M.S. in Environmental Science Graduate Program Handbook · Dr. Jennifer Boyd Dr. John Tucker...
Transcript of M.S. in Environmental Science Graduate Program Handbook · Dr. Jennifer Boyd Dr. John Tucker...
![Page 1: M.S. in Environmental Science Graduate Program Handbook · Dr. Jennifer Boyd Dr. John Tucker Graduate Program Coordinator Department Chair jennifer-boyd@utc.edu john-tucker@utc.edu](https://reader030.fdocuments.us/reader030/viewer/2022040204/5eca1140a9bd6d2a2b2e6a4c/html5/thumbnails/1.jpg)
M.S.inEnvironmentalScienceGraduateProgramHandbook
DepartmentofBiology,Geology,andEnvironmentalScience
![Page 2: M.S. in Environmental Science Graduate Program Handbook · Dr. Jennifer Boyd Dr. John Tucker Graduate Program Coordinator Department Chair jennifer-boyd@utc.edu john-tucker@utc.edu](https://reader030.fdocuments.us/reader030/viewer/2022040204/5eca1140a9bd6d2a2b2e6a4c/html5/thumbnails/2.jpg)
Welcome
WelcometotheMasterofScienceinEnvironmentalScience(M.S.ESC)programofferedbytheDepartmentofBiology,Geology,andEnvironmentalScience(BGES)attheUniversityofTennesseeatChattanooga(UTC).Ourprogramisdesignedtopreparescholarsandprofessionalstomeettheneedsofacademia,business,government,andthenon-profitsectorinthefieldofenvironmentalscience.Towardthisgoal,weemphasizesoundscientificandtechnicaltrainingcoupledwithanunderstandingofcontemporarysocioeconomic,politicalandlegalrealities.OurStudents
• Havetheopportunitytocontributetothedevelopmentofknowledgeinthefieldofenvironmentalsciencethroughscholarlyresearchand/orexperience.
• Prepareforcareerswithdiverseemployersincludingconservationorganizations,consultingfirms,governmentagencies,andschools,andforadmissionintodoctoralandprofessionaldegreeprograms.
OurFaculty
• Offercoursesthatemphasizethedevelopmentofadvancedcriticalthinkingandeffectiveadvocacyandcommunicationskillsusefultoaddressingenvironmentalissuesinaholisticandreal-worldcontext.
• Engagestudentsinresearchinawiderangeofsubdisciplinesincludingbiodiversityandsystematics,conservationandrestoration,ecology,environmentalandhumanhealth,environmentalpolicyandlaw,evolutionandbehavior,geospatialscience,andmolecularbiology,cellularbiologyandphysiology.
OurDepartment
• Supportsstudentexperientiallearningwithaccesstostate-of-the-artresearchandteachingfacilitiesandresourcesbothonandoffcampus.
• ConnectswithitscommunitythroughrelationswithlocalorganizationsandagenciessuchastheChattanoogaZoo,CityofChattanooga,ErlangerHealthSystems,NorthChickamaugaCreekConservancy,TennesseeAquarium,TennesseeRiverGorgeTrust,andTennesseeValleyAuthority.
ForMoreInformation Dr.JenniferBoyd Dr.JohnTucker
GraduateProgramCoordinator [email protected] [email protected]:423-425-5638 tel:423-425-434
![Page 3: M.S. in Environmental Science Graduate Program Handbook · Dr. Jennifer Boyd Dr. John Tucker Graduate Program Coordinator Department Chair jennifer-boyd@utc.edu john-tucker@utc.edu](https://reader030.fdocuments.us/reader030/viewer/2022040204/5eca1140a9bd6d2a2b2e6a4c/html5/thumbnails/3.jpg)
TableofContents
Welcome&ContactInformation preface1.Admissions 1 1.1AcademicRequirements 1 1.2IdentifyingaGraduateAdvisor 1 1.3ApplyingtotheProgram 12.ProgramofStudy 3 2.1CoreCourses 3 2.2Electives 3 2.3CapstoneExperience 43.Policies&Procedures 7 3.1ProgramofStudyDeclaration 7 3.2Advisement 7 3.3CourseEnrollment 9 3.4ThesisRequirements 11 3.5InternshipRequirements 14 3.6LearningDiscourseRequirements 19 3.7AcademicPerformance 22 3.8CapstoneExperienceProgress 23 3.9Graduation 234.FinancialAssistance 26 4.1GraduateTeachingAssistantships 26 4.2GraduateResearchAssistantships 27 4.3OtherInstitutionalSupport 28 4.4.GraduateStudentLoans 295.CampusResources 30
5.1GraduateStudentAssociation 30 5.2Library 305.3Technology 305.4ResearchCompliance 305.5Counseling 315.6Accommodation 31
ListofESCGraduateFaculty AppendixA2016–2017ImportantDates&Deadlines AppendixBStudentChecklists AppendixC
![Page 4: M.S. in Environmental Science Graduate Program Handbook · Dr. Jennifer Boyd Dr. John Tucker Graduate Program Coordinator Department Chair jennifer-boyd@utc.edu john-tucker@utc.edu](https://reader030.fdocuments.us/reader030/viewer/2022040204/5eca1140a9bd6d2a2b2e6a4c/html5/thumbnails/4.jpg)
1.Admissions
1
PriortoapplyingtotheM.S.ESCprogramatUTC,youshouldensurethatyoumeetassociatedacademicrequirementsandidentifyafacultymemberwhowillserveasyourgraduateadvisor.Itisimportanttonotethattherequirementslistedhereareminimumsforconsiderationanddonotguaranteeacceptanceintotheprogram.Ultimately,admissionsdecisionsarebasedonevaluationsofquantitativeandqualitativeinformation,includingthecompatibilityofyourenvironmentalscienceinterestswiththatofourfaculty.
1.1AcademicRequirementsAsanapplicanttotheM.S.ESCprogram,youshouldmeetthefollowingacademicrequirements:
• Abaccalaureatedegreefromaregionallyaccreditedinstitutionofhighereducationorforeignequivalent
• AnoverallGPAof2.75oraGPAof3.0forthelast60credithours• SatisfactoryscoresonthegeneralGraduateRecordExamination(GRE),generally
definedasscoresabovethe25thpercentilefortheverbalandquantitativesections• Backgroundknowledgeofenvironmentalscienceconceptsequivalenttoatwo-
semesterundergraduateintroductoryenvironmentalsciencesequenceand/oranundergraduateorgraduateecologycourse
Thefollowingadditionalacademicpreparationisrecommended:• Atleastfourupper-levelundergraduatesciencecourseswithlabcomponents• Onecourseeachinenvironmentalethicsandenvironmentallaw• Onecourseeachincollegecalculus,introductorystatistics,andcomputerscience
1.2IdentifyingaGraduateAdvisorBecauseacloseadvisoryrelationshipbetweeneverygraduatestudentandagraduatefacultymemberisahallmarkoftheprogram,youmustidentifyafacultymemberwillingtoserveasyourgraduateadvisoraspartoftheadmissionprocess.Toinitiatethisprocess,wesuggestthatyouemailoneormoregraduatefacultymemberswhoshareyourinterestsinenvironmentalscienceatleastonefullsemesterbeforeyouanticipatestartingtheprogramtoallowtimeforconsiderationoftheirbackgroundandinterests.ProvidingaCVorrésuméand/orotherrelevantinformationwithyouremailwillfacilitatethiscommunication.AlistofprogramfacultyandresearchinterestsisprovidedinsidethebackcoverofthisHandbook.
1.3ApplyingtotheProgramAllapplicationsforadmissiontotheprogramareinitiallyhandledbytheGraduateSchoolatUTCandthenforwardedtotheDepartmentofBiology,Geology,andEnvironmentalScience(BGES)forreviewbyitsgraduatefaculty.Applicationinstructionsandlinkstotheonlineapplicationprocessareavailableathttps://www.utc.edu/apply/.Tobeconsideredcomplete,yourapplicationtotheM.S.ESCprogrammustincludethefollowingmaterials:
![Page 5: M.S. in Environmental Science Graduate Program Handbook · Dr. Jennifer Boyd Dr. John Tucker Graduate Program Coordinator Department Chair jennifer-boyd@utc.edu john-tucker@utc.edu](https://reader030.fdocuments.us/reader030/viewer/2022040204/5eca1140a9bd6d2a2b2e6a4c/html5/thumbnails/5.jpg)
2
• Officialtranscriptsfromeveryinstitutionofhighereducationthatyouattended• AnofficialreportofyourGREscores• Acoverletterthatservesasastatementofpurposebydetailingyourrelevant
experiences,reasonsforpursuingthedegree,andgeneralplansforthegraduateprogramofstudy,includingidentificationofagraduateadvisorwhohasagreedtoserveinthiscapacity
• ACVorrésumé• Lettersofrecommendationfromatleastthreeindividualsfamiliarwithyouracademic
abilityand/orrelevantexperience
Inaddition,youmaysubmitoptionalsupplementarymaterialsevidencinganyrelevantandsubstantialpreparationand/orexperience,suchasacopyofawrittenundergraduatecapstoneprojectorpublication
CompleteapplicationsareforwardedfromtheGraduateSchooltotheESCGraduateProgramCoordinatorandthendistributedtomembersoftheprogramfacultyforreview.Admissiontotheprogramisrolling.However,wesuggestthatyousubmityourapplicationmaterialsbymid-Marchforfallsemesterenrollmentorbyearly-Octoberforspringsemesterenrollmenttoallowsufficienttimeforapplicationreview.Ifyousubmityourapplicationafterthesesuggestedsubmissiontimes,itmaynotbereviewedintimeforadmissionforthefollowingsemester.
![Page 6: M.S. in Environmental Science Graduate Program Handbook · Dr. Jennifer Boyd Dr. John Tucker Graduate Program Coordinator Department Chair jennifer-boyd@utc.edu john-tucker@utc.edu](https://reader030.fdocuments.us/reader030/viewer/2022040204/5eca1140a9bd6d2a2b2e6a4c/html5/thumbnails/6.jpg)
2.ProgramofStudy
3
ToearntheM.S.ESCdegreeatUTC,youmustcompleteaprogramofstudyconsistingof36totalsemesterhours(i.e.,credits)ofcoursework.Thesehoursincludeacademiccreditassociatedwithcorecourses,electives,andagraduatecapstoneexperience.Descriptionsoftheserequirementsfollow.
2.1CoreCourses
AllESCgraduatestudentsmustcomplete15semesterhoursofrequiredcorecourses.Thesecoursearelistedinthetablebelow:
CoreCoursesoftheM.S.ESCProgram
CourseNumber Title CreditHours
ESC5020 MechanismsintheEnvironment 3
ESC5050 BiodiversityandNaturalResourcesConservation 3
ESC5120 AppliedStatisticsforEnvironmentalScientists 4
ESC5140 EnvironmentalLawandRegulations 3
ESC5700 SeminarI 1
ESC5710 SeminarII 1
2.2Electives
EveryESCgraduatestudentalsomustcompleteeither15or18semesterhoursofunrestrictedgraduateelectives.Yourrequirednumberofelectivehoursisdeterminedbythecapstoneexperiencethatyouchoosetopursueinpartialfulfillmentofthedegree.Specifically,studentsconductingathesisorinternshipforthecapstoneexperiencemustcomplete15hoursofelectives,whilestudentsconductingalearneddiscoursemustcomplete18hoursofelectives.Yourelectivehoursmaybecomprisedofgraduate-levelelectivecoursesofferedbytheDepartmentofBiology,Geology,andEnvironmentalScience(BGES)orgraduate-levelcoursesofferedbyotherdepartmentsthatarerelevanttothestudyofenvironmentalscienceandyourspecificdegreeprogramobjectivesasapprovedbyyourgraduateadvisor.Questionsabouttherelevanceofspecificcoursestoyourdegreeprogram(especiallythoseofferedoutsideofBGES)shouldbedirectedtoyouradvisorandtotheESCGraduateProgramCoordinator.
