Introduction
The Code of Legislation of the Graduate Faculty outlines the core policies governing graduate education at Cornell. These guidelines complement the Code of Legislation and Graduate School policies by offering additional academic guidance specific to students in the field of City and Regional Planning.
To remain in good standing and demonstrate satisfactory academic progress, students must meet the academic requirements as outlined in the Code of Legislation, the field handbook, and by your chair/special committee. These layers of governance work together to provide oversight and support for academic progress, while the policies help clarify and establish mutual expectations for achieving degree progress.
General Timeline and Funding
Most CRP Ph.D. students have four years of guaranteed funding, which can be used over five years. Renewal of financial support each year is contingent upon satisfactory academic performance and progress toward degree completion. An annual Student Progress Report (SPR), monitoring Ph.D. student progress, is conducted each spring by the Graduate School after the first year where students and the chair provide evidence of satisfactory progress. The SPR is reviewed by the Director of Graduate Studies. This Student Progress Report asks students and the chair to review the student’s recent accomplishments, identify challenges and set goals. In the case of unsatisfactory progress, or failure to form a committee, the Field may vote to dismiss the student.
Work expectations and timeline for the Ph.D. are:
Year 1: Take needed course work in consultation with the Chair of your Special Committee. With the Chair you explore possible members of your special committee.
Year 2: Take further courses as recommended by the Special Committee, hold “A” Exam, draft dissertation research proposal, and plan for any needed field work (including plans for raising an additional semester or year of funding if field work requiring in absentia status is needed). Keep in mind that the topic for the field research and dissertation should ideally be discussed with the chair and the other members of the special committee by the end of the first year.
Year 3 (and 4 if a year if extensive field work is needed): Conduct fieldwork and further research. Begin writing the dissertation. By this point, the degree candidate should be considering sharing the research with academic and professional audiences in conferences and workshops. This may include finding the funding for travel and accommodation, which may be internal or external to Cornell.
Year 4 (and/or 5 if field work took a year): Write dissertation, go on the job market, and hold “B” Exam, complete the revisions resulting from the “B” Exam, and submit the work to the Graduate School.
If a fifth year of funding is needed, the student, with their chair’s support, should identify and apply for external funding well in advance.
Ph.D. students are expected to complete their degrees in 4 to 5 years as we do not accept students without a relevant prior Master’s degree.
Grad school requirements and information regarding degree timelines are found here.
https://gradschool.cornell.edu/academic-progress/
The key milestones for doctoral students include:
- Complete the responsible conduct of research (RCR) training prior to the end of the second semester.
- Form the special committee prior to the end of the third semester (preferably, the second). Failure to secure a committee by the end of the third semester will impact funding and academic standing.
- Complete the examination for admission to candidacy (“A exam”) prior to the start of the seventh semester (preferably the fifth). The seventh semester is a hard deadline. Funding will not be provided for the seventh semester if the A exam is not completed.
- Complete the dissertation defense (“B exam”) prior to the end of the fourteenth semester (The 14th semester is a Graduate School hard deadline. CRP Ph.D. students should complete at the end of the 8th semester or 10th semester if doing field work).
- In the second year and beyond, complete the Student Progress Review (SPR) form annually and receive a rating of “satisfactory” or “excellent.”
Teaching Assistantships and Teaching
Most students receive a combination of fellowship funding (when they work on their research) and Teaching Assistantships, where they work 15 hours/week on average (and cannot exceed 20 hours per week) helping to teach, lead discussion groups, advise students and grade papers. TAships are important opportunities to gain experience working closely to support a faculty member in a course. All Ph.D. students should be prepared to be teaching assistants for any course in the undergrad or graduate core (theory, qualitative and quantitative methods). Students may be asked to TA a course outside their comfort zone. This is an opportunity for learning.
Ph.D. students are allowed to work for up to 20 hours per week. Thus, they may choose to work with a faculty member as a research assistant for an additional 5 hours per week of hourly pay while being a TA. A student who is on a Fellowship is allowed to work as a research assistant for an additional 8 hours per week of hourly pay.
An advanced Ph.D. student will likely be invited to teach a course, e.g. a freshman writing seminar, GIS or a summer course. This is excellent preparation for the job market. This is determined by the Department Chair in consultation with the DGS and the student’s advisor.
