For complete information regarding the academic rules and regulations of the University students should consult University Academic Offices, Services, and Regulations. The following additions and amendments pertain to the College of Science.
Admission to any graduate degree program is contingent upon meeting the admission requirements of the Graduate School; see Admission, Regular. Preference is given to those students who have achieved superior undergraduate scholastic records and who evidence superior abilities.
All prerequisite credits must be earned prior to or concurrent with the first graduate credits. If undergraduate preparation for the major field is considered deficient, additional work may be required at the undergraduate level. Many programs have additional individual admission requirements. Students should consult the subsequent departmental sections in this bulletin for specific requirements in each field of study.
The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is used to assist advisers in evaluating educational preparation and to serve as a basis for planning future study. There is no uniform policy concerning GREs; some departments require GRE scores from all applicants for admission, while others require scores only from students in specified classifications. Students should consult the department in which they wish to major to determine which examinations must be taken.
Students required to take these examinations must apply at the Testing and Evaluation Office, 698 Student Center, either prior to or at the time of admission. Students who previously have taken the examination may have transcripts of these scores submitted. After the initial registration, no subsequent enrollment will be permitted nor will candidacy be authorized until examination requirements have been fulfilled.
Several departments of the College - Biological Sciences, Computer Science, Geology, Mathematics, and Nutrition and Food Science - permit academically superior students to petition for admission into the College's `AGRADE' program. `AGRADE' procedures enable qualified seniors to enroll simultaneously in the undergraduate and graduate programs of the College and apply a maximum of fifteen credits towards both a bachelor's and master's degree in the major field. Students electing `AGRADE' programs may expect to complete the bachelor's and master's degrees in five years of full-time study.
An `AGRADE' applicant may petition the Graduate Committee of the major department for acceptance into the program no earlier than the semester in which ninety credits are completed. Applicants must have an overall g.p.a. at the `Cum Laude' level (approximately 3.6) and not less than a 3.6 g.p.a. in the major courses already completed. If the student's petition is accepted, the student's faculty adviser shall develop a graduate Plan of Work, specifying the `AGRADE' courses to be included in subsequent semesters.
For more details about the `A GRADE' program, contact the Graduate Office of the College of Science (577-5188), and the chairperson of the major department.
Graduate degrees are conferred not merely upon the completion of a prescribed number of courses nor necessarily after a given period of residence, but rather in recognition of each candidate's outstanding ability and high attainments as evidenced in all course work, research, scholarly writing, examinations and personal fitness for a chosen profession. All course work must be completed in accordance with the academic procedures of the Graduate School (see Admission, Graduate School) and College of Science regulations. In addition to the general Graduate School requirements for degrees and to the information provided below, other requirements are specified by the individual graduate departments. Students should consult the programs and requirements of the departments in which they plan to major.
Candidacy is an advanced status recommended by student advisers and authorized by the Graduate School or Science Graduate Office upon evidence of superior scholarship, appropriate personal qualities and promise of professional competence. Students should note that admission as an applicant does not assure acceptance as a candidate for a degree, and that candidacy is a necessary but not sufficient requirement for graduation.
To be eligible for candidacy, students must file officially approved Plans of Work. The Plan should provide for effective concentration in a major field, with proper supporting courses in related fields. Ph.D. applicants should file their Plan with the Graduate School; master's applicants with the graduate officer of the College of Science. In preparing a Plan, students should evaluate with care their personal and professional objectives as well as all degree and departmental requirements. Normally, a student enrolled in a master's degree program is expected to file a Plan of Work by the time twelve graduate credits or their equivalent have been earned. Otherwise, subsequent registration is denied.
It is recommended that an approved Plan be filed by applicants for the Ph.D. degree when approximately fifty credits beyond the baccalaureate degree have been earned. In addition to filing the Plan, students must have satisfied foreign language requirements and must have passed the Final Qualifying Examination and must have submitted and received the Graduate Dean's approval on the Dissertation Outline before the doctoral committee will recommend candidacy.
Candidacy is reached after the Plan of Work has been approved, the final Qualifying Examination has been passed, approximately 50 credit hours have been completed, and the dissertation committee has been named.
Information concerning commencement, caps and gowns, invitations, tickets, time and place, assembling and other relevant items will be mailed to graduates by the Alumni Office prior to the event. Candidates for advanced degrees are requested and expected to attend the commencement at which the University confers upon them the honor of the degree earned.
In most master's degree programs, the minimum requirement for the degree is thirty-two credits under either Plan A or Plan B or Plan C as cited below. At least twenty-four credits must be taken in residence. At least six credits of work in the major field, in addition to the essay or thesis, must be in courses open only to graduate students (courses numbered 7000 and above).
Plan A requires twenty-four credits of course work plus an eight credit thesis.
Plan B requires twenty-nine credits of course work plus a three credit essay.
Plan C requires thirty-two credits of course work. Essay or thesis not required. Authorized only in selected areas. Most departments require a final comprehensive examination. Students should consult adviser.
