m.s. in environmental science graduate program handbook · dr. jennifer boyd dr. john tucker...

M.S.inEnvironmentalScienceGraduateProgramHandbook

DepartmentofBiology,Geology,andEnvironmentalScience

Welcome

WelcometotheMasterofScienceinEnvironmentalScience(M.S.ESC)programofferedbytheDepartmentofBiology,Geology,andEnvironmentalScience(BGES)attheUniversityofTennesseeatChattanooga(UTC).Ourprogramisdesignedtopreparescholarsandprofessionalstomeettheneedsofacademia,business,government,andthenon-profitsectorinthefieldofenvironmentalscience.Towardthisgoal,weemphasizesoundscientificandtechnicaltrainingcoupledwithanunderstandingofcontemporarysocioeconomic,politicalandlegalrealities.OurStudents

• Havetheopportunitytocontributetothedevelopmentofknowledgeinthefieldofenvironmentalsciencethroughscholarlyresearchand/orexperience.

• Prepareforcareerswithdiverseemployersincludingconservationorganizations,consultingfirms,governmentagencies,andschools,andforadmissionintodoctoralandprofessionaldegreeprograms.

OurFaculty

• Offercoursesthatemphasizethedevelopmentofadvancedcriticalthinkingandeffectiveadvocacyandcommunicationskillsusefultoaddressingenvironmentalissuesinaholisticandreal-worldcontext.

• Engagestudentsinresearchinawiderangeofsubdisciplinesincludingbiodiversityandsystematics,conservationandrestoration,ecology,environmentalandhumanhealth,environmentalpolicyandlaw,evolutionandbehavior,geospatialscience,andmolecularbiology,cellularbiologyandphysiology.

OurDepartment

• Supportsstudentexperientiallearningwithaccesstostate-of-the-artresearchandteachingfacilitiesandresourcesbothonandoffcampus.

• ConnectswithitscommunitythroughrelationswithlocalorganizationsandagenciessuchastheChattanoogaZoo,CityofChattanooga,ErlangerHealthSystems,NorthChickamaugaCreekConservancy,TennesseeAquarium,TennesseeRiverGorgeTrust,andTennesseeValleyAuthority.

ForMoreInformation Dr.JenniferBoyd Dr.JohnTucker

GraduateProgramCoordinator [email protected] [email protected]:423-425-5638 tel:423-425-434

TableofContents

Welcome&ContactInformation preface1.Admissions 1 1.1AcademicRequirements 1 1.2IdentifyingaGraduateAdvisor 1 1.3ApplyingtotheProgram 12.ProgramofStudy 3 2.1CoreCourses 3 2.2Electives 3 2.3CapstoneExperience 43.Policies&Procedures 7 3.1ProgramofStudyDeclaration 7 3.2Advisement 7 3.3CourseEnrollment 9 3.4ThesisRequirements 11 3.5InternshipRequirements 14 3.6LearningDiscourseRequirements 19 3.7AcademicPerformance 22 3.8CapstoneExperienceProgress 23 3.9Graduation 234.FinancialAssistance 26 4.1GraduateTeachingAssistantships 26 4.2GraduateResearchAssistantships 27 4.3OtherInstitutionalSupport 28 4.4.GraduateStudentLoans 295.CampusResources 30

5.1GraduateStudentAssociation 30 5.2Library 305.3Technology 305.4ResearchCompliance 305.5Counseling 315.6Accommodation 31

ListofESCGraduateFaculty AppendixA2016–2017ImportantDates&Deadlines AppendixBStudentChecklists AppendixC

1.Admissions

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PriortoapplyingtotheM.S.ESCprogramatUTC,youshouldensurethatyoumeetassociatedacademicrequirementsandidentifyafacultymemberwhowillserveasyourgraduateadvisor.Itisimportanttonotethattherequirementslistedhereareminimumsforconsiderationanddonotguaranteeacceptanceintotheprogram.Ultimately,admissionsdecisionsarebasedonevaluationsofquantitativeandqualitativeinformation,includingthecompatibilityofyourenvironmentalscienceinterestswiththatofourfaculty.

1.1AcademicRequirementsAsanapplicanttotheM.S.ESCprogram,youshouldmeetthefollowingacademicrequirements:

• Abaccalaureatedegreefromaregionallyaccreditedinstitutionofhighereducationorforeignequivalent

• AnoverallGPAof2.75oraGPAof3.0forthelast60credithours• SatisfactoryscoresonthegeneralGraduateRecordExamination(GRE),generally

definedasscoresabovethe25thpercentilefortheverbalandquantitativesections• Backgroundknowledgeofenvironmentalscienceconceptsequivalenttoatwo-

semesterundergraduateintroductoryenvironmentalsciencesequenceand/oranundergraduateorgraduateecologycourse

Thefollowingadditionalacademicpreparationisrecommended:• Atleastfourupper-levelundergraduatesciencecourseswithlabcomponents• Onecourseeachinenvironmentalethicsandenvironmentallaw• Onecourseeachincollegecalculus,introductorystatistics,andcomputerscience

1.2IdentifyingaGraduateAdvisorBecauseacloseadvisoryrelationshipbetweeneverygraduatestudentandagraduatefacultymemberisahallmarkoftheprogram,youmustidentifyafacultymemberwillingtoserveasyourgraduateadvisoraspartoftheadmissionprocess.Toinitiatethisprocess,wesuggestthatyouemailoneormoregraduatefacultymemberswhoshareyourinterestsinenvironmentalscienceatleastonefullsemesterbeforeyouanticipatestartingtheprogramtoallowtimeforconsiderationoftheirbackgroundandinterests.ProvidingaCVorrésuméand/orotherrelevantinformationwithyouremailwillfacilitatethiscommunication.AlistofprogramfacultyandresearchinterestsisprovidedinsidethebackcoverofthisHandbook.

1.3ApplyingtotheProgramAllapplicationsforadmissiontotheprogramareinitiallyhandledbytheGraduateSchoolatUTCandthenforwardedtotheDepartmentofBiology,Geology,andEnvironmentalScience(BGES)forreviewbyitsgraduatefaculty.Applicationinstructionsandlinkstotheonlineapplicationprocessareavailableathttps://www.utc.edu/apply/.Tobeconsideredcomplete,yourapplicationtotheM.S.ESCprogrammustincludethefollowingmaterials:

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• Officialtranscriptsfromeveryinstitutionofhighereducationthatyouattended• AnofficialreportofyourGREscores• Acoverletterthatservesasastatementofpurposebydetailingyourrelevant

experiences,reasonsforpursuingthedegree,andgeneralplansforthegraduateprogramofstudy,includingidentificationofagraduateadvisorwhohasagreedtoserveinthiscapacity

• ACVorrésumé• Lettersofrecommendationfromatleastthreeindividualsfamiliarwithyouracademic

abilityand/orrelevantexperience

Inaddition,youmaysubmitoptionalsupplementarymaterialsevidencinganyrelevantandsubstantialpreparationand/orexperience,suchasacopyofawrittenundergraduatecapstoneprojectorpublication

CompleteapplicationsareforwardedfromtheGraduateSchooltotheESCGraduateProgramCoordinatorandthendistributedtomembersoftheprogramfacultyforreview.Admissiontotheprogramisrolling.However,wesuggestthatyousubmityourapplicationmaterialsbymid-Marchforfallsemesterenrollmentorbyearly-Octoberforspringsemesterenrollmenttoallowsufficienttimeforapplicationreview.Ifyousubmityourapplicationafterthesesuggestedsubmissiontimes,itmaynotbereviewedintimeforadmissionforthefollowingsemester.

2.ProgramofStudy

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ToearntheM.S.ESCdegreeatUTC,youmustcompleteaprogramofstudyconsistingof36totalsemesterhours(i.e.,credits)ofcoursework.Thesehoursincludeacademiccreditassociatedwithcorecourses,electives,andagraduatecapstoneexperience.Descriptionsoftheserequirementsfollow.

2.1CoreCourses

AllESCgraduatestudentsmustcomplete15semesterhoursofrequiredcorecourses.Thesecoursearelistedinthetablebelow:

CoreCoursesoftheM.S.ESCProgram

CourseNumber Title CreditHours

ESC5020 MechanismsintheEnvironment 3

ESC5050 BiodiversityandNaturalResourcesConservation 3

ESC5120 AppliedStatisticsforEnvironmentalScientists 4

ESC5140 EnvironmentalLawandRegulations 3

ESC5700 SeminarI 1

ESC5710 SeminarII 1

2.2Electives

EveryESCgraduatestudentalsomustcompleteeither15or18semesterhoursofunrestrictedgraduateelectives.Yourrequirednumberofelectivehoursisdeterminedbythecapstoneexperiencethatyouchoosetopursueinpartialfulfillmentofthedegree.Specifically,studentsconductingathesisorinternshipforthecapstoneexperiencemustcomplete15hoursofelectives,whilestudentsconductingalearneddiscoursemustcomplete18hoursofelectives.Yourelectivehoursmaybecomprisedofgraduate-levelelectivecoursesofferedbytheDepartmentofBiology,Geology,andEnvironmentalScience(BGES)orgraduate-levelcoursesofferedbyotherdepartmentsthatarerelevanttothestudyofenvironmentalscienceandyourspecificdegreeprogramobjectivesasapprovedbyyourgraduateadvisor.Questionsabouttherelevanceofspecificcoursestoyourdegreeprogram(especiallythoseofferedoutsideofBGES)shouldbedirectedtoyouradvisorandtotheESCGraduateProgramCoordinator.

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2.3CapstoneExperience

EachESCgraduatestudentmustchooseoneofthreecapstoneexperiencesfortheprogramofstudy–thesis,internship,orlearneddiscourse.Youshouldconsultwithyourgraduateadvisortodeviseaformalplanforthisexperienceappropriateforyouracademicobjectives,researchinterests,andcareergoals.Ideally,youinitiatedthisconversationwithyourprospectiveadvisorwhenyouwereapplyingtotheprogram.Thesis

Thethesisoptioninvolvesindependentoriginalresearchfocusedonaspecificissuethatisrelevanttoenvironmentalscience.Thisresearchwilldemonstratebroadknowledgeofthetopic,identifyagapintheknowledgebase,andattempttofillthatgapthroughappropriatestudy.Initiationofathesisrequiresacceptancebyyourgraduateadvisorycommitteeofaproposalthatdescribesyourthesisobjectives,providesapreliminaryreviewofpertinentliterature,outlinesthemethodologiesthatyouwilluse,anddetailstherelevanceofyourthesistothefield.Youthenwillworkcloselywithyourgraduateadvisortowardmeetingyourthesisobjectives.Athesisisanappropriatechoiceforyourcapstoneexperienceifyouwanttogainbroadlyapplicableresearchexperience.Itisespeciallyrecommendedifyouareconsideringfuturedoctoralstudiesoracareerinvolvingresearchactivitiesoroversight.

Athesiscapstoneexperienceculminateswithyoursubmissionofasuccessfulwrittenthesisandyoursuccessfulpublicoraldefenseofthisthesisasassessedbyyourgraduateadvisorycommittee.Asuccessfulwrittenthesiswillincludeaclearandfocusedstatementofpurpose,comprehensivereviewofrelevantliterature,explanationofstudydesignandmethodologies,appropriateanalysesandinterpretationofdata,anddescriptionofthesignificanceoffindings.Asuccessfuldefensewillinvolveclearpresentationofyourthesisandinformedandthoughtfulanswerstoquestionsfromyourgraduatecommitteeandtheaudienceaboutitssubstanceandsignificance.OnceapprovedbytheGraduateSchool,yourwrittenthesisbecomespartofthepermanentbodyofscientificknowledgeandisconsideredareflectionofyou,youradvisor,BGES,andtheUTCasawhole.