Students appointed to assistantships or teaching are subject to the terms of the CGSU-UE Collective Bargaining Agreement. Students appointed to fellowships are not included in the bargaining unit and therefore not represented by the union.
Committee Formation
At Cornell, each doctoral student has the responsibility and opportunity to assemble their special committee who are their doctoral supervisors. That special committee, under the leadership of the committee chair, then has the primary responsibility for supporting and developing the student’s independence in scholarship. The committee sets the standards for what is required to pass the A and B exams. Students should meet with their chair regularly, and their minor members at least once a semester. It is important that the student and the chair develop a shared expectation agreement during the first year and continue conversations about expectations as the student progresses. It is useful to put these shared expectations in writing. This agreement should reflect the student’s understanding of the advisor’s expectations for their work and, also, the advisor’s commitment toward the student’s education. This agreement helps establish a mutual understanding of accountability.
All Ph.D. students must have a minimum of three special committee members – a chair and two minor members. When a student is admitted the DGS assigns an initial advisor and a potential minor member, also within CRP, who were identified during the admissions process. The student should meet with both individuals to assess their possible roles on the student’s Special Committee. Changes typically occur because the question of who shall serve on the student’s Committee is the choice and prerogative of the student. However, the initially assigned advisors will guide the student until the student formally creates their committee. Each doctoral student should identify their chair, who must be a member of the CRP faculty, as well as two minor members of their committee no later than the end of their third semester. Minor members must meet Graduate School Requirements and reflect relevant areas of expertise. If a student fails to form a complete committee by the end of the fourth semester, they will be dismissed from the program.
One minor member must represent a field outside the field of City and Regional Planning, but this could still be a CRP faculty representing a different field, as most CRP faculty are members of multiple fields. Some students chose four members, but this should be done with care: it can increase future work (an extra A exam section, and another member to satisfy and schedule). Many faculty are happy to give advice informally without being officially added to a doctoral special committee. Graduate students may invite researchers or scholars from outside Cornell to join their special committees as ad hoc members, but these ad hoc members serve in addition to the required three regular members. Students may petition for an exception to any rule but, the Graduate School’s clear expectation is that Cornell faculty are ultimately responsible for guiding and supervising Cornell doctoral students.
In rare instances, a student may add or change a committee member after the A exam. If so, the new member must either accept the A exam or can request a new one. If a student changes a committee member after the A exam, this must occur at least 90 days before the B exam defense. In situations where a committee member leaves, is unresponsive or not working out, the student has the option to replace them. But the committee change process must follow Graduate School rules. If a chair or committee member steps down, students must find a replacement within expected timeframes outlined in theCode of Legislation of the Graduate School to remain in good standing. Students may not remain registered in the Graduate School if they fail to reconstitute a committee. If a student is unable to find a new chair within the required timeframes, they will be withdrawn from the Graduate School.
The Graduate School has an Advising Guide for Research Students that should be consulted for helpful advice.
Course Work
Coursework for the Ph.D. is decided between the student and their Committee and is tied both to prior preparation and the research topic the student wishes to pursue. If a student is coming in without a master’s degree in planning, coursework that includes the content in the graduate MRP core (5130 and 5190) may be recommended. Ph.D. students can also gain familiarity with the MRP core by being a teaching assistant for these courses. Minor members on committees often have additional expectations, which may include taking specific courses. Given these reasons, students should finalize their committee as soon as possible.
The department offers Ph.D. Advanced Planning Theory Courses in alternate fall semesters and a Ph.D. Research Design course in alternate spring semesters that we strongly encourage all CRP Ph.D. students to take. A Ph.D. Proseminar is organized each term by Ph.D. students. We suggest participating in the proseminar and department colloquia. These courses help build the Ph.D. cohort and provide a common foundation for all students—but they do not suffice to provide theoretical grounding for most dissertations. More specialized courses appropriate to each student’s research must be identified in careful consultation with the student’s special committee members. Students typically take other theory and methods courses in CRP and in other departments across campus.
Students should plan to finish course work by the end of their second year and hold their A exam. Taking additional courses beyond the second year may delay research progress and should be discouraged except in special circumstances.
For most students, the first year of the program is a recruitment fellowship year, which brings no additional TA or RA requirements. This is very precious time which should not be wasted. In addition to courses, the student should be meeting faculty whom they might invite to serve on the special committee.
