Graduate Student Handbook

Graduate Program Guidelines & Resources

Master of Science Non-thesis Degree

Credit Hours and Timeline
To obtain a non-thesis MS degree, a minimum of 30 graded credit hours must be completed. The 30 graded course hours must be listed on the students’ Plan of Study. These courses should primarily be conducted at Purdue University, (i.e., at least 50 percent of the credits must be earned where the degree is conferred) but can include courses taken as a non-degree student, generated as a consequence of an uncompleted MS or PhD program, and/or as an undergraduate student at the graduate level and were in excess of degree requirements. Transfers of course credit hours, level of course credit hours which can count towards the Plan of Study and/or degree program, registration requirements, etc. shall adhere to the guidelines set forth in the OGSPS policies. All courses on the Plan of Study must be approved by the students’ Advisory Committee.

The non-thesis MS degree must be completed within five calendar years from admission to the MS program to the completion of the Final Examination. Extensions of this limit may be granted by the FNR Graduate Committee and/or Department Head upon recommendation and justification by the student’s Advisory Committee.

Required Courses
Non-thesis MS degree students are required to complete the following three courses:

GRAD 61200 (Responsible Conduct of Research)
FNR 50600 (Theory and Application of Natural Resource Extension Programming)
FNR 59000 (Introduction to Teaching Natural Resources.)

Required courses must be listed on the student’s Plan of Study.

Students who have previously earned a graduate degree from Purdue University where GRAD 61200 (Responsible Conduct of Research) was already completed as part of the Plan of Study are not required to repeat GRAD 61200. Graduate students who have previously earned a graduate degree from FNR are not required to take FNR 50600 (Theory and Application of Natural Resource Extension Programming) or FNR 59000 (Introduction to Teaching Natural Resources) given they meet both requirements below:

The student has previously taken and received a passing grade in the courses, and
The student’s Advisory Committee deems the student has demonstrated sufficient proficiency and skills related to extension and teaching.

Exceptions or substitutions involving the above required courses can only be granted by the FNR Graduate Committee upon receipt of a written request from the graduate advisor for the student requesting the exception/substitution.

Additional Requirements
Advisory Committee
Every student in a degree program is required to select a graduate advisor (a.k.a. major professor) who acts as the chair of the Advisory Committee and who agrees to supervise the student’s graduate study, research, and writing. The graduate advisor/student relationship must be mutually agreed upon.

Semester evaluation
Every semester a student is enrolled, the Graduate Student Semester Evaluation Form must be completed and submitted to the Graduate Program Specialist when the semester grades are due.

Proposal
Every student in a degree program is required to write a Project proposal. The proposal should be presented, discussed, and approved by the student’s Advisory Committee. The format and content of the proposal will vary depending upon each student’s educational objectives and the direction given by each student’s Advisory Committee. The Research Proposal Evaluation Form must be completed and submitted to the FNR Graduate Program Specialist.

Extension/Outreach
Students must 1) complete coursework (FNR 50600 Theory and Application of Natural Resource Extension Programming), 2) develop an extension/outreach plan, and 3) produce a minimum of one deliverable. The outreach plan must include a defined target audience, clear learning objectives, and a suggestion of where and when their outreach and/or extension activity will occur. The specific deliverable(s) associated with each student’s outreach and/or extension activities will vary depending upon each student’s educational objectives and the direction given by each individual student’s Advisory Committee. Examples of deliverables include, but are not limited to, numbered extension publications, non-technical publications, articles in popular magazines, newsletter, trade magazines, etc., posters, pamphlets, web content, social media, workshops for professional or public audiences, seminars for non-scientific audiences, and youth programming. The student will complete and submit the Candidacy Extension/Outreach Evaluation Form to the FNR Graduate Program Specialist.

If a waiver for FNR 50600 (Theory and Application of Natural Resource Extension Programming) course was obtained the student is still required to meet the other policy standards including an Advisory Committee review and approval of an extension/outreach plan, an extension/outreach deliverable, and completion of the Candidacy Extension/Outreach Evaluation Form.

