Doctoral degrees generally require 30 academic credits beyond a master’s degree or 60 academic credits beyond a bachelor’s degree. The credit amounts are determined by the approved Program of Study.

Course requirements leading to Ph.D. 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.

The following are required:

Ph.D. (post-master’s):
- 15 credits minimum of committee-approved 6000-7000 level courses
  - including 2 credits of Plants, Soils and Climate Graduate seminar (course)
Ph.D. (post-baccalaureate):
- 30 credits minimum of committee-approved 6000-7000 level courses
  - including 2 credits of Plants, Soils and Climate Graduate seminar (course)

Courses numbered 5000-5990 are advanced, upper-division courses and a maximum of 12 credits may be used on an approved program of study.

Thesis Research credits (course)
- If student has master’s degree - minimum of 12 credits
- If student has a bachelor’s degree - minimum of 18 credits

Course selections reflect desired research areas. 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 research.

All Ph.D. students write a dissertation under the guidance of their advisor and supervisory committee. The doctoral dissertation must be successfully defended before the supervisory committee and submitted to the library.

Information for the Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Specialization is listed at the bottom of this page.

Qualifying Exams

Each Ph.D. student must undergo some sort of qualifying experience. Depending on the student’s particular research and their faculty committee, the exam can either be a traditional oral and written exam, a scholarly proposal, or another option best suited to the student’s individual situation.

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 doctoral degree, if the student has a master’s degree, must include at least 15 semester credits at the level of 6000 or above. If the student does not have a master’s degree, the Program of Study must include at least 30 credits at the level of 6000 or above.

Credits in the following areas are not acceptable in a degree program: foreign languages, continuing graduate advisement, individual home study, military science, and courses numbered below 5000.

Matriculation Start Semester

A doctorate must be completed within eight 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.

Thesis Research Credits 7970

A minimum of 12 dissertation credits (7970) is required if the student has a master’s degree, and a minimum of 18 is required if the student has a bachelor’s degree.

Doctoral Forms

Doctoral forms: Approval of the following academic forms required for doctoral students by the School of Graduate Studies (SGS):

Supervisory Committee
Program of Study
Application for Candidacy (includes proposal)
Appointment for Examination
Record of Examination
Authorship and Copyright
Style and Format
SGS and library review and approval

Plant Science - PhD

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Program Overview

Program Requirements

Program Learning Outcomes

Program Learning Outcomes