Requirements for the Master of Science Degree in Agricultural Sciences: Thesis Option

A student must have a minimum of thirty-six (36) semester hours of graduate credit. At least twelve (12) of these must be the specified core courses, eighteen (18) in the selected area of concentration or related areas, and six (6) for the Master’s Thesis, AGG 5976 . A student may register for more than three hours in AGG 5976  in any one semester, only with the permission of his/her advisor and committee.

At the beginning of the first semester, the student indicates an area of concentration and begins with general coursework (AGR 5825/5827 Statistical Methods in Research I&II, AGG 5920  Colloquium, and one course from the students proposed area of concentration). The student will also seek a Major Professor and then a supervisory committee who will, in conjunction with the student finalize the student’s program of study.

Any subsequent changes to the student’s program must be approved by the Supervisory Committee, and filed with the Graduate Program Coordinator.

Limits for degree programs are set by the graduate school, and any requests for extension must be approved by the students Major Professor, Committee, Graduate Program Coordinator, Dean of the College, and Dean of the Graduate School.

Study for the master’s degree must be completed within five years from the first semester the student registers as a graduate student. A student may earn no more than two (2) “C”s provided that he/ she maintains an overall GPA of 3.0 or better. A third grade of “C” will result in termination from the program. A required or core course with a grade of “C” must be repeated. Any grade of “D” or “F” may be grounds for dismissal from the program;

Any grade of “U” in any phase of the coursework/thesis/research/dissertation shall require the student to be placed on probation for one semester. A second “U” grade will result in the termination of the student’s degree seeking status;

Graduation requirements include a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or better and the successful defense of a thesis or project report. All of the above requirements must be met within 7 calendar years.

Select the following required courses

• AGG 5825 Fundamentals Of Research Design (4)
• AGG 5827 Stat Methods In Research II
• AGG 5931 Scientific Research Communication (3)
• AGG 5920 Colloquium (1) (repeated each semester)

Select one of the following core courses

• ANS 5205C Advanced Animal Production (3)
• SOS 5217 Soil and the Environment (3)
• PMA 5407C Integrated Pest Management (3)
• AEB 5185 Advanced Agricultural Production (3)
• FOS 5314 Advanced Food Processing and Storage (3)

Select all of the following core courses

• AGR 5322 Plant Breeding (4)
• AGR 5445C Adv Plant Sciences
• AGR 5616 Seed Science And Technology (3)
• BOT 5506 Advanced Plant Physiology (3)
• BOT 5937 Selected Topics In Plant Biotechnology (3)

Master’s Thesis

• AGG 5976 Master’s Thesis (1-9)

Approved electives, including courses in the area of concentration: 3-5 Hours

Seminars