Field Work and Grant Funding
Students may want to begin piloting surveys and conducting initial field work during their first summer in the program. Students do not need to wait until they have completed their A-exam to begin preliminary field work as this research could inform the direction of their dissertation proposal. Before beginning any field work, students should make sure they understand if their work requiresIRB approval and complete that process if needed.
If a student can complete their field work during summers and/or winter breaks, they may not need to apply for additional field work funding for their living expenses since their stipends are paid over the summer and winter break. A student may still want to apply for a Stein Institute Grant or other funding to pay for research and travel expenses. Students may also conduct field work without needing to raise external funds during a semester when they are on a post A-exam Sage Fellowship.
Students who need an additional semester(s) of field work, they can apply for in absentia status. This requires that the student raise the funds to pay their stipend. A the student who is “in absentia” only pays $200/semester in tuition. For students working in the US, they must be 100 miles from Ithaca in order to be eligible for “in absentia.” Foreign students must be full-time students to maintain their student visa, thus, the “in absentia” option, while in the US, is not available to them, but it can be used for conducting field work overseas. For students in absentia, the college will cover the tuition (reduced to $200/semester) and health insurance
Additionally, applying for grants and funding is a useful part of Ph.D. training. As a general rule, the College will contribute a 50% tuition match for graduate students who have the rest of their package (50% tuition, stipend, health insurance) funded by an external grant. Candidates will want to look outside the department for aid at the university level (e.g., Einaudi and Atkinson Center including their Semlitz grants), and going beyond that, becoming familiar with the Foundation Directory (at a minimum), which may take the candidate outside their comfort zone but may offer possibilities. The tentative time frame for field work should be shared by the Chair of the Special Committee and the degree candidate with the Director of Graduate Studies so that the Department’s TA needs are being met and the internal financial aid that is available can be distributed in a timely fashion. Bear in mind that external financial aid will entail external (and possibly internal) review and reporting requirements that have deadlines. This takes time that may be difficult to anticipate.
Preparing for the Future
Many Ph.D. students go on to academic careers which may include an initial postdoc. Some go into NGOs, international agencies, the private sector or government. Work experience, outside of academia, is valued by all employers and students should try to get “real world” experience before or during their program. Students should also avail themselves of opportunities to practice professional skills. This includes presenting at conferences. This should be done each year, and the Department and Grad School have funding to support attendance at conferences when a Ph.D. student is presenting a paper. Applying for external funding is important, not just for the money, but also for the learning experience of how to write a grant and negotiate the proposal process through all the layers of bureaucracy. Publishing is critical and it is recommended that the student work on a publishable paper early in their career so they will have publications before they go on the job market. Such papers can be written with their advisor or another faculty member to learn the craft of journal article writing. Papers outside of the dissertation help show intellectual breadth.
A Exam
The A Exam is an admission to candidacy exam and passing it shows the student is ready for Ph.D. study. It indicates that course work is complete, the committee is in place, and a proposal for the dissertation is written. Students should aim to take their A exams in their second year, Students who do not complete their A exams by the end of their third year will not receive summer funding, and if they do not complete the A exam prior to the start of the seventh semester they will not receive their Sage Dissertation Fellowship funding and will be put on probation by the Graduate School.
The student writes a full proposal for their dissertation research. The timing of the proposal is coordinated with the committee and student. Sometimes, the committee will want a draft proposal before submitting their A exam questions to the candidate. In other committees, the student might write the full proposal after the submission and approval of the written portion of the A exam. All written A exams and the proposal are shared with the entire committee at least one week prior to scheduling the Oral A exam.
In CRP, the A exam has two parts: written and oral. In preparation for the written part, the student typically works with each individual committee member on an agreed-on area of scholarship on which they will be examined. A exam formats for the written part are decided by the student and their committee. The format may take the form of timed questions (written in a week or two), or they can be more open-ended essays that are completed over several months. Students should engage with their committee about the format and timing for the written section that best matches their needs. A exam questions are designed to demonstrate the student’s competency in the field of planning (especially for students interested in academic careers in planning), in the student’s topical fields of study, and help to form the foundation for the dissertation.
The Oral A exam has the following parts:
Part 1: Committee members meet to discuss work without the student.
Part 2: Committee members discuss A Exam answers with the student.
Part 3: Discussion will shift to the dissertation proposal
Part 4: The student will leave, as the committee deliberates exam results.
