Information for Current Students

ASE Graduate Studies General Information

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General University of Rochester Graduate Student Information

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BCS Graduate Information

Year Requirements

Year 1, Spring

Each student should select an Advisory Committee comprising three faculty members, including the student’s primary research advisor, by February 1 of their first year. They should also ask one of these faculty members to be committee chair (note: this cannot be the research advisor).

If a student has two research advisors (i.e., a collaborative project), then it is fine for both advisors to be on the committee, but the committee must also include at least one member who is not directly involved in the student’s research (and that person would be chair if there are two research advisors on the committee).

The student should arrange a short meeting (approximately 30 minutes) with the Advisory Committee in May or June of their first year to discuss the student's progress and their readiness for the oral/written presentation in fall in their second year (described below). Following this May/June meeting, the chair of the Advisory Committee will compose a brief memo (representing the thoughts of the committee as a whole) to the student and to the director of the graduate program to give the student some feedback on their progress.

Every first-year student will enroll in BCSC 599 (Professional Development and Career Planning).

Year 2, Fall

Each student will give an oral presentation (plan to speak for 30 minutes, assuming no interruptions) and will write a short paper (three to five pages) that will be reviewed by the Advisory Committee (the paper must be submitted at least one week before the oral presentation takes place).

The presentation and paper will:

  • Summarize the research that the student has been involved in thus far
  • Discuss possible future directions for that research
  • Outline potential area(s) of interest for the thesis research in the form of a brief research prospectus

This is not a thesis proposal and the student does not need to have identified a thesis topic at this time. The goal of this exercise is to stimulate the student to think about how they will transition from the research they have done in the first year to their eventual thesis project, and to give the faculty an opportunity to give the student feedback on their progress and their forward plan.

Students MUST complete the written and oral presentation requirement by December 15 of the fall semester of the second year. This is not meant to be a big undertaking but rather a useful checkpoint for the student.

The chair of the Advisory Committee will again compose a memo summarizing progress, areas of concern, and any other recommendations of the committee. If the committee is concerned about the student’s progress or prospects in the program, the student will be given feedback about how they need to improve. If the concerns are serious, the student could be placed on probation and progress monitored accordingly.

If students would like to receive advice from their Advisory Committee between this presentation and the qualifying exam in the following academic year, they are welcome to convene a meeting of their Advisory Committee at any time they feel it necessary.


Year 2, Summer or Year 3, Fall

Each student will complete the qualifying exam. The format will be similar to what has been done in the past, with a few minor changes to enforce consistency. The exam should consist of six questions, with the student writing five pages maximum per question. Alternatively, the student could opt to address three questions and write a review paper potentially suitable for publication (the paper must be submitted to the Advisory Committee by December 1 of their third year).

Year 3, Spring

Each student will give a short talk in typical conference format (20 minutes, plus 10 minutes for questions) during a BCS lunch. This will provide a forum for all of the faculty and students to be aware of your research, and will also serve as a good practice for giving short talks at conferences, handling questions, etc.

In addition, each student will enroll in BCSC 582 (Grant Writing in BCS).

Year 4, Fall

Each student will form a thesis committee and meet with this committee during the Fall semester. (The thesis committee may differ from a student’s advisory committee. Furthermore, the set of faculty serving on the thesis committee is not fixed forever. If a student’s research program subsequently changes, the faculty members on the thesis committee can be modified.)  At least two weeks prior to the meeting, the student will distribute a thesis proposal to the committee members (see next paragraph). At the meeting, the student will describe the proposed thesis and receive feedback from the thesis committee members. The chair of the committee (a faculty member who is not the student’s primary advisor) will write a memo stating whether or not the student is making adequate progress toward a successful thesis, and providing written feedback to the student. All members of the thesis committee will sign the memo.

