STUDENT
HANDBOOK 2006
TABLE OF CONTENTS
• The Department vs the Program Page 2
• An Overview Page
3
• Contact People Page
4
• Sources of Funding Outside the Program Page 5
• Timeline for Ph.D. Students Page 6
• Ph.D. Degree Requirements Page 8
• Master’s Plans and Requirements Page 11
• General Information Page 14
o Revised August 2006
o Cover design by Joseph Paulin, 2003
o Information complied by Marsha Morin, Program Secretary
What is the difference between the Department of Ecology, Evolution,
& Natural Resources and The Graduate Program in Ecology & Evolution?
1. The Department of Ecology, Evolution & Natural Resources (hereafter,
"the Department") was founded in its current form in 1997. It superseded
a previous department of Natural Resources, which had a long and successful
history focused on undergraduate education and research. The Department is
primarily responsible for matters relating to undergraduate education in
Natural Resource Management, Environmental Geomatics, and Environmental Planning
curricula. It also provides a physical home for some (but by no means all)
of the faculty and students associated with the Graduate Program in Ecology
& Evolution (hereafter, the "Graduate Program"). Most faculty in The
Department belong to the Graduate Program, but many members of the Graduate
Program hail from other departments. Although it was envisioned that the
Department would provide administrative and financial support for the Graduate
Program, it currently does this to a rather limited extent. There are a few
TA and GA lines administered by the department (mostly associated with Principles
of Applied Ecology) that typically support students in the Graduate Program.
However, most TA support still originates from outside of the Department
in the Division of Life Sciences. The department does not admit graduate
students, or confer graduate degrees. The chair of the department is typically
not the director of the graduate program.
2. The Graduate Program was founded in the mid 1970's by the well known
ecologists Murray Buell and Paul Pearson. The Graduate Program is a multidisciplinary
umbrella group consisting of ~ 65 faculty in many different departments,
drawn from three Rutgers Campuses and other locations including the Institute
of Ecosystem Studies. The program defines criteria for graduate admissions,
evaluates student progress, and ultimately is responsible for certifying that
students have completed the requirements for a graduate degree. The Graduate
Program also runs the weekly seminar series, coordinates the administration
of graduate student financial support, and facilitates communication between
the university and graduate students (e.g., we sort your mail). There are
~ 75 graduate students enrolled in the Graduate Program. Operations of the
Graduate Program are overseen by the Graduate Program Director, who is elected
by the Graduate Program Faculty, and the Graduate Program Administrator. The
Graduate Program coordinates with both the Graduate School - New Brunswick
and Cook College in matters of fellowship support and various teaching, research,
and travel awards. Some graduate programs at Rutgers are congruent with discipline
departments (e.g., English, History, Physics). Ours is much more extensive
than that.
The Graduate Program in Ecology and Evolution
Overview
Program Director (3 year term)
• Representative of Program students and faculty to the Graduate School
– New Brunswick and Cook College.
• Sets policy for the program in consultation with the faculty.
• Maintains academic standards and quality of program.
• Appoints Admission Committee, Scholastic Review Committee, Curriculum
Committee and Seminar Committee.
• Signs many necessary forms such as Ph.D. and Masters Candidacy forms,
credit transfer forms, Change of Status forms, Incomplete Extension forms.
Program Secretary
• Support and contact person for all graduate students and faculty.
• Secretarial support to Program Director.
• Keeps files up to date on all students and faculty in program.
• Distributes many necessary forms for graduate students as named above
and has Special Permission numbers for courses, Prelim Proposal forms among
others.
Student Representatives to the Program
• Two students: one post-qualified and one at any stage of their career.
• Term runs from fall semester to fall semester.
• Voting power in all matters except faculty appointments and retention,
student advancement, examination or accreditation.
• More information in the By-Laws.
Contact People
and their relationship to you as students
• Peter Morin, Program Director and Professor
pjmorin@rci.rutgers.edu
932-3214
• Marsha Morin, Program Secretary
mmorin@aesop.rutgers.edu
932-3213
• Jana Curry; TA Contact
Any and all questions relating to your life-sciences TA s
sena@biology.rutgers.edu
445-5536
• Sylvia Napurano; Departmental Administrative Assistant
All payroll questions
Appoints Cook TA s and GA s
napurano@aesop.rutgers.edu
932-3210
• Priscila Walsh; Departmental Bookkeeper
All aspects of department grant processing and purchasing.
walsh@aesop.rutgers.edu
932-3212
• Barbara Sirman; Graduate School-NB
Known to all as “The Ruler Lady” or “The Dissertation Diva”
Any questions relating your thesis format.
sirman@rci.rutgers.edu
932-8122
• Dot Amorosi; Graduate School-NB
All forms post- candidacy go to Dot and can be retrieved from Dot.
