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Master of Science Program Student Handbook MASTER OF SCIENCE PROGRAMThe Institute of Human Nutrition is a division of the Postgraduate Education Division of the Faculty of Medicine, one of the units of Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons. The Institute offers study programs leading to both the Master of Science (M.S.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees in Nutrition. The Master of Science degree program offered by the Institute is designed as a foundation for students who plan either to continue toward the Ph.D. or to attend medical, dental or other Professional health schools. In addition to students preparing for further study, persons already holding medical, dental or other professional degrees in the health sciences, use the program to augment their prior training and knowledge of nutrition. Though the degree is not a terminal degree and graduates will require additional training to become dietitians, food technologists, or public health, community or clinical nutritionists, there are core competencies in professionalism and leadership, basic knowledge, and public presentation that will be obtained during the program.
REQUIREMENTS for the MASTER OF SCIENCE DEGREETo earn the M.S. degree, a student must complete a minimum of 33 credits of academic study with a grade average of B- or better, a research project approved by the faculty advisor and the Director of the Master's Program, and the preparation of a thesis. Any alteration of this plan must be approved by the Director of the Institute. This work is completed over a twelve-month period of three terms beginning September, January and May. The summer term beginning in May is devoted to the research project and completion of the Master's thesis.
FACULTY ADVISOREach student is assigned an individual advisor with whom they should discuss all course choices, selection of research topic, personal concerns, etc. Because of busy schedules, it is essential that you make an appointment to see your advisor. Their lecture, research, travel and other commitments reduce the probability that you can see them without specifically requesting an appointment. Your advisor's signature is required on the following:
COURSE REQUIREMENTS: Each student must complete a total of 25-28 credits of required courses, their thesis research (7 credits) and typically 3-6 or more elective credit choices. Electives are selected by the student with the advice and consent of the student's faculty advisor. Generally full-time students enroll for 15-19 credits per semester. Tuition is set at a flat fee equivalent to the cost of 15 credits for students taking 12-19 credits. This allows students the option of completing up to 8 additional graduate credits over two semesters without incurring additional tuition fees. There is no reduction in the tuition rate for students registering for less than 12 credits, which is the minimum required for full-time student status. For individuals who complete the program as part-time students, tuition is calculated on a per-credit basis. The standard program is as follows:
OTHER EVENTS: Periodically throughout the year seminars, guest lecturers, or other activities of interest will be announced. These include lectures offered by other divisions, conferences or seminars offered by nutrition or health organizations, or activities such as cholesterol screenings. The Institute of Human Nutrition has an annual retreat, and other scheduled events. These events are integral to the academic training and will enrich the student's education. They provide learning opportunities which are beyond the basic studies of the program and will add to the student’s understanding of current research, emerging issues, and controversial topics. Attendance at these events is mandatory. DOCTORAL SEMINARS: Doctoral students participate in weekly seminars at which research is presented and discussed. Interested master's students are welcome to join these seminars as observers. Attendance is encouraged, not mandatory. GRADES: Grades at the Institute are as follows: A excellent B good C fair P Pass F failure plus and minus grades are used Incompletes (INC) are given only to a student who has been compelled for reasons beyond his or her control to postpone certain assigned papers or reports, or who has an excused absence from final examination or paper. If the incomplete is not removed within one year of the time it is assigned, it will automatically be changed to F. SATISFACTORY PROGRESS:
COPYING EQUIPMENT: Photocopy machines are available in the basement of the Health Sciences Library. Students are NOT to use the copy equipment at the Institute offices. HOUSING: On-campus housing on Columbia University’s Medical Center campus is quite limited and available of a first come, first served basis for students who will be enrolled full-time starting in the spring prior to admission. There is no on-campus housing during the summer and only students engaged in full-time study may apply for on campus housing. Local off-campus housing is more readily available and most students find it is economical to share apartments with others in the program. To facilitate this process, the Institute releases the names and contact information of incoming students who are interested in sharing housing. LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION: A composite M.S. program letter of recommendation will be prepared by the Director of the Master's Program and filed with the academic administrator. Students may request two professors to contribute to the letter, as well as their thesis mentor. It is the student’s responsibility to initiate the process by completing the recommendation letter request form and forwarding it, along with recipient names and addresses, to Alex Sosa (SA96@columbia.edu). They should then request their faculty members contribute to the letter and instruct them to email their contribution to Dr. Akabas (sa109@columbia.edu). For the process to be completed, students should complete the letter of recommendation request form and contact the faculty member(s) at least four weeks prior to the deadline for the letter. It is the student’s responsibility to follow-up with the faculty member to ensure their contribution has been sent to Dr. Akabas. The administrator will then mail requested copies as needed to medical and graduate schools, and potential employers. WEEKLY BULLETIN: A schedule of courses including information on topics, lecturer and location, will be emailed to each student weekly. The schedule will also include information on mandatory and optional events. COMMUNICATION WITH STUDENTS: Email will be the primary mode of communication but a student mail box is located in the Institute offices. The mail box contains folders with each student's name, and notices, examinations, homework, etc. are regularly placed there for students. Students should check their folder daily for communications.
