Resources

• Electronic registration is available for all students via the Web Registration System.
• Full-time status is considered between 9 and 16 credits. Students supported on TAs or a first-year SEBS Excellence Fellowship should register for 16 credits/semester.
• For Ph.D. students, once you have completed all of your coursework, are post-qualifying, and have close to the 72 total credits needed to graduate, you can register for fewer credits, with a minimum of 1 research credit/semester required. See the Graduate Program Director (GPD) when you reach this point as specific forms may be required.
  • This is especially important for students supported on grants or fellowships, as the tuition costs have to be paid by the grant and the fellowship may be a set amount that can be used for other purposes such as supplies and travel if tuition is not needed.
• For M.S. students, once you are close to 30 credits you can register for one credit/semester. See the GPD when you reach this point as specific forms may be required.
• International students, you are required to pursue a full course of study every fall and spring semester, unless you have earned close to the 30 credits required for the MS degree or close to the 72 credits required for the Ph.D. degree, or meet one of the other circumstances explained on the Rutgers Global website that would allow you register for as few as 1 credit per semester. You must be approved by your International Student Adviser (DSO) for a reduced course/credit load authorization. You submit the Reduced Credit/Course Load e-form through your RGlobal Portal, each semester that you require a decrease in credit load.
• Continuous registration is required of all students up until graduation.

• As a TA, you are entitled to six “free” course or research credits (meaning your advisor does not have to pay for them) for the summer following your TA assignment. Be sure to register for these if you are on campus working on your research over the summer.
• GAs and Graduate Fellows are not entitled to “free” course or research credits over the summer. If you register, you or your advisor will have to pay the tuition.

1. Teaching Assistant, Graduate Assistant, or Graduate Fellow status:
   • Full TA Appointment 16:340:877 section 01; 6 credits with an “E” prefix (meaning excluded from degree credits), these credits will count towards ‘full time status’ but are not included in the total count towards graduation (30 for M.S.; 72 for Ph.D.).
   • Full GA Appointment 16:340:866 section 01; 6 credits with an “E” prefix (same as above for TA Appointments).
   • Graduate Fellowship 16:340:811 section 01; 0 credits (no prefix required)
2. List all courses you are taking. Usually one or two courses (three at the most, if a fellow).
   • Up to 12 undergraduate credits at the 300 and 400 level may be taken and applied toward the degree. Be sure to register with a G prefix if you want an undergraduate course to count toward degree credits.
3. Remaining credits to total 16 should be in Research in Endocrinology and Animal Biosciences 16:340:701/702 (fall/spring) under your advisor’s section.
   • Research credits can be reduced as you near graduation (see above).
   • Research grades are satisfactory (S) or unsatisfactory (U) only. Unsatisfactory research grades are very serious and most likely will lead to probationary conditions.

• You must remain registered every semester, either with course and research credits or as
• Matriculation Continued 16:340:800 if the situation warrants.
  • Matriculation Continued is to be used only if you are on leave from your studies and have not yet taken the PhD qualifying exam.
• International students must have completed all course work and research credits before registering for 1 research credit.
• Any lapse will require a Readmission Application (on the SGS forms website) and approval of the Graduate Program Director and the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies.

• Reduced Credit/Course Load e-Form (via your RGlobal Portal)
• Readmission Application-  go to the SGS forms website to download the most up-to-date version

Laboratory rotations offer new graduate students an opportunity to fully explore research options available in the program firsthand prior to deciding on a research mentor and specific area of research. Students learn a range of laboratory techniques and receive hands-on training in areas that may be useful to them in the future. They also meet other graduate students and faculty members in the program, thus facilitating networking. The rotations also enable students to get to know faculty members who would be appropriate committee members.

The end goal of the laboratory rotations is to help students identify an advisor for their graduate research toward their MS or PhD degree and learn about the research ongoing in each rotation lab.

Students typically choose two rotation labs. Research credits can be earned for these rotations by registering in the Graduate Program Director’s (GPD) section of EAB Research 16:340:701/702. Contact the GPD about enrolling.

Graduate students are expected to be in the lab daily each weekday of the rotation, except for when they are in class or teaching. The daily schedule should be discussed/arranged for each rotation with the faculty supervisor.

For each rotation during the Fall or Spring semester:

7 weeks x ~ 16-20 h per week = 112-140 h total rotation time

• Since new students are taking classes and performing TA duties (if not on a fellowship), we estimate they will have ~ 16-20 h/week for the rotation.
• The first rotation begins at the start of the Fall semester (first full week); the second rotation will end the week prior to Christmas (this rotation will skip the week of Thanksgiving).

