Expectations
As a MS student in the research thesis-based degree, you will be expected to complete coursework outlined below, complete research culminating in a thesis which you will defend to a committee, and to take part in various program activities including seminar series and lab group meetings. Required courses are offered Monday through Friday during the day, but some elective courses may be offered in the evenings during the week.
Required Coursework for Research Thesis MS Degree
As a MS student in the research thesis track, you will be expected to complete coursework outlined below, complete research culminating in a master's thesis, and to take part in various program activities including seminar series and lab group meetings.
| Required Core Courses | Units |
|---|---|
| PBC 450 Field and Lab Methods in Plant Biology and Conservation | 2 |
| PBC 451 Critical Topics in Ecology and Conservation | 1 |
| A course or independent study in Data Science or Statistics. Students can determine what best fits their needs in consultation with their advisor or the Director of Graduate Studies. The following is a non-exhaustive list of examples : Biostatistics (PBC 435); R Data Science (PBC 470); Scientific Programming in Python (Earth 361); Introduction to Programming for Big Data (NICO 401). See PBC Handbook for more details. | 1 |
| Recommended Electives (2) Evolution Elective (recommended PBC 401 Plant Evolution & Diversity) |
1 |
| Ecology Elective (recommended PBC 402 Plant Community Ecology) | 1 |
| Additional Electives (3 courses). See TGS courses for list of graduate courses across the university | 3 |
| PBC 499 Independent Study (2 units, typically taken over 2 quarters) | 2 |
| Total Units | 11 |
Additional requirements include the following:
1. Thesis committee should be formed and a thesis proposal should be defended by spring of year one.
2. Written thesis plus an oral defense is required for graduation. A public presentation of the thesis is given followed by a defense with the student’s committee. It is recommended that the defense is completed by the summer of year 2.
3. Satisfactory Academic Progress must be maintained by students. A student will not be in good academic standing if he/she has an overall grade average below B (3.0 GPA, and no single grade below C), has more than three incomplete grades, or fails to make satisfactory progress with research as determined by the student’s thesis committee.
For more information view the MS thesis timeline and detailed information can be found in the PBC Graduate Student Handbook.
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