IfyouopttoconductathesisinpartialfulfillmentoftheM.S.ESCdegree,youmustenrollinatleast6semesterhoursofESC5999(Thesis)whileactivelyengagedinyourthesisresearch,writing,and/ordefensepreparation,withatleasttwoofthesecredithourscompletedduringthesemesterofyourgraduation.Onceyouinitiateyourthesis,youmustregisterforthesishourscontinuously(i.e.,everysemester)untilyougraduate.Fordeterminingcontinuousthesisregistration,thesummertermisnotconsidered.Assuch,youdonotneedtoregisterforESC5999duringsummersessionswhileconductingyourthesisresearch;however,youmayopttodosoifthisissuggestedandapprovedbyyourgraduateadvisor.YoushouldconsultwithyourgraduateadvisortodeterminethenumberofESC5999hoursforwhichyoushouldregistereachsemester,dependingontheworkthatyouplantodotowardcompletingyourthesis.Internship

Theinternshipoptionisdesignedtoprovideyouwithanopportunitytoacquirespecializedtechnical/professionalknowledgebyworkingonanenvironmentalprojectwithanappropriate

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sponsoringorganizationorbusiness.Asaformofexperientiallearning,aninternshipwillintegrateyouracademicknowledgeinenvironmentalsciencewithitspracticalapplicationinaworkplacesetting.InitiationofaninternshipinpartialfulfillmentoftheM.S.ESCdegreerequiresthatyouidentifyasuitableinternshipopportunityandthatyourgraduateadvisorycommitteeandaworkplacesupervisorapproveaproposalthatdescribesyourinternshipobjectives,providesapreliminaryreviewofpertinentliterature,detailsworktobecompleted,anddiscussestherelevanceoftheinternshiptotheworkplaceandyourcareergoals.Yourinternshipmaybepaidorunpaid.Duringtheinternship,youwillworkcloselywithyourworkplacesupervisorwithoversightfromyourgraduateadvisortowardmeetingyourinternshipobjectives.Youandyourworkplacesupervisorwillberequiredtodocumentyourexperienceviaaseriesofformalperiodicreportstoyourgraduateadvisor.Aninternshipisanappropriatechoiceforyourcapstoneexperienceifyouwishtodevelopskillsspecializedforaparticulartypeofenvironmentalwork.Itisespeciallyrecommendedifyouhaveveryspecificcareergoals(e.g.,naturalresourcemanagement,environmentalconsulting)thatdonotrequirefurthergraduatestudies.

Aninternshipcapstoneexperienceculminateswithyoursubmissionofasuccessfulwritteninternshipreportanditssuccessfulpublicoraldefenseasassessedbyyourgraduateadvisorycommittee.Asuccessfulwritteninternshipreportwillincludeaclearandfocusedstatementofgoals,comprehensivereviewofrelevantliterature,descriptionofspecificactivitiesperformed,andexplanationofthesignificanceofthoseactivitiestomeetingtheinternshipobjectives.Asuccessfuldefensewillinvolveclearpresentationofyourinternshipandinformedandthoughtfulanswerstoquestionsfromthegraduateadvisorycommitteeandaudienceaboutthesubstanceandsignificanceofyourexperience.

IfyouopttoconductaninternshipinpartialfulfillmentoftheM.S.ESCdegree,youmustcomplete600hoursofenvironmentallyfocusedworkasasupervisedinternwithanexternalemployerorotheragency.Thisobligationamountsto15weeksoffull-time(i.e.,40hours/week)or30weeksofpart-time(i.e.,20hours/week)work.Whileactivelyengagedinyourinternshipwork,reportwriting,and/ordefensepreparation,youmustenrollinatleast6semesterhoursofESC5996(Internship);atleasttwoofthesehoursmustbeduringthesemesterofyoursuccessfuldefense.LearnedDiscourse

Thelearneddiscourseoptionallowsyoutoexploredeeplyaspecifictopicrelevanttoenvironmentalsciencethroughindependentandoriginalreviewofrelevantavailableliterature.Initiationofalearneddiscourserequiresacceptancebyyourgraduateadvisorycommitteeofaproposalthatdescribesyourlearneddiscourseobjectives,providesapreliminaryreviewofpertinentliterature,outlinesacomprehensiveliteraturereview,anddiscussestherelevanceofyourlearneddiscoursetothefield.Youthenwillworkcloselywithyourgraduateadvisortowardmeetingyourlearneddiscourseobjectives.Alearneddiscourseisanappropriatechoiceforyourcapstoneexperienceifyouwanttofurtheryourknowledgebaseinanenvironmentalsciencetopicwithoutfocusondevelopmentofappliedresearchorspecializedworkplaceskills.Thelearneddiscourseoptionisespeciallyrecommendedifyouwanttoadvanceinanalreadyestablishedcareer.

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Alearneddiscourseprogramofstudyculminateswithyoursubmissionofasuccessfulwrittendiscourseanditssuccessfulpublicoraldefenseasassessedbyyourgraduateadvisorycommittee.Asuccessfulwrittendiscoursewillincludeaclearandfocusedstatementofpurpose,comprehensivereviewofrelevantliterature,synthesisoffindings,anddescriptionoftheirsignificancetothefield.Asuccessfuldefensewillinvolveclearpresentationofyourlearneddiscourseandinformedandthoughtfulanswerstoquestionsfromyourgraduatecommitteeandaudienceaboutitssubstanceandsignificance.

IfyouopttoconductalearneddiscourseinpartialfulfillmentoftheM.S.ESCdegree,youmustcompleteatleast3semesterhoursofassociatedESC5998(Research)whileactivelyengagedinyourlearneddiscourseresearchand/orwriting.Youmaycompletethese3hourspriortothesemesterofyourdefense;however,yourprogramofstudywillnotbecompleteuntilyousuccessfullydefendyourlearneddiscourse.YoushouldconsultwithyourgraduateadvisortodeterminethenumberofESC5998hoursforwhichyoushouldregistereachsemester,dependingontheworkthatyouplantodotowardcompletingyourthesis.

3.Policies&Procedures

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StudentspursingtheM.S.ESCdegreeatUTCaregovernedbytheoverallpoliciesandproceduresimplementedbytheGraduateSchoolatUTCandrelatedprogram-specificrequirementssetforthbytheUTCDepartmentofBiology,Geology,andEnvironmentalScience.Assuch,youshouldfamiliarizeyourselfwithboththepoliciesandproceduresdescribedinthisHandbookandthoseoutlinedinUTC’sGraduateStudentCatalog,whichislinkedontheGraduateSchoolwebsite.QuestionsaboutpoliciesandproceduresshouldbedirectedtotheESCGraduateProgramCoordinator.

3.1ProgramofStudyDeclaration

PriortoadmissionorveryearlyinyourfirstsemesterofenrollmentintheM.S.ESCprogram,youshouldhaveconversationswithyourgraduateadvisorthatfocusonthedetailsofyourprogramofstudy.YoumustofficiallydeclareyourprogramofstudybyfilingaProgramofStudyformwiththeGraduateSchoolbytheendofyourfirstsemesterofenrollment.

Ontheform,youshoulddeclare‘ESC’asyourmajor,and‘Thesis’,‘Internship’,or‘LearnedDiscourse’asyourconcentration.Whendescribingyourprogramofstudycoursework,youneedonlytolistthecorecoursesfortheM.S.ESCdegreeprogram,aswellasanycoursestakenpriortoenrollmentforwhichyouarerequestingTransferCredit(seeHandbooksection3.3).Youarepermittedalsotoincludeplannedelectivecoursesontheform,butyouwouldthenneedtodocumentformallyanysubsequentchangestotheseplannedcoursespriortoprogramcompletion.Forthisreason,youareencouragedtoincludeonlythecorecoursesofthedegreeprogramonthisform.PriortoitssubmissiontotheGraduateSchool,you,yourgraduateadvisor,andtheESCGraduateProgramCoordinatormustsignyourProgramofStudyform.Itispreferredthatyousubmitallformselectronically.ProgramofStudyChanges

Ifyoudecidetochangeyourprogramofstudy(e.g.,fromthesistointernship),youmustofficiallydocumentthischangewiththeGraduateSchoolpriortograduation.YoushouldwaittomakethisformalnotificationuntilyounearprogramcompletionandapplyforaGraduationAudit(seeHandbooksection3.9);donotsubmitasecondProgramofStudyformtotheGraduateSchool.However,youshouldinformtheESCGraduateProgramCoordinatorofyourprogramofstudychangebyemailbeforetheendofthecurrentsemesterorthebeginningofanewsemesterifthechangeismadeduringsummerorwinterbreaksothatdepartmentalrecordscanbekeptcurrent.

3.2Advisement

AdvisoryRoles

Theroleofyourgraduateadvisoristosuperviseyourentireprogramofstudy,includingtheselectionofappropriatecourseworkandyourthesis,internship,orlearneddiscourseprogress.Earlyconsultationsbetweenyouandyourgraduateadvisorshouldincludediscussionofatleasttwoadditionalpeoplewithgraduatefacultystatusandexpertiseinthestudyareatoserveon

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yourgraduateadvisorycommittee.Theroleofthecommitteemembersistoprovideyouwithsupplementaryadvisementandadditionalevaluationofyourthesis,internship,orlearneddiscourse.(Intheeventthatacommitteemember’sroleisexpectedtoextendbeyondsuchsupplementaladvisement,youmayidentifythatcommitteememberasaco-advisor.)Youshouldmeetwithyourgraduateadvisorregularlyandwithyourentiregraduateadvisorycommitteeasneeded(asdeterminedwiththehelpofyouradvisor).

AcurrentlistoffacultyintheDepartmentofBiology,Geology,andEnvironmentalSciencewithgraduatefacultystatusisprovidedinsidethebackcoverofthisHandbook.AnupdatedandmorecomprehensivelistofapprovedGraduateFacultyMembersatUTCismaintainedbytheGraduateSchoolonitswebsite.Otherqualifiedpersonsmaybeappointedtothegraduatefacultyifyourgraduateadvisorsuggeststhattheywillprovidespecialacademicexpertiseorprofessionalexperiencetoyourgraduateadvisorycommittee.Ifyouareinterestedinseekingcommitteeappointmentforaqualifiedexternalindividual,talkwiththeESCGraduateProgramCoordinatorformoreinformationaboutthisprocess.GraduateCommitteeAppointment

BeforetheendofyourfirstsemesterofenrollmentintheM.S.ESCprogram,youmustofficiallyidentifyyourgraduateadvisorandgraduateadvisorycommitteemembers.Theprocessfordoingthisvariesaccordingtothecapstoneexperiencethatyouchoosetopursue.Ifyouareplanningtoconductathesis,youmustidentifyyourgraduateadvisorandcommitteemembersbyfilinganofficialGraduateCommitteeAppointmentformwiththeGraduateSchool.You,yourgraduateadvisor,allofyourgraduateadvisorycommitteemembers,andtheDepartmentChairmustsignthisformpriortoitssubmission.

Ifyouareplanningtoconductaninternshiporlearneddiscourse,youmustidentifyyourgraduateadvisorandcommitteemembersbyfilinganInternship/LearnedDiscourseCommitteeAppointmentformwiththeESCGraduateProgramCoordinator.You,youradvisor,andallofyourgraduatecommitteemembersmustsignthisform.GraduateCommitteeChanges

Ifyoudecidetochangeyourgraduateadvisorand/oranyofyourgraduatecommitteemembers,youmustofficiallydocumentsuchchanges.Todoso,youshouldsubmitanewGraduateCommitteeAppointmentform(thesisstudentsonly)orInternship/LearnedDiscourseCommitteeAppointmentformbeforetheendofthesemesterinwhichthechangeismadeorbythebeginningofthenextsemesterifthechangeismadeduringsummerorwinterbreak.Student&FacultyResponsibilities

BothESCgraduatestudentsandfacultyareresponsibleforfollowingthepoliciesandproceduresoftheGraduateSchoolandtheM.S.ESCprogramassetforthbytheDepartmentofBiology,Geology,andEnvironmentalScience.Thisresponsibilityincludesfullunderstandingofprogramofstudyrequirementsandexpectationsforacademicperformanceandthesis,internship,orlearneddiscourseprogress.

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Asastudent,youareprimarilyresponsibleforfulfillingtherequirementsandmeetingtheexpectationsoftheGraduateSchoolandtheprogram.Thisincludesmeetingexpectationsforperformanceandprogress,aswellascorrectandtimelysubmissionofallrequireddocuments(i.e.,forms,proposals,reports,finaldocuments)associatedwithyourprogramofstudy.Yourgraduateadvisorwillplayasignificantroleinyoureducationandtrainingasagraduatestudent.Assuch,yourgraduateadvisorassumesresponsibilityforhelpingyoutoselectcourseworkappropriatetoyourprogramofstudyandbeingawareofyouracademicprogressandstatus.Yourgraduateadvisoralsoisresponsibleforguidingandfacilitatingyourthesis,internship,andlearneddiscourseobjectivesandactivitiestowardthepromotionofyourenvironmentalscienceknowledge,experientiallearning,andprofessionalskilldevelopment.