Part 5: Student returns, and any recommendations are shared by the committee.
In CRP, students rarely undertake A exams if their committee is not certain that they will be successful. On occasion, if a student receives a conditional pass, the committee chair must provide, in writing, explicit detail on revisions required and a timeline (which is sent to the student, the minor members, the Graduate School and the GFA). The oral A exam is not repeated. On the very rare occasion that a student does not pass, the oral A exam has to be repeated after the student has completed more work, as specified by the committee chair.
Staying in Touch with the Committee
While the A exam proposal sets the stage for future research, rarely does the final dissertation follow the proposal exactly. While there are no requirements for full Committee meetings between the A and B exams, it is recommended that students stay in regular touch with their committee chairs and members to let them how the research is progressing. Students are also strongly encouraged to work closely with their committee chair and members as they prepare written drafts of the dissertation. Surprises at the defense are risky and not recommended.
B Exam Defense
The chair, in consultation with the student and the committee, determines when the student is ready to defend. The expectation is that all committee members will have read the full dissertation before the defense. The defense-ready draft of the dissertation should be complete, in thesis format, with all elements (abstract to bibliography). According to the Code of Legislation of the Graduate Schoolhttps://gradschool.cornell.edu/policies/code-of-legislation/ the defense-ready version of the dissertation should be provided to the committee members six weeks prior to the B exam, unless the committee agrees to a shorter review time.
The Ph.D. defense begins typically with greetings to the student after which the student is asked to step outside so the committee members can meet privately to discuss their particular readings of the student’s work. The Chair solicits concerns from each minor member, and the committee members discuss the student’s work and note what questions they would like to explore in the examination. This allows the committee members to get on the same page, and it sets the stage for the defense. Because minor members can come from diverse fields, there may be differing concerns and expectations. It is important that the committee be clear before the defense begins. This initial part of the meeting usually takes 20 minutes or more.
Next the student is invited back into the room to make a short presentation (perhaps 10-20 minutes; students should practice these presentations beforehand to allow ample time for committee discussion). The subsequent discussion (often 60 minutes or more) with the committee members follows. Typically, these examinations are far more like “serious conversations about the research at hand” than they are any form of “interrogations.”
Then the student is asked to leave the room again so the committee members can discuss what revisions will be required (approx. 15 minutes). When the student returns, the Chair specifies the revisions that need to be made. At that point the minor members are often asked if they want to sign off on the dissertation at that time or wait to see and approve the revisions. Some minor members will sign off at the defense and just have the chair review and approve final revisions. At the end of the defense, the committee usually takes a few moments to discuss the student’s future career plans. Completing this “B exam” represents an important milestone in the student’s Ph.D. career.
Most dissertations will require revisions, and a student can pass with major revisions. Conditional passes are to be used in only very rare circumstances. When they are, there is an extra burden on the chair to write a memo (to send to the Graduate School, the student, the minor members and the GFA) specifying exactly what revisions are required for the work to reach the level of pass.
A complete draft of the dissertation must be given to each committee member at least six weeks before the B exam is scheduled. The Graduate School also requires that revisions be completed within 60 days. This can be a challenge for some students, and the Graduate school will allow more time if the student writes a request. It is important to note that enrollment is future semesters or the summer is not permitted after passing the final exam, even if the 60-day submission window extends into a subsequent semester.
The student should submit the revised thesis to the committee members BEFORE sending the final document to the Grad School. The student should include a cover email telling the committee members where to find the revisions (or highlighting them) so they can find them quickly. Once each member has approved the revisions, then the student can submit the final pdf to the Grad School. Once the student submits the pdf to the Grad School, the committee members have 24 hours to approve the submitted copy electronically. So be sure to coordinate timing with the committee members.
More information on B Exam timelines is available here: https://gradschool.cornell.edu/academic-progress/thesis-dissertation/writing-your-thesis-dissertation/understanding-deadlines-and-requirements/
Mentoring
Chairing a Ph.D. student requires more than advising the dissertation. The Chair helps prepare the student for a future career as a Ph.D. This includes training in how to write journal articles and grants, as well as providing support once the student is on the job market. Mentoring, helping the student build networks, advising and reviewing job application materials and writing recommendation letters are all part of the job of the Chair. Ph.D. students are often under great stress, and their Chair is the first source of support. It is important to be available to the student all year – even in summer when no faculty are on salary—because research work continues and students will reach out for advice and guidance. The Chair also must be available to the student for advice and possible key exams (A or B) even if on leave or sabbatical. These are typical and essential duties of the chair. After the student leaves Cornell, the Chair will still be called upon to provide mentoring advice in the early career stage and recommendation letters for future jobs. Thus, the Ph.D. advisor has a long-term continuing relationship with the candidate.
