Graduation Requirements:
A. The Master of Science, Non-Thesis Option
The non-thesis M.S. is a professional degree in which a student must complete a minimum of 32 credit hours of graduate course work to receive the degree, and other requirements may be specified by the department. Thus, programs leading to this degree provide opportunities for students to increase their knowledge and competencies in the various agricultural disciplines. A student, according to his/her needs may (a) obtain a balanced and unified training encompassing a wide spectrum of subject matter area or (b) obtain intensive training in a specified area. The emphasis of the program is to enable students to develop skills as professional practitioners in the communication of technical knowledge and its application to the solution of current and future technical, economic, and social problems of individuals and groups. The expected duration of the Non-Thesis Option program is 12-18 months.
- Core Courses: 14 Credits
- Area of Concentration (PLSS) Courses: 12 Credits
- Elective Courses: 6 Credits (Any graduate level courses 500 or above outside PLSS)
- Admission to Candidacy
- Passing of the Final Oral Examination
Course and Credit Requirements for the Master of Science, Non‐Thesis Option
To earn a professional degree, a minimum of 32 graduate credits are required comprising 14 credit hours of core courses, 12 credit hours for the area of concentration (Plant and Soil Sciences; PLSS) of which 6 credit hours must be at the 600 level or higher, 6 credit hours at the 500 level, and 6 credit hours of electives in a discipline other than the student’s concentration. The final project/paper will account for 3 credit hours of the core requirements. As all M.S. degree candidates must take at least two graduate courses in biometry (EVSC 0500 and EVSC 0501 ) before graduation, if undergraduate work was done at Tuskegee University and EVSC 0500 was required for graduation, it may not be transferred to graduate work; thus, an appropriate substitute will be required. For those who have not completed EVSC 0500 , this course may be included in the curriculum as an elective course. All courses must be approved by the Advisory Committee. Following the completion of 15 credits, students are required to be admitted to Candidacy. In addition to the course work outlined above, students must present 1) an acceptable document comprising a minimum of 20 pages on a selected professional problem or a report of training and 1) pass a Final Oral Examination based on the document as determined by the Advisory Committee.
Advisory Committee
A three-member Advisory Committee will be appointed to guide and monitor the student’s professional development. The chairman of the appointed committee shall serve as the student’s advisor.