![Page 7: M.S. in Environmental Science Graduate Program Handbook · Dr. Jennifer Boyd Dr. John Tucker Graduate Program Coordinator Department Chair jennifer-boyd@utc.edu john-tucker@utc.edu](https://reader030.fdocuments.us/reader030/viewer/2022040204/5eca1140a9bd6d2a2b2e6a4c/html5/thumbnails/7.jpg)
4
2.3CapstoneExperience
EachESCgraduatestudentmustchooseoneofthreecapstoneexperiencesfortheprogramofstudy–thesis,internship,orlearneddiscourse.Youshouldconsultwithyourgraduateadvisortodeviseaformalplanforthisexperienceappropriateforyouracademicobjectives,researchinterests,andcareergoals.Ideally,youinitiatedthisconversationwithyourprospectiveadvisorwhenyouwereapplyingtotheprogram.Thesis
Thethesisoptioninvolvesindependentoriginalresearchfocusedonaspecificissuethatisrelevanttoenvironmentalscience.Thisresearchwilldemonstratebroadknowledgeofthetopic,identifyagapintheknowledgebase,andattempttofillthatgapthroughappropriatestudy.Initiationofathesisrequiresacceptancebyyourgraduateadvisorycommitteeofaproposalthatdescribesyourthesisobjectives,providesapreliminaryreviewofpertinentliterature,outlinesthemethodologiesthatyouwilluse,anddetailstherelevanceofyourthesistothefield.Youthenwillworkcloselywithyourgraduateadvisortowardmeetingyourthesisobjectives.Athesisisanappropriatechoiceforyourcapstoneexperienceifyouwanttogainbroadlyapplicableresearchexperience.Itisespeciallyrecommendedifyouareconsideringfuturedoctoralstudiesoracareerinvolvingresearchactivitiesoroversight.
Athesiscapstoneexperienceculminateswithyoursubmissionofasuccessfulwrittenthesisandyoursuccessfulpublicoraldefenseofthisthesisasassessedbyyourgraduateadvisorycommittee.Asuccessfulwrittenthesiswillincludeaclearandfocusedstatementofpurpose,comprehensivereviewofrelevantliterature,explanationofstudydesignandmethodologies,appropriateanalysesandinterpretationofdata,anddescriptionofthesignificanceoffindings.Asuccessfuldefensewillinvolveclearpresentationofyourthesisandinformedandthoughtfulanswerstoquestionsfromyourgraduatecommitteeandtheaudienceaboutitssubstanceandsignificance.OnceapprovedbytheGraduateSchool,yourwrittenthesisbecomespartofthepermanentbodyofscientificknowledgeandisconsideredareflectionofyou,youradvisor,BGES,andtheUTCasawhole.
IfyouopttoconductathesisinpartialfulfillmentoftheM.S.ESCdegree,youmustenrollinatleast6semesterhoursofESC5999(Thesis)whileactivelyengagedinyourthesisresearch,writing,and/ordefensepreparation,withatleasttwoofthesecredithourscompletedduringthesemesterofyourgraduation.Onceyouinitiateyourthesis,youmustregisterforthesishourscontinuously(i.e.,everysemester)untilyougraduate.Fordeterminingcontinuousthesisregistration,thesummertermisnotconsidered.Assuch,youdonotneedtoregisterforESC5999duringsummersessionswhileconductingyourthesisresearch;however,youmayopttodosoifthisissuggestedandapprovedbyyourgraduateadvisor.YoushouldconsultwithyourgraduateadvisortodeterminethenumberofESC5999hoursforwhichyoushouldregistereachsemester,dependingontheworkthatyouplantodotowardcompletingyourthesis.Internship
Theinternshipoptionisdesignedtoprovideyouwithanopportunitytoacquirespecializedtechnical/professionalknowledgebyworkingonanenvironmentalprojectwithanappropriate
![Page 8: M.S. in Environmental Science Graduate Program Handbook · Dr. Jennifer Boyd Dr. John Tucker Graduate Program Coordinator Department Chair jennifer-boyd@utc.edu john-tucker@utc.edu](https://reader030.fdocuments.us/reader030/viewer/2022040204/5eca1140a9bd6d2a2b2e6a4c/html5/thumbnails/8.jpg)
5
sponsoringorganizationorbusiness.Asaformofexperientiallearning,aninternshipwillintegrateyouracademicknowledgeinenvironmentalsciencewithitspracticalapplicationinaworkplacesetting.InitiationofaninternshipinpartialfulfillmentoftheM.S.ESCdegreerequiresthatyouidentifyasuitableinternshipopportunityandthatyourgraduateadvisorycommitteeandaworkplacesupervisorapproveaproposalthatdescribesyourinternshipobjectives,providesapreliminaryreviewofpertinentliterature,detailsworktobecompleted,anddiscussestherelevanceoftheinternshiptotheworkplaceandyourcareergoals.Yourinternshipmaybepaidorunpaid.Duringtheinternship,youwillworkcloselywithyourworkplacesupervisorwithoversightfromyourgraduateadvisortowardmeetingyourinternshipobjectives.Youandyourworkplacesupervisorwillberequiredtodocumentyourexperienceviaaseriesofformalperiodicreportstoyourgraduateadvisor.Aninternshipisanappropriatechoiceforyourcapstoneexperienceifyouwishtodevelopskillsspecializedforaparticulartypeofenvironmentalwork.Itisespeciallyrecommendedifyouhaveveryspecificcareergoals(e.g.,naturalresourcemanagement,environmentalconsulting)thatdonotrequirefurthergraduatestudies.
Aninternshipcapstoneexperienceculminateswithyoursubmissionofasuccessfulwritteninternshipreportanditssuccessfulpublicoraldefenseasassessedbyyourgraduateadvisorycommittee.Asuccessfulwritteninternshipreportwillincludeaclearandfocusedstatementofgoals,comprehensivereviewofrelevantliterature,descriptionofspecificactivitiesperformed,andexplanationofthesignificanceofthoseactivitiestomeetingtheinternshipobjectives.Asuccessfuldefensewillinvolveclearpresentationofyourinternshipandinformedandthoughtfulanswerstoquestionsfromthegraduateadvisorycommitteeandaudienceaboutthesubstanceandsignificanceofyourexperience.
IfyouopttoconductaninternshipinpartialfulfillmentoftheM.S.ESCdegree,youmustcomplete600hoursofenvironmentallyfocusedworkasasupervisedinternwithanexternalemployerorotheragency.Thisobligationamountsto15weeksoffull-time(i.e.,40hours/week)or30weeksofpart-time(i.e.,20hours/week)work.Whileactivelyengagedinyourinternshipwork,reportwriting,and/ordefensepreparation,youmustenrollinatleast6semesterhoursofESC5996(Internship);atleasttwoofthesehoursmustbeduringthesemesterofyoursuccessfuldefense.LearnedDiscourse
Thelearneddiscourseoptionallowsyoutoexploredeeplyaspecifictopicrelevanttoenvironmentalsciencethroughindependentandoriginalreviewofrelevantavailableliterature.Initiationofalearneddiscourserequiresacceptancebyyourgraduateadvisorycommitteeofaproposalthatdescribesyourlearneddiscourseobjectives,providesapreliminaryreviewofpertinentliterature,outlinesacomprehensiveliteraturereview,anddiscussestherelevanceofyourlearneddiscoursetothefield.Youthenwillworkcloselywithyourgraduateadvisortowardmeetingyourlearneddiscourseobjectives.Alearneddiscourseisanappropriatechoiceforyourcapstoneexperienceifyouwanttofurtheryourknowledgebaseinanenvironmentalsciencetopicwithoutfocusondevelopmentofappliedresearchorspecializedworkplaceskills.Thelearneddiscourseoptionisespeciallyrecommendedifyouwanttoadvanceinanalreadyestablishedcareer.
![Page 9: M.S. in Environmental Science Graduate Program Handbook · Dr. Jennifer Boyd Dr. John Tucker Graduate Program Coordinator Department Chair jennifer-boyd@utc.edu john-tucker@utc.edu](https://reader030.fdocuments.us/reader030/viewer/2022040204/5eca1140a9bd6d2a2b2e6a4c/html5/thumbnails/9.jpg)
6
Alearneddiscourseprogramofstudyculminateswithyoursubmissionofasuccessfulwrittendiscourseanditssuccessfulpublicoraldefenseasassessedbyyourgraduateadvisorycommittee.Asuccessfulwrittendiscoursewillincludeaclearandfocusedstatementofpurpose,comprehensivereviewofrelevantliterature,synthesisoffindings,anddescriptionoftheirsignificancetothefield.Asuccessfuldefensewillinvolveclearpresentationofyourlearneddiscourseandinformedandthoughtfulanswerstoquestionsfromyourgraduatecommitteeandaudienceaboutitssubstanceandsignificance.
IfyouopttoconductalearneddiscourseinpartialfulfillmentoftheM.S.ESCdegree,youmustcompleteatleast3semesterhoursofassociatedESC5998(Research)whileactivelyengagedinyourlearneddiscourseresearchand/orwriting.Youmaycompletethese3hourspriortothesemesterofyourdefense;however,yourprogramofstudywillnotbecompleteuntilyousuccessfullydefendyourlearneddiscourse.YoushouldconsultwithyourgraduateadvisortodeterminethenumberofESC5998hoursforwhichyoushouldregistereachsemester,dependingontheworkthatyouplantodotowardcompletingyourthesis.
![Page 10: M.S. in Environmental Science Graduate Program Handbook · Dr. Jennifer Boyd Dr. John Tucker Graduate Program Coordinator Department Chair jennifer-boyd@utc.edu john-tucker@utc.edu](https://reader030.fdocuments.us/reader030/viewer/2022040204/5eca1140a9bd6d2a2b2e6a4c/html5/thumbnails/10.jpg)
3.Policies&Procedures
7
StudentspursingtheM.S.ESCdegreeatUTCaregovernedbytheoverallpoliciesandproceduresimplementedbytheGraduateSchoolatUTCandrelatedprogram-specificrequirementssetforthbytheUTCDepartmentofBiology,Geology,andEnvironmentalScience.Assuch,youshouldfamiliarizeyourselfwithboththepoliciesandproceduresdescribedinthisHandbookandthoseoutlinedinUTC’sGraduateStudentCatalog,whichislinkedontheGraduateSchoolwebsite.QuestionsaboutpoliciesandproceduresshouldbedirectedtotheESCGraduateProgramCoordinator.
3.1ProgramofStudyDeclaration
PriortoadmissionorveryearlyinyourfirstsemesterofenrollmentintheM.S.ESCprogram,youshouldhaveconversationswithyourgraduateadvisorthatfocusonthedetailsofyourprogramofstudy.YoumustofficiallydeclareyourprogramofstudybyfilingaProgramofStudyformwiththeGraduateSchoolbytheendofyourfirstsemesterofenrollment.
