Graduate Degree Requirements

Master's Degree Candidates

Plan A (with Thesis) and Plan B (No Thesis, but Scholarly Activity)

Students will have their guidance committee (four members, one of which must be from outside the department) established before the end of the second semester that the student is in graduate school. Students will file before the end of their second semester a Master of Science Degree Proposed Academic Program (Appendix A-2 of the Department of Animal Science Graduate Student Handbook). The minimum credits required for a Master's degree (Plan A and B) are 30 credits of courses at the 400 level or above (at least 50% must be at the 800 level or higher). A minimum of 6 credits and maximum of 10 credits of thesis research (ANS 899) and maximum of 6 credits of independent study (ANS 890) will be credited in Plan A. No more than 6 credits of Master's research (ANS 898) and/or advanced independent study (ANS 890) can be credited in Plan B.

Students must maintain a grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.0 to retain an assistantship and to be retained as a graduate student. Students will be allowed one semester to bring their GPA equal to or greater than 3.0 for retention of the assistantship. Students will be allowed two semesters to bring their GPA equal to or greater than 3.0 for retention as a graduate student.

The thesis problem (Plan A) or scholarly activity (Plan B) shall be selected by the student in consultation with the major professor and approved by the guidance committee. The thesis (prepared in accordance with the Graduate School Thesis and Dissertation Electronic Submission) must be circulated to members of the guidance committee at least 14 days prior to the Master's final examination after being judged acceptable by two members of the guidance committee. Every student (Plan A or B) must pass a final oral examination by their guidance committee to complete the requirements for the Master's degree. All work must be completed within five calendar years from the date of enrollment in the first course included for degree certification.

Doctoral Degree Candidates

Students must form a guidance committee (five members, of which one departmental member represents an area of interest other than that of the major professor and one member represents a department other than Animal Science) and file the Report of the Guidance Committee-Doctoral and Other Programs through Grad Plan before the end of the second semester that a student has begun course work toward the Ph.D. There is no minimum number of course credits required, but students must take at least 24 credits of doctoral dissertation research (ANS 999). Students are limited to a maximum of 8 independent study credits (ANS 890).

Students must maintain a grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.0 to retain an assistantship and to be retained as a graduate student. Students will be allowed one semester to bring their GPA equal to or greater than 3.0 for retention of the assistantship. Students will be allowed two semesters to bring their GPA equal to or greater than 3.0 for retention as a graduate student.

Students will be required to write a formal dissertation proposal outlining their proposed doctoral work and to defend the proposal in front of the guidance committee by the end of the fourth semester after initiation of the doctoral program. The student must pass the Ph.D. comprehensive examination no later than the end of seven semesters enrollment in the doctoral program in order to be considered a Ph.D. candidate.

The dissertation (prepared in accordance with the Graduate School Thesis and Dissertation Electronic Submission) must be circulated to members of the guidance committee at least 14 days prior to the Ph.D. final exam after being judged acceptable by two committee members. Every student must pass a final oral examination by their guidance committee to complete the requirements for the Ph.D. degree. All requirements must be completed within eight calendar years from the date of enrollment in the first course included for degree certification.