2.2.1.1         Departmental M.S. Seminar Requirement All graduate students should present a graduate seminar including the thesis proposal and plan of study. The thesis proposal should be done during or before the second semester.

2.2.1.2         Departmental M.S. Examination Requirements

l    Immediately prior to the oral examination the student will present a Departmental seminar on his or her thesis results. Members of the candidates examining committee will be present for this seminar. This seminar is considered a part of the oral examination.

l    The final examination will be an oral examination and should be scheduled to last 3+ hours. It will cover course work and the thesis as required by the Graduate School.

2.2.2     Departmental Master of Science Comprehensive Study Option (Plan B) Requirements All M.S. candidates must demonstrate substantial knowledge of subjects taught in the courses listed in Table 1. The major advisor is obligated to verify attainment of this requirement by directly assessing the student and by collegial interaction with the Advisory Committee and the Soil Science faculty in general.

This Plan B option is offered for the M.S. candidate who may benefit more from a broader range of knowledge in Soil Science than from the preparation of a thesis. Of the 30 graduate credits required, a minimum of 21 credits must be in courses approved for graduate credit numbered 601-689, 691, 700-789, and 791 (referred to as didactic courses). The research credits (797) must not be fewer than 2 nor more than 4.

The creative component (paper, portfolio, etc.) bearing the approval of the major adviser shall be in the hands of the examining committee at least 7 days before the final oral examination. The creative component must demonstrate ability to do scholarly study appropriate to the major field and present evidence of appropriate written expression. The creative component is the basis for opening the oral examination. General instructions on the format for papers are included in the NDSU Graduate School's Guidelines for the Preparation of Dissertations, Theses, and Papers (http://www.ndsu.edu/gradschool/current_students/dissertations_theses_and_papers/guidelines/). Also, the Department of Soil Science requires that each Paper or Thesis must conform to the Publications Handbook and Style Manual of the ASA, CSSA, SSSA (www.asa-cssa-sssa.org/publications/style/).

2.2.3     General Departmental Ph.D. Requirements All Ph.D. candidates must demonstrate substantial knowledge of subjects taught in the courses listed in Table 2. The major advisor is obligated to verify attainment of this requirement by directly assessing the student and by collegial interaction with the advisory committee and the Soil Science faculty in general.

A plan of study will be prepared by the student and their major advisor, and approved by the supervisory committee, program administrator, academic Dean, and Dean of the Graduate School.

The plan of study should be submitted to The Graduate School for approval not later than the term immediately after the supervisory committee is formed and must be filed in The Graduate School prior to scheduling the comprehensive/preliminary examination. Revisions in the program of study must be approved by the student, supervisory committee, program administrator, and Dean of The Graduate School. The Graduate Dean will officially notify the student, supervisory committee, program administrator, and the Academic Dean of all changes.

To earn a Ph.D. in Soil Science, at least 90 semester graduate credits, of which not less than 27 credits must be in courses approved for graduate credit numbered 601-689, 691, 700-789, and 791 (referred to as didactic courses). Of these 27 credits, not fewer than 15 credits must be in 700-level course work (700-789 & 791). A student matriculating with a master's degree, including a degree earned at an international institution, must earn not fewer than 60 graduate credits at NDSU. Of these credits, not fewer than 15 credits must be NDSU courses at the 700 level (700-789 & 791).

2.2.3.1         Departmental Ph.D. Program Seminar Requirement All graduate students should present a graduate seminar including the dissertation proposal and plan of study. The dissertation proposal should be done in or before the second semester.

2.2.3.2         Departmental Ph.D. Comprehensive/Preliminary Examination Requirements

2.2.3.2.1    Ph.D. Written Comprehensive/Preliminary Exam

• The written portion of the exam must be scheduled and passed before a request may be sent to the Graduate School to schedule the oral exam. A range of dates should be specified when requesting to schedule the written exam. Generally, not more than two weeks should be requested unless special circumstances exist and the Department Chair approves a longer period. Note that the Graduate School requires that the request to schedule be received at least two weeks prior to the proposed date.
• Each supervisory committee member will submit a set of questions to the student. Also, the major advisor is responsible for soliciting questions from professors from outside of the Department that have taught pertinent courses in the student's plan of study or who work with the student directly in research or in the student's minor. Additionally, all Soil Science faculty should have the opportunity to write a question. The questions may cover any area within the core areas of Soil Science as well as any topics covered by courses outside of Soil Science that were part of the plan of study. The Soil Science's Department Chair and the student's committee will screen the proposed written exam questions for appropriateness. It is recommended that students review the core areas of Soil Science by studying the "Soil Science Competency Areas and Performance Objectives" on the Soil Science Society of America website: (http://www.soils.org/csse/perf_obj.pdf).
• The student must contact each committee member to determine a time to take that member's written exam. Each committee member may specify the time allowed, up to 48 hours maximum, and conditions under which their exam is to be taken. For instance, one examiner may allow 24-hours and allow use of specified references, while another may allow four hours with no reference materials allowed.
• Student answers will be graded separately by the submitter and one or more faculty member based on the answer provided by the submitter. Grading will be on a 0 to 100 percent basis. The candidate's score on a particular question will be the average of all graded scores.
• The Supervisory Committee will inspect all results and vote on pass or fail.

