VI.
Regulations for Graduate Programs
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The Department of
Horticulture and Crop Science offers three degree programs:
- Master of Science
(MS) degree with thesis
- Master of Science
degree with a non-thesis option
- Doctor of Philosophy
(PhD) degree
The
non-thesis MS degree is permitted only by petition to the Graduate
Studies Committee. The Graduate Faculty rules for MS and PhD degree
programs are listed in the OSU Graduate School Handbook.
The student is responsible for knowing all the graduation requirements
of both the Graduate School and the Department.
All new graduate students will be required to attend a two-day
departmental orientation before the start of the Autumn Quarter.
New students will be introduced to the faculty, staff, current
graduate students and facilities. Students are also encouraged
to attend university autumn orientations and TA workshops.
A. Course Requirements.
Graduate
programs in Horticulture and Crop Science require a solid background
in mathematics and the basic sciences (biological, chemical, and
physical). Good communication skills are essential. The Department
does not require a foreign language for graduate students, but
a foreign language may be required by individual student advisory
committees, if they feel that such training is in the best interest
of the student.
Shortly
after the first meeting with the student's student advisory committee,
a complete Graduate Course Program must
be prepared by the student and his or her adviser. The proposed
Graduate Course Program should meet the
minimum requirements of the department and be approved by the
SAC no later than the end of the second quarter (M.S.) or third
quarter (Ph.D.). Any deviation from the minimum requirements must
be approved by the student advisory committee and the Departmental
Graduate Studies Committee.
Minimum course requirements
for the MS & PhD degree in Horticulture & Crop Science:
1. Seminar requirement:
Seminar
presentations are an excellent educational resource for faculty
and students of the Department. Research presented by investigators,
both those located at Ohio State and those from outside the university,
generally represents state-of-the-art or frontier level topics.
Graduate students are encouraged to attend all departmental seminars
that do not conflict with class schedules. It is also important
to be aware of seminars offered outside of the department which
relate to the student's research program.
MS
and PhD students are expected to register in Horticulture and
Crop Science Seminar (H&CS 804) and present two seminars during
their enrollment in the program. Ordinarily, one of these seminars
is the colloquium (presentation of research proposal) and the
other is the exit seminar. Attendance at seminars is expected
regardless of enrollment for H&CS 804 credit.
2. Current Topics requirement:
All
graduate students are required to register for current topics
courses offered as Horticulture and Crop Science 830 (2 credits).
These courses have a journal club format where current papers
in the field are discussed by students and faculty. These classes
may be repeated up to 8 credit hours. MS students must register
for a minimum of 2 times, and PhD students must register for a
minimum of 4 times. Similarly structured classes may substitute
for this requirement.
3. Statistics requirement:
All
students are expected to complete Horticulture & Crop Science
887 (5 credits), Techniques of experimental design – offered
winter quarters.
4. Horticulture
and Crop Science Core requirement:
It
is essential that a graduate from this department possess a fundamental
knowledge of plants. A minimum of two (2) courses for MS students
and three (3) courses for PhD students in the fundamental plant
sciences is required. The Graduate Studies Committee will consider
exemptions from this requirement if a student provides justification
that is supported by his or her advisory committee. The following
is a list of recommended courses from which the student may choose:
| HCS 602 (3 cr) |
Field Crop Ecology (alternate even years) |
| HCS 621 (4) |
Crop Physiology |
| HCS 622 (4) |
Crop Physiology and Production II |
| HCS 625 (4) |
Crop Breeding (alt. odd years) |
| HCS 631 (3) |
Seed Physiology (alt. odd years) |
| HCS 636 (3) |
Mineral Nutrition of Plants (alt. years) |
| HCS 825 (3) |
Advanced Plant Breeding (alt. even years) |
| BioC 702 (3) |
Molecular Genetics: Regulation of Gene Expression |
| EEOB 510 (5) |
Field Botany |
| EEOB 657 (5) |
Experimental Field Ecology (alt. odd years) |
| EEOB 671 (5) |
Plant Population Ecology (alt. even years) |
| EEOB 674 (5) |
Physiological Ecology of Plants (alt. even years) |
| EEOB 720 (5) |
Community Ecology and Ecosystems (alt. even years) |
| Geography 520 (5) |
Climatology |
| M Gen 622 (4) |
Plant Molecular Biology |
| M Gen 701 (3) |
Molecular Genetics: DNA Transactions |
| PCMB 643 (5) |
Plant Anatomy (alt. odd years) |
| PCMB/BioC 735 (3) |
Plant Biochemistry I |
| PCMB/BioC 736 (3) |
Plant Biochemistry II |
| PCMB 741 (3) |
Reproductive Biology of Flowering Plants (alt. odd years) |
| PCMB 836 (3) |
Mechanisms of Plant Development |
| Pl Path 660 (5) |
Mycology |
| Pl Path 703 (3) |
Agricultural Genomics: Principles and Applications |
| Soil Sci 580.01 (3) |
Soil Fertility and Fertilizers |
5.