Ontheform,youshoulddeclare‘ESC’asyourmajor,and‘Thesis’,‘Internship’,or‘LearnedDiscourse’asyourconcentration.Whendescribingyourprogramofstudycoursework,youneedonlytolistthecorecoursesfortheM.S.ESCdegreeprogram,aswellasanycoursestakenpriortoenrollmentforwhichyouarerequestingTransferCredit(seeHandbooksection3.3).Youarepermittedalsotoincludeplannedelectivecoursesontheform,butyouwouldthenneedtodocumentformallyanysubsequentchangestotheseplannedcoursespriortoprogramcompletion.Forthisreason,youareencouragedtoincludeonlythecorecoursesofthedegreeprogramonthisform.PriortoitssubmissiontotheGraduateSchool,you,yourgraduateadvisor,andtheESCGraduateProgramCoordinatormustsignyourProgramofStudyform.Itispreferredthatyousubmitallformselectronically.ProgramofStudyChanges
Ifyoudecidetochangeyourprogramofstudy(e.g.,fromthesistointernship),youmustofficiallydocumentthischangewiththeGraduateSchoolpriortograduation.YoushouldwaittomakethisformalnotificationuntilyounearprogramcompletionandapplyforaGraduationAudit(seeHandbooksection3.9);donotsubmitasecondProgramofStudyformtotheGraduateSchool.However,youshouldinformtheESCGraduateProgramCoordinatorofyourprogramofstudychangebyemailbeforetheendofthecurrentsemesterorthebeginningofanewsemesterifthechangeismadeduringsummerorwinterbreaksothatdepartmentalrecordscanbekeptcurrent.
3.2Advisement
AdvisoryRoles
Theroleofyourgraduateadvisoristosuperviseyourentireprogramofstudy,includingtheselectionofappropriatecourseworkandyourthesis,internship,orlearneddiscourseprogress.Earlyconsultationsbetweenyouandyourgraduateadvisorshouldincludediscussionofatleasttwoadditionalpeoplewithgraduatefacultystatusandexpertiseinthestudyareatoserveon
![Page 11: M.S. in Environmental Science Graduate Program Handbook · Dr. Jennifer Boyd Dr. John Tucker Graduate Program Coordinator Department Chair jennifer-boyd@utc.edu john-tucker@utc.edu](https://reader030.fdocuments.us/reader030/viewer/2022040204/5eca1140a9bd6d2a2b2e6a4c/html5/thumbnails/11.jpg)
8
yourgraduateadvisorycommittee.Theroleofthecommitteemembersistoprovideyouwithsupplementaryadvisementandadditionalevaluationofyourthesis,internship,orlearneddiscourse.(Intheeventthatacommitteemember’sroleisexpectedtoextendbeyondsuchsupplementaladvisement,youmayidentifythatcommitteememberasaco-advisor.)Youshouldmeetwithyourgraduateadvisorregularlyandwithyourentiregraduateadvisorycommitteeasneeded(asdeterminedwiththehelpofyouradvisor).
AcurrentlistoffacultyintheDepartmentofBiology,Geology,andEnvironmentalSciencewithgraduatefacultystatusisprovidedinsidethebackcoverofthisHandbook.AnupdatedandmorecomprehensivelistofapprovedGraduateFacultyMembersatUTCismaintainedbytheGraduateSchoolonitswebsite.Otherqualifiedpersonsmaybeappointedtothegraduatefacultyifyourgraduateadvisorsuggeststhattheywillprovidespecialacademicexpertiseorprofessionalexperiencetoyourgraduateadvisorycommittee.Ifyouareinterestedinseekingcommitteeappointmentforaqualifiedexternalindividual,talkwiththeESCGraduateProgramCoordinatorformoreinformationaboutthisprocess.GraduateCommitteeAppointment
BeforetheendofyourfirstsemesterofenrollmentintheM.S.ESCprogram,youmustofficiallyidentifyyourgraduateadvisorandgraduateadvisorycommitteemembers.Theprocessfordoingthisvariesaccordingtothecapstoneexperiencethatyouchoosetopursue.Ifyouareplanningtoconductathesis,youmustidentifyyourgraduateadvisorandcommitteemembersbyfilinganofficialGraduateCommitteeAppointmentformwiththeGraduateSchool.You,yourgraduateadvisor,allofyourgraduateadvisorycommitteemembers,andtheDepartmentChairmustsignthisformpriortoitssubmission.
Ifyouareplanningtoconductaninternshiporlearneddiscourse,youmustidentifyyourgraduateadvisorandcommitteemembersbyfilinganInternship/LearnedDiscourseCommitteeAppointmentformwiththeESCGraduateProgramCoordinator.You,youradvisor,andallofyourgraduatecommitteemembersmustsignthisform.GraduateCommitteeChanges
Ifyoudecidetochangeyourgraduateadvisorand/oranyofyourgraduatecommitteemembers,youmustofficiallydocumentsuchchanges.Todoso,youshouldsubmitanewGraduateCommitteeAppointmentform(thesisstudentsonly)orInternship/LearnedDiscourseCommitteeAppointmentformbeforetheendofthesemesterinwhichthechangeismadeorbythebeginningofthenextsemesterifthechangeismadeduringsummerorwinterbreak.Student&FacultyResponsibilities
BothESCgraduatestudentsandfacultyareresponsibleforfollowingthepoliciesandproceduresoftheGraduateSchoolandtheM.S.ESCprogramassetforthbytheDepartmentofBiology,Geology,andEnvironmentalScience.Thisresponsibilityincludesfullunderstandingofprogramofstudyrequirementsandexpectationsforacademicperformanceandthesis,internship,orlearneddiscourseprogress.
![Page 12: M.S. in Environmental Science Graduate Program Handbook · Dr. Jennifer Boyd Dr. John Tucker Graduate Program Coordinator Department Chair jennifer-boyd@utc.edu john-tucker@utc.edu](https://reader030.fdocuments.us/reader030/viewer/2022040204/5eca1140a9bd6d2a2b2e6a4c/html5/thumbnails/12.jpg)
9
Asastudent,youareprimarilyresponsibleforfulfillingtherequirementsandmeetingtheexpectationsoftheGraduateSchoolandtheprogram.Thisincludesmeetingexpectationsforperformanceandprogress,aswellascorrectandtimelysubmissionofallrequireddocuments(i.e.,forms,proposals,reports,finaldocuments)associatedwithyourprogramofstudy.Yourgraduateadvisorwillplayasignificantroleinyoureducationandtrainingasagraduatestudent.Assuch,yourgraduateadvisorassumesresponsibilityforhelpingyoutoselectcourseworkappropriatetoyourprogramofstudyandbeingawareofyouracademicprogressandstatus.Yourgraduateadvisoralsoisresponsibleforguidingandfacilitatingyourthesis,internship,andlearneddiscourseobjectivesandactivitiestowardthepromotionofyourenvironmentalscienceknowledge,experientiallearning,andprofessionalskilldevelopment.
Frequentcommunicationbetweenyouandyourgraduateadvisorisimperativetoyoursuccessintheprogram.Thiscorrespondencewillfacilitateearlyidentificationofconcernsorissuesthatcouldimpedeyourperformanceand/orprogresssothatthoseconcernsorissuescanbeaddressed.Assuch,werecommendthatyoudeviseascheduleforregularcommunicationwithyourgraduateadvisorthroughoutenrollmentintheprogram.
3.3CourseEnrollment
Registration
Youmustconsultwithyourgraduateadvisortodiscussappropriatecoursesinwhichtoenrolleachsemester.WerecommendinitiatingthisdiscussionjustpriortothecourseregistrationperiodsdesignatedbytheUTCRecordsOffice(aroundearlyNovemberforspringcoursesandearlyAprilforfallcourses).Aftertheconsultation,youradvisorwillprovideyouwithasix-digitPINthatwillenableyoutoregisterforclassesviatheonlineUTCregistrationsystemlocatedinMyMocsNetunderthe‘Academics’tab.Forcompletedetails,includingyoureligibilityandappointmenttimes,seetheImportantInformationforRegistrationatUTCpostedbytheRecordsOfficeonitswebsite.CourseLoads
IfyouarenotreceivingaGraduateAssistantshipprovidedbyUTC(seeHandbooksection4),youtechnicallymayregisterforupto15semesterhoursduringthefallandspringsemester.However,thiscourseloadisnottypicalorrecommendedbyourfacultygiventheintensivenatureofgraduatecourses.IfyouarefundedbyaGraduateAssistantship(seeHandbooksection4),youmayregisterforupto12semesterhoursduringthefallandspringsemesters.Werecommendthatyouconsultwithyouradvisortodeterminesemestercourseloadsthatareappropriateforyougivenyourtimeexpectationtocompletetheprogramandothermajorobligations(suchasoutsideemployment).Agoodruleofthumbtoconsideristhatgraduatecoursestypicallyrequireabout4-5hoursofstudytimeperweekoutsideofclassforeachhourspentinclass.So,atypical3-creditgraduatecoursecouldinvolvea12-15-hourtotaltimecommitmenteachweekwithmostofthistimeoccurringoutsideofclass.
IfyouarenotreceivingaGraduateAssistantshipprovidedbyUTCduringthesummer,youmayregisterforupto12totalsemesterhoursduringthesummeracademicterms.Ifyouarefunded
![Page 13: M.S. in Environmental Science Graduate Program Handbook · Dr. Jennifer Boyd Dr. John Tucker Graduate Program Coordinator Department Chair jennifer-boyd@utc.edu john-tucker@utc.edu](https://reader030.fdocuments.us/reader030/viewer/2022040204/5eca1140a9bd6d2a2b2e6a4c/html5/thumbnails/13.jpg)
10
byaGraduateAssistantshipduringthesummer,youmayregisterforupto6semesterhours.However,graduatecoursesaretypicallyextremelylimitedinsummer.Giventhis,graduatestudentsoftenusethesummerasanopportunitytofocusintensivelyontheirthesis,internship,orlearneddiscourse.Duringthistime,youmayregisterforESC5999(Thesis),ESC5996(Internship),orESC5998(Research;forlearneddiscourses)hoursifappropriatesectionsareavailableandthisregistrationisapprovedbyyourgraduateadvisor.EnrollmentStatus
TheUniversitywillconsideryoutohavefull-timestatusasagraduatestudentifyouareenrolledin9ormoresemesterhoursforgraduatecreditandhalf-timestatusifyouareenrolledin6-8semesterhoursforgraduatecreditduringthefallandspringsemesters.Inaddition,youwillbereportedasfull-timeequivalentforexternalfinancialaidpurposesifyouareenrolledinlessthan6hoursofESC5999(Thesis)towardtheendofyourprogramofstudyregardlessofthetotalnumberofsemesterhoursforwhichyouareregistered.IfyouaresupportedbyaGraduateAssistantshipprovidedbyUTC(seeHandbooksection4),areapproachinggraduation,anddonotneedtoregisterforfull-timehourstocompleteyourprogramofstudy,youmayrequestpriorauthorizationfromtheDeanoftheGraduateSchooltoenrollinlessthanfull-timehoursbysubmittingaGANineHourWaiverform.Ifyouhavespecificconcernsabouthowyourenrollmentstatuswillinfluenceyourfinancialaid,youshoulddiscusstheseconcernswiththeESCGraduateProgramCoordinator.TransferCredit
Youmustcompleteatleast24ofthe36semesterhoursrequiredtoearntheM.S.ESCdegreeforgraduatecreditatUTC.Youmayrequestthatupto12semesterhoursofotherqualifiedcoursesthatcarrygraduatecreditfromaregionallyaccreditedinstitutionofhighereducationcountascredittowardtheM.S.ESCdegree.QualifiedcoursesmustbeassociatedwithagradeofBorbetter,fitwithinthetimelimitoftheM.S.ESCprogramofstudy(seeHandbooksection3.9),andnothavecountedtowardapreviousundergraduateorgraduatedegree.
