All students entering the Ph.D. program in Natural Resource Sciences must first have completed the M.S. degree in natural resource sciences or a related discipline. It may be necessary for some students with certain deficiencies to make them up during the Ph.D. program. At a minimum, the Ph.D. student will need to complete course work equivalent to what is normally expected of an M.S. student in Natural Resource Sciences at the University of Maryland before completion of the Ph.D. program.

Course Requirements: Course requirements for the Ph.D. degree are outlined in the summary of requirements. The Graduate School requires 12 credits of dissertation research (899) for the Ph.D. degree. The group of courses selected must form a logical and coherent whole that will provide the student with sufficient depth in the area of study to carry out the independent planned research. Course selection must be made in consultation with the Advisor and Advisory Committee.

All students must register for seminar (798) twice during their Ph.D. program. They are expected to attend seminar regularly regardless of enrollment for credit. Students in the Plant Science specialization are required to have a second semester of 400-level biochemistry or a 400-level (or higher) statistics course. Students in the Soil Science specialization must have one semester of physical chemistry or biochemistry (400 level) and at least one additional course at the 400 level (or higher) in physical chemistry, biochemistry, mathematics, engineering, or computer science.

Teaching: Classroom teaching experience is a valuable and broadening experience for any graduate student. The Department views preparation for teaching as an important part of graduate training. All graduate students are encouraged to participate in formal instruction at some time during their graduate studies. Experience in college teaching can be accomplished in two ways: as a graduate teaching assistant and by enrollment in NRSC 608T (Teaching Methods).

Candidacy Examination: A written examination followed by a comprehensive oral examination is required towards the end of the student's course program. To be eligible to take the candidacy written and oral examinations, the student must have submitted a research proposal and had it approved by his/her Advisor and Advisory Committee. In addition, the student must have presented an entrance seminar covering the approved research proposal. The examinations must be scheduled within a two month period, and must be passed prior to advancement to candidacy for the Ph.D. The Advisory Committee typically conducts these two examinations, and then informs the Graduate School and Department of the results. The Examining Committee must have one member who is a regular member of the Graduate Faculty and is outside of the Department. Students failing either of the examinations may retake it one time after a period of six months of the date of the first examination. A second failure will result in termination of the student's program. A Ph.D. student must be advanced to candidacy after five years of admission to the doctoral program and at least one academic year before the date on which the degree will be conferred. Forms necessary for application for advancement to candidacy are available from the Graduate School.

Dissertation Requirement: A dissertation based on original research is required for the Ph.D. degree. Directions for the preparation of the dissertation are printed in the publication entitled Style and Policy Manual for Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations which is available from the Graduate School. These directions must be strictly observed.

Final Oral Examination: The final oral defense of the dissertation is conducted by a committee of the Graduate Faculty appointed by the Dean for Graduate Studies. Nominations for membership on the committee, which will typically have been the student's Advisory Committee, are submitted by the Advisor through the Graduate Coordinator to the Graduate School at least three months prior to the date on which the oral examination is scheduled. The form for nomination of the Examining Committee can be obtained from the Graduate School. This form also lists the regulations for forming the Examining Committee, which will consist of a minimum of five. members, at least three of whom must be regular members of the University of Maryland Graduate Faculty. Ordinarily, the Advisor will serve as Chair of the Examining Committee. One member of the Committee, not from the candidate's home department, is appointed as a representative of the Dean for Graduate Studies. This person serves as an examiner, but also has the additional responsibility of assuring that the examination is conducted according to established procedures.

The Advisor, in the capacity of Chair of the Examining Committee, is responsible for scheduling the examination and notifying the members of the Committee and all Graduate Faculty members in the Department. Members of the Committee must be given a minimum of ten working days in which to read the dissertation prior to the examination.

Following the examination, the Committee reports its findings to the candidate and to the Graduate School on the "Report of Examining Committee" form provided to the Advisor at the time the Examining Committee is appointed. In addition to this report, the Department requires a report for the departmental file on the outcome of the examination.

Download the 28 page Graduate Program Handbook in PDF format (152kb). You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view it. If you would like more information about the Graduate Program, please contact the NRSL NRSLGC@umail.umd.edu.