently includes faculty members belonging to the Departments of Entomology, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, and Neurobiology and Behavior, as well as the Boyce Thompson Institute and the USDA-ARS station at Cornell.

Your Major Advisor and Special Committee

Your first step in joining the Cornell graduate program is to choose a Thesis Advisor.  This will be a faculty member in the Field of Entomology with whom you will work closely throughout your degree.  Your Advisor will guide you in your research throughout your degree, and will help establish financial support for your degree program.  It is strongly advised that you contact prospective advisors even before applying to the program to confirm that they are available and interested in taking on a new student.  Don’t be shy, our faculty welcome these contacts.

Once you are established in the program, you will construct a Special Committee.  This is an advisory committee composed of 3-5 faculty from across the University, chosen by you, and including your Advisor. A minimum of two members of your Special Committee must belong to the Field of Entomology.  The role of your Committee is to provide addition expertise on your topic of graduate research, and to advise you on coursework selection, research execution, and degree progress.

Thesis and Examinations

Every candidate for the M.S. and Ph.D. degree in Entomology is expected to submit a thesis at the end of their degree program.  The details of thesis content and construction vary among students.  An M.S. or Ph.D. degree can be conferred once your thesis has been judged to be “complete” by your Major Advisor and Special Committee. 

Ph.D. students in Entomology are required to take what we call the “A exam”, ideally in the second year of your degree program.  The Exam is administered by the Special Committee, and will vary depending on the composition of your committee.  The format of the exam is generally oral, and may include some written questions.  Topics to be covered may include anything relevant to your proposed research and degree program.  Your Advisor and Committee Members will guide you in preparation for your A exam.

Required Courses

Entomology does not require any specific courses to be taken.  Instead, we tailor coursework to each student's background and interests. We do expect that all students establish an adequate knowledge base by enrolling in a sufficient number of relevant courses.  Your Special Committee will advise you in course selection.

Financial Support

Graduate students in Entomology generally do not pay their own tuition out of pocket.  Instead, tuition is paid and a stipend is provided to cover living expenses through a combination of mechanisms.  Students in Entomology may be supported by Teaching Assistantships, wherein you aide in the teaching of a Cornell undergraduate course; Extension/Outreach Assistantships, in which you dedicate 15-20 hours per week performing structured outreach or agricultural extension work; Graduate Research Assistantships, where your Advisor pays your expenses from a research grant; or Fellowships, merit-based awards from Cornell or from external agencies that cover the cost of your graduate education.

Please contact our Graduate Field Assistant if you have any questions about the Cornell Entomology training program, or if you would like any further information.