VII.
The Master of Science Degree
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MS degree programs
are designed to give the student the opportunity to gain additional
knowledge and skills in Horticulture and Crop Science. The emphasis
of this program should allow the student to engage in research
and other scholarly activities, to teach, and to become a practitioner
in Horticulture and Crop Science. M.S. Plans A and B are available;
however, Plan B requires written permission of the GSC and is
considered to be a terminal degree. Plan B is not available to
students on associateship. A summary of MS graduation requirements
and detailed information regarding forms, filing dates, the composition
and conduct of written and oral examinations, is presented in
section 8 of the Graduate School Handbook.
Students
entering the MS program are expected to complete degree requirements
within 6 years. Extension of the 6-year limit will be considered
on a case-by-case basis by the GSC. The first step in obtaining
the MS is to choose an advisor and then to name a SAC (within
the first quarter) to assist in the design of a course program
and research proposal. The MS program in Horticulture and Crop
Science consists of:
A. Choosing an advisor
and a student advisory committee(SAC).
- See The Advisor
and The Advisory Committee (section V)
- Approved research
proposal by end of the second quarter
B. Coherent pattern
of courses and seminars.
- minimum of 45 graduate
credit hours is required (see Course Requirements section on
p. 15)
- courses must be
listed in a Graduate Course Program
during the second quarter of enrollment
- courses must be
approved by the SAC and submitted to the Horticulture and Crop
Science GSC
- Seminar requirement
under Course Requirements (see section
VI,A,1)
C. Thesis.
The
student must submit a complete, typed, thesis draft to the SAC
for approval prior to the Master's exam. Format is important,
so follow the Graduate School Guidelines for Preparing and
Submitting Theses, Dissertations and D.M.A. Documents.
If the thesis is acceptable and the student performs satisfactorily
on the Master's exam, the SAC will indicate approval by signing
a Thesis Approval form. The approval form and the final
thesis must be submitted to the Graduate school no later than
one week before commencement. A bound copy of the thesis must
be submitted to the Horticulture and Crop Science main office
in Columbus.
D. Master's exam.
After
filing an Application to Graduate - Master's Degree, The
Master's Exam Report form, signed by the SAC to indicate their
judgment, must be submitted to the Graduate School no later than
two weeks before commencement. The advisor notifies the student
and the GSC as to the outcome of the exam. On completion of the
Master's exam, the examining committee shall determine if the
student will be allowed to continue for a PhD in the OSU Department
of Horticulture and Crop Science.
E. Exit seminar.
The
final or exit seminar consists of a one hour public seminar (Columbus
and Wooster via satellite link) presenting the major results of
the research efforts. This seminar is normally scheduled to be
given during the final quarter of attendance, and announcements
are circulated to the faculty and students of the Department.
This presentation counts as one of the two required seminars (see
section VI,A,1).