IfyouwanttorequestthatcreditfromaqualifiedcoursebeincludedinyourM.S.ESCprogramofstudy,youshouldtalkwiththeESCGraduateProgramCoordinatoraboutyourrequestandprovidehimorherwithacopyofthecoursesyllabus.TheCoordinatorthenwillreviewthesyllabuswithconsultationfromappropriatemembersofthegraduatefacultygiventhescopeofthecourse.Ifyourrequestfortransfercreditisapprovedattheprogramlevel,thecoursemaybelistedeitherwhenyoudeclareyourprogramofstudy(seeHandbooksection3.1)orlistedwhenyouapplyforagraduationaudit(seeHandbooksection3.9).AllprogramapprovalsoftransfercreditsaresubjecttofinalapprovalbytheDeanoftheGraduateSchool.ContinuousEnrollment
AsanESCgraduatestudent,youshouldworkcontinuouslytowardthecompletionofyourprogramofstudy.Ifyouareconductingathesis,thisalsomeansthatyoumustregisterforsemesterhourseveryfallandspringsemesteruntilyourprogramofstudyiscomplete(i.e.,untilyougraduate),asthiscontinuousenrollmentrequirementispartofthethesisprogramof
![Page 14: M.S. in Environmental Science Graduate Program Handbook · Dr. Jennifer Boyd Dr. John Tucker Graduate Program Coordinator Department Chair jennifer-boyd@utc.edu john-tucker@utc.edu](https://reader030.fdocuments.us/reader030/viewer/2022040204/5eca1140a9bd6d2a2b2e6a4c/html5/thumbnails/14.jpg)
11
study.Registrationduringsummersessionsisnotrequiredaspartofacontinuousprogramofstudy.Ifyouareconductinganinternshiporlearneddiscourse,continuousenrollmentalsoisexpected,butnotmandated.However,allbreaksinenrollmentwillrequirereadmissiontotheM.S.ESCprogram.QuestionsaboutthesepoliciesshouldbedirectedtotheESCGraduateProgramCoordinator.LeavesofAbsence&StopOuts
AllbreaksincontinuousenrollmentintheM.S.ESCprogramwillrequirethatyouapplyforreadmissiontotheprogram.InformingtheGraduateSchoolofaneedtobreakyourcontinuousenrollmentinM.S.ESCprogramwillfacilitateyoursubsequentreadmissionintotheprogram.IfyouareexperiencingcircumstancesthatprecludeyourcontinuedenrollmentintheM.S.ESCprogram,youshouldconsultwithyourgraduateadvisorandtheESCGraduateProgramCoordinatortodiscussfilingapossibleleaveofabsencerequestwiththeGraduateSchool.
IfextenuatingcircumstancesprecludeyourcontinuousenrollmentinESC5999(Thesis),youmayuseaRequestforStopOutformtorequestaone-time‘stopout’ofyourthesisprogressforuptofourcontinuoussemesters.Thisrequestmustbemadeevenifyouwillcontinuetoenrollinother(i.e.,non-thesis)coursework.Yourstopoutrequestmustbemadenolaterthantheendoftheenrollmentperiodofthesemesterprecedingthestartofyourrequestedstopoutandmustincluderationalandjustificationforyourrequest.Forthepurposesofstopoutrequests,theentiresummeriscountedasasemester.Yourstopoutrequestmustbeapprovedbyyourgraduateadvisor,theESCGraduateProgramCoordinator,andtheDeanoftheGraduateSchool.
3.4ThesisRequirements
InitiationofathesisforpartialfulfillmentoftheM.S.ESCdegreeinvolvesthedevelopmentofanapprovedproposalforyourthesisresearch.Yourthesiswillculminatewiththesubmissionofanapprovedwrittenthesisanditssuccessfulpublicdefense.ThesisProposalDevelopment
Ifyouopttocompleteathesis,youshouldbegintoprepareathesisproposaloutliningallaspectsofyourplannedthesisresearchwithguidancefromyourgraduateadvisorduringyourfirstsemesterintheprogram.Astandardthesisproposalwilldescribeyourthesisobjectives,provideapreliminaryreviewofpertinentliterature,outlinethemethodologiesthatyouwilluse,anddetailtherelevanceofyourthesistothefield.Yourgraduateadvisormayhaveadditionalspecificideasandrequestsforthecontentofyourproposal.Yourproposalshouldbesufficientlydetailedtoprovideyouwithaplantofollowtoconductyourresearch,includingatimelineforsignificantaccomplishments.
Afinaldraftofyourthesisproposalshouldbeapprovedbyyourgraduateadvisorpriortoitsdistributiontoyourothergraduateadvisorycommitteemembersfortheirreview.Asacourtesy,youshouldaskyourcommitteemembersoftheirpreferencesforelectronicorhardcopiesofyourproposal.Onceallofyourcommitteemembershavehadadequatetimeto
![Page 15: M.S. in Environmental Science Graduate Program Handbook · Dr. Jennifer Boyd Dr. John Tucker Graduate Program Coordinator Department Chair jennifer-boyd@utc.edu john-tucker@utc.edu](https://reader030.fdocuments.us/reader030/viewer/2022040204/5eca1140a9bd6d2a2b2e6a4c/html5/thumbnails/15.jpg)
12
reviewtheproposal(atleasttwoweeksisrecommended),youshouldorganizeafullcommitteemeetingtodiscussyourproposalandacquireconstructivefeedback.
Asevidenceoftimelyprogress,yourthesisproposalshouldbeapprovedbyyourgraduateadvisorycommitteebytheendofyoursecondsemesterofenrollmentintheprogram.However,youareencouragedtocompleteyourproposalbytheendofthefirstsemesterofenrollmentsothatyoucaninitiateyourthesisworkasearlyaspossible.ESC5999Registration&Grading
Afteryourthesishasbeenapprovedbyyourgraduateadvisorycommittee,youmayregisterforESC5999(Thesis)semesterhours.Intotal,youmustregisterfor6semesterhoursofESC5999whileengagedinyourthesisresearch,writingyourthesis,and/orpreparingforitsdefense.Youmustregisterforatleast2ofthesesemesterhoursofESC5999duringthesemesterofyourgraduation.Youshouldconsultwithyourgraduateadvisortodetermineanappropriateplanforregistrationandcompletingyour6totalESC5999semesterhours.
ForallsemestersthatyouregisterforESC5999hourspriortothesemesterofyourgraduation,youwillearnagradeofSP(SatisfactoryProgress)orNP(Non-satisfactoryProgress)asdeterminedbyyourgraduateadvisor.Thesegradesarenotfactoredintoyourgradepointaverage.However,ifyouearnanNPgradeforESC5999fortwosemesters,thedepartmentalGraduateFacultyCommitteewillreviewyourthesisproposalandprogresstodetermineanappropriatecourseofaction.Ifyouarefoundtoberesponsibleforthelackoftimelyprogresstowardcompletingyourthesis,suchactionscouldinvolveformalprobationordismissalfromtheprogram.
TocompeteyourESC5999hours,youmustprepareawrittenthesisthatisapprovedbyyourgraduateadvisorycommitteeandsuccessfullydefendit.YoualsomuchsubmitafinalversionofyourthesistotheGraduateSchoolforreview.(ThesetasksaredetailedlaterinthissectionoftheHandbook).Ifapproved,youwillbeassignedagradeofS(Satisfactory)foryourfinalESC5999semester,indicatingcompletionofyourthesis.Thisgradeisnotfactoredintoyourgradepointaverage.WrittenThesisPreparation
Asaculminationofyourdegreeprogram,youmustprepareandsuccessfullydefendanapprovedwrittenthesisthatincludesaclearandfocusedstatementofpurpose,comprehensivereviewofrelevantliterature,explanationofstudydesignandmethodologies,appropriateanalysesandinterpretationofdata,anddescriptionofthesignificanceoffindings.Yourgraduateadvisormayhaveadditionalspecificideasandrequestsforthecontentandorganizationofyourwrittenthesisdependingonthenatureofyourproject.
Whencomplete,thefinaldraftofyourthesisshouldbeapprovedbyyourgraduateadvisorpriortoitsdistributiontoyourothergraduatecommitteemembersfortheirreview.Thisdistributionmustoccuratleasttwoweeksprioryourplanneddefensedatetoallowadequatetimeforthoroughreview.Asacourtesy,youshouldaskyourcommitteemembersoftheirpreferencesforelectronicorhardcopiesofyourthesis.
![Page 16: M.S. in Environmental Science Graduate Program Handbook · Dr. Jennifer Boyd Dr. John Tucker Graduate Program Coordinator Department Chair jennifer-boyd@utc.edu john-tucker@utc.edu](https://reader030.fdocuments.us/reader030/viewer/2022040204/5eca1140a9bd6d2a2b2e6a4c/html5/thumbnails/16.jpg)
13
BecauseyourfinalapprovedandsuccessfullydefendedwrittenthesiswillbesubmittedtotheGraduateSchool,itmustconformtotheUTCThesisandDissertationStandardsdetailedontheGraduateSchoolwebsite.Westronglyrecommendthatyoufamiliarizeyourselfwiththeseformattingguidelinesearlyintheprocessofwritingyourthesisandincorporatethemintoyourearlydrafts.Thestandardsaredetailedandextensive.Assuch,planningtoformatyourthesisasalast-minuteexerciseisnotagoodstrategyformeetingsubmissiondeadlines.SchedulingtheThesisDefense
Youmustpresentyourapprovedthesisduringathesisdefenseand‘pass’thisdefenseaspartoftheM.S.ESCdegreeprogram.Asuccessfuldefensewillinvolveclearpresentationofyourthesisandinformedandthoughtfulanswerstoquestionsfromyourgraduateadvisorycommitteeandtheaudienceaboutitssubstanceandsignificance.Aswithyourwrittenthesis,youshouldconsultwithyourgraduateadvisorwhilepreparingyourdefense.YourthesisdefensemustoccurnolaterthantherelevantdatepostedontheGraduateSchoolCalendartoqualifyforgraduationduringthatsemester.
Youshouldhaveapprovalfromyourgraduateadvisorandgraduateadvisorycommitteememberspriortoschedulingyourthesisdefense.Afterreceivingthisapproval,youshoulddiscussmultiplepossibledatesandtimeswithyourcommitteeandtheninformtheESCGraduateProgramCoordinatorofseveralpossibledatesandtimesduringwhichallofyourcommitteemembersareavailable.EithertheProgramCoordinatororDepartmentChairalsomustbeavailabletoattendyourdefense,soyourdefensedateandtimealsowillneedtoconsidertheiravailability.Onceanagreeabledateandtimearedetermined,theProgramCoordinatorwillscheduleyourdefenseandinformyouandyourgraduateadvisorycommitteeofitsdate,time,andlocation.
