Master of Science—Agricultural E

The M.S. degree requires 27 hours of course work, 3 hours of thesis (AAEC 7300), and preparation of an acceptable thesis. Each graduate student pursuing an M.S. degree must have an approved Advisory Committee consisting of the Major Professor as Chair and two or more additional members. Selection of the Advisory Committee is based on the expressed desires of the student, the availability and willingness of faculty to serve, and the availability of allocated assistantships. Final approval of the committee is made by the Dean of the Graduate School after review and approval by the Graduate Coordinator and Department Head. The Advisory Committee will be appointed during the first semester a student is enrolled. The Major Professor must be a member (can be provisional) of the Graduate Faculty. A student's program of study and thesis outline are developed in consultation with his/her Advisory Committee. This program of study is subject to approval by the Graduate Coordinator and the Dean of the Graduate School. The minimum residence requirement is one academic year. The student's program of courses should be developed during his/her first semester and approved by the Graduate Coordinator no later than in the second semester.

A student has some flexibility in selecting a thesis topic. One of the most important restrictions is that a student on a Departmental research assistantship, paid with funds from a particular project, must select a thesis topic consistent with the objectives of that project. Nevertheless, most projects have more than one objective, thus allowing the student some latitude in choosing a specific thesis topic.

While the Advisory Committee will guide the student in initiating his/her thesis, and in conducting the necessary research, the responsibility for the completion of the thesis is entirely that of the graduate student. The normal time for completing an acceptable M.S. thesis is six months full-time equivalent.

A student, as part of his or her training, is expected to prepare, under the supervision and with the assistance of the major professor, a manuscript for publication based on the thesis research. All master's students are required to give a departmental seminar on their thesis research prior to their final oral examination.

Requirements for the M.S. degree are summarized in the following paragraphs. Additional details can be obtained by referring to the Graduate School Bulletin.

B. AAEC —9 hours minimum, 6 hours open only to graduate students, not including AAEC 6580 or AAEC 7300 and no more than 3 hours of AAEC 7000.

A. Calculus, intermediate microeconomics, and probability, statistics, or econometrics are prerequisites for the M.S. program. Econometrics, intermediate microeconomics, and linear algebra are recommended for the M.S. program. Any student not meeting these prerequisites will take course work to meet the requirements in addition to the 27-hour minimum.

B. A minimum program constitutes 27 hours of course work, one half of which must be University of Georgia courses open only to graduate students. A student must also register for a minimum of 3 hours of AAEC 7300 in addition to the 27 hours of course work.