Cornell University Graduate School Annual Report 2016-2017 by Cornell Graduate School

Cornell Graduate School

ANNUAL REPORT 2016â&#x20AC;&#x201C;2017

Barbara A. Knuth Senior Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School

Jan Allen Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs

contents â&#x20AC;&#x2021;

Sara Xayarath HernĂĄndez Associate Dean for Inclusion & Student Engagement

Jason Kahabka Associate Dean for Administration

Janna Lamey Assistant Dean for Graduate Student Life

The Graduate School provides strategic leadership and support for

VISION

Cornellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s distinctive system of cross-disciplinary and integrative graduate education within which a diverse group of students and faculty thrive intellectually and professionally to achieve academic excellence.

The Graduate School enhances the intellectual life of the university by

MISSION

enabling graduate and professional students to undertake scholarly study and advanced research, and prepare for professional work in diverse career paths. The Graduate School focuses on the following strategic areas to fulfill our mission:

Learning and Assessment: To promote excellence in learning, the Graduate School coordinates the Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s graduate assessment initiatives, and pursues partnership and external funding opportunities to develop innovative structures in support of studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; scholarly and professional development.

Student Experience: Through programming and infrastructure, the Graduate School encourages the development of a diverse community, optimizes professional development opportunities, prepares students for a multiplicity of career paths, fosters skills for lifelong health and wellness, and helps students experience considerable flexibility, freedom, and independence in their academic programs.

Field, Faculty, and Staff Support: By coordinating the graduate field structure and administering 13 degrees and nearly 100 graduate fields, we strive to deliver seamless, efficient, and aligned services that enable fields to devote their efforts and resources to research, scholarship, and instruction.

Visibility: Through internal and external communications, we celebrate and promote the talent, research, and leadership of the graduate education system at Cornell and of our students and faculty, and inform our constituent audiences about important trends and initiatives in higher education.

Letter from the Dean Dear Graduate Community, Dedication to student success is one of the Graduate School’s core values and appears in our vision and mission statement. To support student success, we use an evidence-based approach to enhance our programs and improve the student experience. This year, we shared comprehensive surveys and other data with graduate fields and graduate students to encourage reflection, self-assessment, and improvement.

We introduced new customized dashboards to help graduate fields understand the effectiveness of their programs, while graduate students gained insights into safety, finances, and doctoral career outcomes. We also included in our benchmarks promising practices from beyond the Cornell community and learned what works best here. Our commitment to success goes beyond data. We developed over 340 programs, workshops, and events for graduate students on topics ranging from overcoming the imposter syndrome to writing effective fellowship applications. We also modified our surveys to collect data that will help our staff determine which workshops are most effective and improve others for the future. We shared student success stories through postings in our weekly newsletter, as well as at recognition ceremonies and many other events. I am encouraged by survey results indicating that 90% of both current students and alumni think their overall Cornell experience was good to excellent, and 95% of doctoral alumni report working in a field closely-related to their PhD. As you review the Annual Report, please join me in recognizing the Cornell graduate community’s dedication to student success! Barbara A. Knuth Dean of the Graduate School

Graduate School lauded for promoting students’ success DECEMBER 13, 2016 The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) and the Educational Testing Service (ETS) presented Cornell University with this year’s ETS/CGS Award for Innovation in Promoting Success in Graduate Education: From Admission through Completion. Barbara Knuth, senior vice provost and dean of the Graduate School, accepted the co-sponsored award on Cornell’s behalf Dec. 9 during the CGS 56th Annual Meeting, held Dec. 7–10 in Washington, D.C. 44

The award recognizes promising, innovative proposals to enhance student success and degree completion at the master’s or doctoral levels while promoting inclusiveness. The winning institution is selected on the strength of its proposal to meet the award’s goals and to serve as a model for other schools. The winner receives a twoyear, $20,000 matching grant. “Our goal is to achieve a campus climate in which all graduate students feel valued and accepted by faculty and peers, and where incidents of bias are minimized,” Knuth said. “This recognition from ETS

and CGS will help us to provide an environment in which all members of our graduate community understand and value the diverse identities, experiences and perspectives present on our campus. I am honored to accept this award on behalf of my Graduate School colleagues and our partners across many offices at Cornell.” Through the project Innovative Inclusion Interventions (I3): Promoting Graduate Student Success through Advancements in the Climate of Graduate Education, Cornell intends to promote graduate student success and an inclusive climate through four interventions supporting the academic and social engagement of

Graduate School leadership The Graduate School’s governing body is called the General Committee, and our “by laws” are described in the Code of Legislation. The General Committee is the administrative, legislative, and judicial board of the Graduate School and approves revisions to the Code of Legislation, approves appointments to the graduate faculty, and makes recommendations for new advanced degrees.

General Committee of the Graduate School 2016–2017 NAME

FIELD OR AFFILIATION

TERM END

Dean Barbara A. Knuth

Graduate School

Associate Dean Jan Allen

Graduate School

Associate Dean Jason Kahabka

Graduate School

Associate Dean Sara Hernandez

Graduate School

Anna Waymack

graduate student

2017

Aravind Natarajan

graduate student

2018

Professor William Brown

Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology

2019

Professor Stacey Langwick (on sabbatical fall 2016– spring 2017); replaced by Maurine Linder until May 2017

Anthropology

2019

Professor Joel Brock

Applied Physics

2017

Professor Shorna Allred

Natural Resources

2017

Professor Eric Rebillard

Classics

2019

Professor Rebecca Harris-Warrick

Music

2017

Professor Molly Diesing

Linguistics

2019

Professor Linda Williams

Development Sociology

2017

Professor Monica Geber

Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

2019

Professor Paul Soloway

Nutrition

2017

Professor Lawrence Gibbons

Physics

2019

Professor Melissa Hines

Chemistry & Chemical Biology

2017

Members-at-Large

Humanities

Social Sciences

Life Sciences

Physical Sciences

graduate students across identities. These interventions include a summer success symposium, an interactive theater project, an intergroup dialogue project immersion program, and an inclusive teaching institute for graduate students and postdocs.

Barbara Knuth, senior vice provost and dean of the Graduate School, joined by Sara Xayarath Hernandez, associate dean for inclusion and student engagement, accepts the ETS/CGS Award on Cornell’s behalf during the 56th Annual Meeting of the Council of Graduate Schools. 5

PRIORITY ONE

program assessment and planning GOAL Promote a culture of learning, assessment, and continual improvement in Cornell graduate programs.

A culture of assessment is key to maintaining and enhancing graduate education at Cornell. Data collected at touch points across the student lifecycle— from prospective students to alumni—improve the understanding of all aspects of graduate education by helping graduate fields assess their programs and the Graduate School enhance recruitment, student experience, and career outcomes for graduate and professional students. Reviewing ongoing survey data allows the Graduate School to promote academic program enhancements and improvements through a process of reflection, assessments, and planning. Megan Biango-Daniels, PhD ’18, presenting at the inaugural Teaching as Research National Conference on June 6, 2017.

Inaugural conference highlights innovations in teaching Monday, June 12, 2017 BY SALLY KRAL At the inaugural Teaching as Research National Conference on June 6, scholars from across the country discussed how classroom research findings can be used to improve teaching techniques and learning outcomes. One Cornell presenter, Allison Truhlar, PhD ’17, spent a year as a teaching assistant observing students’ participation in unstructured online discussions and measuring how this participation affected their engagement with course content. She found that changing to a more directed, question-and-answer format better served the students—a discovery that will directly 6

influence how she designs her courses in the future. The conference, co-organized by the Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE) and Cornell University Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning (CU-CIRTL), was previously known as the Classroom Research and Teaching Symposium and has now been expanded to include researchers and scholars nationwide. In addition to Allison’s, there were 15 other oral presentations throughout the full-day conference, as well as 17 poster presentations, a roundtable session, and a keynote address. Presentation and discussion topics ranged from interactive learning techniques to supporting diversity and

inclusion in the classroom to educational software programs. In addition to Cornell graduate students, postdocs, faculty, and staff, there were presenters and attendees from nearly 20 different universities. “After five years hosting the Classroom Research and Teaching Symposium for the Cornell community, we are delighted to welcome scholars from around the country this year,” said Senior Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School Barbara Knuth, who offered opening remarks at the event. “By sharing our research experiences and knowledge with one another, we can strengthen our future faculty and work together with current faculty around course improvement projects.” Knuth also noted the importance of the Graduate School’s partnership with CTE over the past several years, and the hard

Highlighted Accomplishments Self-Assessments and Reflections Graduate Field Self-Assessments: To

help graduate fields plan and implement meaningful program-level learning outcomes, the Graduate School reviewed each fieldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biennial assessment report and provided personalized feedback and resource suggestions for designing and supporting learning outcomes for students. Graduate fields with similar learning outcomes or initiatives were connected to facilitate cross-field interactions.

Student Self-Assessments: Student feedback is critical to improving graduate programs. Graduate student and alumni surveys contain rich data sets that provide graduate fields with insight into what aspects of the academic experience students find useful. The Graduate School displays detailed information from these surveys on our intranet for graduate fields using easily filterable tables developed in Tableau, with the ability to filter by graduate field and student demographics. Aggregated student data are posted publicly. Alumni Career Outcomes Survey: The Doctoral

Alumni Careers Outcomes Survey Report is part of an initiative to make career outcomes data more readily available to prospective and current students, graduate fields and faculty, and the Cornell community. It is posted publicly on our website.

Improve Surveys: With comprehensive input from Cornellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Office of Institutional Research along with pilot testing, the Doctoral Experience, Exit, and Career Outcomes surveys were refined to make the data more relevant and usable for graduate fields.

Learning Outcomes

Professional Development Learning Outcomes Assessments: The Graduate School hosted

340 personal, professional, career, and academic development programs for graduate students last year. To maximize our limited resources, we developed metrics to evaluate learning outcomes. Now these outcomes are measured in the Doctoral Experiences and Career Outcomes surveys to provide comparative data about areas for improvement.