VISAS FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS The F-1 visa requires full-time student status, and students beginning the M.S. program in the Fall semester usually enter the U.S. in mid-August if they require off-campus housing. Students on F-1 visas should note that their visa status requires full-time enrollment and there is no provision for early entry to engage in part-time coursework or thesis research.
Institute of Human Nutrition, Columbia UniversityMASTER’S THESIS PROJECT AND PAPERGeneral Description of Master’s Thesis Project and Paper The formal product of the research project will be a written thesis that may take the form of a paper that follows the format shown below. It is recognized that Master’s projects do not always yield results that are suitable orsufficient for publication in a peer-reviewed journal. In these cases, every section of the thesis should still be written as described below, although the content may be affected. Problems encountered and other constraints should be discussed to explain the limitations of the work completed. A crucial thesis component is to clearly document the research experience and education gained by the student. Fall semester For the Fall, students are expected to devote about 10 hours per week to the thesis process. During early September, faculty who wish to act as thesis mentors will present the students with descriptions of opportunities for research projects, either in writing or during in-person sessions arranged with the class for this purpose. These scheduled faculty presentations are not exhaustive; students should also consider projects described only in writing. Each student is expected to take primary responsibility for pursuing thesis opportunities and arranging for a thesis mentor. Students can pursue other thesis projects provided that these are approved by their faculty advisor and the Director of the Master’s Program. Students are not to be compensated monetarily for their thesis work. By December 6, the student must file a completed "Proposed Master's Project" form with the Director of the Master's Program. This form can be obtained from the IHN website: http://cumc.columbia.edu/dept/ihn/student/forms.html. The form must be signed by the student, the prospective mentor and the student's faculty advisor. A thorough review of the relevant literature and methodology related to the thesis topic should be completed by the end of the fall semester. Students should also begin to work in the research setting, learning appropriate methods, designing questionnaires, etc. Students should also attend all laboratory safety, HIPPA, and other necessary orientation lectures during this semester. At the end of the semester, students submit a brief (4-5 page) thesis proposal to the Director of the Master’s Program. The proposal should: (1) state the purpose of the research including the hypothesis to be tested; (2) outline the approach chosen for testing the hypothesis, including the rationale for the approach; (3) briefly describe how the data will be analyzed, and (4) anticipated results. The student’s thesis mentor must sign the title page of this paper. Spring semester should be spent performing the early phases of the thesis research; the student is expected to spend 10-15 hours per week devoted to the thesis during this semester. A complete first draft of the Introduction and Materials and Methods sections of the thesis is due at the end of the second semester. Credit for special studies will not be given until these papers have been submitted and reviewed by the Director of the Program. During the summer session, students spend 35+ hours per week, for 10-12 weeks, carrying out the research project. The thesis research normally is completed by early to mid-August. Your research time commitment should be as specific as your time for courses and should be based on completing 350+ hours, in addition to the time spent in the fall and spring. For those students needing to finish early for graduate or medical school, any special issues regarding fulfilling this time commitment should be discussed with your mentor, and your advisor. Some students have arranged to complete the time obligation in part by putting in additional thesis project time during their winter and spring breaks. Work on the thesis should not compromise course obligations, and vice versa. The written thesis should be submitted to and approved by the thesis mentor and the student's faculty advisor by August 31, for an October graduation. A final, revised copy with the signed coversheet must be turned in to the Director of the Master’s program by September 15. Failure to meet these deadlines will jeopardize timely graduation.