Onceyourdefenseisscheduled,youmustemailaNoticeofScheduledDefensetoAmy-Campbell@utc.eduatleasttwoweekspriortoyourscheduleddefensedatesothatapublicannouncementmaybemade.ThesisDefenseFormat
AthesisdefenseintheM.S.ESCprograminvolvesapublicpresentationandaprivateexamination.Yourgraduateadvisorandgraduateadvisorycommitteememberswillattendbothpartsofyourdefense.TheUTCcommunitywillbeinvitedformallytothepublicpresentationpartofyourdefensebytheGraduateSchool.Outsidepersonsalsomayattendthepresentation,andyouareencouragedtoinviteyourfamilyandfriendstothispartofyourthesisdefense.Onlyyourgraduateadvisorandcommitteememberstypicallyattendtheprivateexaminationthatfollowsthepublicpresentation.TheESCGraduateProgramCoordinatororDepartmentChairalsomayattendtheexaminationasanobserverifinvitedbyyouoramemberofyourgraduateadvisorycommittee.
Duringthepublicpartofyourdefense,youshouldgiveaprofessionalpresentationthatdescribesandjustifiesallaspectsofyourthesis.Typically,thisisachievedwithaPowerPointpresentationthatisabout30-45minutesinlength.Afteryourpresentation,youshouldsolicitandfieldquestionsfromtheaudienceabouttheinformationthatyoupresented.
![Page 17: M.S. in Environmental Science Graduate Program Handbook · Dr. Jennifer Boyd Dr. John Tucker Graduate Program Coordinator Department Chair jennifer-boyd@utc.edu john-tucker@utc.edu](https://reader030.fdocuments.us/reader030/viewer/2022040204/5eca1140a9bd6d2a2b2e6a4c/html5/thumbnails/17.jpg)
14
Duringtheprivateexaminationthatimmediatelyfollows,youwillbeexpectedtofieldquestionsfromyourgraduateadvisorandgraduateadvisorycommitteemembers.Thesequestionscanrangefromonesspecifictoyourpresentationtoquestionsaboutyourbroaderresearchtopicandrelatedareasofenvironmentalscience.Questionsalsomayfocusonmaterialcoveredinyourrelevantgraduatecoursework.Thispartofyourthesisdefenseisintendedtoenableyourgraduateadvisorandcommitteememberstoassessyourunderstandingofyourthesistopic,comprehensionofitsrelevancetothebroaderfield,competencyandprofessionalismasanenvironmentalexpert,andcommunicationskills.
Followingtheexamination,youradvisorandcommitteememberswillrequestthatyouleavetheroomsothattheycandiscussinprivateyourwrittenthesisanditsdefense.Ultimately,yourcommitteewillprovideacollective‘pass’or‘fail’assessmentofyourdefensethatalsoconveysgeneralacceptanceorrejectionofyourwrittenthesisandinformyouoftheirassessment.Evenifyoupassyourdefense,youmayberequiredtomakeminorconditionalchangestoyourwrittenthesispriortoitsfinalapprovalforsubmissiontotheGraduateSchool.Thecommitteealsomayrequesttoreviewyourrevisedwrittenthesistoevaluaterequestedchanges.Ifyoufailyourdefense,youmaybepermittedtorepeatthedefenseafteranintervaltoallowforimprovementatthediscretionofyourcommittee.ThesisDefenseResults
YourfinalthesisdefenseresultswillberecordedbyyourgraduateadvisoronaGraduateDegreeExaminationResultsform.Thisformwillbesignedbyyouradvisorandothergraduateadvisorycommitteemembers.YoumustsubsequentlyobtainthesignaturesoftheESCGraduateProgramCoordinatorandtheDeanoftheCollegeofArtsandSciencespriortohavingtheESCGraduateProgramCoordinatorsubmitthisformtotheGraduateSchoolonyourbehalf.Youmaynotsubmitthisformyourself.ThecompletedformmustbesubmittednolaterthantherelevantdatepostedonlinkedfromtheGraduateSchoolwebsitetoqualifyforgraduationduringthesemesterofthedefense.
ThesisSubmission
YoumustsubmityourapprovedfinalwrittenthesiselectronicallyviaUTCScholartotheGraduateSchoolnolaterthantherelevantdatespecifiedontheGraduateSchoolCalendarlinkedfromtheGraduateSchoolwebsitetoqualifyforgraduationduringthesamesemesterasthedefense.Oncesubmitted,yourthesiswillbecheckedbytheGraduateSchoolfordeterminationofitsadherencetotheUTCThesisandDissertationStandards.Ifyoursubmittedthesisisnotapproved,youwillberequiredtomakenecessarychangestothedocumentinUTCScholar.Failuretomaketimelyrequestedrevisionstoyourthesismayresultindelayedgraduation.
3.5InternshipRequirements
InitiationofaninternshipforpartialfulfillmentoftheM.S.ESCdegreeinvolvesthedevelopmentofanapprovedproposalforyourinternshipexperience.Yourinternshipwill
![Page 18: M.S. in Environmental Science Graduate Program Handbook · Dr. Jennifer Boyd Dr. John Tucker Graduate Program Coordinator Department Chair jennifer-boyd@utc.edu john-tucker@utc.edu](https://reader030.fdocuments.us/reader030/viewer/2022040204/5eca1140a9bd6d2a2b2e6a4c/html5/thumbnails/18.jpg)
15
culminatewiththesubmissionofanapprovedwritteninternshipreportanditssuccessfulpublicdefense.InternshipProposalDevelopment
Ifyouopttocompleteaninternship,youshouldbegintoprepareaninternshipproposaloutliningallaspectsofyourplannedinternshipexperiencewithguidancefromyourgraduateadvisorandaproposedworkplacesupervisorduringyourfirstsemesterintheM.S.ESCprogram.Astandardinternshipproposalwilldescribeyourinternshipobjectives,provideapreliminaryreviewofpertinentliterature,detailtheworktobecompleted,anddiscusstherelevanceoftheplannedinternshiptotheworkplaceandyourcareergoals.Yourgraduateadvisorand/orworkplacesupervisormayhaveadditionalspecificideasandrequestsforthecontentofyourproposal.Yourproposalshouldbesufficientlydetailedtoprovideyouwithaplantofollowduringyourinternship,includingatimelineforsignificantaccomplishments.Youshouldspecifyhowyouwillspendthe600hoursofinternshipexperiencerequiredforpartialfulfillmentoftheM.S.ESCdegree.
Afinaldraftofyourinternshipproposalshouldbeapprovedbyyourgraduateadvisorpriortoitsdistributiontoyourothergraduateadvisorycommitteemembersfortheirreview.Asacourtesy,youshouldaskyourcommitteemembersoftheirpreferencesforelectronicorhardcopiesofyourproposal.Onceallcommitteemembershavehadadequatetimetoreviewyourproposal(atleasttwoweeksisrecommended),youshouldorganizeafullcommitteemeetingtodiscussyourproposalandacquireconstructivefeedback.Simultaneoustothereviewofyourinternshipproposalbyyourcommittee,youshouldseektheapprovalofyourplannedworkplacesupervisorfortheworkthatyouareproposing.
Asevidenceoftimelyprogress,yourinternshipproposalshouldbeapprovedbyyourgraduateadvisorycommitteebytheendofyoursecondsemesterofenrollmentintheprogram.However,youarerequiredtocompletethesetasksearlierifyouplantobeginyourinternshippriortotheendofyoursecondsemesterintheprogram.ESC5996Registration&Grading
Afteryourinternshipproposalhasbeenapprovedbyyourgraduateadvisorycommittee,youmayregisterforESC5996(Internship)semesterhours.Intotal,youmustregisterfor6semesterhoursofESC5996whileengagedinyourinternshipexperience,draftingyourinternshipreport,and/orpreparingforitsdefense.Youmustregisterforatleast2ofthesesemesterhoursofESC5996duringthesemesterofyoursuccessfuldefense.YoushouldconsultwithyourgraduateadvisortodetermineanappropriateplanforregistrationandcompletingyourESC5996semesterhourrequirements.
ForallsemestersthatyouregisterforESC5996hourspriortothesemesterofyourdefense,youwillearnagradeofSP(SatisfactoryProgress)orNP(Non-satisfactoryProgress)asdeterminedbyyourgraduateadvisor.Thesegradesarenotfactoredintoyourgradepointaverage.However,ifyouearnanNPgradeforESC5996fortwosemesters,thedepartmentalGraduateFacultyCommitteewillreviewyourinternshipproposalandprogresstodetermineanappropriatecourseofaction.Ifyouarefoundtoberesponsibleforthelackoftimelyprogress
![Page 19: M.S. in Environmental Science Graduate Program Handbook · Dr. Jennifer Boyd Dr. John Tucker Graduate Program Coordinator Department Chair jennifer-boyd@utc.edu john-tucker@utc.edu](https://reader030.fdocuments.us/reader030/viewer/2022040204/5eca1140a9bd6d2a2b2e6a4c/html5/thumbnails/19.jpg)
16
towardcompletingyourinternship,suchactionscouldinvolveformalprobationordismissalfromtheprogram.
TocompleteyourESC5996hours,youmustprepareafinalinternshipreportthatisapprovedbyyourgraduateadvisorycommitteeandsuccessfullydefendit.(ThesetasksaredetailedlaterinthissectionoftheHandbook.)Ifapproved,youwillbeassignedagradeofS(Satisfactory)foryourfinalESC5996semester,indicatingcompletionofyourinternship.Thisgradeisnotfactoredintoyourgradepointaverage.InternshipProgress&EvaluationReportsInternshipsgenerallyoccuroff-campuswithoutdirectsupervisionbyagraduateadvisor.Assuch,ifyouarecompletinganinternshipinpartialfulfillmentoftheM.S.ESCdegree,youmusttakeresponsibilityforthecompletionandfilingoftwosetsofinternship-specificreportswhileyourinternshipisunderway.
Asastudent,youmustsubmitasetofthreeStudentInternProgressReportstoyourgraduateadvisoratspecifiedregularintervalsduringyourinternship(i.e.,beginning,middle,andend).Inthesereports,youwilldescribetheactivitiesthatyouareconductingasaninternandtheirrelevancetothesponsoringorganizationorbusiness.Thethirdandfinalreportalsowillincludeyourassessmentoftheoverallinternshipexperience.Thesereportsalsoprovideamechanismforyoutodescribetheworkplaceenvironmentandanyresourcedeficienciesthatmayexisttherein.
Inaddition,youmustensurethatasetofthreeStudentInternEvaluationReportsaresubmittedbyyourworkplacesupervisortoyourgraduateadvisoratspecifiedregularintervalswhileyourinternshipisunderway(concurrentwiththeprogressreportssubmittedbyyoutotheadvisor).Thesereportswillsolicityoursupervisor’sratingofyouasaninternforqualitieslikeinitiative,attentiontodetail,andmasteryofcriticalskills.Thethirdandfinalreportalsowillincludeanoverallevaluationofyouasanintern.Collectively,theseinternshipreportswillhelpyourgraduateadvisortoassessyourprogress.InternshipReportPreparation
Asaculminationofyourdegreeprogram,youmustprepareandsuccessfullydefendanapprovedinternshipreportthatincludesaclearandfocusedstatementofgoals,comprehensivereviewofrelevantliterature,descriptionofspecificactivitiesperformed,andexplanationofthesignificanceofthoseactivitiestomeetingyourinternshipobjectives.Yourgraduateadvisormayhaveadditionalspecificideasandrequestsforthecontentandorganizationofyourinternshipreportdependingonthenatureofyourexperience.