Presentation
As a graduate student in FNR, professional development is an important part of overall education. Participation in scientific and professional conferences is essential to both understanding the state of the field and building professional networks. As such MS students must complete a presentation related to their field-of-study at a regional, national, or international conference. When the presentation is conducted this must be indicated on the Graduate Student Semester Evaluation Form by providing a citation.

To foster graduate student participation in scientific and professional conferences, FNR will provide (contingent on the annual availability of departmental funding) up to $350 per student per year to cover approved travel expenses to attend one in-person conference or the fees to participate in up to two virtual conferences (not to exceed $350 total). Graduate advisor approval is required. Required travel expenses and fees in excess of $350 are intended to be covered by the faculty advisor’s grant funding where available. Presentation of a scientific paper in oral or poster form by the student is strongly recommended as part of receiving this support.

Project
Each student will write and submit a Project following the requirements set forth by the student’s Advisory Committee.

Final Examination
A Final Examination consists of a public seminar in conjunction with an oral examination. For successful completion of the Final Examination, a student must at minimum:

Submit OGSPS Form 8: Request for Appointment of Examining Committee prior to the examination. The examining committee must be comprised of at least three members of the graduate faculty and may or may not be identical to the Advisory Committee, and 51% of the examining committee must have “Regular” graduate faculty certification.
Register for candidacy (i.e., “CAND”) during the semester this examination is taken.
Adhere to all of the deadlines provided by the OGSPS and the FNR Graduate Committee.
Present Project in a forum open to the public. This seminar must be advertised to the Purdue University faculty and student body a minimum of two weeks in advance. (Consideration should be given for not having the oral presentation open to the public in cases where prior agreements with the research sponsor preclude the release of findings to the public for an agreed upon period of time or when prior review by the sponsor is specified in the funding agreement.)
Defend research in an oral examination to the examining committee. The oral examination must not last more than two hours.

The examining committee will render a pass or fail recommendation. This decision will be submitted by the examining committee to the OGSPS via the OGSPS Form 7: Report of Master's Examining Committee. Committee certification for a master’s degree requires that all members of a three-person committee concur that the student has satisfactorily completed the examination. Although only three committee members are required, if the committee has four or more members, a single member may withhold their signature of approval. If the student does not pass the Final Examination, the Examination Committee determines if the student will have additional opportunities to pass the examination. If permitted to redo, a candidate must wait at least until the following semester to repeat the Final Examination.

Candidacy
Students are required to register for candidacy during the semester they defend and/or complete their degree requirements. Details regarding candidacy registration can be found at the OGSPS website. Additionally, students are required to complete the following tasks:

submit their CV/resume,
FNR Placement Survey,
OGSPS Exit Questionnaire
exit interview with department head,
Graduate Student Check-out Form.

Place tables.

Doctor of Philosophy Degree

The FNR PhD program goal is that graduate students will be able to demonstrate five competencies (i.e., learning outcomes). How each requirement fulfills the competencies is provided in Table 3. Degree requirements are outlined below for a PhD degree. These requirements are summarized in Figure 2.

Credit Hours and Timeline
To obtain a PhD degree, a minimum of 90 credit hours must be completed. At least one-third of the 90+ credits required for the PhD degree must be from Purdue University West Lafayette Campus, which may be either graded course hours or research credit hours. If a student has completed a master’s degree, this minimum includes 24 graded course hours. If a student has not completed a master’s degree and begins the PhD program with only a baccalaureate degree, this minimum includes 36 graded course hours. These minimum graded course hours must be listed on the student’s Plan of Study. Courses should primarily be conducted at Purdue University but can include courses taken as a non-degree student, generated as a consequence of an uncompleted MS or PhD program, and/or as an undergraduate student at the graduate level and were in excess of degree requirements. Transfers of course credit hours, level of course credit hours which can count towards the Plan of Study and/or degree program, registration requirements, etc. shall adhere to the guidelines set forth in the OGSPS policies. All courses on the Plan of Study must be approved by the student’s Advisory Committee. A minimum of 15 research credit hours is required.

If a student has completed a master’s degree, a maximum of 30 credit hours taken to complete the master’s degree also can be counted toward the 90-credit hour total with permission of the student’s Advisory Committee members. The number of hours that count towards the 90-credit hour total is dependent on the number of credit hours completed in the master’s degree (e.g., if the student completed 24 hours in their master’s degree only 24 hours may count towards the 90-credit hour total). A PhD student will need to complete 24 graded course hours in addition to any courses transferred from a MS degree.