Frequentcommunicationbetweenyouandyourgraduateadvisorisimperativetoyoursuccessintheprogram.Thiscorrespondencewillfacilitateearlyidentificationofconcernsorissuesthatcouldimpedeyourperformanceand/orprogresssothatthoseconcernsorissuescanbeaddressed.Assuch,werecommendthatyoudeviseascheduleforregularcommunicationwithyourgraduateadvisorthroughoutenrollmentintheprogram.

3.3CourseEnrollment

Registration

Youmustconsultwithyourgraduateadvisortodiscussappropriatecoursesinwhichtoenrolleachsemester.WerecommendinitiatingthisdiscussionjustpriortothecourseregistrationperiodsdesignatedbytheUTCRecordsOffice(aroundearlyNovemberforspringcoursesandearlyAprilforfallcourses).Aftertheconsultation,youradvisorwillprovideyouwithasix-digitPINthatwillenableyoutoregisterforclassesviatheonlineUTCregistrationsystemlocatedinMyMocsNetunderthe‘Academics’tab.Forcompletedetails,includingyoureligibilityandappointmenttimes,seetheImportantInformationforRegistrationatUTCpostedbytheRecordsOfficeonitswebsite.CourseLoads

IfyouarenotreceivingaGraduateAssistantshipprovidedbyUTC(seeHandbooksection4),youtechnicallymayregisterforupto15semesterhoursduringthefallandspringsemester.However,thiscourseloadisnottypicalorrecommendedbyourfacultygiventheintensivenatureofgraduatecourses.IfyouarefundedbyaGraduateAssistantship(seeHandbooksection4),youmayregisterforupto12semesterhoursduringthefallandspringsemesters.Werecommendthatyouconsultwithyouradvisortodeterminesemestercourseloadsthatareappropriateforyougivenyourtimeexpectationtocompletetheprogramandothermajorobligations(suchasoutsideemployment).Agoodruleofthumbtoconsideristhatgraduatecoursestypicallyrequireabout4-5hoursofstudytimeperweekoutsideofclassforeachhourspentinclass.So,atypical3-creditgraduatecoursecouldinvolvea12-15-hourtotaltimecommitmenteachweekwithmostofthistimeoccurringoutsideofclass.

IfyouarenotreceivingaGraduateAssistantshipprovidedbyUTCduringthesummer,youmayregisterforupto12totalsemesterhoursduringthesummeracademicterms.Ifyouarefunded

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byaGraduateAssistantshipduringthesummer,youmayregisterforupto6semesterhours.However,graduatecoursesaretypicallyextremelylimitedinsummer.Giventhis,graduatestudentsoftenusethesummerasanopportunitytofocusintensivelyontheirthesis,internship,orlearneddiscourse.Duringthistime,youmayregisterforESC5999(Thesis),ESC5996(Internship),orESC5998(Research;forlearneddiscourses)hoursifappropriatesectionsareavailableandthisregistrationisapprovedbyyourgraduateadvisor.EnrollmentStatus

TheUniversitywillconsideryoutohavefull-timestatusasagraduatestudentifyouareenrolledin9ormoresemesterhoursforgraduatecreditandhalf-timestatusifyouareenrolledin6-8semesterhoursforgraduatecreditduringthefallandspringsemesters.Inaddition,youwillbereportedasfull-timeequivalentforexternalfinancialaidpurposesifyouareenrolledinlessthan6hoursofESC5999(Thesis)towardtheendofyourprogramofstudyregardlessofthetotalnumberofsemesterhoursforwhichyouareregistered.IfyouaresupportedbyaGraduateAssistantshipprovidedbyUTC(seeHandbooksection4),areapproachinggraduation,anddonotneedtoregisterforfull-timehourstocompleteyourprogramofstudy,youmayrequestpriorauthorizationfromtheDeanoftheGraduateSchooltoenrollinlessthanfull-timehoursbysubmittingaGANineHourWaiverform.Ifyouhavespecificconcernsabouthowyourenrollmentstatuswillinfluenceyourfinancialaid,youshoulddiscusstheseconcernswiththeESCGraduateProgramCoordinator.TransferCredit

Youmustcompleteatleast24ofthe36semesterhoursrequiredtoearntheM.S.ESCdegreeforgraduatecreditatUTC.Youmayrequestthatupto12semesterhoursofotherqualifiedcoursesthatcarrygraduatecreditfromaregionallyaccreditedinstitutionofhighereducationcountascredittowardtheM.S.ESCdegree.QualifiedcoursesmustbeassociatedwithagradeofBorbetter,fitwithinthetimelimitoftheM.S.ESCprogramofstudy(seeHandbooksection3.9),andnothavecountedtowardapreviousundergraduateorgraduatedegree.

IfyouwanttorequestthatcreditfromaqualifiedcoursebeincludedinyourM.S.ESCprogramofstudy,youshouldtalkwiththeESCGraduateProgramCoordinatoraboutyourrequestandprovidehimorherwithacopyofthecoursesyllabus.TheCoordinatorthenwillreviewthesyllabuswithconsultationfromappropriatemembersofthegraduatefacultygiventhescopeofthecourse.Ifyourrequestfortransfercreditisapprovedattheprogramlevel,thecoursemaybelistedeitherwhenyoudeclareyourprogramofstudy(seeHandbooksection3.1)orlistedwhenyouapplyforagraduationaudit(seeHandbooksection3.9).AllprogramapprovalsoftransfercreditsaresubjecttofinalapprovalbytheDeanoftheGraduateSchool.ContinuousEnrollment

AsanESCgraduatestudent,youshouldworkcontinuouslytowardthecompletionofyourprogramofstudy.Ifyouareconductingathesis,thisalsomeansthatyoumustregisterforsemesterhourseveryfallandspringsemesteruntilyourprogramofstudyiscomplete(i.e.,untilyougraduate),asthiscontinuousenrollmentrequirementispartofthethesisprogramof

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study.Registrationduringsummersessionsisnotrequiredaspartofacontinuousprogramofstudy.Ifyouareconductinganinternshiporlearneddiscourse,continuousenrollmentalsoisexpected,butnotmandated.However,allbreaksinenrollmentwillrequirereadmissiontotheM.S.ESCprogram.QuestionsaboutthesepoliciesshouldbedirectedtotheESCGraduateProgramCoordinator.LeavesofAbsence&StopOuts

AllbreaksincontinuousenrollmentintheM.S.ESCprogramwillrequirethatyouapplyforreadmissiontotheprogram.InformingtheGraduateSchoolofaneedtobreakyourcontinuousenrollmentinM.S.ESCprogramwillfacilitateyoursubsequentreadmissionintotheprogram.IfyouareexperiencingcircumstancesthatprecludeyourcontinuedenrollmentintheM.S.ESCprogram,youshouldconsultwithyourgraduateadvisorandtheESCGraduateProgramCoordinatortodiscussfilingapossibleleaveofabsencerequestwiththeGraduateSchool.

IfextenuatingcircumstancesprecludeyourcontinuousenrollmentinESC5999(Thesis),youmayuseaRequestforStopOutformtorequestaone-time‘stopout’ofyourthesisprogressforuptofourcontinuoussemesters.Thisrequestmustbemadeevenifyouwillcontinuetoenrollinother(i.e.,non-thesis)coursework.Yourstopoutrequestmustbemadenolaterthantheendoftheenrollmentperiodofthesemesterprecedingthestartofyourrequestedstopoutandmustincluderationalandjustificationforyourrequest.Forthepurposesofstopoutrequests,theentiresummeriscountedasasemester.Yourstopoutrequestmustbeapprovedbyyourgraduateadvisor,theESCGraduateProgramCoordinator,andtheDeanoftheGraduateSchool.

3.4ThesisRequirements

InitiationofathesisforpartialfulfillmentoftheM.S.ESCdegreeinvolvesthedevelopmentofanapprovedproposalforyourthesisresearch.Yourthesiswillculminatewiththesubmissionofanapprovedwrittenthesisanditssuccessfulpublicdefense.ThesisProposalDevelopment

Ifyouopttocompleteathesis,youshouldbegintoprepareathesisproposaloutliningallaspectsofyourplannedthesisresearchwithguidancefromyourgraduateadvisorduringyourfirstsemesterintheprogram.Astandardthesisproposalwilldescribeyourthesisobjectives,provideapreliminaryreviewofpertinentliterature,outlinethemethodologiesthatyouwilluse,anddetailtherelevanceofyourthesistothefield.Yourgraduateadvisormayhaveadditionalspecificideasandrequestsforthecontentofyourproposal.Yourproposalshouldbesufficientlydetailedtoprovideyouwithaplantofollowtoconductyourresearch,includingatimelineforsignificantaccomplishments.

Afinaldraftofyourthesisproposalshouldbeapprovedbyyourgraduateadvisorpriortoitsdistributiontoyourothergraduateadvisorycommitteemembersfortheirreview.Asacourtesy,youshouldaskyourcommitteemembersoftheirpreferencesforelectronicorhardcopiesofyourproposal.Onceallofyourcommitteemembershavehadadequatetimeto

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reviewtheproposal(atleasttwoweeksisrecommended),youshouldorganizeafullcommitteemeetingtodiscussyourproposalandacquireconstructivefeedback.

Asevidenceoftimelyprogress,yourthesisproposalshouldbeapprovedbyyourgraduateadvisorycommitteebytheendofyoursecondsemesterofenrollmentintheprogram.However,youareencouragedtocompleteyourproposalbytheendofthefirstsemesterofenrollmentsothatyoucaninitiateyourthesisworkasearlyaspossible.ESC5999Registration&Grading

Afteryourthesishasbeenapprovedbyyourgraduateadvisorycommittee,youmayregisterforESC5999(Thesis)semesterhours.Intotal,youmustregisterfor6semesterhoursofESC5999whileengagedinyourthesisresearch,writingyourthesis,and/orpreparingforitsdefense.Youmustregisterforatleast2ofthesesemesterhoursofESC5999duringthesemesterofyourgraduation.Youshouldconsultwithyourgraduateadvisortodetermineanappropriateplanforregistrationandcompletingyour6totalESC5999semesterhours.

ForallsemestersthatyouregisterforESC5999hourspriortothesemesterofyourgraduation,youwillearnagradeofSP(SatisfactoryProgress)orNP(Non-satisfactoryProgress)asdeterminedbyyourgraduateadvisor.Thesegradesarenotfactoredintoyourgradepointaverage.However,ifyouearnanNPgradeforESC5999fortwosemesters,thedepartmentalGraduateFacultyCommitteewillreviewyourthesisproposalandprogresstodetermineanappropriatecourseofaction.Ifyouarefoundtoberesponsibleforthelackoftimelyprogresstowardcompletingyourthesis,suchactionscouldinvolveformalprobationordismissalfromtheprogram.

TocompeteyourESC5999hours,youmustprepareawrittenthesisthatisapprovedbyyourgraduateadvisorycommitteeandsuccessfullydefendit.YoualsomuchsubmitafinalversionofyourthesistotheGraduateSchoolforreview.(ThesetasksaredetailedlaterinthissectionoftheHandbook).Ifapproved,youwillbeassignedagradeofS(Satisfactory)foryourfinalESC5999semester,indicatingcompletionofyourthesis.Thisgradeisnotfactoredintoyourgradepointaverage.WrittenThesisPreparation

Asaculminationofyourdegreeprogram,youmustprepareandsuccessfullydefendanapprovedwrittenthesisthatincludesaclearandfocusedstatementofpurpose,comprehensivereviewofrelevantliterature,explanationofstudydesignandmethodologies,appropriateanalysesandinterpretationofdata,anddescriptionofthesignificanceoffindings.Yourgraduateadvisormayhaveadditionalspecificideasandrequestsforthecontentandorganizationofyourwrittenthesisdependingonthenatureofyourproject.

Whencomplete,thefinaldraftofyourthesisshouldbeapprovedbyyourgraduateadvisorpriortoitsdistributiontoyourothergraduatecommitteemembersfortheirreview.Thisdistributionmustoccuratleasttwoweeksprioryourplanneddefensedatetoallowadequatetimeforthoroughreview.Asacourtesy,youshouldaskyourcommitteemembersoftheirpreferencesforelectronicorhardcopiesofyourthesis.