Whencomplete,thefinaldraftofyourinternshipreportshouldbeapprovedbyyourgraduateadvisorpriortoitsdistributiontoyourothergraduatecommitteemembersfortheirreview.Thisdistributionmustoccuratleasttwoweeksprioryourplanneddefensedatetoallowadequatetimeforthoroughreview.Asacourtesy,youshouldaskyourcommitteemembersoftheirpreferencesforelectronicorhardcopiesofyourreport.
![Page 20: M.S. in Environmental Science Graduate Program Handbook · Dr. Jennifer Boyd Dr. John Tucker Graduate Program Coordinator Department Chair jennifer-boyd@utc.edu john-tucker@utc.edu](https://reader030.fdocuments.us/reader030/viewer/2022040204/5eca1140a9bd6d2a2b2e6a4c/html5/thumbnails/20.jpg)
17
Unliketheses,internshipreportsarenottobesubmittedtotheGraduateSchool.Instead,youmustsubmityourfinalapprovedandsuccessfullydefendedinternshipreporttotheESCGraduateProgramCoordinatoronbehalfoftheDepartment.Forconsistency,werecommendthatyourreportbeformattedprofessionallyinaccordancewiththeUTCThesisandDissertationStandardsasdetailedontheGraduateSchoolwebsite.SchedulingtheInternshipDefense
Youmustpresentyourapprovedinternshipreportduringadefenseand‘pass’thisdefensetoadvancetowardtheM.S.ESCdegree.Asuccessfuldefensewillinvolveclearpresentationofyourinternshipandinformedandthoughtfulanswerstoquestionsfromyourgraduateadvisorycommitteeandtheaudienceaboutitssubstanceandsignificance.Aswithyourwritteninternshipreport,youshouldconsultwithyourgraduateadvisorwhilepreparingyourdefense.
TheGraduateSchooldoesnotspecifyadeadlineforinternshipdefenseseachsemester.However,asaDepartment,werequirethatyourinternshipdefenseoccurnolaterthantherelevantdatepostedforthesisdefensespostedontheGraduateSchoolCalendarlinkedfromtheGraduateSchoolwebsitetoqualifyforgraduationduringthatsemester.
Youshouldhaveapprovalfromyourgraduateadvisorandgraduateadvisorycommitteememberspriortoschedulingyourinternshipdefense.Afterreceivingthisapproval,youshoulddiscussmultiplepossibledatesandtimeswithyourcommitteeandtheninformtheESCGraduateProgramCoordinatorofseveralpossibledatesandtimesduringwhichallofyourcommitteemembersareavailable.EithertheProgramCoordinatororDepartmentChairalsomustbeavailabletoattendyourdefense,soyourdefensedateandtimealsowillneedtoconsidertheiravailability.Onceamutuallyagreeabledateandtimearedetermined,theProgramCoordinatorwillscheduleyourdefenseandinformyouandyourgraduateadvisorycommitteeofthedate,time,andlocation.
Onceyourinternshipdefenseisscheduled,yourreporttitle,namesofyourgraduateadvisorandcommitteemembers,andabstractshouldbeemailedtotheESCGraduateProgramCoordinatoratleasttwoweekspriortothedefensedatesothatapublicannouncementmaybemade.Theemailsubjectlineshouldread‘NoticeofScheduledInternshipDefense’.InternshipDefenseFormat
AninternshipdefenseintheM.S.ESCprograminvolvesapublicpresentationandaprivateexamination.Yourgraduateadvisorandgraduateadvisorycommitteememberswillattendbothpartsofyourdefense.TheUTCcommunityisinvitedformallytothepublicpresentationpartofyourdefense.Outsidepersonsalsomayalsoattendthepresentation,andyouareencouragedtoinviteyourfamilyandfriendstothispartofyourthesisdefense.Onlyyourgraduateadvisorandcommitteememberstypicallyattendtheexaminationthatfollowsthepublicpresentation.TheESCGraduateProgramCoordinatororDepartmentChairalsomayattendtheexaminationasanobserverifinvitedbyyouoramemberofyourgraduateadvisorycommittee.
![Page 21: M.S. in Environmental Science Graduate Program Handbook · Dr. Jennifer Boyd Dr. John Tucker Graduate Program Coordinator Department Chair jennifer-boyd@utc.edu john-tucker@utc.edu](https://reader030.fdocuments.us/reader030/viewer/2022040204/5eca1140a9bd6d2a2b2e6a4c/html5/thumbnails/21.jpg)
18
Duringthepublicpresentation,youshouldgiveaprofessionalpresentationthatdescribesandjustifiesallaspectsofyourInternship.Typically,thisisachievedwithaPowerPointpresentationthatisabout30-45minutesinlength.Afteryourpresentation,youshouldsolicitandfieldquestionsfromtheaudienceabouttheinformationthatyoupresented.
Duringtheprivateexaminationthatimmediatelyfollows,youwillbeexpectedtofieldquestionsfromyourgraduateadvisorandcommitteemembers.Thesequestionscanrangefromonesspecifictoyourpresentationtoquestionsaboutthebroaderfieldofyourinternshipandrelatedareasofenvironmentalscience.Questionsalsomayfocusonmaterialcoveredinyourrelevantgraduatecoursework.Thispartofyourinternshipdefenseisintendedtoenableyourgraduateadvisorandcommitteememberstoassessyourunderstandingofyourinternshiparea,comprehensionofitsrelevancetothebroaderfield,competencyandprofessionalismasanenvironmentalexpert,andcommunicationskills.
Followingtheexamination,youradvisorandcommitteememberswillrequestthatyouleavetheroomsothattheycandiscussinprivateyourinternshipreportanditsdefense.Ultimately,yourcommitteewillprovideacollective‘pass’or‘fail’assessmentofyourdefensethatalsoconveysgeneralacceptanceorrejectionofyourreportandinformyouoftheirassessment.Ifyoupassyourdefense,youmayberequiredtomakeminorconditionalchangestoyourinternshipreportpriortoitsfinalapprovalforsubmissiontotheESCGraduateProgramCoordinator.Thecommitteealsomayrequesttoreviewyourfinalreporttoevaluaterequestedchanges.Ifyoufailyourdefense,youmaybepermittedtorepeatthedefenseafteranintervaltoallowforimprovementatthediscretionofyourcommittee.InternshipDefenseResults
YourfinalinternshipdefenseresultswillberecordedbyyourgraduateadvisoronaGraduateDegreeExaminationResultsform.Thisformwillbesignedbyyouradvisorandothergraduateadvisorycommitteemembers.YoumustsubsequentlyobtainthesignaturesoftheESCGraduateProgramCoordinatorandtheDeanoftheCollegeofArtsandSciencespriortohavingtheESCGraduateProgramCoordinatorsubmitthisformtotheGraduateSchoolonyourbehalf.ThecompletedformmustbesubmittednolaterthantherelevantdatepostedonlinkedfromtheGraduateSchoolwebsitetoqualifyforgraduationduringthesemesterofthedefense.
InternshipReportSubmission
Followingasuccessfuldefenseandfinalcommitteeapproval,youmustsubmitanelectroniccopyofyourinternshipreportasasingleprofessionallyformattedPDFfiletotheESCGraduateProgramCoordinatoronbehalfoftheDepartment.YoushouldsubmityourreportbythesamedatethatapprovedfinalwrittenthesesaredueelectronicallytotheGraduateSchoolaspostedontheGraduateSchoolCalendarlinkedfromtheGraduateSchoolwebsite.
![Page 22: M.S. in Environmental Science Graduate Program Handbook · Dr. Jennifer Boyd Dr. John Tucker Graduate Program Coordinator Department Chair jennifer-boyd@utc.edu john-tucker@utc.edu](https://reader030.fdocuments.us/reader030/viewer/2022040204/5eca1140a9bd6d2a2b2e6a4c/html5/thumbnails/22.jpg)
19
3.6LearnedDiscourseRequirements
InitiationofalearneddiscourseforpartialfulfillmentoftheM.S.ESCdegreeinvolvesthedevelopmentofanapprovedproposalforyourproject.Alearneddiscourseculminateswiththesubmissionofanapprovedwrittendiscourseanditssuccessfulpublicdefense.LearnedDiscourseProposalDevelopment
Ifyouopttocompletealearneddiscourse,youshouldbegintoprepareanassociatedproposalwithguidancefromyourgraduateadvisoroutliningallaspectsofyourplannedproject.Astandardlearneddiscourseproposalwilldescribeyourobjectives,provideapreliminaryreviewofpertinentliterature,outlineacomprehensiveliteraturereview,anddiscusstherelevanceofyourlearneddiscoursetothefield.Yourgraduateadvisormayhaveadditionalspecificideasandrequestsforthecontentofyourproposal.Yourproposalshouldbesufficientlydetailedtoprovideyouwithaplantofollow,includingatimelineforsignificantaccomplishments.
Afinaldraftofyourlearneddiscourseproposalshouldbeapprovedbyyourgraduateadvisorpriortoitsdistributiontoyourothercommitteemembersfortheirreview.Asacourtesy,youshouldaskyourcommitteemembersoftheirpreferencesforelectronicorhardcopiesofyourproposal.Onceallofyourcommitteemembershavehadadequatetimetoreviewyourproposal(atleasttwoweeksisrecommended),youshouldorganizeafullcommitteemeetingtodiscussyourproposalandacquireconstructivefeedback.
Asevidenceoftimelyprogress,yourlearneddiscourseproposalshouldbeapprovedbyyourgraduateadvisorycommitteebytheendofyoursecondsemesterofenrollmentintheprogram.However,youareencouragedtocompleteyourproposalbytheendofthefirstsemesterofenrollmentsothatyoucaninitiateyourlearneddiscourseworkasearlyaspossible.ESC5997Registration&Grading
Afteryourlearneddiscourseproposalhasbeenapprovedbyyourgraduateadvisorycommittee,youmayregisterforESC5998(Research)semesterhoursspecifictoyourproposedlearneddiscoursework.
Intotal,youmustregisterfor3semesterhoursofESC5998whileengagedinyourlearneddiscourseproject,writingyourlearneddiscourse,and/orpreparingforitsdefense.Asalearneddiscoursestudent,youarenotrequiredtoregisterforanysemesterhours(ofESC5998orothercourses)duringthesemesterofyourdefense.YoushouldconsultwithyourgraduateadvisortodetermineanappropriateplanforregistrationandcompletingyourESC5998semesterhourrequirements.
ForallsemestersthatyouregisterforESC5998hourspriortothesemesterofyourdefense,youwillearnagradeofI(Incomplete)asassignedbyyourgraduateadvisor.Incompletegradesarenotfactoredintoyourgradepointaverage.However,theRecordsOfficeautomaticallywillconvertanIgradetoanFifthecourseinstructor(inthiscase,yourgraduateadvisor)doesnotindicatethatthecoursewascompletedsuccessfullybythreeweeksbeforethelastdayofclassesinthenextsemester.Ifyouaremakingsatisfactoryprogresstowardcompletingyour
![Page 23: M.S. in Environmental Science Graduate Program Handbook · Dr. Jennifer Boyd Dr. John Tucker Graduate Program Coordinator Department Chair jennifer-boyd@utc.edu john-tucker@utc.edu](https://reader030.fdocuments.us/reader030/viewer/2022040204/5eca1140a9bd6d2a2b2e6a4c/html5/thumbnails/23.jpg)
20
learneddiscoursebutwillrequireadditionaltimetocompleteanddefendit,yourgraduateadvisormaysubmitawrittenrequestforanextensiontothisnext-semestertimeframeonyourbehalftotheDeanoftheGraduateSchool.ExtensionrequestsmustbemadebytwoweekspriortotheIgradechangedeadlinedescribedabove.Ideally,suchrequestswouldbemadeearlierthanthisdeadline.