Amorosi@rci.rutgers.edu
932-7034
• Lisa Estler; Business Manager; Graduate School –NB
First contact for outside funding once your proposal is ready for submission.
Estler@rci.rutgers.edu
932-2286
Sources of Funding Outside the Program
There are sources of funding outside the program, the department and your
advisors.
Much of the information will be forwarded to you throughout the year as
information becomes available. You can find information under funding on
the website for the Graduate School –NB. http://gsnb.rutgers.edu . Several
sources to keep in mind are:
• CHaSeR, the website is a source of much information: http://chaser.rutgers.edu
This office was developed to assist students in acquiring outside funding.
ChaSer lists over 3000 sources in its database.
Teresa Delcorso, Program Development Specialist
delcorso@rci.rutgers.edu
932-2705
• ORSP, this is the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs;
Their website is http://orsp.rrutgers.edu
This office oversees ALL external grants in the University
932-1000 x657
Be sure that you have seen Lisa Estler at the Grad School – NB when your
proposal is ready for submission before you submit it to ORSP. Lisa’s information
is listed in the Contact section of this handbook..
• Bevier Fellowship, Competitive yearly fellowship available
to an all-but-degree senior level graduate students. The deadline is usually
early March. Notices are sent via email when the applications are due.
• Conference Travel Awards, The Graduate School-NB awards money
for travel to conferences, on competitive basis, if students are presenting
either talks or posters. Deadlines are March 1, July 1 and November 1. You
may apply before your conference with estimated costs. Applications are available
online on the GSNB current student web-page.
• Special Study Opportunity and Pre-Dissertation Awards, Competitive
awards offered by the Graduate School-NB to support study and research off-campus.
These awards are meant for preliminary research into a site. A written proposal
is outlining the research idea is submitted as the application. Emails are
sent out to all students when the time to apply is nearing.
• There are other sources available and it is in your best interest
to use the websites within and outside the university to research your various
options.
Timeline for Ph.D. Students
First Year
• Select advisor/chairman and advisory committee:
You are admitted with an advisor. This person is tentatively your committee
chair.
In the first semester you, together with your advisor, should form an
advisory committee consisting of your advisor, two other E&E faculty
members and a senior level graduate student. It is possible that the faculty
committee may become a part your qualifying committee.
You should talk with other professors to be sure your initial advisor
is the best fit. The committee must be approved by the Program Director.
• Select your tentative qualifying committee
In consultation with your advisor, a committee should be selected , comprised
of your chair and three other Ecology and Evolution faculty members, that
will advise you on designing your curriculum, as best fits your personalized
needs depending on your background and your aspirations. As mentioned above,
this may be comprised in part by your advisory committee.
• Begin taking Core Course Requirements
Seminar in Ecology and Concepts and Methods in Evolution are required
of all first semester Ph.D. students.
Second Year
• Tentative thesis committee selected
In consultation with your chair, select at least two other members of
the Ecology and Evolution Program and one person from outside the E&E
Program. The outside member can be from another program at Rutgers or from
an entirely different institution. The Program Director must approve the
final committee membership.
• Qualifying exam date can be set and exam taken (see Ph.D. Requirements)
Students are encouraged to complete this exam by the end of their second
year. It must be completed by the end of your third year. See the Program
Secretary prior to the exam to obtain the necessary form.
• Continue with Core Course requirements
By the end of the second academic year, students should have completed
the two required courses. Most students have finished these by the end of
the first academic year.
Third Year
• Qualifying exam must be complete
The Graduate School-NB requires that at least one year elapse between
your qualifiers and completion of your PhD.
• Core Course requirements must be complete.
• Preliminary thesis exam date set and exam possibly complete.
Fourth Year
• Preliminary thesis exam complete (see Ph.D. Requirements)
See the Program Secretary for the necessary form.
Fifth Year
• Research well under way and writing of thesis should have begun.
In most cases, students admitted with a B.A. or B.S. will complete their
Ph.D. within six academic years. The Graduate School-NB will allow seven
years after initial registration before they question your progress. At the
seven year limit you may apply for a one-year extension to be approved by
your advisor, the Program Director and the Dean of the Graduate School.
