Graduate Student Degree Options
Degree Requirements
Students must follow approved plans of study that meet the minimum University and departmental requirements for the respective degrees they are pursuing.
The Master of Science degree in plant and soil sciences may be earned by using the thesis option.
This plan requires a minimum of 30 credit hours of course work, including six credit hours of PLNT, or SOIL 5000, master's thesis.
The Master of Agriculture degree may be earned by utilizing one of three options:
- Option A: Formal report (non-thesis), minimum of 32 credit hours of course work, including two credit hours of PLNT, SOIL 5000, master's thesis.
- Option B: Minimum of 36 credit hours of course work and a creative component.
- Option C: Minimum of 36 credit hours of course work including six hours of credit (PLNT, SOIL 5230, Research) for a professional internship. The internship will consist of professional practice and an informal report. Internships for students with previously established vocations and career experience must be in areas other than the specific vocational field of the students.
The degree plans of study for the Doctor of Philosophy degree in crop science, environmental science, plant science, and soil science are developed individually for each candidate. Doctoral programs in crop science and soil science must include 10 credit hours of departmental courses at the 5000 level or above (excluding thesis), and meet certain requirements in basic disciplines such as statistics, mathematics, botany, and chemistry. Study of a foreign language is not required but can be incorporated if the student and advisory committee feel that it is desirable. Degree plans for doctoral students in plant science, that include molecular, organismal, or ecological programs of study, and in environmental sciences, that include a broad spectrum of soil, water, and waste management issues, are developed for candidates in conjunction with advisory committee approval.
