Crop Science Graduate Program

The Department of Crop and Soil Science offers 2 Crop Science graduate degrees with 3 areas of specialization, each with multiple disciplines and commodities.

Degrees Offered

Master of Science in Crop Science
Doctor of Philosophy in Crop Science

M.S. Degree Requirements

• Forty-five credits of graduate courses, including up to 12 credits for the M.S. thesis, or 6 credits for a project for the non-thesis M.S. degree.
• Completion of an original research project and presentation of a thesis; or for the non-thesis option, completion of a problem-solving project.

M.S. Degree Learning Outcomes

• Conduct research or produce some other form of creative work.
• Demonstrate mastery of subject material.
  • Demonstrate mastery of fundamental and advanced concepts associated with Crop Sciences related to students’ discipline.
• Conduct scholarly or professional activities in an ethical manner.
• Design, conduct, analyze, and interpret research, ethically, addressing problems in the discipline, with PI.
• Create an original and/or significant contribution to the related discipline.
• Utilize research findings to laboratory and/or field settings in actual situations.
• Communicate effectively to a diverse group of people using appropriate traditional and emerging technological media.

Ph.D. Degree Requirements

• Completion of a graduate course program determined by the candidate's graduate committee and the Ph.D. thesis. Typically this requires about four years of full-time graduate study.
• Completion of an original research project and thesis presentation.
• Participation in teaching. Students with no previous teaching experience are required to participate in teaching in the crop science program for a minimum of one term. This requirement may be fulfilled as a course (CROP 509) taken for credit.

Ph.D Learning Outcomes

• Produce and defend an original significant contribution to knowledge.
• Demonstrate mastery of subject material.
  • Demonstrate mastery of fundamental and advanced concepts associated with Crop Sciences related to students’ discipline.
• Conduct scholarly activities in an ethical manner.
• Design, conduct, analyze, and interpret research, ethically, addressing problems in the discipline independently.
• Create an original contribution to the related discipline.
• Utilize research findings to laboratory and/or field settings in actual situations.
• Communicate effectively to a diverse group of people using appropriate traditional and emerging technological media.