Guidelines for Graduate Study
DEPARTMENT OF
PLANT, SOIL, AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
GUIDELINES FOR
GRADUATE STUDY
(Revised May,
2005)
I.
Student Responsibility
Students are
expected to assume full responsibility for knowing and following the
regulations of the Graduate School and the Department, as described
in the current issue of the Graduate School Bulletin and these
Guidelines. The information in this document applies to all graduate
students whose committee chairpersons are faculty in the Department
of Plant, Soil, and Environmental Sciences. This document defines
the requirements for both the M.S. degree in Horticulture and the
M.S. degree in Plant, Soil, and Environmental Sciences. Graduate
students in other degree programs must also fulfill degree
requirements specific to their particular programs.
II. Introduction to Graduate Education
Graduate programs
in Plant, Soil, and Environmental Sciences are an integral part of
the Department's mission of teaching, research, and public service.
Substantial physical, financial, and human resources are devoted to
the graduate program. In addition, the Department strives to
maintain an intellectual environment conducive to effective
learning.
Upon entering
graduate school the student assumes responsibility for maximum
personal development through personal learning efforts. Formal
learning situations such as class work and thesis project
development are important but in themselves do not provide the
intellectual maturity needed for degree completion and post-degree
responsibilities. Students are expected to develop more fully on
their own initiative through study and thought, interaction with
other students and faculty, and by taking advantage of other
learning opportunities (such as seminars) that are a continuing part
of a scholarly environment.
Although certain
requirements must be satisfied, a wide range of programs can be
developed to fit the interests and needs of individuals. Programs
can emphasize training in a broad range of plant, soil, and
environmental sciences focusing on ecosystem processes ranging from
a chemical or cellular to an ecosystem or global scale. Graduate
programs in the Department include emphasis on agricultural, forest,
horticultural and wetland ecosystems.
It is important
that the student makes early and thoughtful decisions with regard to
total program content. The decisions are guided and approved by the
student’s Graduate Advisory Committee. Though program changes may
be required at a later date, it is important that the overall
direction of the student's program, including research, be developed
early in their program. Appropriate research areas include the
applied fields as well as problems with theoretical or
methodological focus. In many cases a combination of these
approaches will emerge as desirable.
Appeals concerning
interpretation of this document may be referred to the Department
Chair for resolution. Under unusual circumstances a major
professor, with approval of the Advisory Committee may petition the
Graduate Faculty for modification of the regulations relating to a
specific student.
III. General Information
A.
Admission to graduate study in Plant, Soil, and
Environmental Sciences
Students who have,
or shall soon earn, a bachelor's degree are eligible to apply for
admission to the M.S. graduate programs in Plant, Soil, and
Environmental Sciences and Horticulture. Students who are admitted
under Conditional or Provisional status (see section lll B for
definitions) must fulfill certain requirements before obtaining
Regular admission status. Students under Provisional status must
make up course work deficiencies (specific courses required to be
determined by their graduate committee members) with a grade of B or
better. Graduate credit is only granted
for courses at the 400 level or above that have been approved by the
Graduate Advisory Committee.
For students
admitted under Conditional status to either the M.S. in Plant, Soil,
and Environmental Sciences or M.S. in Horticulture programs, the
advisor and committee (if applicable) will select the courses the
student has to take from the following list. Students will be
required to earn 12 credits with a grade of B or higher in courses
(or their equivalent) listed below. Equivalency of substituted
courses will be determined by the Graduate Coordinator and the PSE
Admissions Committee.
-
BIO 310
4 credits Plant Biology
-
BIO 319
3 credits General Ecology
-
BIO 326
4 credits General Entomology
-
BIO 327
4 credits Introductory Applied Entomology
-
BIO 445
3 credits Plant Genetics
-
BIO 452/453
4 credits Plant Physiology + Laboratory
-
BMB 207 4
credits Fundamentals of Chemistry
-
BMB 208 4
credits Elementary Physiological Chemistry
-
BMB 221/222 4
credits Organic Chemistry + Laboratory
-
FES 407 3 credits Forest Ecology
-
FTY 457 3 credits Forest Watershed Management
-
ERS 109
3 credits Geology of Maine
-
ERS 441
3 credits Principles of Glacial Geology
The core science
courses listed are intended to provide a basic foundation of
scientific knowledge upon which to base a graduate program for all
incoming graduate students entering Plant, Soil & Environmental
Sciences. These guidelines ensure that incoming students have the
necessary background to succeed in our graduate programs, to compete
for internal and external funding opportunities, and to meet the
expectations of future employers for students with advanced degrees
from our department.
B.
M.S. degrees
M.S. degrees are
offered in Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Horticulture, Plant,
Soil and Environmental Sciences, and Resource Utilization. Some
departmental faculty also hold cooperating appointments in other
programs and departments, and their advisees may be admitted to
other programs, such as Forestry or Microbiology. Such students are
still considered graduate students in the Department of Plant, Soil
and Environmental Sciences.