The thesis proposal should be a 4-5 page document specifying the plan for the thesis. For each major section of the thesis, it should describe the research questions addressed by that section, the background and significance motivating these research questions, and the research plan for studying the questions. Relevant preliminary data and/or results that the student has obtained can also be described. Hopefully, it will often be the case that the student wrote a grant proposal in BCSC 582 (taken during Year 3) that contains many of the materials needed for a thesis proposal.

Year 5, Fall

Each student will meet with his or her thesis committee during the Fall semester. The student will update the committee about the progress that has been made and will receive feedback from the committee members. The chair of the committee will write a memo stating whether or not the student is making adequate progress toward a successful thesis, and providing written feedback to the student. All members of the thesis committee will sign the memo.

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Qualifying Exam

All BCS students must pass the PhD qualifying exam before the end of their third year. Students choose between one of two formats for the exam:

Option A—Six long essay questions:

In collaboration with a faculty qualifying exam committee, students prepare a reading list on three to five topics chosen to provide both broad coverage of those areas of the field related to a student’s research interests and depth of coverage of the student’s specific research area (questions about appropriate topics and papers should be addressed by the faculty qualifying exam committee).

The final version of the reading list must be approved by the faculty committee. After completing the readings, students take the exam. Students are given four days (if appropriate, the faculty qualifying exam committee may choose to give additional time to international students who are not native English speakers) to complete the exam. The answer to each essay question should be a maximum of 2,500 words.

Option B—A “review plus opinion” paper potentially suitable for publication and three long essay questions:

With respect to the review-plus-opinion paper, students should (in collaboration with the qualifying exam committee) select a specific research area closely related to the student’s research interests and a reading list focused on that area. The faculty qualifying exam committee must approve this topic and reading list.

After receiving approval, the student should write the paper. With respect to the essay questions, the student should prepare a reading list on two to three topics providing broad coverage of those areas of the field related to a student’s research interests. As above, the final list must be approved by the faculty qualifying exam committee.

Students are given two days (again with a possible extension for international students) to answer the essay questions. Students pursuing option B must adhere to the following time constraint: the review-plus-opinion paper must be written first, and the essay component of the exam must be completed with the following 30 days.

The faculty qualifying exam committee grades each essay question of the exam as well as the review-plus-opinion paper for students choosing option B. The committee may ask for revisions of essay answers and/or of the paper. After revisions are submitted, the committee assigns a passing or failing grade to the exam, and the student is given written feedback on his/her performance on each part of the exam. Students will need to set up individual appointments with each committee member for individual feedback on their qualifying exam.

Note: Students sometimes write “example” essay questions which they send to their faculty qualifying exam committees. When writing an exam, a committee may (possibly in modified form) make use of these questions (or may not). Students wishing to read questions (but not answers) from previous students’ exams should see Kathy Corser.

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Student Travel

All students must discuss travel plans with their advisor before their trip. The department provides limited funds for graduate student travel. In most instances, the department contribution will only cover a portion of your expenses, so your advisor needs to be willing to pay for some or all your travel expenses. It is your responsibility to make sure your advisor agrees to this before you spend your money.

There are different policies for faculty, staff and students, please talk to Jennifer Gillis and/or Kathy Corser about travel policies. Policies and procedures change often and they will know the most current and up-to-date policies.

Travel expense report must be submitted to the department for review and approval within 60 days from the date of event or return from trip. Reimbursements may be taxable if not reported within the 60 days. It would be paid as extra compensation and it is taxed.

Foreign Travel and or plans to include any personal travel must be discussed with Jennifer Gillis BEFORE making your travel arrangements.

All University students (undergraduate, graduate, medical students including residents and fellows) traveling abroad on University-sponsored or supported travel are encouraged to register their travel well in advance of departure with Office for Global Engagement.

If you pay out-of-pocket, conference related expenses are reimbursed after you attend the conference, not before, and this includes conference registration, airfare, and hotel charges.