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BecauseyourfinalapprovedandsuccessfullydefendedwrittenthesiswillbesubmittedtotheGraduateSchool,itmustconformtotheUTCThesisandDissertationStandardsdetailedontheGraduateSchoolwebsite.Westronglyrecommendthatyoufamiliarizeyourselfwiththeseformattingguidelinesearlyintheprocessofwritingyourthesisandincorporatethemintoyourearlydrafts.Thestandardsaredetailedandextensive.Assuch,planningtoformatyourthesisasalast-minuteexerciseisnotagoodstrategyformeetingsubmissiondeadlines.SchedulingtheThesisDefense

Youmustpresentyourapprovedthesisduringathesisdefenseand‘pass’thisdefenseaspartoftheM.S.ESCdegreeprogram.Asuccessfuldefensewillinvolveclearpresentationofyourthesisandinformedandthoughtfulanswerstoquestionsfromyourgraduateadvisorycommitteeandtheaudienceaboutitssubstanceandsignificance.Aswithyourwrittenthesis,youshouldconsultwithyourgraduateadvisorwhilepreparingyourdefense.YourthesisdefensemustoccurnolaterthantherelevantdatepostedontheGraduateSchoolCalendartoqualifyforgraduationduringthatsemester.

Youshouldhaveapprovalfromyourgraduateadvisorandgraduateadvisorycommitteememberspriortoschedulingyourthesisdefense.Afterreceivingthisapproval,youshoulddiscussmultiplepossibledatesandtimeswithyourcommitteeandtheninformtheESCGraduateProgramCoordinatorofseveralpossibledatesandtimesduringwhichallofyourcommitteemembersareavailable.EithertheProgramCoordinatororDepartmentChairalsomustbeavailabletoattendyourdefense,soyourdefensedateandtimealsowillneedtoconsidertheiravailability.Onceanagreeabledateandtimearedetermined,theProgramCoordinatorwillscheduleyourdefenseandinformyouandyourgraduateadvisorycommitteeofitsdate,time,andlocation.

Onceyourdefenseisscheduled,youmustemailaNoticeofScheduledDefensetoAmy-Campbell@utc.eduatleasttwoweekspriortoyourscheduleddefensedatesothatapublicannouncementmaybemade.ThesisDefenseFormat

AthesisdefenseintheM.S.ESCprograminvolvesapublicpresentationandaprivateexamination.Yourgraduateadvisorandgraduateadvisorycommitteememberswillattendbothpartsofyourdefense.TheUTCcommunitywillbeinvitedformallytothepublicpresentationpartofyourdefensebytheGraduateSchool.Outsidepersonsalsomayattendthepresentation,andyouareencouragedtoinviteyourfamilyandfriendstothispartofyourthesisdefense.Onlyyourgraduateadvisorandcommitteememberstypicallyattendtheprivateexaminationthatfollowsthepublicpresentation.TheESCGraduateProgramCoordinatororDepartmentChairalsomayattendtheexaminationasanobserverifinvitedbyyouoramemberofyourgraduateadvisorycommittee.

Duringthepublicpartofyourdefense,youshouldgiveaprofessionalpresentationthatdescribesandjustifiesallaspectsofyourthesis.Typically,thisisachievedwithaPowerPointpresentationthatisabout30-45minutesinlength.Afteryourpresentation,youshouldsolicitandfieldquestionsfromtheaudienceabouttheinformationthatyoupresented.

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Duringtheprivateexaminationthatimmediatelyfollows,youwillbeexpectedtofieldquestionsfromyourgraduateadvisorandgraduateadvisorycommitteemembers.Thesequestionscanrangefromonesspecifictoyourpresentationtoquestionsaboutyourbroaderresearchtopicandrelatedareasofenvironmentalscience.Questionsalsomayfocusonmaterialcoveredinyourrelevantgraduatecoursework.Thispartofyourthesisdefenseisintendedtoenableyourgraduateadvisorandcommitteememberstoassessyourunderstandingofyourthesistopic,comprehensionofitsrelevancetothebroaderfield,competencyandprofessionalismasanenvironmentalexpert,andcommunicationskills.

Followingtheexamination,youradvisorandcommitteememberswillrequestthatyouleavetheroomsothattheycandiscussinprivateyourwrittenthesisanditsdefense.Ultimately,yourcommitteewillprovideacollective‘pass’or‘fail’assessmentofyourdefensethatalsoconveysgeneralacceptanceorrejectionofyourwrittenthesisandinformyouoftheirassessment.Evenifyoupassyourdefense,youmayberequiredtomakeminorconditionalchangestoyourwrittenthesispriortoitsfinalapprovalforsubmissiontotheGraduateSchool.Thecommitteealsomayrequesttoreviewyourrevisedwrittenthesistoevaluaterequestedchanges.Ifyoufailyourdefense,youmaybepermittedtorepeatthedefenseafteranintervaltoallowforimprovementatthediscretionofyourcommittee.ThesisDefenseResults

YourfinalthesisdefenseresultswillberecordedbyyourgraduateadvisoronaGraduateDegreeExaminationResultsform.Thisformwillbesignedbyyouradvisorandothergraduateadvisorycommitteemembers.YoumustsubsequentlyobtainthesignaturesoftheESCGraduateProgramCoordinatorandtheDeanoftheCollegeofArtsandSciencespriortohavingtheESCGraduateProgramCoordinatorsubmitthisformtotheGraduateSchoolonyourbehalf.Youmaynotsubmitthisformyourself.ThecompletedformmustbesubmittednolaterthantherelevantdatepostedonlinkedfromtheGraduateSchoolwebsitetoqualifyforgraduationduringthesemesterofthedefense.

ThesisSubmission

YoumustsubmityourapprovedfinalwrittenthesiselectronicallyviaUTCScholartotheGraduateSchoolnolaterthantherelevantdatespecifiedontheGraduateSchoolCalendarlinkedfromtheGraduateSchoolwebsitetoqualifyforgraduationduringthesamesemesterasthedefense.Oncesubmitted,yourthesiswillbecheckedbytheGraduateSchoolfordeterminationofitsadherencetotheUTCThesisandDissertationStandards.Ifyoursubmittedthesisisnotapproved,youwillberequiredtomakenecessarychangestothedocumentinUTCScholar.Failuretomaketimelyrequestedrevisionstoyourthesismayresultindelayedgraduation.

3.5InternshipRequirements

InitiationofaninternshipforpartialfulfillmentoftheM.S.ESCdegreeinvolvesthedevelopmentofanapprovedproposalforyourinternshipexperience.Yourinternshipwill

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culminatewiththesubmissionofanapprovedwritteninternshipreportanditssuccessfulpublicdefense.InternshipProposalDevelopment

Ifyouopttocompleteaninternship,youshouldbegintoprepareaninternshipproposaloutliningallaspectsofyourplannedinternshipexperiencewithguidancefromyourgraduateadvisorandaproposedworkplacesupervisorduringyourfirstsemesterintheM.S.ESCprogram.Astandardinternshipproposalwilldescribeyourinternshipobjectives,provideapreliminaryreviewofpertinentliterature,detailtheworktobecompleted,anddiscusstherelevanceoftheplannedinternshiptotheworkplaceandyourcareergoals.Yourgraduateadvisorand/orworkplacesupervisormayhaveadditionalspecificideasandrequestsforthecontentofyourproposal.Yourproposalshouldbesufficientlydetailedtoprovideyouwithaplantofollowduringyourinternship,includingatimelineforsignificantaccomplishments.Youshouldspecifyhowyouwillspendthe600hoursofinternshipexperiencerequiredforpartialfulfillmentoftheM.S.ESCdegree.

Afinaldraftofyourinternshipproposalshouldbeapprovedbyyourgraduateadvisorpriortoitsdistributiontoyourothergraduateadvisorycommitteemembersfortheirreview.Asacourtesy,youshouldaskyourcommitteemembersoftheirpreferencesforelectronicorhardcopiesofyourproposal.Onceallcommitteemembershavehadadequatetimetoreviewyourproposal(atleasttwoweeksisrecommended),youshouldorganizeafullcommitteemeetingtodiscussyourproposalandacquireconstructivefeedback.Simultaneoustothereviewofyourinternshipproposalbyyourcommittee,youshouldseektheapprovalofyourplannedworkplacesupervisorfortheworkthatyouareproposing.

Asevidenceoftimelyprogress,yourinternshipproposalshouldbeapprovedbyyourgraduateadvisorycommitteebytheendofyoursecondsemesterofenrollmentintheprogram.However,youarerequiredtocompletethesetasksearlierifyouplantobeginyourinternshippriortotheendofyoursecondsemesterintheprogram.ESC5996Registration&Grading

Afteryourinternshipproposalhasbeenapprovedbyyourgraduateadvisorycommittee,youmayregisterforESC5996(Internship)semesterhours.Intotal,youmustregisterfor6semesterhoursofESC5996whileengagedinyourinternshipexperience,draftingyourinternshipreport,and/orpreparingforitsdefense.Youmustregisterforatleast2ofthesesemesterhoursofESC5996duringthesemesterofyoursuccessfuldefense.YoushouldconsultwithyourgraduateadvisortodetermineanappropriateplanforregistrationandcompletingyourESC5996semesterhourrequirements.

ForallsemestersthatyouregisterforESC5996hourspriortothesemesterofyourdefense,youwillearnagradeofSP(SatisfactoryProgress)orNP(Non-satisfactoryProgress)asdeterminedbyyourgraduateadvisor.Thesegradesarenotfactoredintoyourgradepointaverage.However,ifyouearnanNPgradeforESC5996fortwosemesters,thedepartmentalGraduateFacultyCommitteewillreviewyourinternshipproposalandprogresstodetermineanappropriatecourseofaction.Ifyouarefoundtoberesponsibleforthelackoftimelyprogress

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towardcompletingyourinternship,suchactionscouldinvolveformalprobationordismissalfromtheprogram.

TocompleteyourESC5996hours,youmustprepareafinalinternshipreportthatisapprovedbyyourgraduateadvisorycommitteeandsuccessfullydefendit.(ThesetasksaredetailedlaterinthissectionoftheHandbook.)Ifapproved,youwillbeassignedagradeofS(Satisfactory)foryourfinalESC5996semester,indicatingcompletionofyourinternship.Thisgradeisnotfactoredintoyourgradepointaverage.InternshipProgress&EvaluationReportsInternshipsgenerallyoccuroff-campuswithoutdirectsupervisionbyagraduateadvisor.Assuch,ifyouarecompletinganinternshipinpartialfulfillmentoftheM.S.ESCdegree,youmusttakeresponsibilityforthecompletionandfilingoftwosetsofinternship-specificreportswhileyourinternshipisunderway.

Asastudent,youmustsubmitasetofthreeStudentInternProgressReportstoyourgraduateadvisoratspecifiedregularintervalsduringyourinternship(i.e.,beginning,middle,andend).Inthesereports,youwilldescribetheactivitiesthatyouareconductingasaninternandtheirrelevancetothesponsoringorganizationorbusiness.Thethirdandfinalreportalsowillincludeyourassessmentoftheoverallinternshipexperience.Thesereportsalsoprovideamechanismforyoutodescribetheworkplaceenvironmentandanyresourcedeficienciesthatmayexisttherein.

Inaddition,youmustensurethatasetofthreeStudentInternEvaluationReportsaresubmittedbyyourworkplacesupervisortoyourgraduateadvisoratspecifiedregularintervalswhileyourinternshipisunderway(concurrentwiththeprogressreportssubmittedbyyoutotheadvisor).Thesereportswillsolicityoursupervisor’sratingofyouasaninternforqualitieslikeinitiative,attentiontodetail,andmasteryofcriticalskills.Thethirdandfinalreportalsowillincludeanoverallevaluationofyouasanintern.Collectively,theseinternshipreportswillhelpyourgraduateadvisortoassessyourprogress.InternshipReportPreparation

Asaculminationofyourdegreeprogram,youmustprepareandsuccessfullydefendanapprovedinternshipreportthatincludesaclearandfocusedstatementofgoals,comprehensivereviewofrelevantliterature,descriptionofspecificactivitiesperformed,andexplanationofthesignificanceofthoseactivitiestomeetingyourinternshipobjectives.Yourgraduateadvisormayhaveadditionalspecificideasandrequestsforthecontentandorganizationofyourinternshipreportdependingonthenatureofyourexperience.