TocompleteyourESC5998hours,youmustprepareafinalwrittendiscoursethatisapprovedbyyourgraduateadvisorycommitteeandsuccessfullydefendit.(ThesetasksaredetailedlaterinthissectionoftheHandbook.)YouthenwillearnanappropriatelettergradeforESC5998asdeterminedbyyourcommittee.ToformallyassignthisgradetoyourESC5998semesterhours,yourgraduateadvisormustsubmitanelectronicGradeChangeRequesttoconverteachIgradeassignedforESC5998tothelettergrade.ThismayinvolvechangestomultiplesemestersofESC5998registrations.AsanESCgraduatestudent,itisyourresponsibilitytobeawareofanyIgradesearnedinyourcourseworkandtoensurethatthosegradesareconvertedtoappropriatelettergradesbytheregularUniversitydeadlineorthedeadlineassociatedwithanextensionrequestiffiled.BecausenocoursewithagradebelowCcanbecountedtowardtheM.S.ESCdegree,conversationofanIgradeforESC5998toanFwouldpreventyoufromearningthedegree.WrittenLearnedDiscoursePreparation
Asaculminationofyourdegreeprogram,youmustprepareandsuccessfullydefendanapprovedwrittendiscoursethatincludesaclearandfocusedstatementofpurpose,comprehensivereviewofrelevantliterature,synthesisoffindings,anddescriptionoftheirsignificancetothefield.Asuccessfuldefensewillinvolveclearpresentationofyourlearneddiscourseandinformedandthoughtfulanswerstoquestionsfromyourgraduatecommitteeandaudienceaboutitssubstanceandsignificance.
Whencomplete,thefinaldraftofyourwrittendiscourseshouldbeapprovedbyyourgraduateadvisorpriortoitsdistributiontoyourothergraduatecommitteemembersfortheirreview.Thisdistributionmustoccuratleasttwoweeksprioryourplanneddefensedatetoallowadequatetimeforthoroughreview.Asacourtesy,youshouldaskyourcommitteemembersoftheirpreferencesforelectronicorhardcopiesofyourlearneddiscourse.
Unliketheses,writtendiscoursesarenottobesubmittedtotheGraduateSchool.Instead,yourfinalapprovedandsuccessfullydefendedwrittenlearneddiscoursewillbesubmittedtotheESCGraduateProgramCoordinatoronbehalfoftheDepartment.Forconsistency,werecommendthatyourwrittendiscoursebeformattedprofessionallyinaccordancewiththeUTCThesisandDissertationStandardsasdetailedontheGraduateSchoolwebsite.SchedulingtheLearnedDiscourseDefense
Youmustpresentyourapprovedlearneddiscourseduringadefenseand‘pass’thisdefensetoadvancetowardtheM.S.ESCdegree.Asuccessfuldefensewillinvolveclearpresentationofyourlearneddiscourseandinformedandthoughtfulanswerstoquestionsfromyourgraduatecommitteeandaudienceaboutitssubstanceandsignificance.Aswithyourwrittendiscourse,youshouldconsultwithyourgraduateadvisorwhilepreparingyourdefense.
![Page 24: M.S. in Environmental Science Graduate Program Handbook · Dr. Jennifer Boyd Dr. John Tucker Graduate Program Coordinator Department Chair jennifer-boyd@utc.edu john-tucker@utc.edu](https://reader030.fdocuments.us/reader030/viewer/2022040204/5eca1140a9bd6d2a2b2e6a4c/html5/thumbnails/24.jpg)
21
TheGraduateSchooldoesnotspecifyadeadlineforlearneddiscoursedefenseseachsemester.However,asaDepartment,werequirethatyourlearneddiscoursedefenseoccurnolaterthantherelevantdateforthesisdefensespostedontheGraduateSchoolCalendarlinkedfromtheGraduateSchoolwebsitetoqualifyforgraduationduringthatsemester.
Youshouldhaveapprovalfromyourgraduateadvisorandcommitteememberspriortoschedulingyourlearneddiscoursedefense.Afterreceivingthisapproval,youshoulddiscussmultiplepossibledatesandtimeswithyourcommitteeandtheninformtheESCGraduateProgramCoordinatorofseveralpossibledatesandtimesduringwhichallofyourcommitteemembersareavailable.EithertheProgramCoordinatororDepartmentChairalsomustbeavailabletoattendyourdefense,soyourdefensedateandtimealsowillneedtoconsidertheiravailability.Onceamutuallyagreeabledateandtimearedetermined,theProgramCoordinatorwillscheduleyourdefenseandinformyouandyourgraduateadvisorycommitteeofthedate,time,andlocation.
Onceyourlearneddiscoursedefenseisscheduled,yourprojecttitle,namesofyourgraduateadvisorandcommitteemembers,andabstractshouldbeemailedtotheESCGraduateProgramCoordinatoratleasttwoweekspriortothedefensedatesothatapublicannouncementmaybemade.Theemailsubjectlineshouldread‘NoticeofScheduledLearnedDiscourseDefense’.LearnedDiscourseDefenseFormat
AlearneddiscoursedefenseintheM.S.ESCprograminvolvesapublicpresentationandaprivateexamination.Yourgraduateadvisorandgraduateadvisorycommitteememberswillattendbothpartsofyourdefense.TheUTCcommunityisinvitedformallytothepublicpresentationpartofyourdefense.Outsidepersonsalsomayalsoattendthepresentation,andyouareencouragedtoinviteyourfamilyandfriendstothispartofyourthesisdefense.Onlyyourgraduateadvisorandcommitteememberstypicallyattendtheexaminationthatfollowsthepublicpresentation.TheESCGraduateProgramCoordinatororDepartmentChairalsomayattendtheexaminationasanobserverifinvitedbyyouoramemberofyourgraduateadvisorycommittee.
Duringthepublicpresentation,youshouldgiveaprofessionalpresentationthatdescribesandjustifiesallaspectsofyourInternship.Typically,thisisachievedwithashortPowerPointpresentationthatisabout30-45minutesinlength.Afteryourpresentation,youshouldsolicitandfieldquestionsfromtheaudienceabouttheinformationthatyoupresented.
Duringtheprivateexaminationthatimmediatelyfollows,youwillbeexpectedtofieldquestionsfromyourgraduateadvisorandgraduateadvisorycommitteemembers.Thesequestionscanrangefromonesspecifictoyourpresentationtoquestionsaboutthebroaderfieldofyourlearneddiscourseandrelatedareasofenvironmentalscience.Questionsalsomayfocusonmaterialcoveredinyourrelevantgraduatecoursework.Thispartofyourdefenseisintendedtoenableyourgraduateadvisorandcommitteememberstoassessyourunderstandingofyourlearneddiscoursetopic,comprehensionofitsrelevancetothebroaderfield,competencyandprofessionalismasanenvironmentalexpert,andcommunicationskills.
![Page 25: M.S. in Environmental Science Graduate Program Handbook · Dr. Jennifer Boyd Dr. John Tucker Graduate Program Coordinator Department Chair jennifer-boyd@utc.edu john-tucker@utc.edu](https://reader030.fdocuments.us/reader030/viewer/2022040204/5eca1140a9bd6d2a2b2e6a4c/html5/thumbnails/25.jpg)
22
Followingtheexamination,youradvisorandcommitteememberswillrequestthatyouleavetheroomsothattheycandiscussinprivateyourlearneddiscourseanditsdefense.Ultimately,yourcommitteewillprovideacollective‘pass’or‘fail’assessmentofyourdefensethatalsoconveysgeneralacceptanceorrejectionofyourwrittendiscourseandinformyouoftheirassessment.Ifyoupassyourdefense,youmayberequiredtomakeminorconditionalchangestoyourwrittenworkpriortoitsfinalapprovalforsubmissiontotheDepartment.Thecommitteealsomayrequesttoreviewyourfinalreporttoevaluaterequestedchanges.Ifyoufailyourdefense,youmaybepermittedtorepeatthedefenseafteranintervaltoallowforimprovementatthediscretionofyourcommittee.LearnedDiscourseReportSubmission
Followingasuccessfuldefenseandfinalcommitteeapproval,youmustsubmitanelectroniccopyofyourwrittenlearneddiscourseasasingleprofessionallyformattedPDFfiletotheESCGraduateProgramCoordinatoronbehalfoftheDepartment.YoushouldsubmityourreportbysamedatethatapprovedfinalwrittenthesesaredueelectronicallytotheGraduateSchoolaspostedontheGraduateSchoolCalendarlinkedfromtheGraduateSchoolwebsite.
3.7AcademicPerformance
TheGraduateSchoolsetscontinuationstandardsforUTCgraduatestudentsbasedontheirperformanceingraduatecourses.GradeRequirements
AsanESCgraduatestudent,youareexpectedtoearnhighgradesforallofyourcoursework.Assuch,creditinfulfillmentoftheM.S.ESCdegreewillnotbeassignedforcoursesinwhichyouearnagradebelowaC.Youmayrepeatacoursewithapprovalfromyourgraduateadvisor.However,alllettergradesearnedwhileyouareagraduatestudentatUTCwillbecomputedintoyourcumulativegradepointaverage(GPA),includingallgradesearnedinrepeatedcourses.Incontrast,onlythefinalgradeearnedforarepeatedcoursewillbeusedtocalculateyourM.S.ESCprogramGPA.ContinuationStandards
Youmustmaintaina3.0cumulativegradepointaverageforallcoursestakenforgraduatecredit.Ifyoufailtomeetthisstandard,youwillbeplacedon‘academicprobation’forthenextsemesterortwosemestersifthecumulativeGPAremainsbelow3.0.IfyouearnasemesterGPAbelow3.0whileonacademicprobation,youwillbedismissedfromtheprogram.ProgramdismissalalsowilloccurifyoufailtoraiseyourcumulativeGPAto3.0orhigherbytheendofthenexttwosemesterswhileonacademicprobation.Forthepurposesofevaluatingcontinuationstandards,theentiresummertermwouldbecountedasasemester.YoualsomaybedismissedfromtheprogramifyouearnagradeofNC,D,orFinanycourse;earnmorethantwogradeslowerthanaB;orreceiveunsatisfactoryassessmentofyourcompletedthesis,internship,orlearneddiscourse.DecisionsregardingcontinuationaremadebytheDeanoftheGraduateSchool.
![Page 26: M.S. in Environmental Science Graduate Program Handbook · Dr. Jennifer Boyd Dr. John Tucker Graduate Program Coordinator Department Chair jennifer-boyd@utc.edu john-tucker@utc.edu](https://reader030.fdocuments.us/reader030/viewer/2022040204/5eca1140a9bd6d2a2b2e6a4c/html5/thumbnails/26.jpg)
23
3.8CapstoneExperienceProgress
AttheDepartmentallevel,weconsideryourthesis,internship,orlearneddiscourseprogressalongwithyouracademicperformancetobereflectiveofyouroverallsuccessintheM.S.ESCprogram.Toassessyourthesis,internship,orlearneddiscourseprogress,youandyourgraduateadvisorarerequiredtodefineassociatedgoalsforeachsemester.Youradvisorthenwillevaluateyourprogresstowardthosegoalsattheendofeachsemester.Ifyouareaninternshipstudent,youandyourworkplacesupervisorwillberequiredtofileadditionalprogressreportswhileyourinternshipisinprogresstoinformyouradvisorofprogressnotunderhisorherdirectsupervision(seesection3.5ofthisHandbook).SemesterGoals&Reports
VeryearlyduringthefirstsemesterofyourenrollmentintheESCgraduateprogram,youshouldmeetwithyourgraduateadvisortosetfirst-semesterprogressgoalsforyourthesis,internship,orlearneddiscourse.Youshouldhavesimilarmeetingsattheendofeachsemester(includingthefirstsemester)tosetyourprogressgoalsforthenextsemester.YouareencouragedtodescribethesegoalsandaplanformeetingthemonaCapstoneProgressGoalsformeachsemesterandobtainyouradvisor’ssignatureonthisform.ThisformmaybefiledwiththeESCGraduateProgramCoordinator,whowillretainitasanofficialrecord,oritmayberetainedbyyouoryouradvisor.
