Degree Requirements
The student must take any courses (up to two) that the Graduate Admissions Committee may require to insure they have an adequate background in Plant Biology. The student will be notified of these specific requirements prior to the beginning of classes in their fall semester in the graduate program.
1. Credit Requirements
In Addition to the seminar course requirements, credits of doctoral dissertation research (PLB 999) are required, as are all the courses specified by the Student's Guidance Committee. Some programs may require reading knowledge of a foreign language.
2. Residency Credits
One year of residence (made up of two consecutive semesters, involving the completion of at least six credits of graduate work each semester) after first enrollment for the doctoral degree is required to permit the student to work with and under the firection of the faculty.
3. Time Limits
To remain in good standing, the Plant Biology Department required students to complete their Comprehensive Exam (before the end of the firest semester of their third year in Doctoral Program). All requirements for the Doctoral Degree should be completed within five years.
The Department Chairperson may, in some cases, extend the time for limits for a student to complete the requirements. (The University time limits dictate that the Comprehensive Exam must be passed within five years and all remaining requirements for the degree be passed within eight years from the time that the first course taken at MSU that is part of the students doctoral plan).
4. Teaching Requirements
In addition to the seminar requirements below, each Doctoral student must gain teaching experience by participating i the teaching of at least two courses. Students are expected to participate in the University TA Orientation Program prior to teaching.
5. Seminars
In addition to routine attendance at the Plant Biology seminar series, the following courses are required for the doctoral degree in Plant Biology:
PLB 800 Plant Biology Seminar (1 credit)
PLB 803 Integrative Topics in Plant Biology (2 credits)
One of the following:
1. NSC 830 Nature and Practive of Science (1 credit)
2. Complete workshop series offered by the Graduate School: Responsible Conduct of Research
One of the following for at least 1 credit*:
CMB 800 Cell and Molecular Biology Seminar
ENT 812 Graduate Seminar
FW 893 Seminar in Fisheries and Wildlife
GEN 800 Genetics Seminar
GEO 874 Seminar in Geographic Information Science
HRT/CSS/FOR 892 Plant Breeding and Genetics Seminar
PLP 894 Seminar in Plant Pathology
ZOL 891 Current Topics in Ecology and Evolution
ZOL 895 Zoology Seminar
* Or another graduate seminar course, with "seminar" in the title, in which PLB is not the lead department.
In addition the student is required to present two publicly announced departmental seminars for no credit. The first is the Thesis Proposal/Researcg in Progress Seminar, to be presented within three months of successfully completing the comprehensive examination. The second is the Dissertation Seminar, concerning his/her doctoral research and presented within 12 months preceding the student's graduation. The dissertation seminar is considered part of the final examination (Dissertation defense).
6. Comprehensive Examination
The purpose is to determine whether the student has mastered the subject of plant biology and related fields, has a good understanding of the scientific method, and is prepared to do independent doctoral research. The comprehensive exam is required to determine the student's competency for continueing towards the Ph.D. and it has both a written and oral component. The oral examination will be approximately three hourse in length. For information on Plan A and B go to Comprehensive Exam.
7. Dissertation and Abstract
The dissertation must be organized, typed, and duplicated according to regulations prescribed in the Formatting Guide For Master's Thesis and Doctoral Dissertations available from the Office of the Graduate School. An abstract of the Dissertation must also be prepared.
The thesis must be approved by the Student's Major Professor, and considered to be in final form, before it is distribted to the Guidance Committee, as well as to the Departmental Representative appointed by the Department Chair. The distribution of the unbund thesis should occur at least two weeks prior to the Final Examination.
The Doctoral Student must present a publicly announce Dissertation Seminar to the Department.
Visit the Web Version of the Thesis/Dissertation Formatting Presentation at http://grad.msu.edu/format.htm
8. Final Examination (Dissertation Defense)
The final oral examination will be primarily in defense of the dissertation, but may include general knowledge as well.
The final oral examination will be scheduled by the student's Major Professor after the student has established a time (usually 3 hours) when all members of the examining committee can be present during the entire period. Notice of the examination should be distributed by the graduate secretary at two weeks in advance so that interested faculty may attend.
For the Final Examination on the Dissertation the student should be prepared to review briefly:
1. Reasons for the study.
2. Methods used.
3. Important findings and their significance.
4. Unanswered problems suggested by the research.
To pass, the student must be recommended for the degree by a positive vote by at least three fourths of the voting members, with not more than one dissenting vote from among the MSU regular faculty members on the committee. The decision of the Guidance Committee will be recorded on the "Record of Completion of Requirements for the Doctoral Degree".
The final examination must be scheduled not earlier than two weeks after the dissertation and abstract has been submitted to the Guidance Committee and the Chair's Representative. The student must be registered during the semester in which the final oral examination is taken.
9. Finalizing the Dissertation
After the student has passed the final oral examination in defense of the dissertation, the student must incorporate any agreed-upon changes or corrections before presenting it to the Major Professor for final review and signature of the bookplate. The student must submit to the Office of the Graduate School an absolutely final unbound copy of the dissertation, an additional copy of the abstract, the signed bookplate, the microfilming and binding contract and payment, and other forms required by and available from the Graduate School.
The student is also required to provide the Department with a hardbound copy of the final dissertation. By tradition, the student also provides a hardbound copy for their Major Professor and it is "good form" to give the other members of the Guidance Committee a softbound copy.
10. Final Certification
In order to graduate, you must:
1. Submit an Application for Graduation with the Office of the Registrar, RM 150 Administration Building, very early in the semester of your intended graduation.
2. Obtain a Thesis/Dissertation Submission Packet of forms from the Graduate School, and take note of the various deadlines, which are also provided by the Graduate School.
3. A Final Certification form will be sent to our departmental office by the Degree Certification Office. Our graduate secretary will scrutinize your records to verify your completion of the requirements. The "Final Certification" form lists the following: Guidance Committee members, date of passing comprehensive exam, date of passing final examination, dates language requirements passed, and all courses with grades used for the degree. The course requirements will include all of those shown on your Guidance Committee Report. Thus, it is important that you make certain that all information is placed and maintained in your departmental files. If everything appears to be in order, the Graduate Secretary will pass on the forms for further scrutiny by the College of Natural Science and the Graduate School.
4. Before leaving MSU, you should check with the Degree Certification Office to make certain that your credentials are in order. Their records are used to determine completion of the degree requirements. Discrepancies may delay you degree.
5. By University rule, you must complete the dissertation, and all the other requirements, within eight years of entering the doctoral program. The Department of Plant Biology expects doctoral students to finish all the requirements in five years, but the Department Chairperson can grant extensions up to, but not exceeding, the University time limit. Under appropriate circumstances, further extension of the University time limit can be granted but must be approved by the College and the Graduate School.
For more information please refer to the Plant Biology Graduate Handbook. You may pick up a hard copy in the Plant Biology Office.
