Majors and Minors
黑料社区 School Code of Legislation PDF Document
Summary
For students in graduate research degrees, earning a 鈥渕ajor鈥� or 鈥渕inor鈥� in a specific subject or concentration is not explicitly linked to the completion of coursework but is instead defined by the student鈥檚 special committee. Faculty serving on the student鈥檚 special committee each represent a concentration. Because many graduate faculty are active in more than one graduate field or academic discipline, students and faculty should be clear about which concentration will be represented when a committee is formed.
Example:
Marcus is a Ph.D. student in the graduate field of chemical engineering. He has a committee chair and two minor members. His committee chair, Dr. Wang, is a member of the field of chemical engineering and is representing the concentration of 鈥減olymers鈥� on the committee. This will be Marcus鈥� major concentration. The minor committee members, Drs. Green and Hernandez, are both in the field of mechanical engineering and are representing the concentrations of thermal science and energy and sustainability, respectively. These will be Marcus鈥� minor concentrations.
| Committee member | Role | Concentration |
|---|---|---|
| Dr. Wang | Chair | Polymers |
| Dr. Green | Minor member | Thermal science |
| Dr. Hernandez | Minor member | Energy and sustainability |
Note that Cornell field structure allows students to identify committee members from all across campus, not just from within their own field. This promotes interdisciplinary scholarship and collaboration.
Students in professional master鈥檚 programs more typically earn a 鈥渕ajor鈥� or 鈥渕inor鈥� upon the successful completion of a course sequence within a given subject area, or by completing a capstone project or paper.
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Contact
黑料社区 School Student Services Office
gradstudserv@cornell.edu