Range Science - Doctor of Philosophy

A GPA of 3.0 or higher is required for admission. GRE exam is required. Prerequisite for admission as a regular graduate student in the department is the completion of a curriculum substantially equivalent to that required of undergraduate students. Therefore, deficiency courses may be required after admission to the program, as determined by the admissions committee and the student’s graduate committee and advisor.

A minimum of 30 credits of graduate work plus 18 credits of dissertation (RGSC 700) are required to graduate. The Qualifying Exam will take place during the first semester of graduate work. Its purpose is to evaluate the student’s strengths and weaknesses, determine deficiency courses, and discuss a possible program of study (coursework). The “Program of Study and Committee for Doctoral Students” form, listing the graduate committee and courses to be taken, should be filed with the Graduate School after completion of 12 credits and after the qualifying exam, and before registering for additional courses. The Comprehensive Exam is intended to test the knowledge of the major and minor fields of study. The student will be admitted to the exam after fulfilling the language/research tool requirement, after completion of adequate coursework (as determined by the department and the Graduate School), and when considered by the student’s graduate committee to be adequately prepared. The exam is part written and part oral. The student is formally considered a candidate for the Ph.D. only after the successful completion of the comprehensive exam, the recommendation of the committee, and the approval of the graduate dean.

The research project must be approved by the student’s graduate committee. The dissertation is expected to demonstrate the student’s ability in independent investigation and to be a contribution to human knowledge. It shall display a mastery of the literature, present an organized, coherent development of ideas with a clear exposition of results, and provide a critical discussion of the student’s conclusions. Every effort should be made to publish the dissertation as scientific journal articles. Final Exam is concerned primarily with the research work of the student as embodied in the dissertation, but it may also extend over the entire field of study.  It is entirely oral. The final exam will be advertised to the public one week prior to the exam.