Methods course requirement:
Each student is required to take at least one of the following courses.
- HCS 604.01 Research
Methods in Plant Science. I. Whole Plants.
- HCS 604.02 Research
Methods in Plant Science. II. Plant Cell & Tissue Studies.
- HCS 604.03 Research
Methods in Plant Science. III. Molecular & Biochemical Methods.
6. Teaching requirement:
One
quarter of a teaching experience is required as part of the program
of studies for all MS and PhD students. (For specific
GA responsibilities, please refer to section IV #6.)
This experience could be:
1. Direct responsibility
for teaching a lab or discussion section of a course,
2. Giving a series of lectures in a course, or
3. Making extension presentations.
The
activity should not demand more than 20 hours per week of the
student's time. The student in consultation with the student advisory
committee, will be asked to indicate the area and time the teaching
experience could occur. The assignment of a student to a particular
teaching duty will be made by the Chair of the Department (who
may delegate this responsibility to the Coordinator of the GSC
or the Academic Affairs Coordinator) in consultation with the
student's advisor. Students may gain up to 5 hours of credit in
HCS 993 (Individual Studies) in the quarter of the assignment.
In
addition, students are encouraged to enhance their teaching skills
through attendance at the Fall Quarter TA workshop, a course in
teaching methods, observation of teaching by a member of faculty
recognized for outstanding teaching and the use of resources such
as The Faculty and TA Development Office in the College of Education.
7. Research Proposal:
The student must also undertake an innovative, timely research
project as a major component of the total graduate program. It
is highly recommended that students enroll in Horticulture and
Crop Science 999 (Research) to obtain credit for their research
experience. Research Proposals must be submitted to the GSC by
the end of the second quarter of enrollment for M.S. students
and by the end of the third quarter of enrollment for Ph.D. students.
B. Filing a Graduate Course Program.
The
student is required to file a Graduate Course
Program in Horticulture and Crop Science with the GSC
before the end of the second quarter of enrollment. The course
program is a detailed overview of the courses to be taken during
each quarter the student is enrolled in the graduate program.
Careful consultation between student, adviser and student advisory
committee is essential before this filing, so that the student
must meet with the student advisory committee to review and receive
approval of the proposed Course Program. Once filed, the course
program is considered a part of the degree requirements for the
student and may be changed only with the consent of the student
advisory committee.
C. Academic Misconduct.
Academic
misconduct is defined as any activity which tends to compromise
the academic integrity of the institution, or subvert the educational
process (University Committee on Academic Misconduct, section
2.0). Examples of academic misconduct include, but are not
limited to:
- Violation of course
rules as contained in the course syllabus or other information
provided the student; violation of program regulations as established
by departmental committees;
- Providing or receiving
information during quizzes and examinations such as course examinations
and candidacy examinations; or providing or using unauthorized
assistance in the laboratory, at the computer terminal, or on
field work;
- Submitting plagiarized
work for an academic requirement. Plagiarism is the representation
of another's works or ideas as one's own; it includes the unacknowledged
word for word use and/or paraphrasing of another person's work
and/or the inappropriate unacknowledged use of another person's
ideas;
- Falsification,
fabrication, or dishonesty in reporting research results;
- Serving as, or
enlisting the assistance of, a "ringer" or substitute
for a student in the taking of examinations;
- Alteration of grades
or marks by the student in an effort to change the earned grade
or credit; and
- Alteration of University
forms used to drop or add courses to a program, or unauthorized
use of these forms. (see University rule 3335-31-02)