Note: These rotation schedules are flexible depending on the hours the student can work, holidays during the rotation, and the lab’s schedule.

At the completion of each rotation, students will submit a short report to the GPD listing the faculty name and begin/end dates and describing what they have done during this rotation and what they have learned in the lab. Faculty will also be asked to evaluate the efforts of each rotation student and whether they would or could support them in their lab.

The EAB Academic Standards Committee and Graduate Program Director require Ph.D. and M.S. students (excluding the 4+1 students) to submit an updated student progress report form, copies of all committee meeting minutes, and a spreadsheet of required credits by the end of January annually. Students who were in the program the year before can simply update the progress report form (Word doc) they used the previous year. (If you misplaced last year’s report, contact the Program Coordinator.) For new students, please download a blank progress report form (PDF) and Ph.D. course checklist (PDF) or M.S. course checklist (PDF) to keep track of required credits. Please complete the course checklist and submit it along with your progress report.

Note to the new students: The idea behind the progress report form is that once you have completed it, you can save it on your computer. Then, each year when it comes time to update it, you can simply add the new information. The GPD will work with you on your reports.

We request a signed, electronic file (PDF) emailed by your advisor. Hard copies are not required. See the following directions:

Please complete the progress report form (or update last year’s), discuss it with your advisor, and make any necessary revisions.

Ask your advisor to email a pdf of the final document (along with the minutes of all committee meetings that you have had plus the completed course checklist summarizing your credits) by the deadline (determined yearly) to the following individuals: (1) Graduate Program Director, (2) Academic Standards Committee Chair, and (3) Graduate Program Coordinator.

This form will be reviewed by the Graduate Program Director as well as the Academic Standards Committee Chair. Their goal is to assess each student's progress to be sure that you are on track for finishing your degree in a timely fashion. Also, they are looking at funding needs for next year, so they must learn where everyone is in terms of possible completion date to determine who will need funding and in what capacity.

The Academic Standards Committee will meet with students after reviewing the forms. The Committee will be in touch regarding scheduling these progress meetings (sometime in February/March).

• Progress Report Form (PDF)
• Ph.D. Course Credit Checklist (PDF)
• M.S. Course Credit Checklist (PDF)

Individual development plans (IDPs) are living documents that are designed to be useful tools for students–in collaboration with their faculty mentors and advisors–to:

• Assess skills, strengths, and interests;
• Facilitate professional planning and long- and short-term goal setting;
• Develop a basis for communication about their academic and professional trajectory;
• Acknowledge achievements over the course of study;
• And identify resources, training, or support they may need to meet their academic and professional goals.

For more details, SGS policy on IDPs, and FAQs, go to the SGS Online Individual Development Plans page.

Students in years 2, 4 and above must submit IDPs by the end of May annually through the SGS IDP Portal. EAB requires everyone to fill out IDPs once they have started in a lab, including M.S. students. Year 1 students who have not joined a lab do NOT need to fill out an IDP. Please review the Student User Guide on the portal website before starting your IDP.

All graduate students in EAB are expected to attend weekly departmental seminar, even if they are not registered for the course, unless they have class, TA duties, or experiments they’re working on during that time. If you are unable to attend, you should send an e-mail to the Graduate Program Director and Program Coordinator stating the reason for the absence. If you are registered for the seminar, you must attend unless you have a medical reason or other excused absence. To get credit for this seminar for graduation, you cannot miss more than 2 seminars with unexcused absences.

All graduate students who are in their second year or higher must present a 20-minute research update at one of the seminars each year. This seminar is designed to give students more experience speaking about their research as well as may bring up some protocol pitfalls or limitations that might not have come up in committee meetings. It also exposes students to questions from the audience that they might encounter when at society conferences. Prior to each fall semester, the GPD or Program Coordinator will reach out to the GSO president to poll the students in years 2+ to schedule half of the students to speak in the fall and the other half to speak in the spring. Then the students will work with the Program Coordinator to schedule which Friday works for them. Ideally two graduate students will present during the seminar time slot (20 minutes of presentation with 10 minutes of questions).

We give our students, postdocs, and research associates the opportunity to meet over lunch, typically in Bartlett Perry Library (room 208), with the seminar speakers who come from outside of Rutgers. This is an opportunity to network with established scientists and to get different perspectives on scientific career paths. To help ensure that the lunches run smoothly, we have a student host for each lunch. The responsibilities of the host are outlined below.

