Document Actions
Overview
Outline of requirements that Ecology students registered for a PhD degree need to meet in order to graduate.
Courses
Graduate academic course plan
Each graduate student, in consultation with his or her research adviser and committee, must submit a graduate academic course plan
to the Program Chair. This plan should be completed and turned into the
Ecology Program Office within the first three months of residency for
an MS student or immediately after the Candidacy Exam for a PhD
student. However, PhD students may want to complete the coursework
section of the academic course plan with their adviser before the time
of their Candidacy Exam.
Minimum course requirements
If a student already has an MS degree, there is no minimum number of requirements beyond the courses listed below and those required by the student's committee. If a student does not have an MS degree, a minimum of 30 graded credits are required for graduation. At least 18 of these credits must be from 500- or 600- level courses.
Core courses
Each student must take 5 core courses. Special permission may be obtained to substitute core courses in consultation with the Program Chair.
Colloquium
Each student needs 4 credits (one credit per course) in ECLGY 590, the Ecology Colloquium.
Along with these minimum requirements, regular participation is expected regardless of official registration.
Statistics
Each student needs to take 2 advanced statistics courses (400 or 500 level). Introductory statistics courses (e.g. STAT 451) are not appropriate. Some courses that previous students have found useful include:
- Stat 502 Analysis of Variance and Design of Experiments
- Stat 510 Timeseries Analysis
- Stat 511 Linear Regression Models
- Stat 512 Experimental Design
- Stat 505 Applied Multivariate Analysis
- ENT 597G Biostatistical Analysis
- WFS 560 Estimation of Fish and Wildlfe Population Parameters
Other courses
Beyond these basic courses, course requirements are determined by the student, the adviser, and the Graduate Committee.
Candidacy exam
The examination must be taken within three semesters (summer sessions do not count) of entry into the doctoral program. More information about this exam
English competency
PhD students are required to demonstrate a high level of competency in the use of the English language. More on assessment of English competency
Declaring a committee
A PhD is formed as soon after the candidacy exam as possible. More about doctoral committees
Comprehensive exam
This is administered by the student's committee as early as possible in the student's tenure. More about the comprehensive exam
Thesis
Each student must submit a thesis and pass a final oral thesis defense before degree certification. More about thesis requirements and the final defense
Seminar requirements
Each student will be required to present a formal Ecology Defense Seminar on his/her research before degree certification. This presentation is typically 30-50 minutes in length, often given immediately prior to the student's thesis defense; it should be advertised to members of the Ecology Program.
An additional presentation is provided at either the Fall or Spring Ecology Mini-Symposium. It is the student's responsibility to notify the Program Coordinator one semester prior to the semester of the student's defense so that proper arrangements can be made.
Graduate School requirements
All students also need to meet requirements set by the Graduate School (e.g. for residency, establishing a committee and examinations).