Facilitate Active Reflection and Promote Innovative Practices in the Graduate Fields: For the past several years, the Graduate School has conducted biennial meetings with faculty leaders of graduate fields. Sharing improved metrics, biennial learning outcome assessment summaries, and promising practices with the graduate fields has resulted in the fields tailoring their programs to better support student academic and career success. For example, some fields have developed fellowship writing seminars, while others are providing opportunities for graduate students to interact with alumni in meaningful ways.

work and dedication of CTE Director Theresa Pettit, CTE Teaching Support Specialist Kimberly Williams, and CUCIRTL Director Colleen McLinn to make this national conference a reality. Keynote speaker Michelle K. Smith, associate professor of biological sciences at the University of Maine and C. Ann Merrifield Professor in Life Science Education, presented on how certain assessment tools can help faculty make instructional decisions, and how student data collected from these tools have inspired faculty from several institutions to share data on student learning with one another and create additional assessment opportunities to learn more about student thinking. Smith will be in residence at Cornell during the 2017-2018 academic year for a sabbatical research program. 7

PRIORITY TW0

student experience GOALS Enhance academic and professional development opportunities

for students. Enhance graduate and professional student and postdoc life.

Graduate students choose Cornell for its outstanding academic and research opportunities. Years later, they remember Cornell for its rich student experience and support structures. The Graduate School promotes social connectivity, health and wellness, professional and career development, and graduate student life programs. In some cases, we developed programs to meet a specific need, like free child care during critical study periods. In other cases, we partnered with units across campus to ensure that graduate students are aware of Cornellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wide array of activities, professional and career development programs, clubs, social events, and recreation opportunities. For example, Cornell Minds Matter, which was formed as an undergraduate organization, began opening programs to graduate students.

Highlighted Accomplishments Big Red Barn Graduate and Professional Student Center (BRB)

25th Anniversary Celebration: The Big Red Barn Graduate and Professional Student Center celebrated its 25th anniversary with cake, 25-cent coffee, a trivia night, a birthday party, and an alumni weekend. A special panel included the graduate student alumni who originally petitioned for the BRB to become a graduate student center, as well as the Graduate School Associate Dean at the time and the architect responsible for the BRBâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s renovations. Improvements to the Big Red Barn:

The Big Red Barn is where graduate and professional students 8

from across campus meet and enjoy refreshments, activities, and events. As part of the anniversary celebration, the BRB kicked off a crowdfunding campaign and alumni rose to the challenge, resulting in the addition of a wood stove, bike racks, and a piano.

Health and Wellness

Cornell Minds Matter: Originally developed by an undergraduate in 2004, Cornell Minds Matter promotes knowledge about mental health and resources on campus and works to decrease student stress at Cornell. Their free wellness and mental health programming, including meditation, yoga, Zumba, and more, was opened to graduate students this year with special programs developed just for graduate and professional students. Sexual Violence: As part of a larger university-

wide initiative, the Graduate School developed and implemented a sexual violence prevention and response program. New students participated in web-based sexual violence training. A broader roll-out and increased enhancements are planned for next year.

Office Hours with the Assistant Dean of Graduate Student Life: The Assistant Dean for Graduate Student

Life Janna Lamey implemented weekly open office hours to remove barriers for students who need guidance but are unable to schedule an appointment. While most students continue to make appointments, the office hours have succeeded in making the deanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s office more accessible.

Military Service Veterans

Veterans arrive at Cornell with different life experiences from other graduate students. To develop more community among veterans, the Graduate School began hosting a welcome dinner for current and incoming veterans from around the world, including the United States, China, South Korea, Israel, and Brazil. In addition, a dedicated web page for veterans was created to house information about events, resources, and listservs.

Women Student Groups

Speaker Series: Graduate

students benefit from connections with successful Cornell alumni. This year, the Graduate School supported a partnership between the student-run Graduate and Professional Women’s Network (GPWomeN) and the alumni organization President’s Council for Cornell Women (PCCW) Mentoring Committee. The GPWomeN-PCCW Speaker Series has brought prominent Cornell alumnae to campus to speak to graduate students and postdocs on topics such as overcoming the imposter syndrome, maintaining a healthy work-life balance, negotiating skills in the workplace, and more. The five initial sessions brought large audiences and positive feedback. The speaker series will continue in 2017-2018.

Graduate Women in Science (GWIS): The Graduate

School helped re-establish GWIS, which quickly became a high-capacity organization with impact. The group secured grants from several alumni organizations to launch new programming, including bystander intervention training, a workshop on issues of social justice in STEM, and FemSTEM, a peer mentoring program that matches undergraduate women in STEM with women graduate student mentors.

Students with Families Initiatives

Student Child Care Grant: The Student Child Care Grant, which is available for undergraduate and graduate/ professional students with children, expanded this year to include a grant to support child care for student families during the summer months.

graduate student spouses and partners find jobs at Cornell, the Graduate School and Cornell’s Office of Human Resources developed a career fair where spouses/ partners of graduate students can meet with representatives from Cornell’s Office of Human Resources to discuss jobs and their potential careers.

Professional Development

Pathways to Success: Pathways to Success provides academic, career, personal, and professional development opportunities for graduate and professional students and postdoctoral scholars. Programming is organized into the following thematic focus areas: Navigate Academia, Build Your Skills, Create Your Plan, and Prepare for Your Career. An improved webbased calendar filters programs according to learning objectives and focus areas. Future Faculty Programs from CIRTL (Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning) at Cornell

Part of the NSF-supported CIRTL Network, CIRTL at Cornell develops evidence-based future faculty programs that encourage inclusive teaching and mentoring skills. This year, the Classroom Research and Teaching Symposium expanded, attracting participants from 20 other institutions. Other CIRTL at Cornell activities included hosting the Inclusive Teaching Institute, developing learning communities through massive open online courses (MOOCs), making use of peer facilitators, and awarding small grants.

Time Out for Student Families at Cornell Child Care Center: In recognition

of student family needs for child care during critical study periods, the Time Out program was expanded to cover several study periods during exams. In addition, the regular Time Out program, in which student families receive free child care and the opportunity to socialize and discuss parenting issues was expanded to six sessions per year.

Cornell Career Fair: Finding a job in Ithaca can be challenging for student spouses or partners. To help

At the Cornell Career Fair spouses/partners of graduate students meet with representatives from Cornell’s Office of Human Resources to discuss jobs and their potential careers. 9

PRIORITY THREE

inclusion GOAL Build recruitment and student support programs to develop a

more diverse graduate student body in terms of gender, race, and ethnicity, focusing particularly on those fields underrepresented in these metrics.

At Cornell, inclusion is one of our core values. Most colleges in the United States admitted men only at the time of Cornell’s founding—we awarded our first doctoral degree to a woman eight years after Cornell’s first bachelor’s degree was awarded. Continuing our tradition of fostering diversity and inclusion, the Graduate School has focused on composition through our recruitment programs, engagement through our support of student groups and activities, inclusion through forums and structures, and achievement through our partnerships, workshops, and programs fostering student success.

Intergroup Dialogue Project facilitates new summer course for grad students and postdocs A group of emerging scholars at Cornell learned new skills for effective dialogue, relationship-building, and managing conflict in academic environments in a new program this summer, facilitated by the Intergroup Dialogue Project (IDP).

This pilot program, facilitated by the Intergroup Dialogue Project and tailored for graduate students and postdoctoral scholars, is peer-led and collegial. 10

Tailored for graduate students and postdoctoral scholars, the program is peer-led and collegial. Meeting for six threehour sessions at 6-2-6, the Center for Intercultural Dialogue, participants learned from one another by sharing issues and perspectives related to their social identities, and how these might influence them as students and future scholars. “Graduate students are required to communicate and work across cultural, social and power differences on a daily

basis,” said IDP Director Adi GrabinerKeinan, M.A. ’11, Ph.D. ’16. “They need to navigate different spaces, ways of thought and academic practices. They are also occupied with questions and thoughts about the scholars and professionals they want to become.” A goal of the program is to “create academic spaces that allow individuals and groups to work together as equals, and to challenge oppression and discrimination,” she said. “You bring your unique personality to the table. Many people feel they have to hide, or can’t expose, their full identity.” IDP seeks to positively transform campus climate and create inclusive social change through experiential learning courses

Highlighted Accomplishments Support for Student Groups

LGBTQ+ Support: The Graduate School participated

in several LGBTQ+ focused events and added three LGBTQ+ Ambassadors to the Graduate Student Ambassador team.

Office of Inclusion and Student Engagement Leadership Council Student Group Support: The

Graduate School hosted programs and events focused on establishing and maintaining community, including: Welcome Reception, Spring Recognition Banquet, and the Renaissance Ball.

Diversity Recruitment with Graduate School Ambassadors

Graduate School Ambassadors are current graduate students who travel with faculty and staff to recruitment conferences and universities to cultivate a pool of diverse applicants. Fourteen new Ambassadors were recruited and a comprehensive training program was developed.

Programs for Underrepresented Minorities and First-Generation Students

Summer Success Symposium: In collaboration with

Diversity Programs in Engineering and the Bouchet Graduate Honor Society, the Graduate School hosted the Summer Success Symposium, a program for new and continuing MS/PhD and PhD students who identify as first-generation college students and/or students of color.

Dean’s Scholars: To develop a sense of identity and community for all Diversity Fellowship recipients, the Graduate School created a Dean’s Scholars designation that recognizes these students and helps build a community among them. Women of Color in STEM Symposium: In

collaboration with Diversity Programs in Engineering, the Graduate School developed the Women of Color in STEM Symposium. The inaugural event attracted 150+ registrants, including undergraduate and graduate students, postdocs, faculty, and staff.

focused on getting past societal and institutional norms and perceptions of identity to foster intercultural experiences.

inclusion and student engagement. “Not only as scholars, but their identities in their fields and how they process and engage with ideas.”