1. The primary responsibility of the student host will be to get commitments from graduate students for lunch so that we have a good showing. The right size group is between about 5 students (counting the host) at each lunch. To ensure this runs smoothly the following rules are in place:
   • Graduate students should plan to host one lunch per year (depending on the number of students in the program). If your PI is hosting a speaker, that is a great time to host.
   • Student hosts much attend the lunch or find a replacement. Students not hosting but those who signed up for lunches must also show up for the lunch or find a replacement to take their place. If a student is not signed up, they are not allowed to attend without the permission of the student host, who will know the expected attendance beforehand and can determine if the additional person(s) can be accommodated.
   • Each graduate student in the program is required to attend a minimum of 2 lunches per semester. (This also depends on the size of the graduate program at the time and the number of outside speaker lunches). We have graduate students from other programs, plus postdocs and research associates who work in EAB labs, who often attend seminars. These people are welcome but not required to attend lunch. They should also let the student host know if they will attend in advance.
2. Students attending lunch should:
   1. Pay special attention during the seminar to identify points of interest (potential research overlap, technical points of interest, or others) to discuss during the lunch. This should facilitate a lively discussion.
   2. Prepare a SHORT (30 sec to 1 min) elevator speech about their research and career goals.
   3. Remember lunch is a wonderful time to interact with a scientist outside our program. Prepare 3-4 questions for the speaker. They don’t have to be just about science! Career paths, other programs and research environments, even field-specific ethics considerations are all fair game.
3. On the Tuesday before seminar, the Program Coordinator will reach out to the student host about the lunch order. This will be done for each week there is a lunch. Options will include sandwiches, salads, or pizza from a local establishment. The student host should check with the attendees about dietary restrictions and select the menu.
4. Lunches will be scheduled for approximately 12:00–1:00 PM but could vary depending on other meetings with the faculty. Food will be delivered at 11:30 AM.
5. The faculty host will let the student host know in advance if they need their help in transporting the speaker to different locations during the visit.
6. Follow-up: The student host should send an e-mail to the Program Coordinator and the GPD after lunch to let us know who attended and how things went (enough food, any issues, etc.).

• Change of Degree Status Application - go to the SGS forms website to download the most up-to-date version

Your application, including supporting materials, must be submitted by December 15 (all Ph.D. applicants from the U.S.; all international applicants) or March 15 (M.S. applicants from the U.S.).

• Application form and application fee
• Official transcripts from all post-secondary schools
• Test scores (GRE's - optional, not required; TOEFL or IELTS where required*)
• A personal statement describing your academic achievements, research experience, leadership skills, commitment to graduate school, examples illustrating your resilience and adaptability during your education, and how have you contributed to or supported intellectual and/or cultural diversity in higher education and science. Please also identify at least three faculty whose research you are interested in for your graduate training.
• Letters of recommendation (3) letters should be from research advisors, college-level course instructors, or academic advisors or can be from field-relevant employers (e.g., physicians, veterinarians, etc.). NOTE: not needed for 4+1 MS program application.
• A resume or curriculum vitae
• Reprints of published papers, if any
• Financial documentation, if you are an international applicant

*For more information on international student admissions and requirements, please see the Graduate and Professional Admissions information page for international students.

You are welcome to apply with the understanding that our program provides research‐oriented training leading to the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in endocrine physiology at the organismic, cellular, and molecular levels. We do not provide training in traditional production‐oriented aspects of animal sciences, nor is our program designed to help students prepare for careers in veterinary medicine. Admitted students typically have a basic science background that includes the sciences through biochemistry, including physiology and some molecular/cellular biology. Undergraduate research experience is highly desirable because our graduate program has a heavy research emphasis.

Yes, right now we do not have an avenue for non-Rutgers students to enter the 4+1 (non-thesis) MS program.

First, we recommend you contact the Director of the EAB graduate program to go over the details of the program and your qualifications. You can also meet with your undergraduate academic advisor or the undergraduate program director.

GREs are optional. If you have them, you may include them, but they are not required. You are exempt from submitting TOEFL or IELTS scores if you are a Permanent Resident, U.S. citizen, or an international applicant with a minimum of three years undergraduate studies or a master's degree with the mode of instruction being English. The minimum IBT-internet based TOEFL is Writing 22, Speaking 23, Reading 21, Listening 17. An acceptable IELTS score is bandwidth 7. If your scores to not meet these requirements you are welcome to apply, just note that your application will not be looked upon as favorably as those that meet these criteria.