Admission status
of students initiating graduate study will fall into the following
categories:
1. Regular:
Those with at least a 2.75 overall quality point average (on the 4
point system) in undergraduate courses and 3.00 in major field.
Foreign students for whom English is a second language should
achieve a TOEFL score of 550 or above (or an equivalent score on
computer- or internet-based versions of the TOEFL). This is
required for all admission categories.
2.
Provisional: Those with above the minimum quality point
average, but with specific deficiencies or the lack of certain
prerequisites for graduate study. Deficiencies must be completed
with a grade of B or better in each course.
3.
Conditional: Those with at least a 2.50 overall average in
undergraduate courses and 2.75 quality point average in major
field. Conditional students must complete 12 credit hours with a
grade of not less than B in each course during their first semester.
For this purpose, grades in courses used to satisfy the conditional
admission requirement may not be improved by repeating the course.
Students admitted under Conditional status are not eligible to hold
a departmental assistantship until they have obtained Regular
status.
C.
Ph.D. degree
This Department
participates in the Biological Sciences, Ecology and Environmental
Sciences, Forest Resources, Microbiology, Plant Science, and
Individualized Ph.D. programs. Specific program admission
requirements can be obtained from the current Graduate School
Bulletin or from the Graduate School.
D.
Financial support
Graduate
assistantship awards are designed to help provide the financial
means for a student to complete an advanced degree. Qualified
graduate assistants are expected to register for at least one credit
hour of Graduate Thesis (LHC 699 or PSE 699) during the summer.
Departmental
assistantships are awarded on the basis of available funds,
qualifications of the student, and program needs of the Department.
Reasonable progress through the graduate program, as determined by
the Department Chair in consultation with the Graduate Coordinator
and the Advisory Committee, is required to retain financial
support. Assistantships are normally awarded for a minimum of two
years for a M.S. and three years for a Ph.D. Part of the
compensation of a departmental graduate assistantship appointment
includes payment of tuition for up to nine credit hours of approved
course work per regular semester and one for the summer.
Registration costs for credits over nine credits per semester,
electives, pass/fail, or audit courses are the responsibility of the
student.
Graduate students
may also be supported on an assistantship funded by extramural
grants and contracts. These funding sources are typically developed
by individuals or groups of faculty to carry out specific research,
although some opportunities exist for students to solicit their own
extramural funding. If the student is approved for graduate study
by the Department and Graduate School, and a faculty member has
agreed to serve as the major advisor for the student, then the
expectations for this student with respect to the assistantship are
strongly governed by the obligations of the extramurally supported
grant or contract. In addition, specific regulations from the
granting agency regarding graduate student support and activities
may exist which would also play a role in student responsibilities.
The tenure of the assistantship is variable. Depending upon the
source of funding, tuition waivers may or may not be given to the
student on extramurally funded assistantships. The level of support
for an extramurally funded assistantship can not be less than the
departmental assistantships. However, the stipend and coverage of
the tuition may vary for each situation. University funded graduate
assistantships are administered the same as extramurally funded
assistantships.
Students on
assistantships are expected to contribute to their advisor's
research program at times for projects that are not specifically
their own thesis research. It is typical that time for class
preparation, project responsibilities, and a significant amount of
the student's research will require additional time commitments
beyond a 40 hour work week. The actual requirements for
assistantships will vary among major professors, and consideration
will be given to the scope and nature of the thesis problem, the
source of funding, the degree candidate's competence in the
Department’s disciplinary areas.
General
expectations of the advisor for both research and teaching should be
discussed with the student before they begin their program.
If any issues arise concerning the faculty and student's obligations
in this regard, the Department Chair and the Graduate Coordinator
should serve as resources to address the situation.
Responsibilities
of students on departmental assistantships
Students on a
departmental assistantship are obligated to provide support to the
major professor's research, which is expected to include their own
thesis research. Additionally, students are expected to provide
teaching support to the departmental teaching programs above and
beyond the academic requirement of a teaching experience. A range
of expectations may exist depending on the specific students,
advisor, and program.
IV. Advisory committee
Each graduate
student in consultation with his/her faculty advisor will establish
an advisory committee soon after arrival. The Chair of the
committee generally will be the staff member who has immediate
supervision of the thesis problem, referred to as the major advisor
The M.S. degree requires a minimum of two additional advisory
committee members (for a total of at least three). These may be
chosen from within or from outside the Department, as appropriate
for the program they are enrolled in. The Ph.D. requires at least
four additional committee members (for a total of at least five) and
that at least one member be from outside the Department.