Participants in the summer program, adapted from IDP’s undergraduate classes, began by discussing “all aspects of their identities – disability, sexual orientation, gender, race, but also a new one – their identity as scholars, and what that means in relation to diversity and social justice issues,” she said. “Their questions are related to mentorship, their teaching, their relationships with their colleagues,” she said. “We look at the big picture but also their personal experiences. We encouraged them to think about their personal life, and not to theorize things immediately.” Graduate student and IDP co-facilitator Christine Barker said: “An interesting dimension emerged. We had humanities

students who are used to talking about theory and problematizing alongside STEM students who were more solutions-oriented.” “That’s a critical component of their identities,” said Sara Xayarath Hernández, Graduate School associate dean for

In discussions among the Graduate School, IDP, and the Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning, “we worked together to create a meaningful process for graduate students and postdoctoral scholars to explore their identities, to practice communication across difference, and to think together about authentic diversity in academia,” Grabiner-Keinan said. This pilot program is expected to reach about 30 people over two separate sessions in its first year, Hernández said. The original IDP program for undergraduates started with 30 students in the fall of 2012 and now has more than 200 students each semester. 11

PRIORITY FOUR

financial support GOAL Enhance financial support for graduate education.

Cornell Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s generous support package for doctoral students includes tuition, health insurance, and stipend. About 97 percent of doctoral students are fully funded. Tracking and planning fellowships for this many students in nearly 100 fields is a priority for the Graduate School.

Highlighted Accomplishments

97%

OF PH.D. STUDENTS ARE

FULLY FUNDED

Fellowship Management Tools

The Graduate School launched a new fellowship tracking and planning system to replace the current system of complex spreadsheets. The system sends automated award notifications at the start of each term and promotes and systemizes the external fellowship top-off program.

Teaching Assistant Appointments

To help fields manage assistantships, the Graduate School began providing integrated reports tracking hours and appointments from HR, payroll, and student systems, and provided training for graduate fields and faculty on the use of the tool.

NSF Graduate Research Fellowship reception Graduate School Dean Barbara A. Knuth recognized this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship winners at a reception attended by current and past winners and faculty members. Dean Knuth at the National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Reception attended by current and past winners and faculty members. 12

The NSF receives nearly 17,000 applications annually and awards about 2,000 fellowships. This year Cornell welcomed 29 new Fellows, bringing the total on campus to 230. In addition to the winners, the Graduate School honored faculty members for their encouragement, support, and mentoring of graduate students, which many winners had noted in their applications.

External funding secured for Graduate School programs

Student spotlight

(Knuth-PI) The CIRTL Network: 22 Research Universities Preparing a National Faculty to Advance Undergraduate Success: Subaward from University of WisconsinMadison from Great Lakes Higher Education Guaranty Corporation award. $129,300 2014–2017.

Peter DelNero, a doctoral candidate in biomedical engineering, has received the 2017 K. Patricia Cross Future Leaders Award. DelNero is one of eight graduate students nationwide to receive this prestigious award out of more than 250 nominees from 127 institutions.

(Knuth-PI) NYC ASCENT: Advancing Computer Science Careers through Enhanced Networking and Training: A Proposal for the Implementation of Best Practices in the Computer Science and Engineering Postdoc in New York City. Subaward from Computing Research Association from National Science Foundation award. $78,501 2014–2017.

The K. Patricia Cross Future Leaders Award recognizes graduate students who show promise as future leaders of higher education, who are committed to academic and civic responsibility, and whose work focuses on teaching and learning. The award honors K. Patricia Cross, professor emerita of higher education at the University of California, Berkeley. Carolyn Fisher, Ph.D. ’16, received the award in 2015.

(Knuth-PI with Co-PIs Jed Sparks and Susan Henry) Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning (CIRTL). University of Wisconsin-Madison (NSF subaward). $143,850 2013–2018 (reauthorized and extended). (Knuth-PI) Enhancing Student Financial Education and Literacy Across Undergraduate, Graduate, and Professional Programs. Council of Graduate Schools. $40,000 2013–2015. (Knuth-PI) Graduate Research Fellowship Program, NSF, $4,481,999 2016–2021. (Knuth-Co-PI with A.T. Miller, PI) Building Skills, Nurturing Success, and Emulating the Academic Achievements of Ronald E. McNair Through an Expanding Community of Practice. Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program at Cornell University. U.S. Department of Education. $1,100,000 2012–2017. (Knuth-PI, with Co-PIs Sara Xayarath Hernández and Colleen McLinn) CIRTL AGEP—Improved academic Climate for STEM Dissertators and Postdocs to Increase Interest in Faculty Careers. National Science Foundation. $106,721 2016–2021.

Peter DelNero, Biomedical Engineering

As a graduate student researcher focused on microfluidic biomaterials and cancer, DelNero recognized that working in a lab can be an isolating and impersonal experience with little connection to the people affected by cancer. To connect scientists with patients and advocates, he helped develop a partnership between his lab and the Cancer Resource Center of the Finger Lakes, which DelNero hopes to expand to other institutions. To further extend the connections between patients and research, DelNero teaches an undergraduate writing seminar called Dimensions of Cancer that examines the human and personal sides of cancer as well as the scientific. As an active participant in the Graduate School’s future faculty program, CU-CIRTL, DelNero has honed his teaching and leadership skills and helped launch the Inclusive Teaching Network, a community of graduate students and postdocs aimed at incorporating inclusive teaching practices into current and future courses. DelNero is active in the Cornell community, teaching a seminar that guides students through public narrative projects in the local cancer ecosystem and leading the Cancer Brainstorming Club, Participatory Action Research Network, and Big Red Pumpkin Boat Race. He is the recipient of an Engaged Graduate Student Grant, and he is a student team member on the Engaged Curriculum Grant Community Engagement by Cancer Scientists. DelNero accepted his award at the Association of American Colleges and Universities’ (AAC&U) Annual Meeting in San Francisco, Jan. 25-28. The award provided the funds to attend the conference and a one-year affiliation with AAC&U, including subscriptions to all AAC&U periodicals.

PRIORITY FIVE

field, faculty, and staff support GOAL Provide efficient and effective services to graduate fields to support faculty, students, and staff.

The Graduate School provides data, administrative tools and processes, and communication services to support the graduate community. Leveraging technology to make processes more efficient is a major priority along with supporting effective, consistent, and best practices in graduate fields.

Grants for Graduate Fields: To support graduate

Highlighted Accomplishments

Informal Lunch Discussions for Directors of Graduate Studies (DGS): The Graduate School hosted

Best Practices

Administrative Training for Directors of Graduate Study: To promote best practices among the graduate

fields, the Graduate School began regular training sessions for directors of graduate study on Graduate School policies and procedures, admissions, data systems, diversity in admissions, recruitment, student mentoring, and professional development.

fields, the Graduate School began awarding small grants to foster programs and encourage best practices for recruiting diverse students, supporting professional development opportunities for students, enhancing students’ career preparation and exploration, and mentoring students.

lunch discussions to provide an informal setting where directors of graduate studies can connect and discuss issues impacting their fields. Topics included policies and procedures, admissions and data systems, diversity in admissions, recruitment best-practices, student mentoring, and professional development. The pilot session, Graduate Student Sexual and Gender-Based Harassment: A Facilitated Discussion for DGSs, received positive reviews.

Jason Kahabka receives dedicated service award Jason Kahabka ’98, M.S. ’03, admits that he should have known something was up: a rather short agenda was distributed in advance of the Nov. 29 staff meeting being held in the Big Red Barn, itself an unusual location for a meeting. Instead, Kahabka, associate dean for administration at the Graduate School, was presented with the George Peter Award for Dedicated Service. Kahabka says he was “blown away” when he walked in and was greeted by a crowd of more than 50 friends and colleagues. Ulysses Smith, chair of the Employee Assembly (EA), presented the award, which is given by the EA to staff members 14

nominated by their colleagues who “consistently demonstrate a high degree of excellence in the performance of their duties and who prove their willingness to extend themselves to help others and go above and beyond the normal expectations of their job responsibilities.” As an associate dean, Kahabka helps support more than 100 graduate fields, working with graduate faculty, staff, and 5,100 graduate and professional students. He supervises a team and oversees graduate admissions, student services, graduate student fellowships and travel grants, technology support and data management.

Milestones

Checklists and milestones are effective means for helping students stay on track. This year, the Graduate School leveraged PeopleSoft to provide students with milestone data and a checklist of pending and completed milestones.

Making Policies Easier to Understand

Search Tool: To improve faculty, staff, and student

awareness of policies and benefits supporting graduate students, the Graduate School launched an interactive and searchable tool that allows students to search and filter policies according to keyword. For instance, a search for “maternity” yields “Parental Accommodation Policy,” Cornell’s policy governing maternity and paternity leave.

Accessible Language: Policies were rewritten in accessible language to foster better understanding and promote benefits available to graduate and professional students.

Chinese Transcripts: This year, the Graduate School began accepting certified, translated copies of Chinese applicant’s transcripts and degrees from the Chinese Ministry of Education using the CHISECC service.

Improve Thesis and Dissertation Submission and the Degree Conferral Process

Proquest: The Graduate School retired the legacy Graduation Manager system and transitioned to a vendor-hosted Proquest Electronic Theses and Dissertation solution for storing and publishing theses and dissertations. Survey of Earned Doctorates: The National Science

Foundation’s Survey of Earned Doctorates is now included in the dissertation submission process as a required item, helping maintain Cornell’s historically high response rate. The Graduate School is aiming for 100-percent compliance in the future.

Admissions and Records Management

Electronic Records Retention: The Graduate School implemented a new admissions records retention process through the Electronic Student Record system. Prior to the change, admissions records were kept in a student’s file. New tools in ImageNow allow for better separation of document types and customized retention plans for each class of record. These tools automatically purge documents at the end of a retention period, saving staff time and resources.