Completion Dates: These vary slightly with the calendar but the general
rule of thumb is:
May 1, with diploma application in on March 15
October 1, with diploma application in on same day
January 1, with diploma application in on same day
Ph.D. Degree Requirements
It is important to note that the Ecology and Evolution Program requirements
for Ph.D. and Masters students are more stringent than the Graduate School-NB
requirements.
You must adhere to those of the E&E Program.
Credits
• 72 total credits are required
30 Course and 42 Research
• No more than 12 credits of undergraduate level (300 and 400) total
and no more than 6 of those 12 at the 300 level
• Only one course with a grade of “C” will be counted toward your degree.
• All Research credits must have a grade of “S”
GPA
• You must maintain a GPA of 3.0
Transfer of Credits
• Maximum 24 course credits may be transferred from another institution
or from non-matriculated course work at Rutgers.
• Credits can only be transferred after 12 matriculated course credits
(research credits do not count) have been completed successfully at Rutgers.
• Only courses with a grade of “B” or better will be considered.
• Approval must be obtained from the Program Director and the Dean
of the Graduate School-NB (Obtain the form from the Program Administrator/Secretary).
• Approval will be granted only for those courses pertinent to your
field
Core Course Requirements
• All Ph.D. students must complete Seminar in Ecology their first semester.
• Within the first two years, you must complete Concepts and Methods
in Evolution.
• One course in statistics, either undergraduate or graduate should
be completed. Advanced study of statistics is suggested.
• Although we do not require students to take a specific core course
in Ecology, some course work in this area will be necessary to satisfy the
requirement (see below) that students demonstrate broad knowledge in the
areas of ecology and evolution.
Qualifying Examination (Quals)
• To test the basic knowledge of ecology, evolution and other fields
pertinent to
your anticipated area of specialization.
• Minimally, those areas covered in the core course requirements will
be examined.
• Areas to be covered should be discussed with your committee 3 months
prior to your exam.
• A brief written essay is to be presented to your qualifying committee
prior to or at the time of your exam explaining how you have obtained an
adequate background in ecology and evolution (courses taken, other research
experience etc.).
• Exam may be oral, written or both and designed at the discretion
of the chair of your committee.
• Committee consists of your chair and three other members of the E&E
faculty. Please let the program secretary know who is on your committee prior
to your exam. The committee make-up must be approved
by the Program Director.
• A failed Qualifying Exam may be retaken once. A second failure will
terminate your candidacy for your Ph.D.
• You will need to let the Program Secretary know your plans well in
advance so that a room suitable for the qualifiers can be scheduled.
Preliminary Thesis Examination (Prelims)
• To present a detailed written research proposal of your Ph.D. research
for approval to your thesis committee. This proposal
should be presented to your committee at least three weeks prior to your exam
date.
• Your thesis committee consists of your chair, at least two other
members of the E&E faculty and one person from outside the E&E program
faculty. This person can be from within Rutgers or from another institution
entirely.
• The proposal cannot be approved if there is more than 1 dissenting
vote from the committee members.
• The outside member of your thesis committee does not need to be present
at your prelim exam.
• Committee members may be changed with the approval of your chair
and the Program Director.
• Pick up the necessary form from the Program Secretary.
• Let the Program Secretary know well in advance so that she can aid
in scheduling the appropriate room.
Students normally take their qualifying exam first and their preliminary
exam at a later date. However, if your committee feels that you are advanced
in your research they may advise taking the preliminary exam first. This
allows them to constructively access your research before too much time has
passed.
Thesis
• The actual thesis must be in accordance with
the Graduate School-NB regulations. Before drafting the document get
a copy of the style guide from the Program Secretary or from the Graduate
School-NB. (Barbara Sirman) or online.
• A final draft should be presented to your thesis
committee and the Program Director at least three weeks prior to your defense.
If the Progam Director deems that your draft is not complete enough to defend,
your defense will be postponed.
• Pick up your forms from the Graduate School prior to your defense.
They will be the same forms that you used for your Qualifying Exam. You
will receive other information with these forms that you will need for your
defense.
• The Graduate School-NB must verify the format of the thesis and any
necessary changes must be made. If your committee wants more changes at the
time of the defense, these changes must be incorporated in to the final document.
• The final revised “perfect” thesis must be turned in to the Grad
School-NB on or before the completion dates of May 1, October 1 or January
1.
• Two copies of your thesis are required: One for the Graduate School
and one for your chairman.
• Title page must be signed in black ink.
• The Program Secretary can help with any questions. This person should
be made aware of your defense timetable so that they can be proactive in
helping you before problems arise.
