M.S. Degree Program in Soil Science

General

The M.S. degree is offered under both Plan A, involving a thesis and Plan B, which substitutes additional course work and special projects for the thesis. Both are based primarily on attainment of satisfactory proficiency in the broad fundamentals of Soil Science.

The Plan A Type M.S. Program

Minimum Credit and Coursework Requirements

Plan A students must take a minimum of 14 semester credits in the major field and a minimum of six semester credits in one or more related fields outside the major, or the number of credits required by a specific minor. An additional 10 thesis credits (SOIL 8777) must be completed before receiving the M.S. degree. In addition to making up any specified deficiencies in academic background, the M.S. degree program must include a minimum of one credit each of Seminar (SOIL 8128) and one credit "Teaching Experience" (SOIL 8550). The credits for Soil 8128 and Soil 8550 can be counted as part of the 14 credits minimum requirement. It is intended that these credit requirements represent the minimum requirements for the degree; additional coursework may be required by the student's advisor and thesis committee. Thesis credits should be taken as soon as possible. It is not necessary to wait to use these credits in order to comply with the requirement of 6 credit minimum each semester.

Students in the Soil Science Track are required to take a minimum of 3 of the following four core courses: SOIL 5311, Soil Chemistry and Mineralogy; SOIL 5232, Vadose Zone Hydrology; Soil 5515, Soil Genesis and Landscape Relations; and SOIL 5611, Soil Biology and Fertility. It is recommended that students take all four core courses, as coursework is required in all four areas for professional licensure.

Students in the Climatology Track are required to take a minimum of two or more graduate level courses in Climatology or Atmospheric Sciences (approved by the student's advisory committee) and two of the four core courses in Soil Science listed below.

• Core Courses in Soil Science
  • SOIL 5311 Soil Chemistry and Mineralogy
  • SOIL 5515 Soil Genesis and Landscape Relations
  • SOIL 5611 Soil Biology and Fertility
  • SOIL 5232 Vadose Zone Hydrology
• Graduate Courses Acceptable for Climatology Track
  • ES 1425 The Atmosphere
  • ES 5211 Environmental Biophysics and Ecology
  • ES 5402 Biometeorology

Specific subject area requirements may be waived, where a given subject area is either adequately represented on the undergraduate transcript, or an alternate course is approved by written petition (signed by the student and advisor) to the Graduate Advisory Committee.

All courses taken in the major, minor, or related field must be taken on a regular grading system (A-N) rather than the (S-N) system, unless approved by petition to the Graduate Advisory committee or for courses offered only on an (S-N) basis, such as seminar and colloquia.

Graduate Student Education in Research and Professional Ethics - SOIL 8123

Students must take this required class to meet the requirement for professional ethics in research.

Language Requirement

There is no foreign language requirement for the M.S. degree, although a language competence is considered desirable and preferably should be part of the undergraduate curriculum.

Filing of Masters Degree Program

The "Degree Program Transmittal" form obtained from the Soil, Water, and Climate Department office is used to submit the proposed course work program for the M.S. degree (and thesis title for Plan A degree). The Degree Program must be approved by the advisor and is then submitted to the Graduate Advisory Committee for review and recommendation to the Director of Graduate Studies who in turn submits it to the Graduate School. The proposed program may be submitted after 10 semester credits of course work has been completed and no later than the second semester of registration. If the program has not been submitted by this time, or if there are 4 or more semester hours of incomplete credits, or an overall GPA of less than 3.0, a warning will be placed on the student's registration. If the cause of the warning has not been corrected, a hold will be placed on the student's registration by the Graduate School for the following semester. A copy of the student's undergraduate and graduate transcripts, and a brief outline of the student's intended research program must accompany the M.S. program form.

Selection of M.S. Examining Committee

The student's advisor is asked to attach a list of at least 3 recommended examining committee members to the Graduate Advisory Committee for approval along with the M.S. program form. These should include at least two members from the major field, including the advisor, and one from the minor or related field. The list of proposed committee members is then passed on to the Director of Graduate Studies for approval and submission to the Graduate School.

The M.S. Thesis and Final Oral Examination

The M.S. thesis must be completed and registered in accordance with guidelines stipulated by the Graduate School. The final examination should be arranged in accordance with procedures outlined in the Graduate School Bulletin and involves an open presentation (may not be counted for Seminar credit) of the thesis during which the M.S. thesis material is presented followed by the formal meeting of the M.S. examining committee. The advisor should bring the student's file to the formal examination for review by the examining committee.

The Plan B Type M.S. Program

Requirements for the Plan B program are essentially the same as for Plan A except that additional course work and special projects are substituted for the thesis. As in the Plan A program, Plan B students must take a minimum of 14 semester credits in the major field and a minimum of 6 semester credits in one or more related fields outside the major, or 6 credits in a single field for a specific minor.

Students in the Soil Science Track are required to take all 4 core courses in Soil Science:

• SOIL 5232, Vadose Zone Hydrology;
• SOIL 5311, Soil Chemistry and Mineralogy;
• SOIL 5515, Soil Genesis and Landscape Relations; and
• SOIL 5611, Soil Biology and Fertility

unless a given subject area is adequately represented on the undergraduate transcript and approved by petition to the Graduate Advisory Committee. The courses considered to meet the requirements for each of the respective subject areas are the same as those specified above for the Plan A Type M.S. degree. Additional courses are chosen by the student and advisor with approval of the Graduate Advisory Committee.

Students in the Climatology Track are required to take a minimum of 3 graduate level courses in Climatology or Atmospheric Sciences and at least 2 of the core courses in Soil Science listed above unless a given subject area is adequately represented on the undergraduate transcript and approved by petition to the Graduate Advisory Committee. The courses considered to meet the requirements for each of the respective subject areas are the same as those specified above for the Plan A Type M.S. degree. Additional courses may be chosen by the student and advisor with approval of the Graduate Advisory Committee.

The Plan B Type M.S. seminar involves an open presentation of the Plan B paper or papers and is scheduled as part of the final M.S. oral examination. The seminar is immediately followed by the formal meeting of the M.S. examining committee.

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Last modified on January 29, 2007.