Barbara Knuth, senior vice provost and dean of the Graduate School, lauded Kahabka’s “strong people skills, in combination with really finely developed technological skills,” and called him a “successful collaborator” on many levels: with the student services staff, working with them as a team and giving them the freedom to work independently; with the Graduate School leadership team; and with others throughout the university, who “really look forward” to interacting with him. Kahabka is known for using his “sense of humanity” and his knowledge of policy to work through some very tough situations, Knuth said. Allan Bishop, associate vice president for human resources, said Kahabka has “made a tremendous impression on his

colleagues, staff, and students.” Bishop quoted Janna Lamey, assistant dean for student life at the Graduate School and a recipient of the George Peter award in 2011, who described Kahabka’s positive impact on staff: “We all want to work for Jason because of his focus on staff development and team building.” Bishop said other nominators noted that Kahabka’s interactions with the graduate community often occur when students are in distress, and in those situations he is known for his problem-solving skills, thoughtful consideration, care, and compassion. Michael Skinner, graduate student services representative, and Marcia Sawyer, graduate field assistant and George Peter award recipient in 2008,

also highlighted Kahabka’s dedication, motivation, imagination, accessibility and knowledge – and his commitment to graduate students. Kahabka said it is “great to work to find solutions with people who really care.” “I am shocked and overwhelmed to receive this award,” he said after the ceremony. “There are many evenings I leave work thinking about all the tasks and important projects that I hoped to complete that day but couldn’t because I simply ran out of time. The kind words of support I heard from my colleagues today help to remind me that we are all trying to make Cornell better, and that even the small things we do can really be meaningful for someone else’s work.” 15

PRIORITY SIX

visibility GOAL Enhance visibility of graduate education opportunities at Cornell and contribute to improving graduate education nationally.

This year the Graduate School strengthened communications to internal and external audiences by launching a long-term website redesign project, developing a hub for professional and career development, a search engine to make policies and procedures easier to find, and continuing our popular communications methods including weekly Graduate Announcements electronically, and the Ask a Dean column responding to student questions. Beyond the Cornell community, graduate students visited Washington, D.C. to advocate for graduate education while Graduate School staff held leadership positions at the Council of Graduate Schools and other national organizations.

Highlighted Accomplishments Website Redesign

and promoting messages that emphasize our organizational goals. This year, the Graduate School completed a discovery phase, needs analysis, and RFP. Next year, the project will be designed and developed with a go live date in Summer 2018.

Sharing Good News and Resources

The Graduate School is proud of Cornell’s outstanding graduate community and shares positive stories about graduate students, faculty, alumni, and programs, highlighting the benefits, policies, support structures, resources, and procedures that provide a framework for student success. In the process, Graduate School Announcements was transformed from a weekly events listing to a small news magazine. Anecdotally, these changes were popular, with open rates rising from 58 to 68% this year.

Ask a Dean

With an aging website and over 1,000,000 visitors per year, the Graduate School website was ready for a redesign. The project goals included special attention to improving content and findability of important information

As part of our efforts at transparent communication, the Graduate School publishes an advice column (Ask a Dean) in which students email their questions and get a response from a dean within three business days. This

Graduate and professional students lobby on Capitol Hill BY KRISTEN ADAMS AND ELIZABETH ELLIS Eighteen graduate and professional students traveled from the Ithaca campus and Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City to Capitol Hill for Cornell Advocacy Day April 5. Students met with members of Congress and their staffs to discuss science policy, graduate federal student aid, research funding and immigration policy (including Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals). By all accounts the students’ messages were well-received on Capitol Hill. 16

“I believe Advocacy Day not only provides a well-rounded experience for the students, but is also vital in informing members of Congress and their staff about the importance of these issues to Cornell,” said Kristen Adams, associate director of Cornell’s Office of Federal Relations. “This year we had a great group of students, the highest number of participants, and their stories were told in nearly 40 congressional offices.” Students visited 38 congressional offices from 12 states, and each student visited representatives of his or her home state.

Sabrina Solouki, a doctoral student in immunology and infectious disease, explained how her research would not be possible without federal funds allocated to individual students and laboratories. “When I was an incoming graduate student, I had a very stressful time finding a lab that had enough financial support to take on an additional graduate student. Having gone through this uncertain situation firsthand, I realized the tremendous role federal investment in basic and applied research plays,” Solouki said. Jake Wolf, DVM ’17, met with U.S. Reps. Kurt Schrader, D-Ore., and Charlie Dent, R-Pa. He said it’s valuable for the legisla-

quickly became the most popular feature in Graduate School Announcements.

Graduate Education in the Cornell Chronicle

Leadership

Maplewood Graduate Housing Complex Dedicated

This year, Graduate School deans engaged in active service and leadership through positions at national organizations and advocacy on Capitol Hill. ■

■

Past Chair of Board of Directors, Council of Graduate Schools, Senior Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School Barbara A. Knuth Diversity & Inclusion Committee, Council of Graduate Schools, Associate Dean for Inclusion and Student Engagement Sara Xayarath Hernandez Executive Committee of the Board, National GEM Consortium, Associate Dean for Inclusion and Student Engagement Sara Xayarath Hernandez President, Northeast Association of Graduate Schools, Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs, Jan Allen

Pollack: PhDs Can Inform Discourse, Model Expert Thinking

Knuth Updates GPSA on Strategic Progress and Student Debt Cornell Ranked Among Best U.S. News Graduate School Rankings Graduate School Lauded for Promoting Students’ Success Jason Kahabka Receives Dedicated Service Award Future Professors Learn Academia Unwritten Rules All Faculty Students Staff Have Voice in Campus Governance Graduate and Professional Students Lobby Capitol Hill President Pollack Reaffirms Values in Meeting with GPSA More than 200 Soggy Students Champion Science in D.C. March Grant Enables Graduate Students to Travel to 47 Nations Graduate Student Honored for Teaching, Cancer Patient Program

Advocacy Day and Graduate Students March for Science

In addition to periodic meetings with legislators to raise awareness about policy issues related to graduate education, the Graduate School collaborated with Cornell’s Federal Relations office and the NIH-funded Broadening Education in Scientific Training (BEST) program to take graduate students to Washington to participate in Advocacy Day and the AAAS CASE Workshop. As part of ongoing advocacy for science funding, graduate students participated in the March for Science in Washington, DC on April 22.

tors to be able to “put a face on those who work in the sciences” and explained why graduate and professional student funding is essential to help students achieve their dreams. “As someone who grew up in a lower middle-class family, education was always my way of advancing life,” Wolf said. “Without the lower interest rate offered through graduate student loans, I would not be able to hope to repay my veterinary school loans one day.” Morgan Carter, a plant pathology doctoral candidate, was “incredibly inspired by my Advocacy Day experience and will be pursuing more opportunities to engage in

advocacy and be an active citizen. It was a great introduction to talking to legislators and learning how to present a position from multiple angles, depending on the priorities of the representative you were pitching to.” Doctoral students Solouki and Catherine Sun (natural resources), who participated in Advocacy Day, were also selected to attend the American Association for the Advancement of Science Catalyzing Advocacy in Science and Engineering Workshop April 2-5 in Washington. They learned more about the structure and organization of Congress, federal budget and appropriations processes, and tools for effective science communication and

civic engagement. They met with Cornell alumni Melanie Stansbury, M.S. ’07, a professional staff member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, and Adam Rosenberg ’98, staff director of the House Science Committee’s Subcommittee on Energy. “Melanie and Adam were both extremely generous with their time and insights,” said Sara Xayarath Hernandez, associate dean for inclusion and student engagement in Cornell’s Graduate School. “Having the opportunity to connect with alumni working on the Hill made for an even more meaningful experience.” 17

statistics

applications, admittances, and matriculations Graduate Student Admissions by Degree Type, 2007–2016 11,500 10,817

11,000 10,500 10,000 9,500

9,691

9,230

8,981

9,000 8,500 8,000 7,500 7,000 6,500

6,158

6,000 5,500 5,000 4,500 4,000

3,134

3,500 3,000 2,500

2,070

2,000 1,500 1,000

1,081 794

500 0

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

Doctoral Degree Applications

Doctoral Degree Admittances

Professional Master's Degree Applications

Professional Master's Degree Admittances

Research Master's Degree Applications Doctoral Trend

2013

2014

2015

2016

Doctoral Degree Matriculations

Research Master's Degree Admittances

Research Master's Degree Matriculations

Professional Master's Degree Matriculations

Research Master's Trend

Professional Master's Trend

Over the past 10 years, the Graduate School has experienced steady growth in applications for all degrees; the overall application growth rate between 2007 and 2016 was 58%.

Yield 60

Overall applications to the Graduate School reflected 5% growth since last year, with application growth reflected in both the research and professional master’s programs; doctoral applications to Cornell University fell by 1% between 2015 and 2016.

55 50 45

For all degrees, the “selectivity rate” over the past 10 years has remained just above 20%, indicating the competitiveness of Cornell graduate programs. In 2016, yield for all degree types was above 40%—an indication of the high caliber student Cornell has matriculated. The doctoral selectivity rate in 2016 was 15%; the yield was 41%

40 35 30 25 20

Fall 2007–2016 Admissions Notes

15 10 2007

2011

2016

Doctoral Students

2015–2016 change

2011–2016 change

2007–2016 change

-1%

-10%

Doctoral Degree Applicants Doctoral Degree Matriculants Research Master’s Degree Applicants

-10%

18%

91%

161%

ResearchDoctoral Master’sStudents Students

Research Master’s Degree Matriculants

82%

118%

Professional Master’s Master’s StudentsStudents Professional

Professional Master’s Degree Applicants

46%

187%

-3%

12%

54%

Research Master’s Students

Professional Master’s Degree Matriculants

Research Degree Admissions by Ethnicity, 2007–2016 RESEARCH DEGREE APPLICATIONS BY ETHNICITY, 2007–2016 12,000

10,024 12,000

11,921

11,761

11,921

11,761

Total Research Degree Applications, Admittances, or Matriculations US Underrepresented Minority