Important for all reimbursements:

Individuals must properly complete a Business Expense Report and provide documentation to substantiate the expenditures. The documentation must provide:

  • Detailed documentation of the purchase
  • Documentation of the business purpose of the purchase
  • Proof of payment

Best practice is to keep all ORIGINAL receipts for travel expense reimbursement. Electronic or scanned documentation, including photo image of receipt, is acceptable, provided the image is clear and complete, except where prohibited by sponsor requirement.

Acceptable documentation must include the following: vendor name, location, purchase date, purchase amount, description of the goods purchased. Credit Card statements are not acceptable documentation.

Important: For most flights, you must use US flag carriers for domestic and foreign travel.

All flights (domestic and international) supported with federal funds must be taken on U.S. flag air carriers, regardless of cost or convenience. This is commonly referred to as the "Fly America Act"

F-2: Advanced Payment of Travel Expenses Charged to UR Accounts: Excel | PDF

You can purchase your ticket with a travel advance form (F-2) by booking your airline reservation with the University travel agent, Town and Country Travel at (585) 381-2850.

Complete the form selecting the “Student” box. You must provide your:

  • Full legal name (must match government issued photo ID you will provide when entering security at the airport)
  • Email address
  • Phone number
  • Date of departure
  • Return date
  • Destination
  • Business purpose (full name of conference and/or workshop; do not use acronyms)
  • Signature
  • Advisor’s signature

Jennifer Gillis or Kathy Corser will provide you with the account number. The F-2 must be faxed (or scanned) over to Town and Country, fax number (585) 381-1987, by the end of the business day you contact them to reserve your flight arrangements. You will receive an email confirmation from Town and Country regarding your flight itinerary. You must forward the email to Jennifer or Kathy and give them the signed F-2 form.

Registration Fees:

The department can pay for conference registration fees and membership fees, under $2,500, with a University P-Card.

University P-Card: Kathy Corser and Chris Dambra have University P-cards and can pay for conference registration. Please contact either one BEFORE registering for a conference.

Hotels/Lodging

There is no mechanism for the University to pay for lodging. You must put this on your personal credit card and then be reimbursed after your trip. Most hotels will not charge the room expenses until after you check out of the hotel. You must provide an itemized hotel receipt for reimbursement.

Documentation must include: name of vendor, location, date and dollar amount of expenses. Please also include the names of individuals you may have shared the hotel room with during your stay.

An original itemized receipt that shows a breakdown of the daily charges is required. You will only be reimbursed for the cost of the room and any parking charges that may be associated with you driving your own vehicle (in-room movies, long distance phone calls, etc., are your responsibility) Credit card receipts alone will not be acceptable.

Note: If you do not have lodging expenses because you stayed with friends or family, please indicate this on your reimbursement form. Please also indicate other UR individuals who stayed in the room when appropriate.

How to Get Reimbursed After Your Trip

Travel expense report must be submitted to the department for review and approval within 60 days from the date of event or return from trip. Excel

  1. After you have returned from your trip, you will need to complete a student expense report for university business. After you complete the form, attach it to an email and send it to either Jennifer Gillis or Kathy Corser.
  2. Once you have completed the F-34 form and emailed it, bring Jennifer Gillis or Kathy Corser your original receipts for the expenses listed on the form. Please tape, NOT STAPLE, all the small receipts you may have to an 8.5” x 11” sheet of paper by date of expenses.
  3. Jennifer Gillis or Kathy Corser will review the form and your receipts, make any necessary changes, leave the form in your mailbox for your signature and then get your advisor's signature on the form. It takes about 15 days to receive a reimbursement check once it has left the department.

Example of Acceptable Receipts

Airfare receipts: The receipt must show your full name, flight details, the cost of the airfare, and payment confirmation.

Not acceptable: Anything that simply says "Itinerary" or just a credit card statement.

Car Rental

When University business travel requires the use of a rental vehicle, the least costly available vehicle and rental arrangement which are suited for the trip are to be used. Take into account the number of passengers, luggage and/or equipment, etc. Whenever practical, cars are to be rented from agencies with which the University has negotiated corporate rates (Enterprise Rent-Car).