• A checklist is provided every year to the Program Secretary that
you should follow as you finish up your work.
Defense
• Obviously, you must schedule the defense at a time convenient for
your committee members. Plan ahead, these people are
very busy.
• Once the outside member has been decided
upon, his or her name and professional address and affiliation must be submitted to the Program Director and the Graduate
School for approval.
• If your outside member cannot be present at the defense, he or she
must submit a letter stating that they have read and approved the dissertation.
The Program Director will sign and initial the outside member’s name.
• Be sure that you have scheduled a room for your seminar and a room
for your actual defense. The program administrator/secretary can help with
this. Keep in mind that rooms book quickly at the end of the semester as
people rush to defend so plan ahead.
Masters Requirements
There are two options in the Masters Program.
Plan A – with thesis
Credits
• 30 total credits are required
• 24 course and 6 research
• No more than 12 credits of undergraduate level courses (300 and 400)
total and no more then 6 of those 12 at the 300 level.
• Only one course with a grade of “C” will be counted toward your degree.
• All research credits must have a grade of “S” (satisfactory)
GPA
• You must maintain a GPA of 3.0.
Transfer of credits
• Maximum 12 credits may be transferred from another institution or
from non-matriculated course work at Rutgers.
• 12 credits must be completed (matriculated) at Rutgers before those
credits can be transferred.
• Only courses with a grade of “B” or better will be considered.
• Approval of transfer credits must be obtained from the Program Director
and the Dean of the Graduate School-NB (Obtain form from the Program Administrator/Secretary.
• Approval will be granted only for those courses pertinent to your
field.
Core Course Requirements
• One course in statistics, either as a graduate or undergraduate.
• Seminar in Ecology and Concepts and Methods in Evolution are required
of all first semester Master’s students..
• Members of the students committee may require remedial course work,
as they deem necessary. These may include classes that cannot be counted
towards the degree.
Thesis and Committee
• The thesis committee consists of at least three members of the E&E
Program Faculty, including the chair. Please let the program secretary know
who is on your committee prior to your exam. The committee
make-up must be approved by the Program Director.
• One extra committee member may be appointed from outside the faculty
but is not necessary.
• Formatting guide can be picked up from the Graduate School-NB or
the Program Secretary’s office.
• Candidacy form for Masters should be picked up in the Program Secretary’s
office and completed prior to your defense.
• One unbound copy of your thesis must be presented to the Graduate
School-NB upon completion of your defense together with the Candidacy form
• Title page must be signed in black ink.
• Plan A masters should be completed within three consecutive calendar
years.
Plan B – without thesis
Credits
• 30 total course credits, no research credits
• No more than 12 credits can be selected from undergraduate level
courses (300-400) and only 6 of those 12 can be from the 300 level.
• Only one course with a grade of ”C” will be counted toward your degree.
GPA
• Must maintain a GPA of 3.0
Transfer of credits
• Maximum 12 credits may be transferred from another institution or
from non-matriculated course work at Rutgers.
• 12 credits must be completed (matriculated) at Rutgers before those
credits can be transferred.
• Only courses with a grade of “B” or better will be considered.
• Approval of transfer credits must be obtained from the Program Director
and the Dean of the Graduate School-NB (Obtain form from the Program Secretary).
• Approval will be granted only for those courses pertinent to your
field.
Core Course Requirements
• One course in statistics, either as a graduate or undergraduate.
• Seminar in Ecology and Concepts and Methods in Evolution are required
of all first semester Master’s students.
• Members of the students committee may require remedial course work,
as they deem necessary. These may include classes that cannot be counted
towards the degree.
Committee and Essay
• The committee consists of at least three members of the E&E Program
Faculty, including the chair.
• Typically the Plan B requires an essay be written that is evaluated
by the committee.
• Plan B Masters should be completed within two consecutive calendar
years and is considered a terminal degree.
• A student wishing to complete a Ph.D. after a Plan B Masters will
have to re-apply for admission to the Program and satisfy all admissions
requirements.
General Information that applies to all students
regardless of degree sought
Registration Information
• Full-time is now 9 credits.
• TA’s must register for 6E credits (don’t forget the E prefix) 16:215:877
• GA’s must register for 6E credits (don’t forget the E prefix) 16:215:866
• Fellowships must register for 16:215:811 with 0 credits. This allows
your fellowship to be recorded on your transcript for future reference. There
is no other way for anyone looking at your transcript to know that you were
on a Fellowship. This is important information in the future.
• You may register for up to 16 credits. This 16 includes your 6E for
a TA or a GA.