2.2.3.2.2    Ph.D. Oral Comprehensive/Preliminary Exam

• After the written exam has been passed and the Graduate School has posted the results to the committee, the request to schedule the oral examination may be submitted. Note that the Graduate School requires that the request to schedule be received at least two weeks prior to the proposed date. This examination should be scheduled to last 3+ hours.
• The oral comprehensive/preliminary examination is intended to test the student's knowledge about soil science generally, the particular area of soil science in which the student is concentrating, and also broader aspects of science and technology. Some questions could relate to research methods or fundamental background in the topic of the student's dissertation, but should not be based on specific dissertation research results. Follow-up questions from the written comprehensive/preliminary examination may be asked.

2.2.3.3         Departmental Ph.D. Teaching Requirements Three teaching credits are required for Ph.D. students for graduation, but are not necessary for M.S. students.

2.2.3.4         Departmental Ph.D. Program Final Examination Requirements A request for permission to schedule the final oral examinations must be sent to the Graduate School at least two weeks prior to the examination. Also, the student should personally meet with the Graduate School to verify that all courses on the plan of study have been completed and that the required grade point average has been attained. The Dean of the Graduate School will formally notify the committee and the student when and where the examination has been scheduled.

Immediately prior to the final oral examination the student will present a Departmental seminar on his or her thesis results. Members of the candidates examining committee will be present for this seminar. This seminar is considered a part of the oral examination.

The final examination will be an oral examination and should be scheduled to last 3+ hours. It will cover course work and the thesis as required by the Graduate School.

2.2.4     Other Departmental Graduate Student Requirements

2.2.4.1         Participation in Research Project of Major Advisor Requirement Each graduate student position will have written and on file a description of the time commitment and duties assigned for that position and the individual in it. The descriptions are subject to review by the Soil Science Department Chairman.

2.2.4.2         Departmental Thesis/Dissertation Proposal Requirements The student must prepare a thesis proposal for his/her advisor and for the graduate committee. The proposal must be approved prior to commencing research. The student must write a research progress report each semester that research credits are taken. The report is to be submitted to the major professor and made available to all faculty.

The thesis proposal normally will require about 5 pages of narrative, etc., and should not exceed 10 pages. A good format for the thesis proposal includes the following:

1. TITLE
2. OBJECTIVES
3. INTRODUCTION AND JUSTIFICATION
4. LITERATURE REVIEW
5. MATERIALS AND METHODS
6. LITERATURE CITATION

The thesis/dissertation proposal is due the second semester of a M.S. or Ph.D. student's term.

2.2.4.3         Departmental Thesis/ Dissertation Presentation Requirements It is best to present draft sections of the thesis (M.S. or Ph.D.) to the major professor as they are completed, obtain suggested revisions and prepare subsequent drafts. Generally, all sections of the thesis should have drafts completed several months before the final examination is planned. The major professor has the authority to require a satisfactory, completed draft of the thesis before approving the request to schedule the final examination. The student may work with and seek advice of others in preparing the thesis.

• Guidelines for the Preparation of Dissertation, Theses, and Papers (http://www.ndsu.edu/gradschool/current_students/dissertations_theses_and_papers/guidelines/) should be followed in preparing Thesis/Dissertations.
• The Department of Soil Science also requires that each Thesis/Dissertations must conform to the Publications Handbook and style Manual of the ASA, CSSA, SSSA (www.asa-cssa-sssa.org/publications/style/).

[1] One new person will be placed on this Committee each year. The Committee should process all applications within 7 working days of receipt by the department, using ad hoc substitute member(s), as needed. Application materials received by the Department will then be immediately scanned and put on a shared Departmental disk drive for all faculty to view and comment on to the Committee, if so desired. Also, a memo will be placed in each Soil Science professor's mailbox to inform them of the new application