Major Advisor
M.S. students work closely with their major professors in developing their total program.
Examining Committee
Formation of a M.S. Committee early in a student’s academic program is strongly encouraged. With the assistance of their advisor, students need to identify an Examining Committee composed of at least two additional Graduate Faculty for approval by the Department Graduate Committee Chair. The Examining Committee must be identified and the internal Examining Committee Form submitted at the time of submission of the Memorandum of Course. The M.S. thesis is approved or disapproved by the Examining Committee.
Memorandum of Courses
The Memorandum of Courses consist of a description of courses, research topic, and other requirements deemed desirable for completion of the M.S. program. Departmental minimum program requirements are the same as those established by the Office of Graduate Studies.
For the M.S. program, there are three options (I, II, and III). Option I is utilized by nearly all students in the Department of Animal Science. Students who are in option I must earn a minimum of 30 credits consisting of 20 to 24 credit hours of regular course work and 6 to 10 thesis credit (899) hours. Eight credit hours (in addition to 899) must be earned in courses open exclusively to graduate students (900 level or 800 level without 400 or lower counterparts).
At the M.S. level, however, it is possible for the student to pursue non-thesis options (see Graduate Catalog), which may be the best option for those not pursuing a doctorate (Option II) or a program to be continued for a higher degree (Option III), rather than the thesis option program (Option I). Options II and III are available to students only by special permission of the Animal Science Graduate Committee. Such permission must be obtained at the time of admission into the program. Requirements for Option II and III are provided by the Office of Graduate Studies (https://catalog.unl.edu/graduate-professional/graduate/degrees/masters). The Option chosen will be determined based on discussion with, and agreement by, the major professor.
The Memorandum of Courses for the M.S. degree is developed cooperatively by the student and major professor before grades have been received in more than one-half of the program credit hours. This is typically done during the student’s second semester of classes. Other faculty members may be involved if desired. The Memorandum of Courses must be approved by the Animal Science Graduate Committee Chair and then the Dean for Graduate Education.
Changes in Memorandum of Courses are permissible and proposals for such changes must be approved in the same manner as described for the original program proposal.
Guidelines for M.S. Examinations
General. Requirements for the M.S. degree are provided in Office of Graduate Studies Catalog. A written comprehensive examination is required for the M.S. degree. Because of differences in subject areas and advisors, as well as variation among student programs, the format of comprehensive examinations will be unique and is to be expected. The guidelines presented below are not intended to usurp the authority of the major professor and the Examining Committee, but are an attempt to encourage some uniformity within the Department of Animal Science.
A. Written Comprehensive Examination. When a student has substantially completed courses in the program, he/she must pass a written comprehensive examination. It is recommended that this examination be successfully completed within 10 months of the planned graduation date but must be passed at least four weeks prior to the Final Examination.
- The Major Advisor obtains questions from Examining Committee and from other faculty, where appropriate, to construct an examination specific for each student.
- The written examination should be completed within a period of one week, but the amount of time for each question or set of questions, and the format of the exam, will be left to the Major Advisor.
- Answers to the questions are to be graded either as Pass or Fail or on a numerical scale (0 to 100%) by the faculty members who submitted the questions, each grading their own question(s). The Office of Graduate Studies does not have standards for determining a passing grade on the written examination. It is recommended that a passing grade be 70% of the questions, if graded Pass or Fail, or 70%, averaged over the questions, if assigned numerical scores.
B. Oral Comprehensive Examination. This is not required by the Office of Graduate Studies or the Department but may be required by the major advisor. If there is an examination, it is recommended that:
- The oral examination should be given as soon as possible after the written examination is completed and graded.
- Answers to the written comprehensive examination questions should be available for review by the Examining Committee.
C. Thesis. The following must be adhered to:
- The thesis must be presented to Examining Committee in time to permit review; or as a minimum two weeks prior to the Final Examination.
- Details, including deadlines, for the preparation and submission of the Thesis is provided by Office of Graduate Studies. A single final copy of the thesis must be provided to the Secretary of the Graduate Committee in the Department of Animal Science.
D. Time and Place of Final Examination. Final examinations are required for M.S. candidates. Furthermore, all examinations must be conducted at the time and place they are scheduled. The Final Examination Report Form is to be completed by the student and forwarded to the Department Office four weeks before the time of the examination. The time and place of the final exam will be included in the Animal Science Newsletter or announced by memo to the Animal Science faculty. The Final Examination Report Form must be received in the Office of Graduate Studies at least four weeks before the final examination. A preliminary (non-final) copy of the thesis, including title page and abstract, must be presented to the Office of Graduate Studies at least two weeks before the final examination for review of formatting, font type, etc.
E. Conduct of Final Examination. The student may present the results of the thesis in the form of a seminar, but this is not required. Thesis defense presentations are open to the public. Graduate students, plus those faculty not participating in the final examination, are then typically excused and the examination over the thesis and any other areas deemed pertinent by the Examining Committee (e.g., written examination results) proceeds to conclusion.
Statute of Limitation
The work required for the M.S. degree must be completed within ten consecutive years. No courses can be revalidated after the 10-year period.