Graduate Student Handbook

Section 1: General Institutional Admissions Requirements
1.1 Annual Application Cycle
1.2 General Qualifications for Admission to the School of the Coastal Environment Graduate Programs
1.2.1 Provisional Admission to the Master’s Program
1.3 Qualifications for Admission to the Ph.D. Program in Marine Science: Coastal and Marine Systems Science
1.3.1 Students Entering the Doctoral Program Holding a Master’s Degree
1.3.2 Students Applying to the Doctoral Program from the CCU M.S. in Coastal Marine and Wetland Studies (CMWS)
1.3.3 Students Entering the Doctoral Program Holding a Bachelor’s Degree
1.3.4 Provisional Admission to the Doctoral Program with a Completed Master’s Degree from an Accredited Institution in Disciplinary Areas Related to Marine Science: Coastal and Marine Systems Science
1.3.5 Provisional Admission to the Doctoral Program with a Completed Bachelor of Science Degree from an Accredited Institution in Disciplinary Areas Related to Marine Science: Coastal and Marine Systems Science

Section 2: M.S. in Coastal Marine and Wetland Studies (CMWS) Requirements
2.1 Enrollment Requirement
2.2 Required Graduate Courses (30 Graduate Credit Hours)
2.3 Guided and Independent Research and Professional Experiences: Research Thesis or Professional Experience
2.3.1 Thesis Track Requirements
2.3.2 Professional Experience Track Requirements
2.4 Admission to Candidacy
2.4.1 Thesis Track Candidacy
2.4.2 Professional Experience Track Candidacy

Section 3: Master’s Degree Program Timeline: Thesis or Professional Experience Track
3.1 Choose Thesis or Professional Experience Track
3.2 Establish Major Professor for Program
3.2.1 Establish Major Professor for Thesis Track
3.2.2 Establish Major Professor for Professional Experience Track
3.3 Establish Graduate Advisory Committee
3.3.1 Graduate Advisory Committee in Thesis Track
3.3.2 Graduate Advisory Committee in Professional Experience Track
3.4 Proposal
3.4.1 Thesis Track Proposal
3.4.2 Professional Experience Track Proposal
3.5 Admission to Candidacy for Degree
3.6 Completion of CMWS Course Requirements
3.6.1 Thesis Track
3.6.2 Professional Experience Track
3.7 Submittal of Thesis or Professional Experience Final Report
3.7.1 Thesis Track
3.7.2 Professional Experience Report
3.8 Thesis Defense or Professional Experience Presentation
3.8.1 Thesis Defense
3.8.2 Professional Experience Presentation
3.9 Submittal of Documentation

Section 4: Ph.D. in Marine Science: Coastal and Marine Systems Science Requirements
4.1 Enrollment Requirement
4.2 Required Graduate Courses (60 Graduate Credit Hours)
4.3 Program SCMSS Comprehensive Examination
4.4 SCMSS Qualifying Examination
4.5 Admission to Candidacy
4.6 Dissertation
4.7 Dissertation Defense

Section 5: Ph.D. in Marine Science: Coastal and Marine Systems Science Degree Program Timeline
5.1 Establish Major Professor
5.2 Establish Graduate Advisory Committee
5.3 SCMSS Comprehensive Exams
5.4 Dissertation Proposal - Qualifying Exam
5.5 Admission to Candidacy for Degree
5.6 Completion of Course Requirements
5.7 Completion of Dissertation Research and Directed Study
5.8 Submittal of Dissertation
5.9 Defense of Dissertation
5.10 Submittal of Documentation

Section 6: General Information
6.1 Academic Standards
6.2 Time period – Maximum/Minimum Time Period Allowed
6.3 Academic Discipline