Plant, Environmental & Soil Sciences, Ph.D.

(PPESS)

The departmental-level academic course plan for each student will be developed in consultation with and approved by the student’s graduate advisory committee. The advisory committee will include the student’s major professor and at least two additional members of the graduate faculty (see additional guidelines for committee members in the Requirements for Ph.D. section of The Graduate School ). Additionally, the Dean of the Graduate School appoints a member of the graduate faculty to serve on doctoral general and final exam committees.

A dissertation is a requirement for the proposed degree.  The curricular requirements include:

• At least 45 hours of course work (not including dissertation research). Additional course work may be required at the discretion of the student’s committee. Credit for courses taken in an M.S. program is subject to approval by the student’s committee.
• A minimum of 15 hours of dissertation credit.
• At least two hours credit from seminar class AGRO 7001 . One seminar class may be substituted with a seminar presented in the minor department if a minor is being undertaken.

Students are strongly encouraged to publish manuscript(s) from their doctoral research in appropriate peer-reviewed, scholarly journals.