The PhD degree must be completed within eight calendar years from admission to the PhD program to the completion of the Final Examination. Extensions of this limit may be granted by the FNR Graduate Committee and/or Department Head upon recommendation and justification by the student’s Advisory Committee.

Required Courses
PhD degree students are required to complete the following three courses:

GRAD 61200 (Responsible Conduct of Research),
FNR 50600 (Theory and Application of Natural Resource Extension Programming), and
FNR 59000 (Introduction to Teaching Natural Resources).

Required courses must be listed on the student’s Plan of Study.

The student has previously taken and received a passing grade in the course(s), and
The student’s Advisory Committee deems the student has demonstrated sufficient proficiency and skills related to extension and/or teaching.

Additional Requirements
Advisory Committee
Every student in a degree program is required to select a graduate advisor (a.k.a. major professor) who acts as the chair of their Advisory Committee and who agrees to supervise the student’s graduate study, research, and writing. The graduate advisor/student relationship must be mutually agreed upon.

Research expectations and semester evaluation
Every semester a student is enrolled in research credit hours (FNR 69900) the Graduate Research Credit Expectations Agreement Form must be completed and submitted to the FNR Graduate Program Specialist within the first two weeks of the semester. Additionally, every semester a student is enrolled, the Graduate Student Semester Evaluation Form must be completed and submitted to the FNR Graduate Program Specialist when the semester grades are due.

Proposal
Every student in a degree program is required to write a dissertation research proposal. The proposal should be presented to, discussed with, and approved by their Advisory Committee. The format and content of the proposal will vary depending upon each student’s educational objectives and the direction given by each student’s Advisory Committee. The Research Proposal Evaluation Form must be completed and submitted to the FNR Graduate Program Specialist.

Extension/Outreach
Students must 1) complete coursework (FNR 50600 - Theory and Application of Natural Resource Extension Programming), 2) develop an extension/outreach plan, and 3) produce a minimum of one deliverable. The outreach plan must include a defined target audience, clear learning objectives, and a suggestion of where and when their outreach and/or extension activity will occur. The specific deliverable(s) associated with each student’s outreach and/or extension activities will vary depending upon each student’s educational objectives and the direction given by each individual student’s Advisory Committee. Examples of deliverables include, but are not limited to, numbered extension publications, non-technical publications, articles in popular magazines, newsletter, trade magazines, etc., posters, pamphlets, web content, social media, workshops for professional or public audiences, seminars for non-scientific audiences, and youth programming. The student will complete and submit the Candidacy Extension/Outreach Evaluation Form.

If a waiver for FNR 50600 (Theory and Application of Natural Resource Extension Programming) course was obtained, the student is still required to meet the other policy standards including an Advisory Committee review and approval of an extension/outreach plan, an extension/outreach deliverable, and completion of the Candidacy Extension/Outreach Evaluation Form. See Section 4.3 for procedure to obtain a waiver.

Presentation
As a graduate student in FNR, professional development is an important part of overall education. Participation in scientific and professional conferences is essential to both understanding the state of the field and building professional networks. PhD students must complete a presentation related to their field of study at a national or international conference. When the presentation is conducted this must be indicated on the Graduate Student Semester Evaluation Form by providing a citation.

To foster graduate student participation in scientific and professional conferences, FNR will provide (contingent on the annual availability of departmental funding) up to $350 per student per year to cover approved travel expenses to attend one in-person conference or the fees to participate in up to two virtual conferences (not to exceed $350 total). Graduate advisor approval is required. Required travel expenses and fees more than $350 are intended to be covered by the faculty advisor’s grant funding where available. Presentation of a scientific paper in oral or poster form by the student is strongly recommended as part of receiving this support.

Preliminary Examination
The objective of the Preliminary Examination is to evaluate the breadth and depth of a student’s knowledge, to ascertain how well they can apply that knowledge, and to determine whether the examinee is qualified to progress to candidacy. The examination should be comprehensive in nature (i.e., the focus should not be exclusively on the student’s area of research). The examinee must have filed an approved Plan of Study and have satisfied all or most of the Plan of Study coursework at the time of the examination. Additionally, the examination should be completed at least three academic semesters prior to the Final Examination (i.e., two semesters between the Preliminary and Final Exams).