Whencomplete,thefinaldraftofyourinternshipreportshouldbeapprovedbyyourgraduateadvisorpriortoitsdistributiontoyourothergraduatecommitteemembersfortheirreview.Thisdistributionmustoccuratleasttwoweeksprioryourplanneddefensedatetoallowadequatetimeforthoroughreview.Asacourtesy,youshouldaskyourcommitteemembersoftheirpreferencesforelectronicorhardcopiesofyourreport.

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Unliketheses,internshipreportsarenottobesubmittedtotheGraduateSchool.Instead,youmustsubmityourfinalapprovedandsuccessfullydefendedinternshipreporttotheESCGraduateProgramCoordinatoronbehalfoftheDepartment.Forconsistency,werecommendthatyourreportbeformattedprofessionallyinaccordancewiththeUTCThesisandDissertationStandardsasdetailedontheGraduateSchoolwebsite.SchedulingtheInternshipDefense

Youmustpresentyourapprovedinternshipreportduringadefenseand‘pass’thisdefensetoadvancetowardtheM.S.ESCdegree.Asuccessfuldefensewillinvolveclearpresentationofyourinternshipandinformedandthoughtfulanswerstoquestionsfromyourgraduateadvisorycommitteeandtheaudienceaboutitssubstanceandsignificance.Aswithyourwritteninternshipreport,youshouldconsultwithyourgraduateadvisorwhilepreparingyourdefense.

TheGraduateSchooldoesnotspecifyadeadlineforinternshipdefenseseachsemester.However,asaDepartment,werequirethatyourinternshipdefenseoccurnolaterthantherelevantdatepostedforthesisdefensespostedontheGraduateSchoolCalendarlinkedfromtheGraduateSchoolwebsitetoqualifyforgraduationduringthatsemester.

Youshouldhaveapprovalfromyourgraduateadvisorandgraduateadvisorycommitteememberspriortoschedulingyourinternshipdefense.Afterreceivingthisapproval,youshoulddiscussmultiplepossibledatesandtimeswithyourcommitteeandtheninformtheESCGraduateProgramCoordinatorofseveralpossibledatesandtimesduringwhichallofyourcommitteemembersareavailable.EithertheProgramCoordinatororDepartmentChairalsomustbeavailabletoattendyourdefense,soyourdefensedateandtimealsowillneedtoconsidertheiravailability.Onceamutuallyagreeabledateandtimearedetermined,theProgramCoordinatorwillscheduleyourdefenseandinformyouandyourgraduateadvisorycommitteeofthedate,time,andlocation.

Onceyourinternshipdefenseisscheduled,yourreporttitle,namesofyourgraduateadvisorandcommitteemembers,andabstractshouldbeemailedtotheESCGraduateProgramCoordinatoratleasttwoweekspriortothedefensedatesothatapublicannouncementmaybemade.Theemailsubjectlineshouldread‘NoticeofScheduledInternshipDefense’.InternshipDefenseFormat

AninternshipdefenseintheM.S.ESCprograminvolvesapublicpresentationandaprivateexamination.Yourgraduateadvisorandgraduateadvisorycommitteememberswillattendbothpartsofyourdefense.TheUTCcommunityisinvitedformallytothepublicpresentationpartofyourdefense.Outsidepersonsalsomayalsoattendthepresentation,andyouareencouragedtoinviteyourfamilyandfriendstothispartofyourthesisdefense.Onlyyourgraduateadvisorandcommitteememberstypicallyattendtheexaminationthatfollowsthepublicpresentation.TheESCGraduateProgramCoordinatororDepartmentChairalsomayattendtheexaminationasanobserverifinvitedbyyouoramemberofyourgraduateadvisorycommittee.

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Duringthepublicpresentation,youshouldgiveaprofessionalpresentationthatdescribesandjustifiesallaspectsofyourInternship.Typically,thisisachievedwithaPowerPointpresentationthatisabout30-45minutesinlength.Afteryourpresentation,youshouldsolicitandfieldquestionsfromtheaudienceabouttheinformationthatyoupresented.

Duringtheprivateexaminationthatimmediatelyfollows,youwillbeexpectedtofieldquestionsfromyourgraduateadvisorandcommitteemembers.Thesequestionscanrangefromonesspecifictoyourpresentationtoquestionsaboutthebroaderfieldofyourinternshipandrelatedareasofenvironmentalscience.Questionsalsomayfocusonmaterialcoveredinyourrelevantgraduatecoursework.Thispartofyourinternshipdefenseisintendedtoenableyourgraduateadvisorandcommitteememberstoassessyourunderstandingofyourinternshiparea,comprehensionofitsrelevancetothebroaderfield,competencyandprofessionalismasanenvironmentalexpert,andcommunicationskills.

Followingtheexamination,youradvisorandcommitteememberswillrequestthatyouleavetheroomsothattheycandiscussinprivateyourinternshipreportanditsdefense.Ultimately,yourcommitteewillprovideacollective‘pass’or‘fail’assessmentofyourdefensethatalsoconveysgeneralacceptanceorrejectionofyourreportandinformyouoftheirassessment.Ifyoupassyourdefense,youmayberequiredtomakeminorconditionalchangestoyourinternshipreportpriortoitsfinalapprovalforsubmissiontotheESCGraduateProgramCoordinator.Thecommitteealsomayrequesttoreviewyourfinalreporttoevaluaterequestedchanges.Ifyoufailyourdefense,youmaybepermittedtorepeatthedefenseafteranintervaltoallowforimprovementatthediscretionofyourcommittee.InternshipDefenseResults

YourfinalinternshipdefenseresultswillberecordedbyyourgraduateadvisoronaGraduateDegreeExaminationResultsform.Thisformwillbesignedbyyouradvisorandothergraduateadvisorycommitteemembers.YoumustsubsequentlyobtainthesignaturesoftheESCGraduateProgramCoordinatorandtheDeanoftheCollegeofArtsandSciencespriortohavingtheESCGraduateProgramCoordinatorsubmitthisformtotheGraduateSchoolonyourbehalf.ThecompletedformmustbesubmittednolaterthantherelevantdatepostedonlinkedfromtheGraduateSchoolwebsitetoqualifyforgraduationduringthesemesterofthedefense.

InternshipReportSubmission

Followingasuccessfuldefenseandfinalcommitteeapproval,youmustsubmitanelectroniccopyofyourinternshipreportasasingleprofessionallyformattedPDFfiletotheESCGraduateProgramCoordinatoronbehalfoftheDepartment.YoushouldsubmityourreportbythesamedatethatapprovedfinalwrittenthesesaredueelectronicallytotheGraduateSchoolaspostedontheGraduateSchoolCalendarlinkedfromtheGraduateSchoolwebsite.

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3.6LearnedDiscourseRequirements

InitiationofalearneddiscourseforpartialfulfillmentoftheM.S.ESCdegreeinvolvesthedevelopmentofanapprovedproposalforyourproject.Alearneddiscourseculminateswiththesubmissionofanapprovedwrittendiscourseanditssuccessfulpublicdefense.LearnedDiscourseProposalDevelopment

Ifyouopttocompletealearneddiscourse,youshouldbegintoprepareanassociatedproposalwithguidancefromyourgraduateadvisoroutliningallaspectsofyourplannedproject.Astandardlearneddiscourseproposalwilldescribeyourobjectives,provideapreliminaryreviewofpertinentliterature,outlineacomprehensiveliteraturereview,anddiscusstherelevanceofyourlearneddiscoursetothefield.Yourgraduateadvisormayhaveadditionalspecificideasandrequestsforthecontentofyourproposal.Yourproposalshouldbesufficientlydetailedtoprovideyouwithaplantofollow,includingatimelineforsignificantaccomplishments.

Afinaldraftofyourlearneddiscourseproposalshouldbeapprovedbyyourgraduateadvisorpriortoitsdistributiontoyourothercommitteemembersfortheirreview.Asacourtesy,youshouldaskyourcommitteemembersoftheirpreferencesforelectronicorhardcopiesofyourproposal.Onceallofyourcommitteemembershavehadadequatetimetoreviewyourproposal(atleasttwoweeksisrecommended),youshouldorganizeafullcommitteemeetingtodiscussyourproposalandacquireconstructivefeedback.

Asevidenceoftimelyprogress,yourlearneddiscourseproposalshouldbeapprovedbyyourgraduateadvisorycommitteebytheendofyoursecondsemesterofenrollmentintheprogram.However,youareencouragedtocompleteyourproposalbytheendofthefirstsemesterofenrollmentsothatyoucaninitiateyourlearneddiscourseworkasearlyaspossible.ESC5997Registration&Grading

Afteryourlearneddiscourseproposalhasbeenapprovedbyyourgraduateadvisorycommittee,youmayregisterforESC5998(Research)semesterhoursspecifictoyourproposedlearneddiscoursework.

Intotal,youmustregisterfor3semesterhoursofESC5998whileengagedinyourlearneddiscourseproject,writingyourlearneddiscourse,and/orpreparingforitsdefense.Asalearneddiscoursestudent,youarenotrequiredtoregisterforanysemesterhours(ofESC5998orothercourses)duringthesemesterofyourdefense.YoushouldconsultwithyourgraduateadvisortodetermineanappropriateplanforregistrationandcompletingyourESC5998semesterhourrequirements.

ForallsemestersthatyouregisterforESC5998hourspriortothesemesterofyourdefense,youwillearnagradeofI(Incomplete)asassignedbyyourgraduateadvisor.Incompletegradesarenotfactoredintoyourgradepointaverage.However,theRecordsOfficeautomaticallywillconvertanIgradetoanFifthecourseinstructor(inthiscase,yourgraduateadvisor)doesnotindicatethatthecoursewascompletedsuccessfullybythreeweeksbeforethelastdayofclassesinthenextsemester.Ifyouaremakingsatisfactoryprogresstowardcompletingyour

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learneddiscoursebutwillrequireadditionaltimetocompleteanddefendit,yourgraduateadvisormaysubmitawrittenrequestforanextensiontothisnext-semestertimeframeonyourbehalftotheDeanoftheGraduateSchool.ExtensionrequestsmustbemadebytwoweekspriortotheIgradechangedeadlinedescribedabove.Ideally,suchrequestswouldbemadeearlierthanthisdeadline.

TocompleteyourESC5998hours,youmustprepareafinalwrittendiscoursethatisapprovedbyyourgraduateadvisorycommitteeandsuccessfullydefendit.(ThesetasksaredetailedlaterinthissectionoftheHandbook.)YouthenwillearnanappropriatelettergradeforESC5998asdeterminedbyyourcommittee.ToformallyassignthisgradetoyourESC5998semesterhours,yourgraduateadvisormustsubmitanelectronicGradeChangeRequesttoconverteachIgradeassignedforESC5998tothelettergrade.ThismayinvolvechangestomultiplesemestersofESC5998registrations.AsanESCgraduatestudent,itisyourresponsibilitytobeawareofanyIgradesearnedinyourcourseworkandtoensurethatthosegradesareconvertedtoappropriatelettergradesbytheregularUniversitydeadlineorthedeadlineassociatedwithanextensionrequestiffiled.BecausenocoursewithagradebelowCcanbecountedtowardtheM.S.ESCdegree,conversationofanIgradeforESC5998toanFwouldpreventyoufromearningthedegree.WrittenLearnedDiscoursePreparation

Asaculminationofyourdegreeprogram,youmustprepareandsuccessfullydefendanapprovedwrittendiscoursethatincludesaclearandfocusedstatementofpurpose,comprehensivereviewofrelevantliterature,synthesisoffindings,anddescriptionoftheirsignificancetothefield.Asuccessfuldefensewillinvolveclearpresentationofyourlearneddiscourseandinformedandthoughtfulanswerstoquestionsfromyourgraduatecommitteeandaudienceaboutitssubstanceandsignificance.

Whencomplete,thefinaldraftofyourwrittendiscourseshouldbeapprovedbyyourgraduateadvisorpriortoitsdistributiontoyourothergraduatecommitteemembersfortheirreview.Thisdistributionmustoccuratleasttwoweeksprioryourplanneddefensedatetoallowadequatetimeforthoroughreview.Asacourtesy,youshouldaskyourcommitteemembersoftheirpreferencesforelectronicorhardcopiesofyourlearneddiscourse.