9,000 10,024

US White 5,714

6,000

10,024

9,000 6,000

3,000 0 2,000 1,800 2,000 0 1,600 1,800 1,400 2,000 1,600 1,200

International 3,295

2,843

2,912 7,248

6,905

1,371

1,350 3,295

886 5,714 2,843

640

610

581 396

2,912 230

2007 886

2008

2009

2010

581 2,843 396 2007

2008

2009

2010

1,350 2011 3,295 610

2012

2011 1,350

2012

2013

2014

640

2013

2014

2015

2,912

230

2016 1,371 1,837 230

2008

2009

1,576 2011

2010

1,604

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016 1,837

1,200 1,600

17% overall increase in applications

1,837

1,604

1,576

652

635

817

800

1,400 1,000 600

603

590

400

652

1,000 600 200

230 603 119

635 289

1,200 800

800 400 0 200 600 1,000 0 400 200 1,000 800 0

99 652 230 2007 119 603

2008

2009

2010

2008

2009

2010

62 289 635 2011 126 590

123 817 298 47 2012

2013

2014

2015

2016 675 123

2012

2013

2014

2015

298 2016

2010

786 47 2011 689

2012

2013

2014

RESEARCH DEGREE MATRICULATIONS BY ETHNICITY, 2007–2016 1,000 800 600

Matriculations

123

62 2009

2015

2016 786

747

786 747

378 689 287

307 400 600 200

200 400 0

0 200

280

287 117

279 112

280 55

64 257

49 378

117 2011 287 64

105 307 2007 55 280 54

2008

2009

2010

2007 105

2008

2009

2010

2013

2014

2015

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016 112 49 17

28 2008

2009

2010

54 2007

2012

112 2016 279 49

28 257 2011 117

2016 yield for underrepresented minorities: 40%

378

257

Yield

279

307 105

55 0

7% increase in the number of matriculations from minority students 5% overall increase in matriculations

689

600 800 400

15% overall increase in admittances

47 289 2011 126

2008

30% increase in the number of admittances from minority students

298 675

119 99 747 2007

Admittances 675 817

590 126

99 2007 230

55% increase in the number of applications from minority students

1,576

1,400 1,800

1,000

Ten Year Research Degree Review Applications

640

610

1,604 2007

1,371 2016

2015

886 RESEARCH DEGREE ADMITTANCES BY ETHNICITY, 2007–2016 581 396

US Unknown

7,248

6,905

5,714

3,000

6,000 3,000

Total (incl. URM) US Minority

7,248 11,761

11,921 6,905

12,000 9,000

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2016 yield for all students: 43%

Professional Degree Admissions by Ethnicity, 2007–2016 PROFESSIONAL DEGREE APPLICATIONS BY ETHNICITY, 2007–2016 10,000 10,000 8,981 8,981

10,000 8,000 8,000

Total (incl. URM) US Minority

6,135 6,135

6,000 6,000

6,886

US Unknown

3,974 3,974

4,000 4,000

3,134 3,134

2,000 2,000

1,695 3,134 1,695

792 792 2,000 229 1,695 418 418 193 229 0 193 0 792 2007 229 2007 418 193 0 2007

International

3,974

4,000

762 762

1,254 1,254

1,140 1,140

341 341 145 1,254 145

2008 2008

2009 2009

2010 2010

762 2011 341 2011 145

2012 2012

2013 2013

2014 2014

2015 2015

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

798 798 376 376 1,140 157 157 2016798 2016 376 157 2016

3,000 3,000

2,963 2,963

3,000 2,500 2,500

2,963

95% increase in the number of applications from underrepresented minority students

2,290 2,290

2,500 2,000 2,000

1,967 1,967

2,290

1,199

745 745

601 601

1,000 500 500

388 745 256 388 256 113 113 110 388 500 0 110 0 256 2007 113 2007 110 0 2007

65% increase in the number of admittances from underrepresented minority students

1,199 1,199

1,502

1,500 1,000 1,000

2008 2008

2009 2009

2010 2010

2008

2009

2010

438 601 164 438 164 52 52 438 2011 164 2011 52 2011

499 499 499

1,400 1,200 1,200

1,171 1,171

1,200 1,000 1,000

1,171

2013 2013

2014 2014

2015 2015

2016 2016 182 61

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

Yield 1,315

2016 yield for underrepresented minorities: 63% 2016 yield for all students: 44%

855

732

534 534 373 373

534 347 347 259 259 347

238 238 373

75 75 68 68

169 238 169

2007 169 75 2007 68 2007

69% increase in the number of matriculations from underrepresented minority students

732 732

800 600 600

400 200 200

Matriculations

1,315 1,315

855 855

600 400 400

436 436 182 182 61 436 61

2012 2012

PROFESSIONAL DEGREE MATRICULATIONS BY ETHNICITY, 2007–2016

1,000 800 800

Admittances

1,967

1,502 1,502

2,000 1,500 1,500

Ten Year Professional Degree Review Applications

PROFESSIONAL DEGREE ADMITTANCES BY ETHNICITY, 2007–2016

US White

6,135

6,000

200 0 0

US Underrepresented Minority

6,886 6,886

8,000

1,400 1,400

Total Professional Degree Applications, Admittances, or Matriculations

8,981

31 31 2008 2008

2009 2009

2010 2010

2008

2009

2010

281 281

2012 2012

2013 2013

2014 2014

2015 2015

267 267 115 281 115 35 267 35 115 2016 2016 35

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

102 259 102

102 2011 31 2011 2011

Research Degree Admissions by Graduate Field, Fall 2016 APPLICATIONS

Graduate Field

2015

2016

100

Africana Studies

Animal Science

2015

2016

-18%

-6%

n/a

67%

300%

-13%

-42%

-44%

Anthropology

147

118

Applied Economics and Management

283

289

-20%

-17%

-38%

29%

-19%

Applied Mathematics

135

174

29%

-5%

Applied Physics

198

200

20%

-6%

Archaeology

Architecture

-3%

200%

100%

Asian Literature, Religion and Culture

14%

-17%

-25%

Asian Studies

15%

14%

-25%

105

113

229%

300%

26%

-33%

-50%

Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology

237

235

-1%

-11%

Biological and Environmental Engineering

-5%

-45%

-17%

404

374

-7%

-4%

-5%

Astronomy and Space Sciences Atmospheric Science

Biomedical Engineering Biophysics

% change

MATRICULATIONS

2015

Aerospace Engineering

% change

23%

63%

300%

Chemical Engineering

393

102

44%

86%

Chemistry and Chemical Biology

273

269

-1%

-6%

-38%

-21%

-19%

-17%

258

302

17%

-28%

13%

-34%

29%

126

102

-19%

-8%

-11%

Comparative Biomedical Sciences

-35%

-14%

-42%

Comparative Literature

24%

14%

Computational Biology

118

-41%

-82%

-71%

1,086

1,113

133

162

22%

27%

Design and Environmental Analysis

11%

-15%

23%

Development Sociology

14%

-13%

100%

Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

107

108

60%

83%

Economics

571

578

22%

23%

Electrical and Computer Engineering

428

439

-8%

English Language and Literature

261

221

-15%

21%

60%

Entomology

-39%

-55%

-60%

Environmental Toxicology

-15%

n/a

Fiber Science and Apparel Design

19%

125%

71%

214

206

-4%

19%

47%

Genetics, Genomics and Development

24%

30%

86%

Geological Sciences

24%

13%

Germanic Studies

-9%

33%

Government

315

331

-40%

-13%

History

162

150

-7%

-5%

City and Regional Planning Civil and Environmental Engineering Classics Communication

Computer Science

Food Science and Technology

ADMITTANCES

APPLICATIONS

Graduate Field

2015

2016

History of Art, Archaeology and Visual Studies

Horticulture

Hotel Administration

ADMITTANCES

2015

2016

2015

2016

11%

-20%

33%

24%

43%

80%

42%

50%

Human Development

Immunology and Infectious Disease

-22%

-47%

-70%

Industrial and Labor Relations

12%

-25%

117

122

36%

175%

Law

-100%

Linguistics

104

28%

75%

250%

Management

349

375

-9%

-36%

Materials Science and Engineering

433

557

29%

24%

-8%

Mathematics

270

265

-2%

-24%

-38%

Mechanical Engineering

392

503

28%

100%

129%

Medieval Studies

-35%

33%

50%

Microbiology

-14%

-33%

-25%

Molecular and Integrative Physiology

-19%

50%

Information Science

Music

% change

MATRICULATIONS

% change

139

110

-21%

125%

50%

Natural Resources

-4%

-14%

Near Eastern Studies

39%

-25%

Neurobiology and Behavior

21%

83%

250%

Nutrition

117

50%

150%

100%

178

172

-3%

-8%

-25%

42%

50%

n/a

Philosophy

283

251

-11%

-9%

40%

Physics

558

539

-3%

103

34%

40%

Plant Biology

-15%

-60%

Plant Breeding

51%

200%

100%

Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology

-12%

-27%

-33%

Policy Analysis and Management

-4%

-8%

-29%

Operations Research and Information Engineering Pharmacology

Psychology

199

178

-11%

33%

-17%

Regional Science

-36%

67%

75%

Romance Studies

16%

20%

-25%

Science and Technology Studies

-3%

169

143

-15%

-10%

17%

-17%

-20%

192

203

83%

13%

Theatre Arts

36%

-33%

Theoretical and Applied Mechanics

24%

100%

Zoology and Wildlife Conservation

24%

n/a

11,579

11,761

1,642

1,836

12%

730

786

Sociology Soil and Crop Sciences Statistics

Total

Professional Degree Admissions by Graduate Field, Fall 2016 APPLICATIONS

Graduate Field

2015

2016

-5%

50%

114%

50%

100%

200%

108

86%

40%

-4%

-13%

-20%

100%

739

822

11%

147

151

Art

-23%

-25%

Biological and Environmental Engineering

-12%

-41%

-54%

Biomedical Engineering

105

119

13%

211

182

-14%

-15%

Chemical Engineering

136

117

-14%

153

-56%

-66%

City and Regional Planning

209

174

-17%

118

116

-2%

Computer Science

953

1,108

16%

210

238

13%

130

133

Electrical and Computer Engineering

852

810

-5%

350

325

-7%

144

-55%

English Language and Literature

810

792

-2%

n/a

-24%

-4%

-14%

Geological Sciences

100%

Global Development

-7%

-25%

50%

Hotel Administration

117

-23%

-26%

-20%

Industrial and Labor Relations

254

246

-3%

108

116

Information Science

223

410

84%

129

159

23%

59%

Landscape Architecture

116

140

21%

12%

16%

45%

79%

50%

301

226

-25%

107

-12%

-26%

-100%

n/a

-67%

n/a

890

1,120

26%

266

279

116

33%

-100%

n/a

Policy Analysis and Management

101

-8%

11%

Public Affairs

562

499

-11%

213

264

24%

114

33%

107

53%

47%

26%

846

1,007

19%

162

133

-18%

-31%

n/a

155

158

104

123

18%

25%

300%

100%

n/a

8,487

2,685

2,704

1,293

1,237

-4%

Animal Science Applied Economics and Management Applied Physics Architecture

Fiber Science and Apparel Design Food Science and Technology

Horticulture

Materials Science and Engineering Mechanical Engineering Natural Resources Nutrition Operations Research and Information Engineering Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology

Real Estate Statistics Soil and Crop Sciences Systems Engineering Theoretical and Applied Mechanics Total

2016

7,833

% change

MATRICULATIONS

2015

Aerospace Engineering

2015

ADMITTANCES

% change

enrollment Reflecting similar trends as seen in the admission statistics, overall enrollment over the past 10 years reflects a 16% increase, with significant growth in professional master’s degree programs (47% over the 10 year period).