A Program of
Study and Research will be developed and must be submitted to
the Graduate School on approved forms by the end of the second
semester of enrollment for students in M.S. programs and by the
end of the second semester of enrollment for students in Ph.D.
programs. General guidance of a Master's candidate resides with the
Chair of the Advisory Committee, but the student must meet with each
member of the Committee for advice and approval for the Program of
Study and Research by the end of their second semester of graduate
work.
A written thesis
proposal is required of all graduate students by the end of their
second semester and ideally is done in conjunction with the
development of their Program of Study. The content and the format
required of the thesis proposal are determined by the major
advisor. A cover page form for approval signature from the advisor
and the advisory committee can be downloaded from the departmental
website. Upon completion and acceptance, a copy is to be forwarded
to the graduate coordinator.
A suggested format
for the written thesis proposal is as follows.
A. Format
Introduction –
statement of problem area and research question, rationale for
importance of proposed research, study objectives and hypothesis.
Literature
review – summarize examples of relevant literature on research
topic.
Methods –
summarize the basic experimental design, the proposed sampling and
analysis scheme, study sites, and any statistical methods to be
used.
Results –
indicate the expected results or output of the proposed research.
Literature cited
– a reference list of covered materials.
B.
Recommended length – 7
to 15 pages
C.
Role of major advisor
and graduate committee
The thesis
proposal should be prepared in consultation with the major advisor
and committee members. The major advisor should show new students
examples of successful research proposals from former students.
D.
Importance of the thesis research proposal
The thesis
research proposal is the roadmap for a successful research
investigation. The research proposal should ideally be prepared
prior to the initiation of the research investigation.
Frequent meetings
with the committee thereafter are encouraged. The advisory committee
will evaluate the student's progress each year. It is recommended
that an annual meeting of the Committee be held to discuss the
student's progress and any problems pertaining to the completion of
the project. Prior to the meeting, the student will prepare a draft
of the Student Annual Progress Report form, which is then
discussed with the major professor. The next step is to present the
draft report to the rest of the Committee members at the annual
meeting. This provides the group with a document to respond to and
promotes discussion of progress. From the results of that meeting,
a final version of the report, that takes into account the
discussion in the Committee meeting, will be produced and signed by
all members and the student. Signing the form will be interpreted
as approval of the content. If there are concerns about the
student's progress or other related matters, they should be
discussed and resolved during the course of the meeting and
the resolution of those concerns should be reflected in the content
of the final report.
In signing the
form, Committee members are indicating their satisfaction with
either the progress of the student or with the steps outlined to
resolve the problems. The student's signature is interpreted as
acknowledgment of any concerns expressed in the meeting and reported
on the form, and as agreeing with the process of problem resolution
included in the final form of the report. Revision of the final
report to include the necessary changes decided in the meeting (if
any), obtaining the required signatures, and submitting the form to
the Graduate Coordinator by January 31 are the responsibilities of
the student.
The Student
Annual Progress Report form can be obtained from the Graduate
Coordinator on December 1 of each year. The signed form must be
forwarded to the Graduate Coordinator by January 31 of each year.
V. Grades
Any one of five
quality grades (A, B, C, D, E) may be given a graduate student for
course work. The grade point equivalents are 4, 3, 2, 1, and 0
respectively. At the 400, 500 and 600 levels, grades of A and B
automatically receive graduate credit. A grade of C will not carry
graduate credit unless a student's committee recommends to the Dean
that such credit is allowed. No student will be allowed to
accumulate more than 6 hours of C grades on a program of study for a
M.S. degree nor more than 12 hours towards satisfying the
requirements for the Ph.D. Grades of D and E are considered failing
for graduate students.
VI. Thesis
A written outline
of the thesis problem shall be presented by the student to his or
her committee not later than one semester after program initiation.
To be acceptable, the thesis must be of sufficient substance as to
warrant publication in a peer-reviewed, scientific journal. The
thesis may be in the form of published, or ready to publish, paper(s),
with the approval of the Committee. Such a thesis shall include an
expanded literature review, comparable to that produced for regular
theses.
It is the
student's responsibility to provide the Committee members with
adequate time to review and correct preliminary and final drafts.
Normally, a given draft will not be held by a committee member more
than one week before returning it to the student. The candidate is
expected to provide members of the Committee with a copy of the
final draft of the thesis at least two weeks before the final
examination. Failure of the student to do so is sufficient grounds
for the committee to postpone the examination.
Students are
expected to provide, at their own expense, a copy of the final
thesis to the Graduate School and Library. The major professor pays
for a personal copy and the Department pays for the copy deposited
in the Departmental file. Information regarding thesis regulations
shall be obtained from the Graduate School.
VII. Residency requirements
A.
M.S. degree
At least 12 credit
hours of work, submitted towards fulfilling the requirements of the
M.S. degree, must be taken as a full-time graduate student on the
Orono campus.