There are no GPA requirements; GPA information is used for statistical purposes and your transcripts will clarify your academic achievement. Please see the Graduate and Professional Admissions International Students page or the School of Graduate Studies (SGS) International Students page for more information. Just note that our application process is very competitive and GPA plus science curriculum completed will weigh heavily in our admissions decision.

In your personal statement, you are expected to identify at least three faculty (excluding associate and affiliate members) whose research you are interested in for your graduate training. Please note that potential mentors may change each academic year. The students that we select each year have research interests in line with one of our faculty members who are looking to accept new students into their lab that particular year. We therefore must turn down students with all the qualifications because there is no current match for their research interests. Please review the list of our graduate faculty, where you can find descriptions of their research by clicking on their names. Feel free to contact any of our faculty members to learn more about their research and to ask if they expect to have openings in their labs in fall.

The Graduate Program provides financial support for graduate students on a competitive basis in the form of Teaching Assistantships and Graduate Assistantships, which nominally require 15 hours of service per week. A very limited number of Fellowships are available to support outstanding students in the first year of graduate studies. Students who wish to be considered for Fellowships or other financial assistance must apply to the program by December 15. Animal Science TA lines are given preference to students in the program beyond year one if they are mentored by a School of Environmental and Biological Sciences faculty member. Please see the School of Graduate Studies (SGS) Funding page, the Admissions Financial Support page, and the Rutgers Office of Financial Aid page for more information. Once beyond year one, there are opportunities within the Department of Life Sciences to apply for a TA position.

Fee waivers are up to the Admissions office and out of the control of our graduate program. Please see their Application Guidelines page.

We do not have such events for the general public. Applicants who move onto the interview phase will participate in a virtual open house, usually in February, where they can learn more about the program, talk to faculty, and meet the current grad students.

Undergraduate research experience is highly desirable because our program has a heavy research emphasis. Publication is not required.

Final admission decisions are made in February/March. You will receive an email from the Graduate Program Director and be able to view your admission status in your portal.

Once your status has officially changed to “admitted” in your portal, you can accept or decline your offer of admission online from your status site. In addition, please email the Graduate Program Director to let them know whether you accept our offer of admission. Rutgers University, along with almost all U.S. and Canadian research universities, complies with the terms of the Resolution of the Council of Graduate Schools. This guarantees that you cannot be required to respond to an offer of admission or financial support before April 15 of the year of admission. However, we appreciate having your decision as soon as you are prepared to make it to help us in planning for graduate student funding.

The Ph.D., M.S., and 4+1 M.S. programs are full time; however, the research-based thesis M.S. could be done part time. It would really depend on your research advisor and the project you have for your research.

As mentioned above, each graduate student will select the members of their committee in consultation with their graduate advisor and with the approval of the graduate program director. A committee must have 3 to 4 members (see previous sections for specifics on M.S. or Ph.D. committees):

1. Dissertation advisor (serves as chair of the committee), if there are co-advisors, the two serve as one on a committee.
2. At least two other members of the EAB Graduate Faculty can be selected from the current list of faculty on the EAB website.
3. One committee member from outside the EAB program. This can be either outside of Rutgers, or at Rutgers but outside of our graduate program. A CV needs to be submitted with the committee form of any outside committee member. (For an M.S. committee, one non-program member is permitted with the approval of the GPD but is not required.)

Some mentors like to do the initial ask for committee members on behalf of their students, then usually a meeting or conversation is had with the student and the potential committee member. Students should plan to have a brief outline of their research project, or at least topic area, with a few aims. If the meeting is a Zoom meeting, having a few PowerPoint slides to outline the justification for the project is advisable. This can also serve as a start for a presentation during the first committee meeting. Other mentors would rather have the graduate student do the initial contact with the potential committee member. Same suggestions apply here: a personal introduction as well as a research introduction is advisable.

A good guideline to consider when forming a committee is to diversify the expertise on the committee. This allows you, as the student, to get varying perspectives on the topic you are studying. If too many on your committee are like-minded, you might miss some important details or shortfalls within your research.

Outside committee members could be someone who you plan on spending some time in their lab with analyzing different aspects of your samples or data. They could also bring in another perspective to your research and topic of study. If you as the student do not know this person, consider having your mentor invite them in for an EAB seminar. That way you will get to know more about them and their research and visa versa (by serving as student host at lunch).

It is helpful to work with your advisor to prepare a document that also serves as an agenda that you can use throughout the meeting. This document can be sent to all committee members ahead of the meeting and serves as a preview of what to expect.

