Guidelines for M.S. Degree (PBIO)

Important Deadlines

• End of first semester – Course Approval Form to Graduate Chair.
• End of second semester – Thesis Proposal approved by Thesis Committee. Turn in signed Proposal Approval Form to Graduate Chair.
• Sixth semester (Graduate semester) – Apply to graduate, enroll in PBIO 6950.
  • Submit thesis to committee at least 2 weeks prior to defense and provide thesis title and abstract to the colloquium coordinator.
  • Check TAD for their deadlines.
  • Submit CAS#8 (Report of the Oral Thesis Examination/Dissertation Defense) to Graduate Chair.
• End of every spring semester – Graduate Student Progress Report.

Graduation Requirements

• A minimum of 20 PBIO graduate hours of graded course work, excluding supervised study, colloquium, lab meetings, and research. Courses will be determined by the student and the advisor (course approval form) and signed by the Graduate Chair.
• Complete the following:
  • Seminar: PBIO 6970 (1 credit)
  • Biological Research and Science Ethics: PBIO 5170 (1 credit)
  • Writing in the Life Sciences: PBIO 5180 (3 credits)
  • Statistical Methods in Plant Biology PBIO 5150 (4 credits)
• One course from two, of three, sub-disciplines listed below:
  • Systematics & Evolution:
    PBIO 5080 Structural Botany (4 credits) (Fall)
    PBIO 5090 Plant Systematics (4 credits) (Varies)
    PBIO 5100 Fungi (3 credits) (Fall, Varies)
    PBIO 5190 Ohio Flora (3 credits) (Fall)
    PBIO 5200 Phycology (4 credits) (Spring)
    PBIO 5750 Plant Population Genetics & Speciation (3 credits) (Varies)
  • Functional Genomics:
    PBIO 5240 Plant Physiology (3 credits) (Spring)
    PBIO 5280 Genomics Lab (3 credits) (Varies)
    PBIO 5300 Plant Genetics (3 credits) (Spring)
    PBIO 5310 Cell Biology (3 credits) (Fall)
    PBIO 5500 Biotechnology & Genetic Engineering (3 credits) (Fall)
  • Ecology:
    PBIO 5220 Tropical Plant Ecology (3) (Spring)
    PBIO 5260 Physiological Plant Ecology (4) (Spring)
    PBIO 5330 Restoration Ecology (3) (Fall, even years)
    PBIO 5350 Population & Community Ecology (4) (Fall)
    PBIO 5380 Soils & Ecosystems (4) (Fall)
• A minimum of 10 hours of Graduate Research (PBIO 6940)
• One grade of “C+“ or below will result in academic probation. A GPA below 3.00 over two consecutive academic semesters, two grades of “B-“ or below, or one grade of “C-“ or below in graduate courses will result in dismissal from the graduate program.
  • The student should inform their advisor and the Graduate Chair before withdrawing from a course because it may impact departmental support.
• Must complete a research thesis with the intent of publication in a peer-reviewed journal and successfully defend the thesis orally (see Section V below).

Program of Study

• All new students will report to their advisor for initial instructions.
• A student may be co-advised by two PBIO tenure-track faculty members.
• A student may change advisors, but only after approval of the current and potential advisor, and the Graduate Chair. If a student leaves their advisor, for whatever reason, they must find another advisor within four weeks or before the start of the following semester.
  • An unadvised student cannot remain in the PBIO, or PBIO-MCB, graduate program beyond this time limit.

M.S. Thesis Committee and Proposal

• The advisor will chair the thesis committee with two other appropriate faculty members; one must be a PBIO tenure-track faculty.
• The student will present a draft thesis proposal to the advisor at the beginning of the second semester for comment. At this time, the student needs to select the thesis committee.
• No later than the end of the second semester, the thesis committee must unanimously approve the research proposal by signing the PBIO Proposal Defense Form. The signed form should be presented to the Graduate Chair along with a digital copy of the proposal as one file.
• If the research project changes substantively (i.e., hypothesis or experimental design), the student must submit an updated proposal and seek approval of the committee.

M.S. Thesis

• The student should meet once a semester with each committee member for informal progress reports.
• The thesis must use the format provided by the Thesis and Dissertation Services (TAD) by using the template provided by TAD.
• The M.S. thesis must be submitted to the committee at least two weeks before the examination date. The committee must approve the examination date.
• The thesis will be orally defended in a formal, public presentation. After the public presentation, the committee will conduct a closed-door defense to thoroughly evaluate the quality of the research. At this time, the committee will provide constructive comments to improve unsatisfactory sections.
• The oral defense must be approved unanimously, as evident by presenting a committee signed CAS#8 (Report on the Oral Thesis Examination Defense) to the Graduate Chair.
  • If a student receives only two passes, the committee, advisor, and student should work together in an attempt to satisfy the dissenting opinion via revision or additional work.
  • If a student receives less than two passes, a report of the thesis examination (indicating that the student has failed) will be submitted and the student will be dismissed from the graduate program.
• The thesis committee completes the Assessment of the Thesis survey administered by the graduate chair.
• A PDF of the finalized thesis will be submitted to TAD, along with CAS#8.

VI. Changing Programs

• An M.S. thesis student can request a transfer into the doctoral program by submitting an application of transfer to the graduate committee by January 7 or by the end of their first semester.
  • This application will contain:
    a) A detailed letter of support from his/her advisor.
    b) A letter by the student providing a compelling reason for the transfer
    and why it is necessary in the context of career goals.
  • The student will still be required to take a class from two, of the three, sub-
    disciplines.
  • The Graduate Committee will make the final admission decision. If positive,
    the student will be transferred to Ph.D. program for the following academic
    year (i.e., Fall semester).