Unliketheses,writtendiscoursesarenottobesubmittedtotheGraduateSchool.Instead,yourfinalapprovedandsuccessfullydefendedwrittenlearneddiscoursewillbesubmittedtotheESCGraduateProgramCoordinatoronbehalfoftheDepartment.Forconsistency,werecommendthatyourwrittendiscoursebeformattedprofessionallyinaccordancewiththeUTCThesisandDissertationStandardsasdetailedontheGraduateSchoolwebsite.SchedulingtheLearnedDiscourseDefense

Youmustpresentyourapprovedlearneddiscourseduringadefenseand‘pass’thisdefensetoadvancetowardtheM.S.ESCdegree.Asuccessfuldefensewillinvolveclearpresentationofyourlearneddiscourseandinformedandthoughtfulanswerstoquestionsfromyourgraduatecommitteeandaudienceaboutitssubstanceandsignificance.Aswithyourwrittendiscourse,youshouldconsultwithyourgraduateadvisorwhilepreparingyourdefense.

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TheGraduateSchooldoesnotspecifyadeadlineforlearneddiscoursedefenseseachsemester.However,asaDepartment,werequirethatyourlearneddiscoursedefenseoccurnolaterthantherelevantdateforthesisdefensespostedontheGraduateSchoolCalendarlinkedfromtheGraduateSchoolwebsitetoqualifyforgraduationduringthatsemester.

Youshouldhaveapprovalfromyourgraduateadvisorandcommitteememberspriortoschedulingyourlearneddiscoursedefense.Afterreceivingthisapproval,youshoulddiscussmultiplepossibledatesandtimeswithyourcommitteeandtheninformtheESCGraduateProgramCoordinatorofseveralpossibledatesandtimesduringwhichallofyourcommitteemembersareavailable.EithertheProgramCoordinatororDepartmentChairalsomustbeavailabletoattendyourdefense,soyourdefensedateandtimealsowillneedtoconsidertheiravailability.Onceamutuallyagreeabledateandtimearedetermined,theProgramCoordinatorwillscheduleyourdefenseandinformyouandyourgraduateadvisorycommitteeofthedate,time,andlocation.

Onceyourlearneddiscoursedefenseisscheduled,yourprojecttitle,namesofyourgraduateadvisorandcommitteemembers,andabstractshouldbeemailedtotheESCGraduateProgramCoordinatoratleasttwoweekspriortothedefensedatesothatapublicannouncementmaybemade.Theemailsubjectlineshouldread‘NoticeofScheduledLearnedDiscourseDefense’.LearnedDiscourseDefenseFormat

AlearneddiscoursedefenseintheM.S.ESCprograminvolvesapublicpresentationandaprivateexamination.Yourgraduateadvisorandgraduateadvisorycommitteememberswillattendbothpartsofyourdefense.TheUTCcommunityisinvitedformallytothepublicpresentationpartofyourdefense.Outsidepersonsalsomayalsoattendthepresentation,andyouareencouragedtoinviteyourfamilyandfriendstothispartofyourthesisdefense.Onlyyourgraduateadvisorandcommitteememberstypicallyattendtheexaminationthatfollowsthepublicpresentation.TheESCGraduateProgramCoordinatororDepartmentChairalsomayattendtheexaminationasanobserverifinvitedbyyouoramemberofyourgraduateadvisorycommittee.

Duringthepublicpresentation,youshouldgiveaprofessionalpresentationthatdescribesandjustifiesallaspectsofyourInternship.Typically,thisisachievedwithashortPowerPointpresentationthatisabout30-45minutesinlength.Afteryourpresentation,youshouldsolicitandfieldquestionsfromtheaudienceabouttheinformationthatyoupresented.

Duringtheprivateexaminationthatimmediatelyfollows,youwillbeexpectedtofieldquestionsfromyourgraduateadvisorandgraduateadvisorycommitteemembers.Thesequestionscanrangefromonesspecifictoyourpresentationtoquestionsaboutthebroaderfieldofyourlearneddiscourseandrelatedareasofenvironmentalscience.Questionsalsomayfocusonmaterialcoveredinyourrelevantgraduatecoursework.Thispartofyourdefenseisintendedtoenableyourgraduateadvisorandcommitteememberstoassessyourunderstandingofyourlearneddiscoursetopic,comprehensionofitsrelevancetothebroaderfield,competencyandprofessionalismasanenvironmentalexpert,andcommunicationskills.

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Followingtheexamination,youradvisorandcommitteememberswillrequestthatyouleavetheroomsothattheycandiscussinprivateyourlearneddiscourseanditsdefense.Ultimately,yourcommitteewillprovideacollective‘pass’or‘fail’assessmentofyourdefensethatalsoconveysgeneralacceptanceorrejectionofyourwrittendiscourseandinformyouoftheirassessment.Ifyoupassyourdefense,youmayberequiredtomakeminorconditionalchangestoyourwrittenworkpriortoitsfinalapprovalforsubmissiontotheDepartment.Thecommitteealsomayrequesttoreviewyourfinalreporttoevaluaterequestedchanges.Ifyoufailyourdefense,youmaybepermittedtorepeatthedefenseafteranintervaltoallowforimprovementatthediscretionofyourcommittee.LearnedDiscourseReportSubmission

Followingasuccessfuldefenseandfinalcommitteeapproval,youmustsubmitanelectroniccopyofyourwrittenlearneddiscourseasasingleprofessionallyformattedPDFfiletotheESCGraduateProgramCoordinatoronbehalfoftheDepartment.YoushouldsubmityourreportbysamedatethatapprovedfinalwrittenthesesaredueelectronicallytotheGraduateSchoolaspostedontheGraduateSchoolCalendarlinkedfromtheGraduateSchoolwebsite.

3.7AcademicPerformance

TheGraduateSchoolsetscontinuationstandardsforUTCgraduatestudentsbasedontheirperformanceingraduatecourses.GradeRequirements

AsanESCgraduatestudent,youareexpectedtoearnhighgradesforallofyourcoursework.Assuch,creditinfulfillmentoftheM.S.ESCdegreewillnotbeassignedforcoursesinwhichyouearnagradebelowaC.Youmayrepeatacoursewithapprovalfromyourgraduateadvisor.However,alllettergradesearnedwhileyouareagraduatestudentatUTCwillbecomputedintoyourcumulativegradepointaverage(GPA),includingallgradesearnedinrepeatedcourses.Incontrast,onlythefinalgradeearnedforarepeatedcoursewillbeusedtocalculateyourM.S.ESCprogramGPA.ContinuationStandards

Youmustmaintaina3.0cumulativegradepointaverageforallcoursestakenforgraduatecredit.Ifyoufailtomeetthisstandard,youwillbeplacedon‘academicprobation’forthenextsemesterortwosemestersifthecumulativeGPAremainsbelow3.0.IfyouearnasemesterGPAbelow3.0whileonacademicprobation,youwillbedismissedfromtheprogram.ProgramdismissalalsowilloccurifyoufailtoraiseyourcumulativeGPAto3.0orhigherbytheendofthenexttwosemesterswhileonacademicprobation.Forthepurposesofevaluatingcontinuationstandards,theentiresummertermwouldbecountedasasemester.YoualsomaybedismissedfromtheprogramifyouearnagradeofNC,D,orFinanycourse;earnmorethantwogradeslowerthanaB;orreceiveunsatisfactoryassessmentofyourcompletedthesis,internship,orlearneddiscourse.DecisionsregardingcontinuationaremadebytheDeanoftheGraduateSchool.

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3.8CapstoneExperienceProgress

AttheDepartmentallevel,weconsideryourthesis,internship,orlearneddiscourseprogressalongwithyouracademicperformancetobereflectiveofyouroverallsuccessintheM.S.ESCprogram.Toassessyourthesis,internship,orlearneddiscourseprogress,youandyourgraduateadvisorarerequiredtodefineassociatedgoalsforeachsemester.Youradvisorthenwillevaluateyourprogresstowardthosegoalsattheendofeachsemester.Ifyouareaninternshipstudent,youandyourworkplacesupervisorwillberequiredtofileadditionalprogressreportswhileyourinternshipisinprogresstoinformyouradvisorofprogressnotunderhisorherdirectsupervision(seesection3.5ofthisHandbook).SemesterGoals&Reports

VeryearlyduringthefirstsemesterofyourenrollmentintheESCgraduateprogram,youshouldmeetwithyourgraduateadvisortosetfirst-semesterprogressgoalsforyourthesis,internship,orlearneddiscourse.Youshouldhavesimilarmeetingsattheendofeachsemester(includingthefirstsemester)tosetyourprogressgoalsforthenextsemester.YouareencouragedtodescribethesegoalsandaplanformeetingthemonaCapstoneProgressGoalsformeachsemesterandobtainyouradvisor’ssignatureonthisform.ThisformmaybefiledwiththeESCGraduateProgramCoordinator,whowillretainitasanofficialrecord,oritmayberetainedbyyouoryouradvisor.

Attheendofeachsemester,youalsoshouldmeetwithyourgraduateadvisortodiscussyourprogresstowardachievingyourgoalsforthatsemester.Thisisgoodopportunitytoreferbacktoyourcapstoneprogressgoalsforthesemestertodetermineifyoumetexpectationsanddiscussaplanforimprovementifnecessary.Intheeventthatyoudonotmeetexpectationsfortwoconsecutivesemesters,yourgraduateadvisormayrequestthatthedepartmentalGraduateFacultyCommitteemembersreviewyourprogresstodetermineanappropriatecourseofaction.Ifyouarefoundtoberesponsibleforthelackoftimelyprogress,suchactionscouldinvolveformalprobationordismissalfromtheprogram.

Thepurposeofsettinggoalsassociatedwithyourcapstoneexperienceeachsemesterandreportingonprogresstowardmeetingthosegoalsistohelpyoutomanageyourtimeintheprogrameffectivelyandstayontrack,toensureyouradvisorhasclearlyarticulatedexpectationstoyou,andtoensureyouareawareofandagreewiththeexpectationsofyouradvisor.Additionally,thisprocessshouldhelpbothyouandyouradvisortoquicklyrecognizeifthereisanareaofconcernregardingyourresearchprogressandallowyouandyouradvisortocomeupwithaplanofactiontoaddressissuesoftimelyprogress.

3.9Graduation

ToearntheM.S.ESCdegree,youmustsuccessfullycompleteyourprogramofstudy(i.e.,corecourses,electives,andcapstoneexperience)withinthespecifiedtimelimit,beadmittedtocandidacyforthedegreeasdeterminedbyyouracademicrecord,applyforgraduation,andmeetallothergraduationeligibilitycriteriaspecifiedbytheGraduateSchool.

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TimeLimit

AllcreditappliedtowardtheM.S.ESCdegreemustbeearnedwithinsixyearsofregistrationfortheearliestcoursecountedtowardthedegree.Thistimelimitincludesanytransfercoursesbeingcountedtowardyourdegreeandthesemesterofyourthesis,internship,orlearneddiscoursesubmission.YoumayrequestinwritinganextensionofthistimelimitofuptooneyearbyfilingaGraduateStudentPetitionwiththeGraduateSchool.YourextensionrequestmustbesignedbyyourgraduateadvisorandtheESCGraduateProgramCoordinatorpriortosubmissiontotheDeanoftheGraduateSchoolforapproval.RequestingaGraduationAudit&ApplyingforGraduation

Byformallyrequestingagraduationaudit,youcuespecializedacademicadvisorsaffiliatedwiththeGraduateSchooltoreviewyourfileforexpectedcompliancewiththespecificgraduationrequirementsofyourprogram.ApplyingforGraduationsimilarlycuestheRecordsOfficetoreviewyourstatus.RequestingagraduationauditandapplyingforgraduationarerequiredtoearntheM.S.ESCdegree.Youshouldbothrequestagraduationauditandapplyforgraduationinthesemesterpriortoyouranticipatedsemesterofgraduation.

TorequestagraduationAudit,youmustsubmitaGraduationAuditformtotheGraduateSchool.You,yourgraduateadvisor,andtheESCGraduateProgramCoordinatormustsignthisformpriortoitssubmission.YourrequestforanauditshouldlistanyadditionstothecoursesthatyoulistedontheProgramofStudyformthatyousubmittedduringyourfirstsemesterofenrollment.Theseadditionsshouldincludeanyelectivecoursesthatyouhavecompleted,aswellascredithourscompletedthatareassociatedwiththecapstoneexperience(i.e.,ESC5996,5998,or5999).Ifyouhavechangedyourcapstoneexperience(e.g.,thesistointernship,internshiptolearneddiscourse,etc.)and/orhaveanyotherspecialcourse-basedcircumstancesofwhichtheGraduateSchoolshouldbeaware,youshouldattachanotetotheformdescribingthosecircumstances.TheduedatesforrequestingagraduationauditforgraduationduringspecificacademicsemestersarepostedontheGraduateSchoolCalendarlinkedfromtheGraduateSchoolwebsite.

