MASTER'S OF SCIENCE----DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

CREDIT REQUIREMENTS

Thirty graduate credits are required for graduation. Twenty-one of the 30 credits must be in the major field, and 15 of the 30, not including transfer credits, must be on a letter-graded basis. No more than ten thesis credits (699) can count towards the Master's degree (although there is no maximum number of thesis credits for which a student can register over all years in the program). All required courses, either in or outside the department, must be taken on a graded basis unless the course is only offered as Pass/Fail (e.g., seminars). For the Master's with thesis option, at least 6 credits must be earned in the 600-800 course level range at the University of Massachusetts, and these credits do not include thesis credits (699). During the course of study, any student writing a thesis must have registered for a minimum of six thesis (699) credits prior to filing for the degree. If the candidate prepares a thesis, Special Problems (697A) courses are limited to 6 credits.

Of the thirty credits required for graduation, no more than six may be transferred from other institutions, and this transfer must be approved by the candidate's committee, the Graduate Program Director, and by the Graduate School. Forms for credit transfer are available at the Graduate Records Office; a sample form, Form R.1, is appended to the University Graduate Student Handbook in the back. Transfer will be approved only for courses for which the student received a grade of B or better. Graduate level courses to be transferred must be taken no more than three years prior to the student's acceptance into the Master's program.

For the non-thesis Master's, at least 12 credits must be earned (at the University of Massachusetts) in the 600-800 course level range; of these 12, 3 must be in Special Problems (697A) involving a project or research.

MASTER'S DEGREE REQUIRED COURSES

*Students are expected to have taken the undergraduate core before entering the Master's program, or must complete them as part of their Master's program.

**Graduate students specializing in toxicology, physiology or molecular entomology may substitute a course for Systematic Entomology (655), which has been approved by the student's thesis committee.

***Students planning on taking a seminar outside of the Department should review the seminar's content with the thesis committee and obtain permission. A two-credit seminar still counts as a single seminar toward this requirement.

COURSE WAIVERS

Students who have taken one or more of the required entomology core courses at another university and wish for waivers for their degree requirements at UMass should pursue the waiver in the first year of the graduate program. The student must obtain a letter from the faculty member teaching the same course at the University of Massachusetts, or from an Entomology faculty member familiar with the subject area, stating that the student has satisfactorily mastered the course material. A syllabus, text name, exams, and other information from the previously taken course may be useful. The faculty member should forward the waiver memo to the Graduate Program Director who will signoff and place it within the student's file in the Main Office. Course waivers should be in place by the end of student's first year in the program.

SPECIAL PROBLEM COURSES (697A)

To avoid a misunderstanding between the faculty member and the student undertaking a special problems course, a course prospectus signed by the student and faculty member outlining the special problem area and requirements for completing the course must be filed at the main department office.

FOREIGN LANGUAGE REQUIREMENT

There is no foreign language requirement for the Master's Degree.

MASTER'S OF SCIENCE DEGREE----NON-THESIS OPTION

1. Two options are available for the Master's Degree. A student may elect to work toward a Master's Degree without a thesis, or may elect to prepare a thesis. Students expecting to continue on for the Ph.D degree are not encouraged to select the non-thesis option.

2. Total credit requirement for the Non-thesis Option is the same as for the Thesis Option (30 credits). However, for the non-thesis track, 12 credits are required in the 600-800 course level range. Of these 12 credits, three credits must be in a Special Problems (697A) involving the student's project or research.

3. In the case of non-thesis Master's students, a committee need not be formally appointed through the graduate school, but an informal committee must still be formed in the first year of the student's residence within the department. The committee should meet with the student at least once a year.

4. When course work and the project have been completed, a project presentation and a final General Examination will be carried out by the student's committee. The student's advisor serves as the moderator. Faculty members may not be available in the summer months for an exam. A final draft of the project is to be handed in to the Chair's assistant (or if necessary, placed in the Chair's mailbox) one week before the examination so that it may be put on display. The student must send a memo to the entire faculty stating that the draft is available for inspection in the Departmental Office. The time and location of the general examination should also be broadcast. Members of the faculty other than the committee may participate in the examination but will not vote. Only the Examining Committee votes. The positive recommendation of a least two of the three members of the Examining Committee is requisite to receive the degree. If the candidate fails, the Examining Committee will decide whether the candidate will be allowed to retake the examination and, if so, the form of the exam.

5. The student's advisor will provide a memo to the Graduate Program Director stating the results of the General Exam.

6. The Graduate Program Director will submit a memorandum to the Graduate Dean stating the results of the General Exam (Refer to Form M-5 appended to UMass Graduate Handbook).

