Commitment to the ICS Scholars program means taking courses that will prepare you to be a great candidate in compensation. Our track covers all the fundamentals and dovetails with requirements or electives in several graduate degrees.
The ICS Scholars program is a track of study. It will not be recorded on your Cornell transcript; however, Scholars complete an eCornell certificate that grants a formal qualification to add to your resume.
Requirements
Full requirements are on the program's homepage. They include participation the Cornell Compensation Club, completion of an ICS mentorship in compensation and the academic requirements below.
ICS Scholars must complete at minimum before graduation:
1 Statistics course (3 credits)
1 Finance course (3 credits)
1 Accounting course (3 credits)
1 Spreadsheet course (3 credits)
3 Compensation courses (4.5 credits)
plus
eCornell’s Compensation Studies Certificate (4 online non-credit courses)
**GUIDANCE ON CREDIT POLICIES BELOW IS SUBJECT TO REFINEMENT. **
Courses used for other Cornell requirements may be applied to ICS Scholars program requirements. We encourage students to take advanced courses in our required topical fields that we may not list and submit this work to meet requirements.
You must enroll in Compensation courses at Cornell.
Credit recognition from work experience or prior studies: Students may petition for credit recognition of course credits previously earned or experience demonstrating mastery of required subject areas. Credit recognition does not supersede 12 month+ engagement with the Scholars program including club participation and mentorship.
Program mentors are early career peers who have made a start in the compensation field. Peer mentors will illustrate how skills are used in the field. They can lay out key firms and players as well as trends and hot topics in their experience.
Profile
ICS has sought out mentors who are recent graduates and have 1-2 years of experience in the compensation field. Mentors may be or may not be Cornellians.
Commitment
Mentorship for graduate students starts with a six-month commitment from both parties. Scholars will initiate and schedule monthly sessions. More frequent interactions could be arranged by mutual agreement.
Activities
mentors will discuss with you::
- An overview of the kinds of work in which they are involved.
- Their knowledge of firms and specialties from a career foundation perspective.
- Counsel and referrals on how to secure internships and full-time employment in compensation.
- Advice on the relative advantages and disadvantages of potential opportunities.
Recommended Courses
Compensation
Executive Compensation
Managing Total Rewards
Fundamentals of Benefits and the Employee Value Proposition
Statistics
Graduate Students should demonstrate statistical
qualifications from undergraduate transcripts or a
graduate course in quantitative research methods.
Accounting
Previously earned credits or professional experience should be documented and submitted for review. Cornell options include.
Financial Accounting
Accounting and Financial Decision Making
Spreadsheets
Credits earned in prior degrees may be combined with evidence of professional experience toward fulfillment of this requirement.
Advanced Business Modeling
Strategic Human Resource Metrics and Analytics
Advanced Desktop Applications
Financial Modeling
Managerial Spreadsheet Modeling
Decision Models
Spreadsheet-Based Modeling and Data Analysis
Spreadsheet-Based Modeling and Data Analysis
Finance
Courses at or above the specified courses listed may be submitted for review.
ICS strongly recommends separate, full courses for finance and for accounting each.
Finance
Managerial Finance