Toapplyforgraduation,youmustusetheonlinegraduationapplicationlocatedinyourMyMocsNetaccountunderthe‘Academics’tab.TheduedateforapplyingforgraduationisOctober15thforanticipatedspringgraduation,March15thforanticipatedsummerdegreeconferral,andJune15thforanticipatedfallgraduation.LategraduationapplicationsmaybesubmittedonpapertotheUTCRecordsOfficebyNovember1stforfallgraduation,July5thforsummerdegreeconferral,andApril1stforspringgraduation.YoushouldobtainlategraduationapplicationformsfromtheRecordsOffice.Lateapplicationsrequireanapplicationfee.GraduationEligibility

Tobeeligiblefordegreeconferral,youmusthavecompletedallcourseworklistedinyourapplicationforcandidacywithnogradesbelowCforcoursespresentedforthedegreeandaminimumgradepointaverageof3.0orbetteron:1)allcourseworkthatyoutookforgraduatecreditatUTC,2)allcourseworkthatyoutransferredtoUTCforgraduatecredit,and3)all

25

courseworkthatyoucompletedtofulfilltheprogramasapprovedinyourapplicationforcandidacy.

4.FinancialAssistance

26

FinancialassistanceindirectsupportofthepursuitoftheM.S.ESCdegreemaybeavailabletoyouinvariousforms.Otherfinancialassistancecanhelptosupportyourresearchactivities,associatedtravel,andparticipationinprofessionalmeetingsandconferencesrelevanttoyourenvironmentalscienceinterestsandcapstoneexperience.

4.1GraduateTeachingAssistantships

TheDepartmentofBiology,Geology,andEnvironmentalSciencecanofferalimitednumberofGraduateTeachingAssistant(GTA)positionstoqualifiedgraduatestudentseachyear.ThesepositionsarefundedbytheUTCCollegeofArtsandSciencesandtypicallyareawardedforoneacademicyearwithpossiblerenewalforasecondacademicyearifaGTAremainseligibleandperformswellinhisorherassignedduties.

AtypicalGTAappointmentinvolvesteachinglaboratorysectionsoftheintroductoryenvironmentalscienceorbiologycoursesofferedbytheDepartment.GTAsalsohelptoorganizeandpreparelabclassroomsforweeklylabactivities.Assuch,GTAsareexpectedtodevotetimetolabpreparation,instruction,grading,andofficehours.GTAsaresupervisedbyaLabCoordinatorintheDepartment.

GTAsintheESCgraduateprogramareconsideredtobefull-timeassistants;assuch,GTAsshouldexpecttowork20hours/weekperformingassociatedduties.Collectively,theresponsibilitiesofaGTAandgraduatecourseworkrepresentasignificantworkload.Assuch,GTAsintheESCgraduateprogrammaynotbeotherwiseemployed(i.e.,outsidethedepartmentoroff-campus)formorethananadditional10hours/week.Part-timeGTAsmaynotbeotherwiseemployedformorethananadditional20hours/week.

Currently,full-timeGTAsaresupportedbyamaintenancefee(i.e.,tuition)waiveranda$3,500stipendpersemester.GTAsarerequiredtoassumethecostsofallotherfees(e.g.,studentactivityfee,greenfee,technologyfee,labfees)requiredbytheUniversity.Allfull-timeGTAsmustmaintainafull-timecourseloadofatleast9semesterhoursduringeachsemesteroftheGTAappointment.GTAsmayregisterforupto12semestershourduringeachsemester;themaintenancefeewaiverwillcoverthecostofsemesterhoursinexcessof9hours.AllGTAsmustdemonstratesatisfactoryprogressintheirprogramofstudytoretaintheirappointments.ApplyingforaGTAAppointment

GTAawardsaretypicallymadelateinthespringsemesterforthefollowingacademicyear.AfewGTApositionsmaybeawardedatothertimesiftheybecomeavailable.IfyouareacurrentgraduatestudentingoodstandingoranenteringgraduatestudentwithacumulativeundergraduateGPAof3.25orhigher,youareeligibletoapplyforaGTAposition.AllGTAawardsarecompetitiveandarebasedonconsiderationofthequalificationsofallapplicants.

ToapplyforaGTAposition,youshouldrequestandfileaGraduateAssistantshipApplicationwiththeESCGraduateProgramCoordinator.PriorityconsiderationofGTAapplicationswillbegiventothosereceivedbyFebruary15th.Westronglyrecommendthatyouincludeacover

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letterwithyouapplicationexpressingyourinterestsinandsummarizingyourqualificationsforaGTAappointment.

IfyouareselectedasaGTA,youwillreceiveaGTAAppointmentLetterfromtheESCGraduateCoordinatorpriortothefirstsemesterofyourassistantship.Theletterwilloutlinethetermsanddutiesassociatedwithyouraward.YouwillneedtosignthisletterindicatingyouragreementwiththetermsoftheassistantshipandreturnittotheDepartment.ContinuingaGTAAppointment

Departmentalneeds,yourevaluationsfromthesupervisoryLabCoordinator,feedbackfromintroductorylabstudentsduringyourend-of-semestercourseevaluations,youracademicperformance,andyourcapstoneexperienceprogresswillbeusedtodeterminethecontinuationofyourGTAappointment.

IfyouareacceptinganewGTAappointmentorplanningtocontinueyourGTAdutiesintoanewsemester,youshouldsubmitacopyofyourclassscheduleforthatsemestertoyoursupervisoryLabCoordinatorassoonaspossibletofacilitatescheduling.

IfyouareinterestedincontinuinganexistingGTAappointmentbeyondthetermofyouroriginalappointment,youmustnotifytheESCGraduateProgramCoordinatorviaemailofyourintenttocontinuepriortothelastdayofclassesduringthefinaltermoftheoriginalappointment.

4.2.GraduateResearchAssistantships

Studentsmaybeawardedgraduateresearchassistant(GRA)positionsfundedbytheresearchgrantsandcontractsoftheirgraduateadvisors.GRAsplayafundamentalroleinthefundedresearch,andmayparticipateinrelatedliteraturereviews,lab-orfield-basedresearchtasks,and/orpreparationandpresentationofresearchresults.GraduateadvisorsserveasthesupervisorsofGRAssupportedbytheirresearchfunding.

GRAappointmentscanrequirefull-time(20hours/week)orpart-time(10/hoursweek)performanceofassociatedduties.Collectively,theresponsibilitiesofaGRAandgraduatecourseworkrepresentasignificantworkload.Assuch,full-timeGRAsintheESCgraduateprogrammaynotbeotherwiseemployed(i.e.,outsidethedepartmentoroff-campus)formorethananadditional10hours/week.Part-timeGRAsmaynotbeotherwiseemployedformorethananadditional20hours/week.

Currently,allGRAsaresupportedbyamaintenancefee(i.e.,tuition)waiverandaminimumstipendof$3500/semesterforfull-timeappointmentsand$1750/semesterforpart-timeappointments.GRAsupportalsomayincludecoverageofadditionalstudentfees(e.g.,studentactivityfee,greenfee,technologyfee,labfees)chargedbytheUniversity.AllGRAsmustmaintaineitherfull-time(9semesterhours)orpart-time(6semesterhours)enrollmentstatusinaccordancewiththeirGRAaward.Toretaintheirappointments,GRAsmustdemonstratesatisfactoryprogressintheirprogramofstudy.

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ApplyingforaGRAAppointment

ThetimingofGRAawardsisdependentlargelyonthecyclesofexternalfundingcompetitions.Assuch,GRApositionscanbeawardedatanytimethattheybecomeavailable.Ifyouareacurrentgraduatestudentingoodstandingoranenteringgraduatestudent,youareeligibleforaGRAawards.GRAawardsareofferedatthediscretionofthesupervisorygraduateadvisorwithapprovalfromtheGraduateSchool.Typically,studentswhoareofferedGRApositionsarealreadyinvolvedintheiradvisor’sresearchasreturningstudentsorhavecommunicatedextensivelywiththeadvisorabouttheirinterestsandqualificationsasincomingstudents.

YoumayapplyforGRApositionsbycorrespondingdirectlywiththesupervisorygraduateadvisorandfilingaGraduateAssistantshipApplicationwiththeESCGraduateProgramCoordinator.

4.3OtherInstitutionalSupport

Historically,GRAandGTAappointmentshavebeenthemostcommonandsubstantialtypesofinstitutionalsupportforESCgraduatestudents.However,UTCalsoprovidesinternalfundingtosupportgraduatestudentsandtheiractivitiesintheformofothertypesofassistantships,institutionalemployment,andgraduatestudentawards.OtherAssistantships

Onoccasion,theUniversitymaymakeadditionalgraduateassistantshipsavailableforstudentstoassistwithUniversityneedsasGraduateProfessionalServiceAssistantsorGraduateAdministrativeAssistants.CurrentorincomingstudentscancheckwiththeGraduateSchoolandESCGraduateProgramCoordinatorforinformationaboutanyavailablepositions.

Inaddition,theOfficeofEquityandDiversityatUTCsponsorsOpportunityGraduateAssistantshippositionsforfirst-generationgraduatestudentsindegreeprogramswhowillpromotethebenefitsofadiversegraduatestudentbody.MoreinformationabouttheOGAprogramcanbefoundbyreferringtotheOpportunityAssistantshipApplication.GraduateScholarships

TheGraduateSchooloffersalimitednumberofscholarshipstograduatestudentswithacumulativeinstitutionalGPAof3.0orhigher.Eachscholarshiphasitsownspecificadditionaleligibilitycriteria.AcompletelistofGraduateScholarshipsislinkedfromtheGraduateSchoolwebsite.Toapplyforagraduatescholarship,youshouldcompletetheApplicationforGraduateScholarships.TheprioritydeadlineforapplicationsisFebruary15th.GraduateStudentAwards

Graduatestudentsareencouragedtoapplyforcompetitiveinternalawardstosupportactivitiesassociatedwiththeircapstoneexperiences.Ifyouareafull-timeM.S.ESCstudentsengagedinresearch,youareeligibletoapplytotheProvostStudentResearchAward(PSRA)programforupto$1000offundingtosupportoriginalresearchwithfacultymembers.

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InformationandapplicationmaterialscanbefoundontheOfficeofResearchandSponsoredProgramswebsite.

Inaddition,theGraduateStudentAssociation(GSA)offersGraduateStudentTravelAwardstodefraythecostofengaginginprofessionaldevelopmentactivities,suchasattendingaconferenceorgatheringdataforresearch.AllESCgraduatestudentsareeligibletoapply.InformationandapplicationmaterialsarelocatedontheGSAwebsite.InstitutionalEmployment

EmploymentopportunitiesforgraduatestudentstoperformspecificdutiesonbehalfoftheDepartmentoritsfacultymembersmaybecomeavailableattimes.Thesedutiescouldincludeassistancewithfacultyresearch,courses,and/ordepartmentalneeds.Suchemploymentwouldinvolveanappropriatehourlypayrateforaspecifiedamountofworkeachweek.Typically,studentslearnoftheseopportunitiesdirectlyfromtheDepartmentorinvolvedfaculty.

4.4GraduateStudentLoans

GraduatestudentspursingtheM.S.ESCdegreewhoareenrolledatleasthalftimemaybeeligibleforlow-interestunsubsidizedfederalloans.Graduatestudentsalsomaybeeligibleforprivateeducationloans;eligibilityrequirementsvarybyprivateloanlender.FormoreinformationaboutGraduateStudentFinancialAid,pleasevisittheUTCOfficeofFinancialAidwebsite.

5.CampusResources

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5.1GraduateStudentAssociation

TheGraduateStudentAssociation(GSA)representsgraduateandprofessionalstudentsatUTCinanofficialcapacity.GSAmembersadvocateforgraduateandprofessionalstudentsthroughregularcommunicationswithcampusadministratorsandrepresentationontheUTCGraduateCouncil.GSAalsoorganizesandsponsorssocialnetworkingeventsthatbringtogethergraduateandprofessionalstudentsfromacrosscampus.AsanESCgraduatestudent,youareencouragedtobecomeinvolvedwithGSA.MoreinformationisavailableontheGSAwebsite.

