Revised - February 2004

Students entering the Master of Science degree program for Biology (Ecology-track) in the Department of Environmental Sciences (ES) may complete degree requirements in two ways:

Option A - Thesis Master's Degree

Students admitted into the thesis degree track must:

1.         Choose a major professor and graduate advisory committee prior to the completion of the first year in the program. The major professor must be a full member of the Graduate Faculty at the University of Toledo. The major professor chairs the student's advisory committee and has primary responsibility for academic advising and directing the student’s research. The advisory committee will consist of at least three members, including the major professor. At least two of the members of the advisory committee must be full members of the ES Graduate Faculty at the University of Toledo.

2.         Complete an individualized plan of study with a specialization in Ecology that is approved by the student's advisory committee. A minimum 30 semester hours of approved graduate course work is required by the Graduate School. The College further mandates that a minimum of 18 hours of this requirement must be earned in the major subject area. In addition, each plan of study must include:

a. EEES 6400 - Advanced Biostatistics,
b. EEES 6600 - Foundations of Ecology,
c. EEES 6930 - Seminar (2 semester hours that include section 003), and
d. a selection of at least 9 credit hours of EEES courses (i.e., not EEES 6960/6990) at the 5000 level or above.

A copy of the student's plan of study must be approved by the major professor, forwarded to the Department Chair, and submitted to College Dean and to the Graduate School no later than the end of the second semester of study (excluding summers).

3.         Write and defend a Master's Thesis which consists of a written report of original independent research conducted by the student under the supervision of his or her major professor and advisory committee. The thesis should be prepared in accordance with the format determined by the advisory committee and consistent with the guidelines presented in the “Handbook for Preparation of Graduate Dissertations, Projects, and Theses” issued by the Graduate School at the University of Toledo. In addition, each thesis should contain a signature sheet requiring each member of the student's advisory committee to certify the acceptability of the thesis as partial fulfillment of the degree requirements. Approved “Notice of Thesis” and “Assurances of Compliance With Applicable Federal and State Regulations Governing Research” forms must be filed with the Graduate School at the time the student determines the nature of the research project. Furthermore, in order for a thesis defense to be scheduled, at least two weeks prior to the defense date the student must complete the ES MS Thesis Defense Request Form. This form requires the signed approval of both the Faculty Research Adviser (or co-advisers) and the Ecology Graduate Adviser (for a copy of the form click here).

4.         Pass an oral examination defending the thesis.

5.         Maintain a 3.0 grade point average and apply for graduation by the published deadline.

6.         Submit two original, unbound and signed copies of the approved thesis to the Graduate School and two, bound and signed copies to the ES Department.

Option B - Non-Thesis Master's Degree
Students admitted into the non-thesis degree track must:

1.         Choose a major professor and an advisory committee prior to the completion of the first year in the program. The major professor must be a full member of the Graduate Faculty at the University of Toledo. The major professor chairs the student's advisory committee which must consist of at least three members, including the major professor. At least two of the members of the advisory committee must be full members of the ES Graduate Faculty at the University of Toledo.

2.         Complete an individualized plan of study. A minimum of 30 semester hours of approved graduate course work is required by the Graduate School. Each plan of study must include EEES 6600 (Foundations of Ecology) and 2 semester hours of EEES 6930 (Seminar). Further, at least four additional EEES lecture/laboratory courses (5000 level or higher) or their equivalent from other departments should be taken. Courses from other departments must be approved by the student’s advisory committee. In addition, the plan of study may only include a maximum of three semester hours total from EEES 6960 (Master’s Research) or EEES 6990 (Independent Study in the Environmental Sciences). A copy of the student’s plan of study must be approved by the major professor, forwarded to the Department Chair, and submitted to College Dean and to the Graduate School no later than the end of the second semester of study (excluding summers).

3.         Write a research paper based on library research that meets with the approval of the student’s major professor and advisory committee. The format of the research paper will be determined by the advisory committee.

4.         Pass an oral examination defending the hypothesis presented in the research paper.

5.         Maintain a 3.0 grade point average and apply for graduation by the published deadline.

6.         Submit two original, unbound and signed copies of the approved research paper to the Graduate School and two, bound and signed copies to the ES Department.

All students pursuing either Master’s Degree option are encouraged to obtain at least one semester of formal teaching experience.

            In general, work for the Master’s Degree will require a minimum of two years of full-time study beyond the Bachelor’s degree. Progress toward graduation will be evaluated each year during the Spring semester at which time each student will be required to submit a detailed progress report.
Changes or waivers of these requirements may be recommended at any time by the research advisory committee of individual M.S. students. Such recommendations, as well as any other changes or waivers in these requirements, must be approved by a majority vote of the ES faculty (Ecology-track).