Agricultural Biology - Master of Science

There is currently a strong need for M.S. graduates trained in these areas, and the demand is expected to increase dramatically.

Students are prepared for careers in research, extension, teaching, private consulting, industry, and government or to continue in a broad range of Ph.D. programs. Specific career opportunities include positions as agricultural consultants, technical and sales representatives for industry, state departments of agriculture and USDA specialists, agricultural extension agents, industry research and environmental technicians.

The Master of Science degree program in Agricultural Biology is designed to produce graduates with the academic and research background needed to facilitate effective, innovative, and environmentally sound protection of plants and animals from a wide and varied spectrum of pests.

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All graduate students are required to enroll in two (2) credits of Entomology, Plant Pathology and Weed Science seminars.  Typically, a student will take one seminar credit during the first semester of graduate school and present their thesis proposal plan.  Each student will take the second seminar credit in their last semester and present a public exit seminar just prior to the defense of their thesis work

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Outlines for M.S. degree plans are generated by the student in consultation with the major professor and with input from the student's assigned graduate committee.  

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Exact course is selected with professor and/ or committee based off previous statistics experience.

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Maximum of 4 credits per semester. No more than 9 credits toward a degree.

Additional Requirements- Outlines for M.S. degree plans are generated by the student in consultation with the major professor and with input from the student's assigned graduate committee. 

• A minimum of 30 credit hours of graduate work is required of which:
  1. At least 15 credits must be in courses numbered 500 or above.
  2. At least 15 credits must be in EPWS courses.
  3. At least half of the credits (exclusive of thesis) must be taken with other than a single professor.
• Designated hours to be completed:

1. Students must take at least four but not more than six credits in EPWS 599 Master's Thesis.  Students enrolled in EPWS 599 may be asked to present progress updates. 
2. At least three credit hours in graduate-level Experimental Statistics

New Mexico State University master’s accelerated program provides the opportunity for academically qualified undergraduate students to begin working on a master’s degree during their junior and senior years while completing a bachelor’s degree. Typically, a bachelor’s degree requires four years to complete, and a master’s degree requires an additional two years. The master’s accelerated programs allow students the opportunity to complete a graduate program in an accelerated manner. You can also check NMSU’s catalog for additional information about our programs. 

Please talk to a faculty advisor about your MAP plan and develop a course plan in consultation with the advisor.

MAP Requirements

• The Graduate School allows qualified junior or senior students to substitute its graduate courses for required or elective courses in an undergraduate degree program and then subsequently count those same course as fulfilling graduate requirements in a related graduate program.
• Undergraduate students may apply for acceptance to the accelerated master’s program after completing 60 semester hours of undergraduate coursework of which a minimum of 25 semester credit hours must be completed at NMSU.
• The grade point average must be at a minimum of 2.75.
• Students must receive a grade of B or higher in this coursework to be counted for graduate credit. If a grade of B- or lower is earned, it will not count toward the graduate degree.

Accepted MAP Courses

The following courses are accepted for use in the MAP program, any other courses may be considered after a consultation with an advisor. An exception will need to be made to the degree audit in order for the additional course(s) to be included on both the Undergraduate and Graduate degrees.