The student should submit OGSPS Form 8: Request for Appointment of Examining Committee prior to the examination. The examining committee is comprised of the students’ plan of study committee. All members of the committee are to be notified of the scheduled examination.

The examination can only be taken twice, but only once per semester (if failed, the preliminary examination may be taken the following semester). Except in cases of voluntary withdrawal from the committee by a member, the composition of the examining committee cannot be changed after a failed examination without the expressed, written permission of the FNR Graduate Committee Chair.

The examination must have a written and oral component. The written component:

must be completed at least two weeks prior to oral component.
need not be restricted to the subject matter of the dissertation research.
must be completed within a seven-day period.
must be promptly graded and returned to the student by members of the examining committee.

The student may be permitted to use outside materials to answer questions (at the discretion of the individual examiners). The student’s graduate advisor may not limit or constrain the subject matter content of the questions submitted by the examining committee or in any manner alter the instructions to the student by members of the examining committee. The FNR form entitled PhD Candidacy Preliminary Examination Evaluation – Written needs to be completed and submitted to the Graduate Program Specialist at the completion of the examination.

The oral examination:

must not last more than two hours. Note, the meeting associated with the oral examination may last longer than two hours as the committee deliberates but the examination of the student may not last longer than two hours. If additional time is deemed necessary for the oral examination, the examination can be continued at a later date and time.
need not be restricted to the subject matter of the dissertation research.
can contain follow-up questions from the written examination.
is open to all faculty on campus. Faculty not on the student’s committee can participate as non-voting, ad hoc members of the examining committee.

The FNR form entitled PhD Candidacy Preliminary Examination Evaluation – Oral needs to be completed and submitted to the Graduate Program Specialist at the completion of the examination.

Possible outcomes of the Preliminary Examination include:

Failure (student may be dismissed from graduate program)
Conditional failure (specified conditions must be met before examination is retaken)
Pass (student becomes a PhD candidate)

The Examination Committee determines if a student passes or fails the preliminary examination. This decision must be a majority approval. If the committee has four or more members, a single member may withhold their signature of approval. This decision will be submitted to the OGSPS by the examining committee via the OGSPS Form 10: Report of the Preliminary Examination. If the student does not pass the examination, the Examination Committee determines if the student will have additional opportunities to pass the examination.

Dissertation
Each student must write and submit a dissertation following the requirements set forth by the student’s Advisory Committee and the OGSPS including the OGSPS Form 9: Thesis/Dissertation Acceptance.

Article submission
All students admitted to the FNR PhD degree program are strongly encouraged (but not required) to submit an article to a journal for publication prior to the PhD Final Examination.

Final Examination
After research has been completed and the dissertation written and presented to the committee, a final oral examination must be held in which the candidate defends the dissertation and demonstrates to the examining committee the capabilities for which the PhD degree is to be awarded. At least two academic semesters must elapse between the Preliminary and Final Examinations. A Final Examination consists of a public seminar in conjunction with the defense of their dissertation. For successful completion of the Final Examination, a student must at minimum:

Submit OGSPS Form 8: Request for Appointment of Examining Committee prior to the examination. The examining committee must be comprised of at least four members of the graduate faculty and may or may not be identical to the Advisory Committee, and 51% of the examining committee must have “Regular” graduate faculty certification.
Register for candidacy (i.e., “CAND”) during the semester this examination is taken.
Adhere to all of the deadlines provided by the OGSPS and the FNR Graduate Committee.
Present research in a forum open to the public. This seminar must be advertised to the Purdue University faculty and student body a minimum of two weeks in advance. (Consideration should be given for not having the oral presentation open to the public in cases where prior agreements with the research sponsor preclude the release of findings to the public for an agreed upon period of time or when prior review by the sponsor is specified in the funding agreement.)
Defend research in an oral examination to the examining committee. The oral examination must not last more than two hours.