The Dissertation
Doctoral candidates in CRP are required to complete a dissertation that demonstrates original research contributing new knowledge in the discipline. In CRP each doctoral student has the option of writing a monograph or three publishable papers. The faculty, as a whole, have no consensus about the desirability of one option over the other and the final format of the dissertation is decided by the student with their committee.
The monograph contains multiple related chapters which typically follow the form of: Introduction, Literature Review, Data and Method, Analysis (may be several chapters), and Conclusion. Students using historical or qualitative methods often choose the monograph option. While some students write monographs in the hope that they could turn their dissertations into a future book-length manuscript, many students will turn their monograph into several journal articles during their period of assistant professorship.
The standard for the three papers option includes the following:
1. The three papers should be thematically linked and reflect a trajectory of work with depth of inquiry in a common area.
2. Each paper must contribute significantly to new knowledge and be deemed publishable in a reputable refereed journal.
3. The material covered in the papers should not significantly overlap.
A three papers option dissertation should have a front chapter (or two) which includes the introduction to the topic, and an overall literature review that sets up the analysis for the three papers to follow. Each of the three papers should stand alone as a potential journal article and thus some literature review and data description could be similar across the papers. The dissertation may also have a final conclusion chapter that summarizes the body of research, policy implications and future research questions. It is helpful for students to think of the “umbrella” under which their three papers fit. Students should not choose the papers option because of difficulties selecting one topic. This can turn into a “three dissertation” option and delay the student another year or two. The three papers need to be substantially related.
Because all questions grow, keeping the dissertation within bounds is important. The dissertation stage should take a couple of years, after which the Ph.D. candidate should move on with their career. Outstanding research questions can be answered in future work. The dissertation is just a first exercise in learning how to conduct a comprehensive research project.
Coauthorship and Publication
Dissertation papers can be published before the defense. But the committee decides if they meet the standards for passing the B exam. If the committee wants revisions in a paper that is already published, the candidate will make revisions to satisfy the committee. Consistent with Graduate School guidelines, dissertation papers may be coauthored, typically with the chair or members of the committee, but this should be discussed with the chair and the committee beforehand and supported unanimously (for more information on Graduate School rules, see the section of theCode of Legislation of the Graduate Faculty titled “papers options”) Externally funded research will often produce coauthored work. The Ph.D. student will need experience and confidence in writing sole authored work to build a profile for the future job market. All Ph.D. students should be encouraged to publish and be mentored in that process.
Accountability and Due Process
All field policies will be enforced consistently across students and timeframes. A doctoral student is expected to design, execute and manage an independent research agenda and meet their academic milestones in a timely manner. If a student is not meeting expectations, their special committee chair along with the DGS will provide timely written notice (as soon as concerns become evident) outlining the issues, outcomes, or potential consequences including a clear explanation of the concerns and specific recommendations for improvement; a reasonable timeline and opportunity to meet expectations before any adverse action. Further, all students have the opportunity/right to meet with the DGS to discuss the concern and plan for improvement.
If a student fails to meet the conditions of that plan, the Special Committee in collaboration with the DGS will consult with the Graduate School to review the case and determine next steps. This can include academic withdrawal from their degree program and Graduate School accompanied by documentation showing that the process above was followed, and in accordance with Graduate School policy and the terms of the CGSU-UE Bargaining Agreement.
Other Useful Resources
Support for Conference Attendance and Travel
Graduate students are eligible to apply for support for conference travel and attendance. More information is available here:
https://gradschool.cornell.edu/financial-support/travel-funding-opportunities/
The department also has a modest fund to support conference travel and attendance when the student is presenting their research. The student should contact the GFA for the department application form.
Computing and Data Resources
The Cornell Center for Social Sciences (CCSS) provides research computing and cloud-based services to support data-intensive social science research. These services include secure computing environments, scalable cloud infrastructure, and technical consultation, enabling computational, spatial, and machine-learning–based research workflows. More information: https://socialsciences.cornell.edu/computing-and-data