See example provided in the Appendix of the Student Handbook (Word doc) for what to include in this document from Introduction through Research Overview to proposed Timeline.

A record of what happened at your committee meeting is important. Since you will be busy running the meeting, it is helpful to have your advisor or someone else to take notes for you. If this is a Zoom meeting, then the recording the meeting can be transcribed into minutes or a summary of what was discussed. Send them to your mentor and committee and keep these on file to be submitted with your progress report each year. About a week prior to your scheduled meeting, it is wise to send the committee a reminder of the meeting and a current CV (if you had not done so prior to organizing your committee) and an agenda. Any other documents you plan on reviewing would also be a good idea to send.

If this is your first committee meeting, remember the committee meetings are for you; they should be run by you and not your mentor or your committee. Start with an introduction of yourself and others on the committee (chances are that not everyone knows each other). This should be followed by a brief justification as to the overall research you are planning. If you have a few specific aims ironed out, this is a good time to talk about them. It is advisable to organize a short power point presentation focused on your research plans. Lay out the background and maybe previous research or preliminary studies you or your lab has completed.

Take questions and comments during your mini-presentation and remember the committee is there to help you do the best research possible. If you don’t know the answers to their questions, it is okay. Write them down and look them up as soon as you can. It will only help you going forward.

It is a good practice to plan on having about one committee meeting a year after the committee is formed. Particularly important times for meetings include a few months prior to your qualifying examination written and oral proposal defense. This is to make sure you are ready and won’t be surprised by anything during that proposal. And then yearly after that, and then again, a few months prior to your final defense, again to avoid any surprises.

As part of the advancement to doctoral candidacy in the Endocrinology and Animal Biosciences Graduate Program, students must complete a written comprehensive exam, submit a research proposal, and deliver an oral defense seminar. The seminar is a formal presentation of the NIH-style research proposal and serves as a critical evaluation point for your readiness to undertake independent dissertation research. It should clearly articulate the research aims, significance, and experimental approach. Time your talk to fit within the expected 30–45 minute window, allowing for at least 10–15 minutes of questions post-seminar.

While the proposal must be written independently, you are strongly encouraged to work closely with your faculty advisor throughout the development of both the written document and the oral seminar. The advisor plays a key role in helping you refine the research question, structure the presentation, and anticipate committee feedback. This collaboration ensures that the seminar is scientifically rigorous, well-organized, and aligned with the expectations of the graduate committee.

The seminar should be clear, concise, and visually engaging, with a strong narrative that explains the rationale behind the research, the methods to be used, and the expected outcomes. Students should be prepared to defend their choices, discuss alternative approaches, and demonstrate a deep understanding of the field. Practicing the seminar with your advisor and lab group is highly recommended to build confidence and receive constructive feedback before the formal defense.

Use the Research Proposal & Seminar Preparation Checklist (PDF) to help prepare yourself for your proposal defense seminar.

Preparing for your dissertation or thesis defense is a critical step in completing your graduate degree, and success begins with early planning and consistent communication with your faculty advisor. Once your dissertation/thesis is nearing completion, coordinate with the Seminar Coordinator to schedule your defense seminar—ideally as part of the regular Friday Seminar Series. If that’s not possible, work with the Program Coordinator to reserve appropriate rooms for both your public seminar and private committee defense. Be sure to distribute your dissertation/thesis to all committee members at least two weeks in advance to allow ample time for review.

As you prepare, practice your presentation multiple times—ideally with peers or your advisor—to refine your delivery and anticipate questions. Your seminar should clearly communicate your research rationale, methods, findings, and significance, using well-designed visuals like graphs and tables. Time your talk to fit within the expected 30–45 minute window and prepare a brief, accessible summary for any non-specialist attendees. This will allow for at least a 10–15 minute window for questions post-seminar. On the day of your defense, arrive early to test equipment, bring all necessary materials, and dress professionally. During the Q&A, stay calm, listen carefully, and respond thoughtfully—remember, the faculty in attendance and your committee are there to support your academic growth.

After the defense, promptly complete any required revisions and submit your final dissertation/thesis electronically. Throughout this process, staying organized, maintaining regular advisor meetings, and taking care of your well-being (i.e. sleep and eat well!) will help ensure a smooth and successful defense experience.

Use the Dissertation/Thesis Defense Preparation Checklist (PDF) to help prepare yourself for your dissertation/thesis defense seminar.

• Research Proposal & Seminar Preparation Checklist (PDF)
• Dissertation/Thesis Defense Preparation Checklist (PDF)