The Council of Graduate Schools reported that in Fall 2016, international students comprised 30% of full-time enrollment at “doctoral universities with highest research activity”; at Cornell this cohort represents 48% of the population.

Since last year, overall enrollment in research and professional master’s degree programs experienced modest increase, whereas overall doctoral enrollment declined slightly (-3%). Fall 2016 first-time doctoral enrollment increased by 8% over 2015.

The Council of Graduate Schools reported that in Fall 2016, female first-time enrollees comprised 53% of full-time enrollment at the doctoral level; at Cornell this cohort represents 45% of the population.

The Council of Graduate Schools reported that in Fall 2016, 33% of all US citizens enrolled as first-time graduate students were students of color; at Cornell this figure is 35%.

Graduate Student Enrollment by Degree Type, Fall 2007–2016

3,500

3,222

3,500

3,134

3,240 3,000

3,113

3,197

3,164

3,000

2,500 2,500

1,943

2,000 2,000

1,675

1,500

1,500 1,130 1,000

1,498

1,000

426

500

188

212 0

1,322

1,768

260

247

392

0 2005

2007 2006

2008 2007

2009 2008

2010 2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

Research Master’s

Professional Master’s

Doctoral

Research Master’s Trend

Professional Master’s Trend

Doctoral Trend

2014

2015

2016

(Includes in absentia students)

Graduate Student Enrollment by Discipline, Fall 2007–2016 2,000

RESEARCH DEGREE ENROLLMENT BY DISCIPLINE, 2007–2016 1,525

1,500

1,381

1,324

1,000

888

819

753

500

446

821

744

426

2007

2008

2009

2010

777

416

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

PROFESSIONAL DEGREE ENROLLMENT BY DISCIPLINE, 2007–2016

2,000 2,000 2,000 2,000 1,0002,000

906

800 1,500 1,500 1,500 1,500 1,500 1,324

1,381

664

744

783

860

1,525

600 532

1,000 1,000 1,000 1,000 1,000 888

500 500 500 500 446

819

753

400

500

426

200

0 0

146 35

200720072008 2008 20142015 2015 2016 2007 2016 2007 20072007 20082008 20082009 200920092009 20092010 201020102010 20102011 20112011 2011 20112012 20122012 2012 20122013 20132013 2013 20132014 20142014 2014 20152015 2015 20162016 2016

Humanities

Life Sciences

Physical Sciences and Engineering

Social Sciences

Humanities Trend

Life Sciences Trend

Physical Sciences Trend

Social Sciences Trend

Over the past 10 years, research degree enrollment in the physical sciences and engineering has grown 15%, averaging 1.6% growth each year. Research degree enrollment in the social sciences, while fewer in headcount, has also increased over the same period, growing an average of .4% each year since 2007. Research degree enrollment in the humanities and life sciences has decreased 7% and 8% respectively over the past 10 years. 26

777

416

140

112

00 0

821

744

Over the past 10 years, professional degree enrollment in all discplines has shown growth, with an overall annual average growth rate of 4.5%. Enrollment in the physical and social sciences represent 91% of the graduate professional degrees pursued at Cornell University.

3,500

Graduate Student Enrollment by Ethnicity, Fall 2007–2016 3,000 2,500

1,515

1,374

RESEARCH DEGREE ENROLLMENT BY ETHNICITY, 2007–2016 2,000 4,000

124

168

308

1,500 3,500 1,000 3,000 500 2,500 0 2,000

1,374

180 120

201 129 72 168 2011

308 2007

1,372

1,356

1,349

2008

2009

2010

1,515 44 206 184 2012

2013

2014

2015

124 2016

1,500 1,000 500 0

180 120 2007

1,372

1,356

1,349

2008

2009

2010

44 206 184

201 129 72 2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

PROFESSIONAL DEGREE ENROLLMENT BY ETHNICITY, 2007–2016 2,000

1,500

1,096

721 1,000 2,000 500 1,500 0 1,000

511 183

183 Unknown (US)

446

17 195

135 54 2007 511

529

388

International

500

2008

2009

2010

173 1,096 79

82 721 71 2011

2012

White (US)

Asian (US)

Multi-Ethnic Non-URM (US)

Native Hawaiian/ 529 Other Pacific Islander (US)

388

To be on the cutting 135 edge in our fields and practices, we are committed to enhancing our culture to provide for the full 54 0 participation of all members of our community.—Toward New 2008 2009 2010 Destinations 2007 Over the past decade, Cornell University Graduate School has embraced this vision, increasing research degree enrollment 39% and professional degree enrollment 43% for students in the US underrepresented minority cohort.

17 195 82 71 2011

2013

2014

Multi-Ethnic URM (US) Hispanic (any race) (US)

2015

2016

American Indian/ 61 Alaskan Native (US) Black or African American (US)

446

173 In 2016, students of color represented 15% of the research degree 79 population and 17% of graduate students seeking a professional degree. 2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

Note that ethnicity is not officially reported on international students; detailed ethnicity information is reported on US citizens and permanent residents only.

Graduate Student Enrollment by Field, Fall 2016 Graduate Field

Aerospace Engineering African and African-American Studies

Research Masterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

Professional Masterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

Non-Degree

Total

Animal Science

Anthropology

Applied Economics and Management

102

Applied Mathematics

Applied Physics

Archaeology

Architecture

116

Art

133

Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology

Biological and Environmental Engineering

Biomedical Engineering

181

Biophysics

Chemical Engineering

173

Asian Literature, Religion and Culture Asian Studies Astronomy and Space Sciences Atmospheric Science

Chemistry and Chemical Biology

156

City and Regional Planning

110

Civil and Environmental Engineering

149

Classics

Communication

Comparative Biomedical Sciences

Comparative Literature

Computational Biology

125

139

331

Computer Science Design and Environmental Analysis Development Sociology Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Economics

Education

139

144

283

Electrical and Computer Engineering

English Language and Literature

Entomology

Environmental Toxicology Fiber Science and Apparel Design Food Science and Technology

Genetics, Genomics and Development

Geological Sciences

Germanic Studies

Government

History

Global Development

Doctoral

Graduate Field

Doctoral

Research Masterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

Professional Masterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

Non-Degree

Total

History of Art, Archaeology and Visual Studies

Horticulture

Hotel Administration

Human Development

Immunology and Infectious Disease

Industrial and Labor Relations

156

187

Information Science

125

171

Landscape Architecture

Law

Linguistics

Management

Materials Science and Engineering

Mathematics

Mechanical Engineering

103 65

104

175

Medieval Studies

Microbiology

Molecular and Integrative Physiology

Music

Natural Resources

Near Eastern Studies

Neurobiology and Behavior

Nutrition

Operations Research and Information Engineering

169

Pharmacology Philosophy

69 217

159

Plant Biology

Plant Breeding

Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology

Policy Analysis and Management

Psychology

Public Affairs

197

Real Estate

Regional Science

Romance Studies

Science and Technology Studies

Sociology

Soil and Crop Sciences

Statistics

142

Theatre Arts

Theoretical and Applied Mechanics

Zoology and Wildlife Conservation

3,113

426

1,943

5,539

Physics

Systems Engineering

Grand Total

40 159 28

degrees awarded Graduate Student Degrees Awarded within Discipline, by Degree Type, Award Years 2008–2017

HUMANITIES DEGREES AWARDED BY DEGREE TYPE, 2008–2017 200

186

175

156 150

100 200

186 69 156

50 150

0 100

2009

Humanities

2010

2009

2012

2013

2014

2015

2012–2017 60 change

2016–2017 change

-22%

-30%

-18%

-9%

17%

2008 Professional Master’s 205

2011

2008–2017 change

0 Research Master’s 2010

141%

2011

200

150 LIFE

27 2008 69

Doctoral

175 65

2012

203

8% 2013

2014

2015 7%

2016

2017

47 Humanities

Life

Doctoral

Doc

Research Master’s 213 2016 2017 Professional Master’s

Res

Prof

146

SCIENCES DEGREES AWARDED BY DEGREE TYPE, 2008–2017 136 205

131 213

203

200 100

150 50

100

146 50

136 40

55 131

0 2008 50

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

9 2008

Life Sciences

1,000

Doctoral

847

Research Master’s 800

Professional Master’s 1,200 600

1,000 400 800

472

27 2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2008–2017 change

2012–2017 1,011 change

-10%

-4%

10%

38%

Research Master’s31%

200%

Professional Master’s 17%

606

2016–2017 change

Humanities Doctoral

12%

2016

1,246

2017

Life Sciences

Doctoral

Research Master’s

Professional Master’s

Pro

1,246 719

1,011

847 191

0 1,200

2017

318 222

719

150

136 9

131 27

0 100

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

Graduate Student Degrees Awarded within Discipline, by Degree Type, Award Years 2008–2017 50

PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND ENGINEERING DEGREES AWARDED BY DEGREE TYPE, 2008–2017 9 2008

1,246 27

1,200 0 2009

2010

2011

1,000

2012

2013

1,011

2014

2015

2016

2017

847 800

719 606

600 1,200 400 1,000

1,011

200

191 847

800

184

606 2008

472

2009

2010

191

Professional Master’s 700 2009

2010

14%

2011

2013

2014

2015

2012–2017 2016–2017 change change Life Sciences 222

14%Doctoral

183 702

52% Professional Master’s

500

2012

66% Research Master’s

184

2008

Humanities Doctoral

800 Research Master’s

600

2011

2008–2017 change

400 200

209 719

183

Physical Sciences & Engineering

Doctoral

318

222

0 600

1,246

472

2016

2017

318

-9%

Physical Sciences & Engineering

Social Science

Doctoral

799

43%Research Master’s -3%

Research Master’s209

Research Mas

19%Professional Master’s 0%

Professional Master’s

Professional M

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

519

512 443

SOCIAL SCIENCES DEGREES AWARDED BY DEGREE TYPE, 2008–2017 400

800 300 700 200 600 100 500 0 400 300 200

799

305 702

123

519 88 2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

305 173

136

126

123

88 2008

2009

Social Sciences

Doctoral

512 114

443

100 0

173

136

126

Humanities Doctoral

2010

2011

2008–2017 change

30%

2012

2013

2012–2017 change Life Sciences Doctoral

Research Master’s

37%

Professional Master’s Professional Master’s

68% Professional Master’s

Research Master’s

114

Research Master’s

-7% 27% 16%

2014

2015

2016

2017

2016–2017 change Physical Sciences & Engineering

Social Sciences

Doctoral

23% 18%

Research Master’s

Professional Master’s

Graduate Student Degrees Awarded by Gender, Citizenship and Degree Type, 2008â&#x20AC;&#x201C;2017 GRADUATE STUDENTS WITH US CITIZEN AND PERMANENT RESIDENT STATUS

403

450

225

1,224 degrees 2011

2012

2008 128

2009

2010

2011

2013

181

159

2014

2015

137

2012

2013

2014

2015

2017

2016

157

2016

177

144

151

2017

GRADUATE STUDENTS WITH INTERNATIONAL STATUS 121

154

50400

156

385

350

375

142

400110

100

2010

375

150

2009

162

385

2008 0

144

1,183 250 degrees

200

144 180

138

310

308

1,043 degrees

250 50

158 138

324

100

300 50

158

159

187 187

118 159

132 132

350

118

132 143 184 132 143

150

400100

117 145 145

150

450

117

500200

184

250 200

180 230

225

300 250

230

322

350 300

333

322

400 350

333

403

450 400

2006

2007

2008

2009

298

2005

350

2011

2012

2013

2014

298

300

2010

300

173

129

50 0

684

2008 degrees

2009

2010

2011

2008

2005 Doctoral Female

2009

2006 Doctoral Male

2010

2007

2011

2008 Research Master's Female

155

115

878

2012 63degrees

2013

2014

2015

2016

1,250 2017 97 degrees

2014

2015

2016

2017

2011

2012

257

137

114

82 123 123 112 112

118 118 76 104 104

102

59 102

131

129

132 151

100

100 50

132

100

222

150

200

150

250

178

200

298

173

178

200

210

250

350

210

250

2012

2009

2013

2010

Research Master's Male

Professional Master's Female

2013

2014

Professional Master's Male

156

52 Black/African

International 27 by Ethnicity, Award Years 2008–2017 Graduate Student Degrees American Awarded 684

2008

International 684 Unknown 86 International

Asian 156

Hispanic 52

White 721 Black/African American 27 Asian Hispanic 156 52 White 721

684

Unknown 86

White 721

American Indian/ Alaskan Native 1 Native Hawaiian/ Pacific Islander 0

Multi-Ethnic URM 0

Unknown 86

Multi-Ethnic Non-URM 4

Black/African American 54

Asian 195

2012

International 878

International 878 Unknown 94 International 878

Unknown 94

Hispanic 86 Multi-Ethnic Non-URM 20

Black/African American 54

Asian Hispanic 86 195 Multi-Ethnic White Non-URM 20 754 Black/African American 54 Asian Hispanic 86 195 Multi-Ethnic Non-URM 20 White 754

International 1,250

Of the 2,433 total degrees awarded in 2016–2017, 54% were professional master’s degrees, 25% were research master’s degrees, and 21% were doctoral degrees. Doctoral degrees awarded increased 5% over the past 10 years, and the number of professional degrees presented to graduate students grew 63% over that same time period. In award year 2017, degrees granted in the physical sciences represented 51% of the total Graduate School degrees awarded; the social sciences accounted for 33%; and the humanities and life sciences awarded the remainder with 7% and 9% respectively. Women earned 45% of total degrees granted in award year 2017; 53% of these women were international. Of the 579 women representing nonUS countries, 66% earned a professional master’s degree. Of the total 1,091 women awarded Cornell Graduate School degrees in award year 2017, 43% earned the degree in the social sciences, and 37% in the physical sciences and engineering. The percentage of underrepresented minority students earning degrees over the past 10 years has increased 83%; for all students of color, that percentage increase was 49%. Students of color comprised 15% of those earning graduate degrees in award year 2017.

Multi-Ethnic URM 14

Black/African American 49

Asian 204

International 1,250

Native Hawaiian/ Pacific Islander 0

White 754

Unknown 94

2017

American Indian/ Alaskan Native 7

In 2008, Cornell granted 684 degrees to international students. By 2017, that number increased 83% to 1,250, and represented 81 countries from Argentina to Zimbabwe.

Hispanic 72

Black/African American 49

Asian Hispanic 72 204 White 708 Black/African American 49 American Indian/ Alaskan Native 2 Asian Hispanic 72 Native Hawaiian/ 204 Pacific Islander 1 White Multi-Ethnic URM 26 708

Unknown 96

White 708 Unknown

Multi-Ethnic Non-URM 25 33

Graduate Student Degrees Awarded by Graduate Field, Award Year 2017 Graduate Field

Doctoral

Research Masterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

Professional Masterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

Total

Aerospace Engineering

Africana Studies

Animal Science

Anthropology

Applied Economics and Management

Applied Mathematics

Applied Physics

Archaeology

Architecture

Art

Asian Literature, Religion and Culture

Asian Studies

Astronomy and Space Sciences

Atmospheric Science

101

Chemical Engineering

115

Chemistry and Chemical Biology

City and Regional Planning

Civil and Environmental Engineering

108

Classics

Communication

Comparative Biomedical Sciences

Comparative Literature

Computational Biology

149

199

Design and Environmental Analysis

Development Sociology

Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Economics

Electrical and Computer Engineering

119

168

English Language and Literature

Entomology

Fiber Science and Apparel Design

Food Science and Technology

Genetics, Genomics and Development

Geological Sciences

Germanic Studies

Global Development

Government

History

Biochemistry, Molecular & Cell Biology Biological and Environmental Engineering Biomedical Engineering Biophysics

Computer Science

Graduate Student Degrees Awarded by Graduate Field, Award Year 2017, continued Graduate Field

Doctoral

Research Masterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

Professional Masterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

Total

History of Art, Archaeology and Visual Studies

Horticulture

Hotel Administration

Human Development

Immunology and Infectious Disease

115

Information Science

133

Landscape Architecture

Law

Linguistics

Management

Materials Science and Engineering

Industrial and Labor Relations

Mathematics

Medieval Studies

Microbiology

Molecular and Integrative Physiology

Music

Natural Resources

Near Eastern Studies

Neurobiology and Behavior

Operations Research and Information Engineering

114

Pharmacology

Philosophy

Plant Biology

Plant Breeding

Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology

Policy Analysis and Management

Psychology

Public Affairs

Real Estate

Regional Science

Romance Studies

Science and Technology Studies

Soil and Crop Sciences

Statistics

Systems Engineering

Theatre Arts

Theoretical and Applied Mechanics

501

609

1,323

2,433

Mechanical Engineering

Nutrition

Physics

Sociology

Total

financial support Other Funding 3%

DOCTORAL DEGREES Total = 2,889

CU Fellow 7%

CU Fellow 22% GRA/RA 30%

External Fellow 9% GA/TA 36%

CU Fellow 7%

RESEARCH MASTERâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S DEGREES Total = 417

Other Funding 59%

External Fellow 9%

GA/TA 17% GRA/RA 14%

PROFESSIONAL MASTERâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S DEGREES Total = 1,942

rnal ow %

CU Fellow 2%

Other Funding 94%

External Fellow 4%

GA/TA 4%

External Fellow 4%

Graduate students are supported through assistantships, fellowships and funding from other sources, including funds paid directly to the student. A fellowship is an arrangement in which GA/TA financial support is given to a graduate student 17% to Other puruse his or her degree without any obligation on Funding the part of the student to engage in teaching and/or 59% research in furtherance of the university academic GRA/RA mission. Fellowships are generally merit-based14% awards intended to support a student in a full-time course of study. Assistantships are an arrangement in which financial support is given to a graduate student who engages in teaching and/or research in furtherance of the university academic mission, as well as his or her graduate education. At Cornell, assistantships include teaching assistantships (TA), GA/TA graduate assistantships (GA), graduate research 4% CU Fellow assistantships (GRA), and2% research assistantships (RA). The financial support charts do not contain information on the 234 graduate students enrolled in absentia for Fall 2016.