The Examination Committee determines if a student passes or fails the final exam. This decision will be submitted to the OGSPS by the examining committee via the OGSPS Form 11: Report of the Final Examination. Each member of the examining committee must indicate approval or disapproval and sign the form. No more than one dissenting vote is acceptable in certifying a candidate to receive the Ph.D. degree. If the student does not pass the Final Examination, the Examination Committee determines if the student will have additional opportunities to pass the examination. If permitted to redo, a candidate must wait at least until the following semester to repeat the Final Examination.

submit their CV/resume,
FNR Placement Survey,
OGSPS Exit Questionnaire and the Earned Doctorate Survey
exit interview with department head,
submit the Graduate Student Check-out Form.

Funding Length and Departmental Assistantship Extension Requests

If funding is available, students who receive departmental assistantships to pursue PhD degrees within FNR will be guaranteed three years of funding to complete their degrees.

If needed, the graduate advisor of a PhD student who is making satisfactory progress towards their degree may request a one-semester extension for a half-time, PhD-level departmental assistantship for the student. The request addressed to the FNR Graduate Committee must be in writing and must provide clear evidence (e.g., filed Plan of Study, passed preliminary examinations, manuscripts submitted, completed data collection) of satisfactory progress toward the completion of the degree. The FNR Graduate Committee Chair may grant this request, pending budgetary approval by the Department Head. If FNR funding is provided the MS student will be a TA for the supported semester.

If needed, the graduate advisor of a PhD student who is making satisfactory progress toward their degree may request a second, one-semester extension for a half-time, PhD-level departmental assistantship for the student. The request addressed to the FNR Graduate Committee, and must provide clear evidence (e.g., filed Plan of Study, manuscripts submitted, data collection completed, pending dissertation defense) of satisfactory progress toward the completion of the PhD dissertation. Approval of the request will require evidence of satisfactory progress and availability of funds. The FNR Graduate Committee Chair may grant a well-justified request in part or, pending budgetary approval by the Department Head. If funds are limited, preference for a second, one-semester extension request for PhD students on departmental funding will be given to students who have served as a teaching assistant in FNR courses for two or more semesters and/or have been funded for one or more semesters on funds external to the department (e.g., grants, contracts, fellowships) during their tenure in our degree program.

If needed, the graduate advisor of a PhD student who is making satisfactory progress towards their degree may request a third, one-semester extension for a half-time, PhD-level departmental assistantship for the student. The request addressed to the FNR Graduate Committee must be in writing and indicate that the student made satisfactory progress toward the imminent completion of their PhD dissertation. This statement must be signed by the student’s complete Advisory Committee with a clear indication of each member’s agreement or disagreement with the statement. Approval of a request will require imminent degree completion and availability of funds. The FNR Graduate Committee Chair may grant a well-justified request in part or whole pending budgetary approval by the Department Head. If funds are limited, preference for a third, one-semester extension request for PhD students on departmental funding will be given to students who have served as a teaching assistant in FNR courses for two or more semesters and/or have been funded for one or more semesters on funds external to the department (e.g., grants, contracts, fellowships, etc.) during their tenure in our degree program.

No additional extensions of departmental assistantships for PhD students will be granted unless the student meets the exceptions below.

Due to the extra coursework and mentoring required of students entering the PhD degree directly after completion of a Baccalaureate degree, special exceptions for a fourth, one-semester extension of departmental funding can, at the discretion of the Department Head, be made for such students. Recognizing that additional time may be required to complete the degree program of such students, it is expected that the advisors of these students will make every effort to obtain funds external to the department (e.g., grants, contracts, fellowships, etc.) to support at least a portion of the assistantship needs of the student. Evidence of such efforts or lack thereof will be considered when decisions regarding a fourth extension for such students are made. No accommodation for a fourth extension will be made for students who have completed an MS degree prior to entering the FNR PhD program.

Any MS student who has received funds from a departmental assistantship toward the completion of their degree from FNR must reapply for admission to the department if they wish to be considered for departmental funding to pursue a PhD in FNR. It is highly recommended that MS students complete a MS degree before applying to a PhD program in FNR. For any student that completes a MS degree in FNR and subsequently is selected to receive departmental funding to pursue a PhD in FNR, a maximum limit of 6 years of departmental funding will be allowed (pursuant to the criteria stated in this document regarding the period of funding and extension requests for MS and PhD students in FNR).