Student Activities and Responsibilities for MS Thesis Project
Student’s time commitment:
Students’ responsibilities:
Thesis Format
The Master's thesis may be prepared using the basic format of a journal article, or it may be a more expansive document. The format should be decided with the advice of the mentor. In either event, it should include the following sections: 1. Title Page 2. Abstract - An abstract is a brief summary of the paper. It contains a statement of the objective of the study, brief methods, and findings and thus provides a quick overview of the research. 3. Introduction - The introduction succinctly summarizes current knowledge in the area as background to the purpose of the chosen study, including the specific insights or knowledge to be gained from this study to move the field forward. The approach taken is then briefly described, including specific hypotheses tested as part of the overall question. If the study challenges existing studies in the literature they should be included in the introduction. This discussion of the literature serves to reflect your level of comprehension of the field and your ability to frame your question within the context of what is known and what specific “gaps” you are addressing. The length of this section of the Master’s Thesis should be comparable to most published articles, and no longer than 4 double-spaced pages. 4. Materials and Methods – This section describes and (where appropriate) justifies the methods chosen indicating prior method validations, appropriateness for use with the samples/populations studied, etc. Students should give the rationale for the major methods they use that were chosen previously by the laboratory or clinical setting in which they work, rather than stating that the method was chosen "because the mentor used it". Statistical methods should also be described. 5. Results - This section describes the findings of your study in a step-wise fashion, including the results of statistical analyses. It should include a detailed summary of the results, in tables, figures, and text. Tables and figures should agree with the data presented in the body of the text. A good table or figure is easily understood without referring to the text; it must include complete figure legends. The legend should clarify variables, levels of statistical significance, etc. 6. Discussion - Summarize the findings of the study. Then discuss these findings in the context of the original hypotheses and other information available in the literature. Alternative explanations of the results should also be discussed if they are not excluded by the work. The importance of the findings, the questions raised and those they answer, or the possibilities they have precluded are appropriately covered here. Conclude with a statement of future directions. 7. References - Complete documentation for references used in the body of the paper should be available at the end as a list of references. The Journal of Nutrition's format is appropriate. The University provides access to the Endnote software program (downloadable from the AcIS homepage) to assist in managing and formatting references. However, you may prefer to list citations alphabetically by first author and refer to them in the text as “Author et al., year”. 8. Appendix – Indicate in a narrative or outline form which activities, of the activities that were essential for your thesis manuscript, you personally performed. The purpose is to give the reader a clear idea of what supportive materials you used that were the result of other people’s work and which ones were developed or created as a result of your work. Special problems: As previously stated, it is recognized that Master's Projects do not always yield results that are sufficient for publication. A clinical study may recruit only 3 patients in 3 months, an assay may never work out, an enzyme may not be isolated. In these cases, every section should still be written as above, although the content would be affected. For example, the Results section might tabulate the data from the few patients recruited, but statistical analysis would be omitted or performed only to document analytic competence. The problems encountered in the process of an attempted enzyme isolation could be discussed in the Results section; the Discussion section might then deal with possible future approaches. All of the background, workup, test runs, etc. would then be given in more detail since this material would constitute the whole of the research experience, if more definitive data are not obtained. In some cases, the nature of the project calls for a somewhat unusual written presentation (e.g.: development of educational materials might necessitate their inclusion). The crucial aspect is to clearly document the research exposure or experience of the student. However, wherever possible, the standard journal article format should be used. A copy of the thesis should be given to the thesis mentor and to your student advisor. After reviewing the thesis, the mentor and advisor should sign the standardized cover sheet which, along with a copy of the thesis, is filed with the Director of the Master's Program for final review and approval. Role of MS Thesis Mentors
Submit the Proposed Master’s Project form, available at: http://cpmcnet.columbia.edu/dept/ihn/student/forms.html
Responsibility of mentors to the student:
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