Other Funding 94%

Graduate Student Financial Support by Discipline and Degree Type, Fall 2016 Discipline

Doctoral

Research Master’s

Professional Master’s

Total

Humanities CU Fellow

151

42%

152

197

55%

86%

15%

225

GRA/RA

14%

Other Funding

123

84%

130

357

100%

146

100%

510

CU Fellow

119

17%

15%

134

External Fellow

109

15%

114

GA/TA

200

28%

25%

222

GRA/RA

244

35%

33%

272

21%

90%

704

100%

820

External Fellow GA/TA

Total

Life Sciences

Other Funding Total

Physical Sciences and Engineering CU Fellow

211

17%

219

External Fellow

123

10%

130

GA/TA

376

30%

13%

401

GRA/RA

515

41%

527

147

76%

900

100%

1,079

1,257

100%

193

100%

906

100%

2,356

145

25%

173

GA/TA

275

48%

16%

356

GRA/RA

117

20%

13%

139

62%

768

89%

875

571

100%

132

100%

859

100%

1,562

Other Funding Total

Social Sciences CU Fellow External Fellow

Other Funding Total

Grand Total

2,889

417

1,942

5,248

(Does not include in absentia students)

Median Time to Degree—Doctoral Program by Field Discipline

1990–1994 Fall Admit Cohort

1995–1999 Fall Admit Cohort

2000–2004 Fall Admit Cohort

2005–2009 Fall Admit Cohort

Humanities

6.7

6.8

7.0

6.8

Life Sciences

5.4

5.7

5.6

Physical Sciences

5.4

5.7

Social Sciences

5.4

5.8

6.0

Architecture

7.8

6.9

7.9

7.8

Asian Literature, Religion and Culture

8.0

8.4

7.8

8.0

Classics

5.4

6.4

7.0

6.8

Humanities

Comparative Literature

7.0

8.1

7.8

7.0

English Language and Literature

6.0

6.4

6.6

6.4

Germanic Studies

8.0

7.7

7.4

History

7.8

7.4

7.9

7.0

History of Art, Archaeology and Visual Studies

7.4

7.0

6.7

7.2

Medieval Studies

6.0

6.4

6.0

Music

7.4

7.7

7.0

6.4

Near Eastern Studies

7.2

4.9

7.0

6.2

Philosophy

6.4

6.8

6.4

Romance Studies

5.8

5.0

5.4

6.8

Science and Technology Studies

6.8

6.9

6.0

7.4

Theatre Arts

6.6

8.3

6.7

5.5

Animal Science

5.4

5.0

Biochemistry, Molecular & Cell Biology

6.0

Biophysics

7.1

6.4

5.9

5.4

Life Sciences

Comparative Biomedical Sciences

4.7

4.6

5.4

5.0

Computational Biology

n/a

6.5

5.0

Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

6.4

6.6

6.2

Entomology

5.6

5.4

5.7

6.0

Environmental Toxicology

5.0

5.5

5.4

Food Science and Technology

4.6

5.0

Genetics, Genomics and Development

6.0

6.4

6.0

Horticulture

4.0

5.0

4.7

4.0

Immunology and Infectious Disease

5.0

4.6

5.4

5.9

Microbiology

5.4

5.7

5.4

Molecular and Integrative Physiology

5.0

5.4

6.0

5.4

Natural Resources

7.0

6.0

7.2

Neurobiology and Behavior

7.0

6.4

6.1

6.0

Nutrition

5.5

5.4

6.0

5.0

Pharmacology

6.3

5.8

6.0

Plant Biology

6.4

6.0

5.9

Plant Breeding

4.7

5.0

5.3

Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology

5.4

6.0

Psychology

5.4

5.2

5.0

6.0

Soil and Crop Sciences

4.7

5.4

5.7

4.5

Zoology and Wildlife Conservation

7.5

5.4

5.0

6.1

1990–1994 Fall Admit Cohort

1995–1999 Fall Admit Cohort

2000–2004 Fall Admit Cohort

Aerospace Engineering

5.4

4.7

5.7

Applied Mathematics

5.0

5.4

6.0

5.4

Discipline

2005–2009 Fall Admit Cohort

Physical Sciences and Engineering

Applied Physics

6.0

5.9

6.0

6.4

Astronomy and Space Sciences

5.5

6.2

6.0

Atmospheric Science

n/a

7.8

5.9

5.2

Biological and Environmental Engineering

5.0

5.4

6.1

6.0

Biomedical Engineering

n/a

8.9

5.1

5.4

Chemical Engineering

5.4

5.0

5.4

Chemistry and Chemical Biology

5.3

5.2

Civil and Environmental Engineering

4.7

5.4

5.0

5.7

Computer Science

5.7

5.4

6.0

Electrical and Computer Engineering

5.7

4.7

5.0

5.7

Fiber Science and Apparel Design

5.3

4.1

5.2

5.0

Geological Sciences

5.6

5.8

5.4

5.6

Materials Science and Engineering

5.4

Mathematics

5.7

6.0

Mechanical Engineering

4.9

5.0

5.2

Operations Research and Information Engineering

5.0

5.2

5.0

Physics

6.0

6.2

Theoretical and Applied Mechanics

4.4

4.9

5.2

5.4

Anthropology

7.8

7.0

7.4

Applied Economics and Management

5.7

6.0

5.3

5.2

City and Regional Planning

5.0

5.4

5.7

Communication

5.1

6.0

5.0

Design and Environmental Analysis

n/a

Development Sociology

6.8

7.0

8.4

8.6

Economics

5.0

5.7

5.8

Education

4.0

4.4

5.0

5.2

Government

6.7

7.0

6.4

Hotel Administration

4.4

6.6

5.8

Human Development

5.7

6.0

5.4

6.4

Social Sciences

Industrial and Labor Relations

5.0

5.6

6.0

Information Science

n/a

3.9

5.0

Law

4.3

3.8

4.6

4.9

Linguistics

6.0

7.0

6.4

Management

5.0

5.3

5.4

Policy Analysis and Management

5.9

7.0

5.4

5.0

Regional Science

5.0

6.3

7.0

5.9

Sociology

5.6

6.0

7.0

8.1

Statistics

5.0

5.7

5.6

6.0

Average Completion Rate—Doctoral Program by Field 1990–1994

1995–1999

2000–2004

2005–2009

Discipline

Fall Admit Cohort

Humanities

76%

74%

78%

Life Sciences

81%

83%

86%

79%

Physical Sciences

81%

80%

83%

78%

Social Sciences

75%

76%

80%

76%

Architecture

71%

60%

75%

30%

Asian Literature, Religion and Culture

73%

63%

68%

81%

Classics

54%

53%

70%

61%

Comparative Literature

76%

88%

93%

94%

English Language and Literature

78%

82%

80%

77%

Germanic Studies

73%

82%

79%

68%

History

66%

70%

64%

70%

History of Art, Archaeology, and Visual Studies

79%

77%

82%

77%

Medieval Studies

80%

61%

67%

84%

Music

91%

82%

86%

81%

Near Eastern Studies

60%

80%

33%

100%

Philosophy

75%

54%

66%

81%

Romance Studies

87%

78%

73%

89%

Science and Technology Studies

76%

81%

69%

Theatre Arts

83%

56%

53%

79%

Animal Science

86%

84%

90%

68%

Biochemistry, Molecular & Cell Biology

88%

90%

82%

81%

Biometry

38%

57%

87%

80%

Biophysics

83%

67%

70%

100%

Comparative Biomedical Sciences

75%

83%

81%

78%

Humanities

Life Sciences

Computational Biology

n/a

100%

36%

Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

86%

83%

87%

Entomology

91%

90%

81%

80%

Environmental Toxicology

92%

75%

82%

79%

Food Science and Technology

78%

88%

96%

86%

Genetics, Genomics and Development

81%

70%

93%

78%

Horticulture

64%

93%

90%

89%

Immunology and Infectious Disease

89%

87%

82%

93%

Microbiology

84%

85%

87%

91%

Molecular and Integrative Physiology

75%

90%

89%

100%

Natural Resources

66%

78%

86%

68%

Neurobiology and Behavior

81%

84%

93%

84%

Nutrition

76%

82%

79%

Pharmacology

82%

85%

93%

83%

Plant Biology

80%

78%

79%

Plant Breeding

89%

93%

87%

83%

Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology

89%

80%

87%

77%

Psychology

76%

67%

74%

88%

Soil and Crop Sciences

85%

93%

65%

Zoology and Wildlife Conservation

88%

80%

100%

80%

1990–1994

1995–1999

2000–2004

2005–2009

Fall Admit Cohort

Aerospace Engineering

73%

80%

84%

78%

Applied Mathematics

86%

88%

87%

85%

Applied Physics

78%

85%

92%

Astronomy and Space Sciences

80%

93%

96%

86%

n/a

71%

50%

78%

Discipline

Physical Sciences and Engineering

Atmospheric Science Biological and Environmental Engineering

78%

87%

79%

100%

60%

88%

77%

Chemical Engineering

80%

79%

87%

78%

Chemistry and Chemical Biology

86%

82%

80%

70%

Civil and Environmental Engineering

73%

74%

66%

69%

Computer Science

72%

81%

79%

76%

Electrical and Computer Engineering

84%

82%

84%

75%

Fiber Science and Apparel Design

57%

78%

74%

Geological Sciences

81%

67%

81%

59%

Materials Science and Engineering

79%

75%

83%

73%

Mathematics

72%

77%

89%

88%

Mechanical Engineering

84%

78%

84%

76%

Operations Research and Information Engineering

88%

78%

83%

81%

Physics

85%

82%

83%

86%

Theoretical and Applied Mechanics

81%

88%

94%

88%

Anthropology

76%

78%

82%

64%

Applied Economics and Management

76%

60%

78%

76%

City and Regional Planning

75%

81%

74%

88%

Communication

63%

68%

73%

82%

Biomedical Engineering

Social Sciences

n/a

Development Sociology

Design and Environmental Analysis

64%

73%

70%

62%

Economics

78%

85%

87%

78%

Education

76%

73%

70%

64%

Government

74%

75%

77%

76%

Hotel Administration

75%

85%

100%

90%

Human Development

77%

67%

75%

85%

Industrial and Labor Relations

73%

68%

85%

75%

n/a

100%

63%

Law

43%

100%

88%

94%

Linguistics

79%

75%

72%

65%

Management

89%

82%

86%

79%

Policy Analysis and Management

80%

86%

85%

82%

Regional Science

77%

82%

88%

76%

Sociology

67%

77%

89%

Statistics

67%

80%

88%

84%

Information Science