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Advisory Committee and Program of Study

Major Professor

The Major Professor is chairman of the student’s Advisory Committee and is the student’s primary source of advice on academic, scientific, and professional matters. The Major Professor will most likely be involved with a number of graduate students and other matters, so it is incumbent upon the student to use the School’s web site, the Graduate School Bulletin, and the Graduate Student Checklist to insure adequate progress toward graduation.

The Advisory Committee

An Advisory Committee must be appointed for all master’s degree students before the end of the first semester and for all PhD students before the end of the first year of residence. The Advisory Committee is responsible for planning the Program of Study, approving a thesis or dissertation topic, assisting in direction of the student’s research, participating in all appropriate preliminary and final examinations, and approval of the thesis or dissertation. A student’s Advisory Committee may not be composed entirely of adjunct faculty and must include at least one regular faculty member not in the student’s program area. The composition of Advisory Committees varies by degree objectives.

Program of Study

All students seeking a graduate degree must file a Program of Study. This is a listing of all courses the student is expected to take during the course of his or her degree program. An overall average of 3.0 must be maintained on all courses on the Program of Study, with no grade below a C on any course. Requirements for course work depend on the specific degree and subject area. The Program of Study must be approved by the student’s Advisory Committee, the Graduate Coordinator, and the Dean of the Graduate School. Graduate School policy concerning Master’s and PhD programs of study are covered in the Graduate School Bulletin. The Program of Study may be amended during the course of study because of conflicts, unavailability of courses, or justified changes in the student’s degree objectives. Any changes must be approved by the Major Professor, Graduate Coordinator, and the Dean of the Graduate School.

The MFR and MNR degrees require a minimum of 33 hours of course work, but do not require a thesis, Scientific Research in Forestry and Natural Resources (FANR 8200), or any specific number of hours in courses open only to graduate students. Applied Research in Forestry and Natural Resources (FANR 9200) is recommended for the MFR or MNR degree, but is optional at the discretion of the Advisory Committee. Of the 33 hours required, 12 must be courses offered in the School of Forestry and Natural Resources and 9 must be outside the School. No graduate student will be allowed more than three hours graduate credit for problems courses under the same professor. Problems courses are those not requiring formal classroom instruction.
MFR/MNR Program Requirements

The MS degree requires at least 30 hours of graduate-level courses, at least 12 hours of which must be in courses open only to graduate students. No more than two hours of graduate seminar or three hours of problems courses may be used to satisfy the 12-hour requirement. Neither Master’s Research (FANR 7000) nor Thesis (FANR 7300) may be used toward the required 12 hours of graduates-only courses. Up to six hours of Master’s Research (FANR 7000) may be applied to the 30-hour total, and three hours of Thesis (FANR 7300) is required in the 30-hour total.

All prospective candidates for the MS degree are required by Warnell to enroll in Scientific Research in Forestry and Natural (FANR 8200). FANR 8200 should be taken during the first year in residence.

Experimental Methods in Forestry and Natural Resources Research (FANR 6750) or Statistical Methods II (STAT 6220) or a higher level statistics course is required of all MS students. This requirement can be satisfied by an equivalent graduate level course taken elsewhere. Biology students are strongly encouraged to enroll in the STAT 6300 series of classes because this series is designed to address experimental design issues relevant to biological research. Majors in Fisheries and Wildlife are required to take one hour of graduate seminar. No graduate student will be allowed more than three hours graduate credit for problems courses under the same professor. Problems courses are those not requiring formal classroom instruction.
MS Program Requirements

The PhD degree requires a minimum of 30 semester hours of graduate-level credit which must form a logical whole and consist of at least 16 semester hours of 8000- and 9000-level courses, exclusive of credit in Doctoral Research (FANR 9000), Dissertation (FANR 9300), and independent study courses. The academic course work to be taken by a student enrolled in the PhD program shall be determined by the student's Advisory Committee. To fulfill the residency requirement, 30 consecutive semester hours of full-time course work over a period of not less than two semesters must be completed on campus.

Any PhD student lacking previous substantive research experience must enroll in Scientific Research in Forestry and Natural Resources (FANR 8200) or an equivalent course. The standard for determining adequate previous research experience will be the acceptance for publication of research performed by the student in a refereed scientific journal.

Experimental Methods in Forestry and Natural Resources Research (FANR 6750) or Statistical Methods II (STAT 6220) or a higher level statistics course is required of all PhD students. This requirement can be satisfied by an equivalent graduate level course taken elsewhere. Biology students are strongly encouraged to enroll in the STAT 6300 series of classes because this series is designed to address experimental design issues relevant to biological research. Majors in Fisheries and Wildlife are required to take one hour of graduate seminar. No graduate student will be allowed more than three hours graduate credit for problems courses under the same professor. Problems courses are those not requiring formal classroom instruction.

All prospective candidates for the PhD degree are required by Warnell to enroll in one semester hour of Supervised Professional Practicum in Forestry and Natural Resources (FANR 9990). FANR 9990 provides graduate students with instruction and experience in university-level teaching and includes the presentation of university-level lectures and/or laboratory sections under faculty supervision. The course carries 1 hour credit and may be waived if the student has equivalent course work or experience. The Graduate Coordinator must approve waivers.

A student who bypasses the Master’s degree must complete a minimum of 16 semester hours of 8000- and 9000-level courses, exclusive of credit in Doctoral Research (FANR 9000), Dissertation (FANR 9300), plus an additional 4 semester hours in courses open only to graduate students.
PhD Program Requirements

Prospectus

M.S. and Ph.D. students must submit a written research proposal, approved by their Advisory Committees, before significant research work is undertaken and no later than the end of the first year.