These requirements vary slightly by department; see listings under the individual departments for exact information. In accordance with the Time Limitation of the Graduate School, all requirements for the master's degree must be completed within a six-year period.
Responsibility for preliminary qualifying examinations is vested in the graduate faculty of each department; specifically, in its committee on doctoral study. Accordingly, committees may require this examination of all candidates or of any candidate prior to the final qualifying examination.
The final qualifying examination is required of all applicants and will be a written examination. It may also contain an oral portion if the department requires one. Consult the specific department for requirements.
The written qualifying examination will cover the applicant's major and minor areas and may include such other related matters as the doctoral examining committee may prescribe. If an oral qualifying examination is required it will be conducted by the departmental qualifying examination committee within sixty days after the written qualifying examination has been passed. This examination will relate to the subject matter of the written examination, the applicant's major and minor areas and other pertinent matters.
If an examining committee does NOT certify that the applicant has passed either the written or oral examinations, it must make specific recommendations with reference to admitting the applicant to a second examination and specify any additional work that should be completed prior to such an examination. If a second examination is held, it must be scheduled within one calendar year and shall be considered final.
Selection of the student's doctoral committee, including one member from outside the student's department, is a requirement for candidacy. Substitutions in the membership of this committee may be made until submission of the Outline and Record Form to the Graduate School. After this form is approved, any change in committee membership requires written approval from the Graduate School. This committee conducts the final dissertation defense. A Graduate Examiner, appointed by the Graduate School, presides over the defense.
There is no prescribed form for the Master's essay. Essay guidelines, indicating standard style manuals for each department and title-page samples, are available in the Science Graduate Office, 2155 Old Main.
Master's degree candidates under the essay plan register for the course numbered 7999, Master's Essay Direction, in the department of their major; a total of three credits must be elected.
The original copy of the essay should be submitted to the Science Graduate Office after it is approved and signed by the adviser. This copy will be returned to the department.
The thesis or dissertation must be an original work, either in or definitely related to the student's major area of specialization. If proper standards of quality, objectivity, originality, and independence are maintained, candidates may use data which they have derived from their University research. Neither the results of the research nor the publication of findings can be restricted by any non-university agency nor can they be published prior to acceptance of the dissertation by the Graduate School, unless prior approval of such publication has been obtained from the adviser. Advisers have primary responsibility for approval of the essay or thesis, but every member of a doctoral committee must read, approve and sign the dissertation.
Master's students may not begin work on a manuscript until they have submitted an approved Plan of Work and outline form. They may then register for the thesis and pay regular fees in the same manner as for all other course work.
Master's candidates under the thesis plan register for the course numbered 8999 in the department of their major. This course is entitled Master's Thesis Research and Direction and must be elected for a total of eight credits. For Ph.D. candidates, the thirty credit dissertation registration requirement is fulfilled in one of two ways: 1) Students who have accumulated credits in the course numbered 9999 (Doctoral Dissertation Research and Direction) register for a total of thirty credits in 9999; or 2) Students who have not accumulated any credits in the course numbered 9999 and who attain Candidacy after Summer semester 2001 register for the courses 9991, 9992, 9993, and 9994 (Doctoral Dissertation Research and Direction I, II, III, and IV, respectively), in consecutive academic year semesters.
The publication and dissemination of research findings will not be restricted by the University after the manuscript has been received and accepted by the Graduate Office.
Before students begin working on theses or dissertations, they must file appropriate outline and record of approval forms. Master's candidates must prepare three copies which, after receiving departmental approval, will be forwarded to the Science Graduate Office. Doctoral candidates must prepare one copy which, after receiving departmental approval, will be forwarded to the Graduate School.
For general sources of graduate financial aid, see Financial Assistance. Specific information may be found in various departmental sections of the College of Science, below.
This is an advanced degree designed for secondary school science educators seeking a deeper or broader background in science. The curriculum is designed to focus on basic scientific principles and to explore new developments in science in a multidisciplinary context. This program is designed for part-time students, with courses offered in late afternoon and on weekends during the academic year and full-time during the summer.
Admission to this program is contingent upon admission to the Graduate School; see Admission, Regular. Applicants to this program must have earned a bachelor's degree with an undergraduate grade point average of 2.6 or better and must have obtained a secondary teaching certificate.
DEGREE REQUIREMENTS: Students must complete a total of thirty-two credits of Plan C graduate study, satisfying one of the following two options. Option I provides broader training in the life sciences, physical sciences, and earth and space science. Option II allows a concentration in one of these areas. A minimum of six credits must be earned in courses numbered 7000 or above.
EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCE (two courses from the following):
LIFE SCIENCES (two courses from the following):
PHYSICAL SCIENCES (two courses from the following):
Scholarship: All course work must be completed in accordance with the academic procedures of the College of Science and the Graduate School governing graduate scholarship and degrees; see Regulations of the University, Academic and Academic Regulations of the College of Science.