The Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (EEB) offers three advanced degrees, the Thesis Master of Science, the Non-thesis Master of Science and the Doctor of Philosophy. Students admitted into the graduate program to pursue a Doctor of Philosophy degree ordinarily enter the program with financial support and a tuition waiver. Students admitted to pursue a Master of Science degree usually must obtain independent financial support for tuition.
Most students are admitted without qualifications, however, provisional and probationary admissions are offered in some rare cases. Provisional admission may be granted to students who have not completed all application requirements. Probationary admission may be granted conditionally with requirements the applicant must fulfill in the first semester or year of graduate enrollment in order to have the probationary non-degree status changed to regular degree status.
Special (non-degree) students may take a maximum total of nine semester hours without planning to pursue a graduate degree. Special students may reapply to the Graduate Studies Program in the School of Science and Engineering for admission into a regular degree program.
Annual Report and Progress
All graduate students who have been enrolled in the EEB Department for at least one semester must submit an annual report that briefly describes progress made during the previous calendar year (see Graduate Student Annual Report Form). Copies of this report must be submitted by April 15th to the student's thesis or dissertation advisor and to the departmental secretary for faculty review and placement in the student's departmental file. The Graduate Studies Committee and departmental faculty will review the annual reports to determine whether each student's progress has been satisfactory. Continued unsatisfactory progress is sufficient cause to revoke a teaching assistantship or terminate a student from the graduate program.
Continuing Registration
A student admitted to the Graduate Studies Program in the School of Science and Engineering in a degree program must maintain continuous registration until the degree is awarded. Graduate students must be continuously registered until the degree is awarded, including the semester in which the degree is awarded. For information on what constitutes continuous enrollment before and after candidacy, see the SSE Graduate Handbook (pg. 17). Students who have completed all required course work or who must temporarily interrupt their program of study are required to register for Master's Research (EBIO 9980) or Dissertation Research (EBIO 9990) for no credit in order to maintain continuous registration. Students of both resident and nonresident status must register each semester, including the Summer Session. Students in residence who are not receiving a university stipend and who have not completed the minimum course requirement for the degree must enroll for a minimum of three semester hours each semester or alternatively for Masters or Dissertation Research in order to maintain continuous registration. Consult the Graduate Bulletin for regulations. The maximum tenure for Masters students is five years and for doctoral students it is seven years. Students exceeding these limits must petition the Graduate Studies Committee for an extension in order to continue their enrollment in the program. The entire dissertation committee must ratify the extension.
Foreign Language
Ordinarily there is no foreign language requirement for the graduate degree programs, but a student's dissertation committee may require demonstration of proficiency in one or more languages.Any such language requirement must be fulfilled prior to the qualifying examination for the Ph.D. degree.
Exceptions
Students must petition the Graduate Studies Committee on an individual basis for exceptions to these procedures.
Students in any Masters program must petition the Graduate Studies Committee for admission into the EEB doctoral program, and a member of the EEB faculty must be willing to serve as the student's doctoral dissertation advisor.
- Entrance Interview Form
- Comprehensive Examination Form
- Thesis Committee Approval Form
- Graduate Student Annual Report Form
- Ph.D. Prospectus Form
- Qualifying Examination Form
- Oral Defense Approval Form (links to SSE's Forms, Policies and Procedures website)
- Certification for Completion of Ph.D. Teaching Requirement
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