7. If the student passes the exam, the student accurately completes the Master's Degree Eligibility Form (available at Office of Degree Requirements, 534 Goodell Building), signs it, and obtains the signatures of both the Graduate Program Director and the Department Chair. The form must be filed with the Office of Degree Requirements

CHECK LIST FOR MASTER'S DEGREE (NON-THESIS OPTION)
(Also consult Form M.1, Check List for Master's Degree, appended to the University Graduate Student Handbook)

MASTER'S OF SCIENCE----THESIS OPTION

1. Within the first academic year (preferably before the spring Graduate Student Review), the student must establish an unofficial Thesis Committee. The Thesis Committee will consist of three members of the University of Massachusetts Graduate Faculty, at least two of whom shall be from the Entomology Division. See additional comments regarding the committee in the earlier section "Selection of a Graduate Committee."

2. By the end of the first academic year, the student should provide a list of Committee members to the Graduate Program Director, who in turn submits a formal recommendation to the Graduate Dean (Form M.3 appended to the University Graduate Student Handbook). At this point, the committee will be formally appointed by the Graduate Dean.

3. The candidate must prepare a Thesis Outline that describes the research that will be conducted for the thesis. It must be approved by the Committee. The Cover Sheet of the Thesis Outline (Form M.4 that is appended to the University Graduate Student Handbook) must bear original signatures of all members of the Thesis Committee plus the signature of the Graduate Program Director or Department Chair. The completed outline must be filed at the Graduate Records Office, 534 Goodell Building. A copy must also be submitted to the Graduate Program Director for placement in the Entomology Division files. The approved outline must be received by the Graduate Records Office at least four months prior to the thesis defense.

4. The format of the thesis may include pertinent sections including Introduction, Literature Review, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusion, Literature Cited, etc. However, the candidate very often will choose to prepare the thesis in "publishable" manuscript form. If the manuscript format is selected, appropriate appendices must be included and students still must follow the "Typing Guidelines for Theses and Dissertations" (from the Office of Degree Requirements or at www.umass.edu/gradschool/dissertationandthesis/index.html)

5. When the thesis is completed, the candidate must schedule a thesis defense. All members of the Thesis Committee must be present at the defense. The thesis must be available for inspection in the Departmental Office one week prior to the defense; to accomplish this, a copy of the thesis must be turned in to the Chair's assistant (or, if necessary, placed in the Chair's mailbox) who will put the thesis on display. Also, one week prior to the defense, the student must notify the entire faculty that the thesis is available for inspection and announce the time and location of the defense to the entire department. The student is responsible for reserving a room for the defense.

6. The thesis defense will include a 40-45 minute presentation open to faculty, staff and students, followed by an examination by the Thesis Committee that is not necessarily limited to the thesis topic. Faculty members may remain and observe the examination portion of the defense. All others will be asked to leave before the examination begins. The student's advisor will moderate the examination. Only members of the Thesis Committee vote.

7. Upon completion of the exam, each committee member will vote by paper ballot on the student's performance. If the candidate fails, the examining committee will decide whether the candidate will be allowed to retake the examination and, if so, the form of the exam. The members of the Thesis Committee will "sign off" on the thesis after it has been approved by all members of the Committee.

8. The student's advisor will provide a memo to the Graduate Program Director stating the results of the defense.

9. The Graduate Program Director will coordinate with the student and advisor and submit a memorandum to the Graduate Dean stating the results of the examination (Form M-5 appended to University Graduate Student Handbook).

10. If the thesis defense is passed, the student must accurately complete the "Master's Degree Eligibility Form" (available in the Office of Degree Requirements, 534 Goodell Building) and have it signed by the Department Chair and the Graduate Program Director. This form must be submitted to the Office of Degree Requirements by the specified deadline date.

11. The original and one copy of the thesis in the specified style and format on acid-free paper are deposited in the Office of Degree Requirements, 534 Goodell Building. Both copies must be unbound in springback binders, available at the same office). The student may need to pay a Binding Fee at the Office of Degree Requirements to cover the cost of binding the thesis.
Both submitted copies of the thesis must include original signatures of the Thesis Committee and Department Chair. Use black ink, NO felt pens or other non-waterproof inks.

12. The student must pay Commencement and Career Services fees (checks are made out to University of Massachusetts Amherst) at the Office of Degree Requirements. NOTE: Microfilming is not required for the Master's thesis.

13. The student also must submit a hardbound final copy of the thesis to the Department Chair for the department's files. The binding should be red with gold lettering; see examples in the Department Chair's office. A list of binderies is available at the Office of Degree Requirements. If a student fails to provide the required copy, the department will reproduce the library copy and have it bound, with all costs charged to the student's faculty advisor.

CHECK LIST FOR MASTER'S DEGREE (THESIS OPTION)
Also, consult Form M.1 (Check List for Master's Degree) appended to the University Graduate Student Handbook

NOTE: The candidate must be "active to graduate," which means taking credits or paying the program fee every semester before graduation. The Records Office at the Graduate School should be contacted about procedures and fees necessary to retain or re-secure active status if the candidate is neither taking course credits nor paying the program fee. No fee is needed to maintain active status over the summer.