Full-time
registration is considered to be six credit hours each of the
regular semesters.
B.
Ph.D. degree
The minimum
residency requirement for doctoral programs is met by registering
for a full program of study and research for two consecutive
academic years beyond the baccalaureate degree. Students entering
doctoral programs with an M.S. degree must register for at least one
academic year of study at Orono. Part time residency and summer
school registration may not be used to fulfill this requirement.
Full-time
registration is considered to be six credit hours each of the
regular semesters.
C.
General
Graduate
assistants are considered full-time students. Students who are
registered solely for thesis credits during the period they are
fulfilling the residency requirement, and not on leave of absence,
must maintain a continuous registration during the academic year.
This requirement is met by enrollment for six semester credit hours
per regular semester. The Graduate School pays for up to nine
credit hours of approved course registration per semester. One
credit hour of Graduate Thesis (PSE 699) in the summer is normally
covered as well. Approved courses are defined as those on the
Program of Study and those that directly contribute to the
strength of student's research.
VIII. Courses and credit hours
A.
M.S. degree
1. Deficiencies,
if any, should be removed as soon as possible.
2. Typically an
M.S. program consists of 24 hours of non-thesis credits and 6 hours
of thesis credits. A minimum of 30 semester hours, including credit
given for the thesis, is required, with the following limitations:
(a) The
minimum amount of credit given for the thesis is 6 hours and in no
case may it exceed 15 hours.
(b) A minimum
of 12 hours (exclusive of thesis) of 500 and 600 level course work
is required. Additional courses and requirements shall be
determined by the student's committee.
(d) A minimum
grade point average of 3.0 in courses on the Program of Study
is required for graduation. No courses on the Program of Study
may be taken on P/F basis. Registration fees for courses taken on a
P/F or Audit basis will not be covered by the Graduate School.
B.
Ph.D. degree
Because
requirements differ among the different programs available, refer to
requirements of specific programs as found in the Graduate School
Bulletin.
IX. Examinations
A.
M.S. degree
This examination
is considered to be a comprehensive examination of the candidate's
qualifications for the M.S. degree. It must be at least in part
oral, and, at the discretion of the Advisory Committee, part of this
examination may also be written. The examination will attempt to
determine if the candidate has achieved:
1. a
satisfactory level of competence in appropriate areas of
horticulture, plant science, soil science and/or environmental
science, and
2. a
comprehensive knowledge of the major area of specialization.
The examination
shall encompass both the Program of Study and defense of thesis.
B.
Ph.D. degree
Refer to the
specific program requirements in the Graduate School Bulletin.
C.
General
The Chair of the
Graduate Advisory Committee will notify the Graduate School when the
student is ready to schedule the comprehensive or final
examination. Results of these examinations will be reported to the
Director of the Graduate School. The examining committee shall have
the authority to require the M.S. candidate to repeat the oral
examination in whole or in part. The committee vote must be
unanimous for the candidate to pass. The committee vote need not be
unanimous for a doctoral candidate to pass the final oral
examination; however, only one negative vote will be permitted.
X. Seminar Requirements
All graduate
students in the Department of Plant, Soil, and Environmental
Sciences are expected to attend departmental seminars including
those given by fellow graduate students. Two degree credits for
seminar must be earned by an M.S. candidate. Three degree credits
for seminar must be earned by a Ph.D. candidate. It is recommended
that the first seminar of M.S. candidates be devoted to the thesis
proposal. Both M.S. and Ph.D. candidates will give public seminars
in their final semesters as a part of their thesis defense. This
public seminar will not be used to satisfy the above requirement.
The candidate will not be expected to give a second seminar during
the final semester.
XI. Teaching Experience Requirement
The faculty in the
Department of Plant, Soil, and Environmental Sciences believes that
the opportunity to be involved in the teaching process is an
important component of a graduate student's academic experience.
Therefore, each graduate student advised by a faculty member in the
Department is required to participate in at least one teaching
experience during the student's tenure. Appropriate teaching
experiences might include teaching laboratory section(s), providing
office hours, preparing laboratories, grading, or guest lecturing.
In addition, developing and maintaining teaching material would be
appropriate. There would be a minimum contribution from those
students who are part-time or not on an assistantship. The maximum
expectations would be for those students who are on a departmental
assistantship.
The Graduate
Coordinator, in consultation with the Department Chair will have the
responsibility of facilitating the system of assigning teaching
experiences to the graduate students. The Graduate Coordinator will
assess faculty needs and notify students and faculty of potential
assignments at the beginning of the academic year, to allow for
planning.
XII. MAFES Abstract
The Maine
Agricultural and Forest Experiment Station publishes annually a
compilation of abstracts of student theses and dissertations. The
format for this document may be obtained from either the major
advisor or Graduate Coordinator. The student must prepare this
document before their program can be considered complete.