• If you are taking under the 16 credits in total with your TA/GA and
courses, make up to the 16 by registering for research credits with your
advisor.
• If you are taking a 300-400 level course for graduate credit, be
sure to use the G prefix.
• If you are taking a “not for credit” course, use the N prefix. You
will do all the work but won’t take the final exam and you will receive
an S or U grade.
• “N” allows the course to show on your transcripts, whereas if you
simply ask the professor to let you sit in on the course (audit), it will
never show on your transcripts.
• Matriculation Con’t requires a Special Permission number and is only
to be used by pre-qual PhD and Masters students. Masters students only if
they are not at the thesis writing stage. You can only register for Matriculation
Con’t for two semesters maximum. If you are writing your thesis, you must
register for at least one research credit whether you are on campus or not.
• Once you have completed 72 credits (any combination) you need register
for only 1 research credit to be considered full-time by the Graduate School. If you want to use the University Health you must register
for 3 credits to be considered full-time by the registrar and the cashier.
Continuous Registration
• You must remain registered every semester, either with course and
research credits or as matriculation continued, if the situation warrants.
• Matriculation continued is to be used only if you are on leave from
your studies and are either a Masters student or a pre-qualified Ph.D. Student.
There is a two semester limit on registering as Matriculation Continued.
• One (1) research credit is considered full-time by the Graduate School
for all Ph.D. students who have completed 72 total degree credits in any
combination.
• Three (3) research credits are required, to be considered full-time,
of students working at the University on thesis-related research with less
than 72 total credits.
• Any lapse will require an Application for Re-admission form and approval
of the Program Director and the Dean of the Graduate School-NB and the payment
of a restoration fee.
Change of Status
• If you decide to change your degree status in any way, i.e. Masters
student to Ph.D. student or vice versa, a Change of Status form must be sent
to the Graduate School-NB.
• The form can be picked up in the Graduate Administrator’s/Secretary’s
office
Incomplete Grades
• Incomplete grades must be made up within one year. (i.e. An incomplete
in the fall semester must be complete by the end of the next fall semester).
Any extension of that time requires an Extension of Time for Incomplete Grade
form. The extension must be approved by the Program Director and the Graduate
School-NB Dean.
• The form can be picked up in the Administrators/Secretary’s office.
Scholastic Review
• An annual review is completed on each student’s progress by the Scholastic
Review Committee.
• Appropriate recommendations are made if requirements are not being
met, your GPA falls below 3.0. or other problems arise.
• The Scholastic Review Committee has the sole authority to place students
on academic probation and dismissal from the program.
Committee Members
• Once your committee has been decided upon, the names of the members
should be given to the Program Secretary. These names will be kept in your
file. It is possible to change your committee members if necessary.
Change in Address, Phone or E-mail
• The Program Secretary should have your most current contact information
at all times, both on and off-campus.
Summer Research Credits
• You may register for summer research credits. If you were a full-time
TA or GA in the previous two semesters (Fall and Spring) then you can register
for 6 research credits over the summer and your TA /GA tuition remission
will cover these credits. Part-time TA’s can sign up for 3 credits.
• One very good reason to do this that if you are planning on doing
research or writing out of state after your qualifiers, you need to accrue
as many research credits as possible (you will need 42 research credits to
get your PhD) before you leave the state. Then you may register for 1 research
credit while out of state, pay the student fees and the out-of-state tuition
on one credit only. This could save you quite a bit of money. Your student
fees are directly related to the number of credits you take and your tuition
is related to credits and whether you are in or out-of-state.
• You can register for the summer research credits through the summer
session. They have two sections listed. It doesn't matter which you sign
up for, just be sure to let the Program Secretary and your advisor know. By
letting them both know, when it comes grading time the secretary will know
who to worry about and who to contact to follow up on grades. Like most things
here this is more complicated than need be. Please contact the secretary with
questions.
Time to Degree
• In most cases, students admitted with a B.A. or B.S. will complete
their Ph.D. within six academic years. The Graduate School-NB will allow
seven years after initial registration before they question your progress.
At the seven year limit you may apply for a one-year extension to be approved
by your advisor, the Program Director and the Dean of the Graduate School.
Courses for Credit in Other Departments
• There are many courses in Marine and Coastal Sciences, Entomology,
Microbiology, Environmental Sciences and other programs that students may
take for credit in our program. A list is being made and will become a part
of this handbook and posted separately on the website in the near future.
If you are uncertain about any course , check with the Program Secretary
or Director.