Interdepartmental Program in Ecology
Director: Nancy Huntly
Location: Natural Resources 314
Phone: (435) 797-2555
FAX: (435) 797-3872
E-mail: nancy.huntly@usu.edu
WWW: http://www.usu.edu/ecology/
Degrees offered: Master of Science (MS) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in the following departments: Biology; Environment and Society; Plants, Soils, and Climate; Watershed Sciences; and Wildland Resources
Graduate Program
The ecology program at Utah State University is administered by the interdepartmental Ecology Center. Its goals are to promote research and graduate education in the science of ecology and to provide expert, professional information and advice for decision-makers. The research carried out by the center’s associates covers the full spectrum of ecology.
Students earn their degrees in ecology while maintaining residence in one of the participating departments; the Center itself does not grant degrees. The candidate selects a major professor from the department appropriate to his or her interests.
Ecology MS and PhD Degree Course Requirements
Requirements for graduate degrees in ecology include the university and departmental degree requirements, as well as the Ecology Center requirements outlined below.
The ecology MS and PhD are research degrees requiring a research thesis or dissertation. Students receiving graduate degrees in ecology are expected to have some breadth and sophistication in modern science as well as depth in ecology.
Ecology Course Requirements
Master of Science
- MS candidates are required to pass the 1-credit Ecology Seminar (BIOL 6870 or ENVS 6870 or PSC 6870 or WATS 6870 or WILD 6870 ) a minimum of two times during their program of study.
- Three credit hours must be taken from each of two of the blocks, for a total requirement of 6 credit hours. The five available blocks are shown below. Specific course options can be found on the Ecology website (https://www.usu.edu/ecology/).
Doctor of Philosophy
- PhD candidates are required to pass the 1-credit Ecology Seminar (BIOL 6870 or ENVS 6870 or PSC 6870 or WATS 6870 or WILD 6870 ) a minimum of three times during their program of study.
- Three credit hours must be taken from each of three of the blocks, for a total requirement of 9 credit hours. The five available blocks are shown below. Specific course options can be found on the Ecology website (https://www.usu.edu/ecology/).
Blocks
- Biophysical Ecology
- Organismic, Population, and Evolutionary Ecology
- Community, Ecosystem, and Landscape Ecology
- Quantitative Ecology
- Human Ecology
- Policy
- Recreation
- Planning
- Economics, Sustainability, and Translational Science
- Anthropology, History, Psychology, and Sociology
For further details, see the USU Ecology Center Student Resources website: https://www.usu.edu/ecology/students.
Additional Degree Requirements for Ecology - Plants, Soils & Climate
Minimum Total Credits
The minimum requirement for a master’s degree is 30 semester credits.
Course requirements leading to MS degrees are developed jointly by the student and the student’s supervisory committee. Each student must have a Program of Study approved by their supervisory committee.
Students must take:
- 2 credits of Plants, Soils and Climate Graduate seminar (PSC 6890 ) in addition to the Ecology seminar credits (2 credits for MS, 3 credits for PhD).
- 6-15 credits of Thesis Research (PSC 6970 ) depending on plan type.
- Plan A - minimum of 6 credits, maxiumum of 15 credits
- Plan B - minimum of 2 credits, maximum of 3 credits
Course selections reflect areas of specialization. Designation of a specialization is optional. Official specializations will appear on transcript. There are additional specific departmental requirements regarding physical sciences, biological sciences, and mathematics courses, which differ depending on the program and area of specialization.
All MS students write a Plan A thesis or create a Plan B project under the guidance of their advisor and supervisory committee. The master’s thesis must be successfully defended before the supervisory committee and submitted to the library.
Required of all programs and degree types:
Degree Verification
A bachelor’s degree from an accredited U.S. college or university or a similarly recognized international university is required for admission to and completion of a graduate program.
Overall Graduate GPA at least 3.0 and no grades of C- or lower; Graduate students are required to maintain at least a 3.0 GPA for degree-program courses. Grades of C- or lower will not be accepted for a graduate degree.
Course Number Acceptability
The Program of Study for a master’s degree must include at least 15 semester credits at the level of 6000 or above.
Credits in the following areas are not acceptable in a degree program: foreign languages (unless included in an approved Program of Study), continuing graduate advisement, individual home study, military science, and courses numbered below 3000.
Matriculation Start Semester
A master’s degree must be completed within six years of entering the degree program. Additional time may be requested by the student’s committee and submitted to the Vice Provost of Graduate Studies for review.
Coursework Validity
Coursework over eight years old at the time of degree completion may not be used for a graduate degree unless it is re-validated.
USU Residency Requirement
At least 24-semester credits for a master’s degree must be from a committee-approved and a School of Graduate Studies-approved Program of Study from Utah State University
Thesis Research Credits 6970
Master’s Plan A students:
The Plan A option requires the preparation and defense of a thesis. Students are required to complete a minimum of 6 semester credits of thesis research (PSC 6970 ) that will be applied toward a Program of Study.
Master’s Plan B students:
A Plan B option requires the production and defense of a paper or project. Students are required to complete a minimum of 2 credits of thesis research (PSC 6970 ) with a maximum of 3 thesis research credits applied toward a Program of Study.
Professional/Plan C students cannot use any thesis/dissertation credits.
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