5.2Library

TheUTCLibraryprovidesallstudentswithvaluableresourcesandspace,includingprintandelectronicscholarlymaterials,WindowsandMaccomputers,groupstudyroomsforreservation,privatestudycarrels,24-hourstudyspace,andpracticepresentationrooms.TheLibraryalsohousesaGraduateStudentLoungeonthe1stfloorexclusivelyforusebygraduatestudents.Formoreinformationaboutthelibraryortoreserveastudyroom,pleasevisittheUTCLibrarywebsite.

5.3Technology

InformationTechnology(IT)managesaccesstoUTC’sonlineservices(MyMocsNet,UTCLearn)andemailaccounts(MocsMail+)andprovidestechnologicalsupportforbothstudentsandfaculty.StudentsshouldbecomefamiliarwithhowtoaccessanduseUTC’sonlineservicesastheyprovidegeneralandup-to-datecampusinformation,resourcesspecifictoindividualstudents,andcoursecontent.AsaUTCstudent,youshouldexpecttouseyourUTCemailaccountforofficialUniversitybusiness,includingcorrespondencewithfacultyandbeingnotifiedofimportantannouncementsbytheGraduateSchool,theDepartment,andtheESCGraduateProgramCoordinator.Forthisreason,evenifyouprimarilyuseadifferentexistingemailaccount,youshouldcheckyourUTCemailaccountfrequently.

ITalsoprovidesfreesoftwareforcurrentUTCstudentstoinstallontheircomputers.ThissoftwareincludesthepopularstatisticspackagesSPSSandSAS,whichoftenareusedbyESCgraduatestudentsconductingempiricalresearch.ThebibliographymanagementprogramEndnotealsoisavailabletocurrentUTCstudentsatnocost.EndnoteispopularamongESCgraduatestudentswritingthesesbecauseUTCthesisstandardsrequirethatbibliographymanagementsoftwarebeused.InformationtechnologyalsoprovidesfreeaccesstotheonlinesurveyplatformQualtrics,whichcanbeusefultoESCgraduatestudentswantingtosurveypeopleaspartoftheircapstoneexperience.AcompletelistofSoftwareAvailabletoStudentsisavailableontheITwebsite.

5.4ResearchCompliance

IfyouareplanningtouseanimalsubjectsorhumanparticipantsinyourresearchasanESCgraduatestudent,youmusthaveyourplansapprovedbyUTC’sInstitutionalAnimalCareand

31

UseCommittee(IACUC)orInstitutionalReviewBoard(IRB),respectively.SuchresearchmaynotbeinitiatedwithoutIACUCorIRBapproval.InformationabouttheIACUCprocessandIRBprocessisavailableonline.

5.5Counseling

TheCounselingandPersonalDevelopmentCenteratUTCprovidescounselingatnochargetostudentsstrugglingwithstress,feelingdepressedoranxious,havingtimemanagementdifficulties,orexperiencingotherissuesthatareadverselyimpactingtheiracademicprogressandsuccess.Formoreinformation,youareencouragedtovisittheCenter’swebsite.

5.6Accommodation

TheDisabilityResourceCenter(DRC)atUTCprovidessupporttostudentswithdisabilitiesseenorunseen(e.g.,physical,learning,psychiatric),includingspecialassistanceoraccommodationincourses.Formoreinformation,youareencouragedtovisittheDRCwebsite.

AppendixA–ProgramFaculty

A-1

DavidA.Aborn,Ph.D.UniversityofSouthernMississippiOrnithology,Behavior,ConservationJoséM.F.Barbosa,Ph.D.AuburnUniversityPlantPhysiology,CellBiology,Genetics

DeAnnaBeasley,Ph.D.UniversityofSouthCarolinaInsectEcology,EvolutionaryBiology,UrbanEcology,CitizenScienceJenniferBoyd,Ph.D.ColumbiaUniversityPlantEcology,PhysiologicalEcology,GlobalChangeBiologyEthanCarver,Ph.D.UniversityofTennesseeDevelopmentalBiology,HumanAnatomy,EnvironmentalGeneticsStylianosChatzimanolis,Ph.D.UniversityofKansasEntomology,InvertebrateZoology,Evolution,Systematics,PaleoentomologyHabteGiorgisChurnet,Ph.D.UniversityofTennesseeOrigins,Formations,andDeformationofRocksandEconomicMineralDepositsJ.HillCraddock,D.R.UniversityofTorino,ItalyHorticulture,Dendrology,MycologyTimothyJ.Gaudin,Ph.D.UniversityofChicagoComparativeVertebrateZoology,VertebratePaleontology,MammalogyDavidGiles,Ph.D.EastTennesseeStateUniversityEnvironmentalMicrobiologyLorenHayes,Ph.D.UniversityofMiami,OhioBehavioralPhysiology,SocialBehavior

A-2

AzadHossain,Ph.D.UniversityofMississippiGIS,RemoteSensing,SpatialAnalysis,EnvironmentalGeoscienceHopeKlug,Ph.D.UniversityofFloridaEvolutionaryEcology,BehavioralEcologyMargaretJ.Kovach,Ph.D.ColoradoStateUniversityMammalianGenomics,MolecularBiologySeanM.Richards,Ph.D.TexasTechUniversityEnvironmentalToxicology,EnvironmentalChemistryMarkS.Schorr,Ph.D.MississippiStateUniversityLimnology,Ichthyology,StreamEcologyJoeyShaw,Ph.D.UniversityofTennesseePlantTaxonomy,Biogeography,MolecularPhylogenetics,EvolutionHenryG.Spratt,Jr.,Ph.D.UniversityofGeorgiaMicrobiology,MicrobialEcology,Biogeochemistry,BioremediationJohnC.Tucker,J.D.,LL.M.UniversityofFlorida,Lewis&ClarkCollegeEnvironmentalLaw&PolicyThomasP.Wilson,Ph.D.GeorgeMasonUniversityHerpetology,Ecology,SpatialSciences

AppendixB–ImportantDates&Deadlines

B-1

TheselistsareprovidedtohelpyoumeetrequireddeadlinesofM.S.ESCstudentsduringthe2017-2018academicyear.YoushouldnotethattheydonotsubstituteforthedetailsofrequirementsasdescribedinthefullcontentsoftheGraduateStudentHandbook.

Fall2017Aug18 Fri • GraduateTeachingAssistantWorkshopforGTAstudents

Aug21 Mon • Firstdayofclasses

Sept1 Fri • DeadlineforFall2017GSAtravelawardapplications:GraduateStudentTravelAwardApplication

Sept6 Wed • ThesisFormattingWorkshopOct15 Sun • DeadlinetoapplyonlineforSpring2018graduationOct19 Thurs • LastdayfordefensesforFall2017graduation

Nov6 Mon • Thesisandthesis/internshipdefenseresultsdueforFall2017graduation:UTCScholarGraduateDegreeExaminationResults

• InternshipreportsandlearneddiscoursesdueforFall2017graduation(tobesubmittedtotheESCGraduateProgramCoordinator) • RegistrationforSpring2018begins

Nov17 Fri • DeadlinetoapplyforagraduationauditforSpring2018graduation:GraduationAudit

Nov20 Mon • DeadlineforSpring2018GSAtravelawardapplications:GraduateStudentTravelAwardApplication

LastdayforinternshipdefensesforFall2015graduation

Dec4 Mon • Lastdayofclasses

• ProgramofStudydeclarationsduefromfirst-semesterstudents:ProgramofStudy

• Committeeappointmentsduefromfirst-semesterstudents:GraduateCommitteeAppointment(forthesis)Internship/LearnedDiscourseCommitteeAppointment

Dec6 Wed • FinalexamsbeginDec15 Fri • GraduateStudentCommencement

B-2

Spring2018Jan8 Mon • Firstdayofclasses

Jan19 Fri • ThesisFormattingWorkshopMar8 Thurs • LastdayfordefensesforSpring2018graduation

Mar15 Thurs • DeadlinetoapplyonlineforSummer2018degrees

Mar19 Mon • RegistrationforSummer2018coursesbegins

Mar30 Fri • Thesisandthesis/internshipdefenseresultsdueforSpring2018graduation:UTCScholarGraduateDegreeExaminationResults

• InternshipreportsandlearneddiscoursesdueforSpring2018graduation(tobesubmittedtotheESCGraduateProgramCoordinator)Apr2 Mon • DeadlineforreturningstudentstoapplyforESCgraduateassistantships:

GraduateAssistantApplication

• RegistrationforFall2018begins

Apr16 Mon • DeadlinetoapplyforagraduationauditforSummer2018degrees:GraduationAudit

Apr23 Mon • Lastdayofclasses

• ProgramofStudydeclarationsduefromfirst-semesterstudents:ProgramofStudy

• Committeeappointmentsduefromfirst-semesterstudents:GraduateCommitteeAppointment(forthesis)Internship/LearnedDiscourseCommitteeAppointment • Deadlineforcapstoneexperienceproposalapprovalforsecond-semesterstudentsApr25 Wed • Finalexamsbegin

May4 Fri • GraduateStudentCommencement

B-3

Summer2018June15 Fri • DeadlinetoapplyforagraduationauditforFall2018graduation:

GraduationAudit • DeadlinetoapplyonlineforFall2018graduationJuly Fri • Thesisandthesis/internshipdefenseresultsdueforSummer2018degrees:UTCScholarGraduateDegreeExaminationResults • InternshipreportsandlearneddiscoursesdueforSummer2018degrees(tobesubmittedtotheESCGraduateProgramCoordinator)Aug11 Sat • Summerdegreesawarded(noceremony)

AppendixC–StudentChecklists

C-1

ThesechecklistsareprovidedtohelpyoumaketimelyandsuccessfulprogressthroughM.S.ESCdegreeprogram.Specificchecklistsareprovidedforyourfirstandsecondsemestersofenrollment,thesemesterbeforeyourgraduation,thesemesterofyourgraduation,andallothersemestersinwhichyouareenrolledintheprogram.YoushouldnotethattheydonotsubstituteforthedetailsofrequirementsasdescribedinthefullcontentsoftheGraduateStudentHandbook.

ESCGraduateStudentChecklist-FirstSemester

Early:

c Setupascheduleforregularmeetingswithyouradvisor.

c Definecapstoneprogressgoalsforthesemesterwithyouradvisor.

c SubmitCapstoneProgressGoalstotheGraduateProgramCoordinator.

During:

c Discussthedetailsofyourcapstoneexperienceplanswithyouradvisor.

c Discussappropriategraduatecommitteememberswithyouradvisor.

c Discusscourseofferingsfornextsemesterwithyouradvisorandregister.

c Workonyourthesis,internship,orlearneddiscourseproposal.

BytheEnd:

c DeclareyourProgramofStudytotheGraduateSchool.

c Appointyourgraduatecommitteemembers:

GraduateCommitteeAppointment(thesisstudents)

Internship/LearningDiscourseCommitteeAppointment

c Discussyourprogressforthesemesterwithyouradvisor.

c Definecapstoneprogressgoalsforthenextsemesterwithyouradvisor.

C-2

ESCGraduateStudentChecklist-SecondSemester Early:



During:


c Finalizeyourthesis,internship,orlearneddiscourseproposal(ifstillinprogress).

c Beginyourcapstoneexperience(ifproposalhasbeenapproved/submitted).

BytheEnd:



C-3

ESCGraduateStudentChecklist–SemesterbeforeGraduation Early:


c AttendaUTCThesisandDissertationFormattingWorkshop (recommendedifnotpreviouslyattended).


During:


c Preparethefinalwrittendocumentofyourcapstoneexperience.

BytheDueDates:

c SubmityourGraduationAuditrequesttotheGraduateSchool.

c Applyforgraduationonline.

BytheEnd:


C-4

ESCGraduateStudentChecklist–SemesterofGraduation Early:



During:

c Finalizethefinalwrittendocumentofyourcapstoneexperience.

c Planandscheduleyourdefense.

BytheDueDates:

c Defendyourthesis,internship,orlearneddiscourse.

c Reporttheresultsofyourdefense(thesisandinternshipstudents)

GraduateDegreeExaminationResults

c SubmityourfinalwrittendocumenttotheGraduateSchoolortheGraduateProgramCoordinator.

C-5

ESCGraduateStudentChecklist–AllOtherSemesters Early:



During:


c Workonyourcapstoneexperiencetowardmeetingsemestergoals.

BytheEnd:



m.s. in environmental science graduate program handbook · dr. jennifer boyd dr. john tucker...

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