When a more costly rental is employed, justification must be included in the travel report, or reimbursement may be limited to the cost of the less expensive rental. When the traveler uses a rental car also for a personal side trip, he or she is expected to pay the appropriate portion of both the per-diem and the mileage expense.

IMPORTANT: Domestic travelers on University business are protected by special travel insurance and thus should not buy the extra accident or the collision insurance offered by rental companies. The cost of such added insurance is not reimbursable. International travelers are not protected under the UR special travel insurance and should buy the additional car insurance offered by the rental companies. The cost of such additional insurance will be reimbursable.

Lodging Receipts

An original itemized receipt that shows a breakdown of the daily charges is required. You will only be reimbursed for the cost of the room and any parking charges that may be associated with you driving your own vehicle (in-room movies, long distance phone calls, etc., are your responsibility) Credit card receipts alone will not be acceptable.

Note: If you do not have lodging expenses because you stayed with friends or family, please indicate this on your reimbursement form. Please also indicate other UR individuals who stayed in the room when appropriate.

Registration Fees

If not paid by the University, you must provide an original receipt showing the amount you paid. Membership fees included on registration must be reported separate from the registration fee.

Meals

Are only reimbursed if your advisor agrees to pay this expense. Per department policy, funds received for travel from the department account cannot be used for meals for graduate students. Submit original itemized detailed receipts. Alcohol cannot be reimbursed.

Miscellaneous Travel Expenses—Please get receipts

Electronic or scanned documentation, including photo image of receipt, is acceptable, provided the image is clear and complete, except where prohibited by sponsor requirement

Examples of miscellaneous travel expenses that are reimbursable are the following:

  • Taxis, trains, shuttles
  • Expenses for shipping University equipment, or baggage handling and storage
  • Business telephone calls
  • Highway and bridge tolls
  • Necessary parking fees
  • Certain specific approved fees from the University's contracted travel agencies

Expenses that are not reimbursable include:

  • Lost or stolen tickets, cash, or personal property
  • Fines
  • Accident insurance premiums
  • Costs resulting from failure to cancel transportation or hotel reservations
  • Child- or house-sitting expenses
  • Penalties or fees for cancellation or change of discounted tickets when the cancellation or change came about from personal rather than University choice
  • In-room movie rental
  • Dry cleaning
  • Alcohol
  • Snacks or beverages

Missing Receipts:

If a receipt is lost, first try to obtain a copy from the vendor (airline, hotel, and restaurant) as soon as it is discovered the receipt has been lost. When a detailed receipt is required but not available, a Missing Receipt Form must be completed. Excel

Documentation must include:

  • name of the vendor
  • location
  • date
  • dollar amount of the expense
  • description of the goods or services received

If this information is not contained on a receipt and the form of payment was credit card, then a copy of the credit card statement showing the charge must be provided. Credit Card Statements alone are not acceptable documentation. Incomplete or poor-quality documentation may require additional substantiation. Best practice: Include information needed to clarify or to establish the accuracy or reliability of information contained in your records.

Foreign trip note: In order to receive reimbursement for your actual expenses on a foreign trip, it is best to submit the receipt with a copy of your credit card statement. Your credit card statement will show the amount you were actually charged in US dollars. If you do not have a credit card statement, Oanda.com should be used to convert receipts from foreign currency to US dollars.

Finance Forms

When you are processing your travel forms, please use the most current forms. Outdated forms will be rejected by Accounts Payable and sent back to process on the correct form.

If you have any questions regarding travel policies or need help with completing the form, please contact Jennifer Gillis or Kathy Corser.

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Teaching Assistant

All students are required to serve as teaching assistants (TAs) three times (twice for credit, BCSC 598). The department will assign courses to the students.

Students must meet with the instructor prior to the semester they are TAing to discuss the teaching assistant contract. The teaching assistant contract will set expectations for attending class, office hours, recitations/review sessions, exam preparation, and grading.

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PhD Dissertation Information

If you have any questions about policies and procedures, please see Kathy Corser.

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