Attheendofeachsemester,youalsoshouldmeetwithyourgraduateadvisortodiscussyourprogresstowardachievingyourgoalsforthatsemester.Thisisgoodopportunitytoreferbacktoyourcapstoneprogressgoalsforthesemestertodetermineifyoumetexpectationsanddiscussaplanforimprovementifnecessary.Intheeventthatyoudonotmeetexpectationsfortwoconsecutivesemesters,yourgraduateadvisormayrequestthatthedepartmentalGraduateFacultyCommitteemembersreviewyourprogresstodetermineanappropriatecourseofaction.Ifyouarefoundtoberesponsibleforthelackoftimelyprogress,suchactionscouldinvolveformalprobationordismissalfromtheprogram.
Thepurposeofsettinggoalsassociatedwithyourcapstoneexperienceeachsemesterandreportingonprogresstowardmeetingthosegoalsistohelpyoutomanageyourtimeintheprogrameffectivelyandstayontrack,toensureyouradvisorhasclearlyarticulatedexpectationstoyou,andtoensureyouareawareofandagreewiththeexpectationsofyouradvisor.Additionally,thisprocessshouldhelpbothyouandyouradvisortoquicklyrecognizeifthereisanareaofconcernregardingyourresearchprogressandallowyouandyouradvisortocomeupwithaplanofactiontoaddressissuesoftimelyprogress.
3.9Graduation
ToearntheM.S.ESCdegree,youmustsuccessfullycompleteyourprogramofstudy(i.e.,corecourses,electives,andcapstoneexperience)withinthespecifiedtimelimit,beadmittedtocandidacyforthedegreeasdeterminedbyyouracademicrecord,applyforgraduation,andmeetallothergraduationeligibilitycriteriaspecifiedbytheGraduateSchool.
![Page 27: M.S. in Environmental Science Graduate Program Handbook · Dr. Jennifer Boyd Dr. John Tucker Graduate Program Coordinator Department Chair jennifer-boyd@utc.edu john-tucker@utc.edu](https://reader030.fdocuments.us/reader030/viewer/2022040204/5eca1140a9bd6d2a2b2e6a4c/html5/thumbnails/27.jpg)
24
TimeLimit
AllcreditappliedtowardtheM.S.ESCdegreemustbeearnedwithinsixyearsofregistrationfortheearliestcoursecountedtowardthedegree.Thistimelimitincludesanytransfercoursesbeingcountedtowardyourdegreeandthesemesterofyourthesis,internship,orlearneddiscoursesubmission.YoumayrequestinwritinganextensionofthistimelimitofuptooneyearbyfilingaGraduateStudentPetitionwiththeGraduateSchool.YourextensionrequestmustbesignedbyyourgraduateadvisorandtheESCGraduateProgramCoordinatorpriortosubmissiontotheDeanoftheGraduateSchoolforapproval.RequestingaGraduationAudit&ApplyingforGraduation
Byformallyrequestingagraduationaudit,youcuespecializedacademicadvisorsaffiliatedwiththeGraduateSchooltoreviewyourfileforexpectedcompliancewiththespecificgraduationrequirementsofyourprogram.ApplyingforGraduationsimilarlycuestheRecordsOfficetoreviewyourstatus.RequestingagraduationauditandapplyingforgraduationarerequiredtoearntheM.S.ESCdegree.Youshouldbothrequestagraduationauditandapplyforgraduationinthesemesterpriortoyouranticipatedsemesterofgraduation.
TorequestagraduationAudit,youmustsubmitaGraduationAuditformtotheGraduateSchool.You,yourgraduateadvisor,andtheESCGraduateProgramCoordinatormustsignthisformpriortoitssubmission.YourrequestforanauditshouldlistanyadditionstothecoursesthatyoulistedontheProgramofStudyformthatyousubmittedduringyourfirstsemesterofenrollment.Theseadditionsshouldincludeanyelectivecoursesthatyouhavecompleted,aswellascredithourscompletedthatareassociatedwiththecapstoneexperience(i.e.,ESC5996,5998,or5999).Ifyouhavechangedyourcapstoneexperience(e.g.,thesistointernship,internshiptolearneddiscourse,etc.)and/orhaveanyotherspecialcourse-basedcircumstancesofwhichtheGraduateSchoolshouldbeaware,youshouldattachanotetotheformdescribingthosecircumstances.TheduedatesforrequestingagraduationauditforgraduationduringspecificacademicsemestersarepostedontheGraduateSchoolCalendarlinkedfromtheGraduateSchoolwebsite.
Toapplyforgraduation,youmustusetheonlinegraduationapplicationlocatedinyourMyMocsNetaccountunderthe‘Academics’tab.TheduedateforapplyingforgraduationisOctober15thforanticipatedspringgraduation,March15thforanticipatedsummerdegreeconferral,andJune15thforanticipatedfallgraduation.LategraduationapplicationsmaybesubmittedonpapertotheUTCRecordsOfficebyNovember1stforfallgraduation,July5thforsummerdegreeconferral,andApril1stforspringgraduation.YoushouldobtainlategraduationapplicationformsfromtheRecordsOffice.Lateapplicationsrequireanapplicationfee.GraduationEligibility
Tobeeligiblefordegreeconferral,youmusthavecompletedallcourseworklistedinyourapplicationforcandidacywithnogradesbelowCforcoursespresentedforthedegreeandaminimumgradepointaverageof3.0orbetteron:1)allcourseworkthatyoutookforgraduatecreditatUTC,2)allcourseworkthatyoutransferredtoUTCforgraduatecredit,and3)all
![Page 28: M.S. in Environmental Science Graduate Program Handbook · Dr. Jennifer Boyd Dr. John Tucker Graduate Program Coordinator Department Chair jennifer-boyd@utc.edu john-tucker@utc.edu](https://reader030.fdocuments.us/reader030/viewer/2022040204/5eca1140a9bd6d2a2b2e6a4c/html5/thumbnails/28.jpg)
25
courseworkthatyoucompletedtofulfilltheprogramasapprovedinyourapplicationforcandidacy.
![Page 29: M.S. in Environmental Science Graduate Program Handbook · Dr. Jennifer Boyd Dr. John Tucker Graduate Program Coordinator Department Chair jennifer-boyd@utc.edu john-tucker@utc.edu](https://reader030.fdocuments.us/reader030/viewer/2022040204/5eca1140a9bd6d2a2b2e6a4c/html5/thumbnails/29.jpg)
4.FinancialAssistance
26
FinancialassistanceindirectsupportofthepursuitoftheM.S.ESCdegreemaybeavailabletoyouinvariousforms.Otherfinancialassistancecanhelptosupportyourresearchactivities,associatedtravel,andparticipationinprofessionalmeetingsandconferencesrelevanttoyourenvironmentalscienceinterestsandcapstoneexperience.
4.1GraduateTeachingAssistantships
TheDepartmentofBiology,Geology,andEnvironmentalSciencecanofferalimitednumberofGraduateTeachingAssistant(GTA)positionstoqualifiedgraduatestudentseachyear.ThesepositionsarefundedbytheUTCCollegeofArtsandSciencesandtypicallyareawardedforoneacademicyearwithpossiblerenewalforasecondacademicyearifaGTAremainseligibleandperformswellinhisorherassignedduties.
AtypicalGTAappointmentinvolvesteachinglaboratorysectionsoftheintroductoryenvironmentalscienceorbiologycoursesofferedbytheDepartment.GTAsalsohelptoorganizeandpreparelabclassroomsforweeklylabactivities.Assuch,GTAsareexpectedtodevotetimetolabpreparation,instruction,grading,andofficehours.GTAsaresupervisedbyaLabCoordinatorintheDepartment.
GTAsintheESCgraduateprogramareconsideredtobefull-timeassistants;assuch,GTAsshouldexpecttowork20hours/weekperformingassociatedduties.Collectively,theresponsibilitiesofaGTAandgraduatecourseworkrepresentasignificantworkload.Assuch,GTAsintheESCgraduateprogrammaynotbeotherwiseemployed(i.e.,outsidethedepartmentoroff-campus)formorethananadditional10hours/week.Part-timeGTAsmaynotbeotherwiseemployedformorethananadditional20hours/week.
Currently,full-timeGTAsaresupportedbyamaintenancefee(i.e.,tuition)waiveranda$3,500stipendpersemester.GTAsarerequiredtoassumethecostsofallotherfees(e.g.,studentactivityfee,greenfee,technologyfee,labfees)requiredbytheUniversity.Allfull-timeGTAsmustmaintainafull-timecourseloadofatleast9semesterhoursduringeachsemesteroftheGTAappointment.GTAsmayregisterforupto12semestershourduringeachsemester;themaintenancefeewaiverwillcoverthecostofsemesterhoursinexcessof9hours.AllGTAsmustdemonstratesatisfactoryprogressintheirprogramofstudytoretaintheirappointments.ApplyingforaGTAAppointment
GTAawardsaretypicallymadelateinthespringsemesterforthefollowingacademicyear.AfewGTApositionsmaybeawardedatothertimesiftheybecomeavailable.IfyouareacurrentgraduatestudentingoodstandingoranenteringgraduatestudentwithacumulativeundergraduateGPAof3.25orhigher,youareeligibletoapplyforaGTAposition.AllGTAawardsarecompetitiveandarebasedonconsiderationofthequalificationsofallapplicants.
ToapplyforaGTAposition,youshouldrequestandfileaGraduateAssistantshipApplicationwiththeESCGraduateProgramCoordinator.PriorityconsiderationofGTAapplicationswillbegiventothosereceivedbyFebruary15th.Westronglyrecommendthatyouincludeacover
![Page 30: M.S. in Environmental Science Graduate Program Handbook · Dr. Jennifer Boyd Dr. John Tucker Graduate Program Coordinator Department Chair jennifer-boyd@utc.edu john-tucker@utc.edu](https://reader030.fdocuments.us/reader030/viewer/2022040204/5eca1140a9bd6d2a2b2e6a4c/html5/thumbnails/30.jpg)
27
letterwithyouapplicationexpressingyourinterestsinandsummarizingyourqualificationsforaGTAappointment.
IfyouareselectedasaGTA,youwillreceiveaGTAAppointmentLetterfromtheESCGraduateCoordinatorpriortothefirstsemesterofyourassistantship.Theletterwilloutlinethetermsanddutiesassociatedwithyouraward.YouwillneedtosignthisletterindicatingyouragreementwiththetermsoftheassistantshipandreturnittotheDepartment.ContinuingaGTAAppointment
Departmentalneeds,yourevaluationsfromthesupervisoryLabCoordinator,feedbackfromintroductorylabstudentsduringyourend-of-semestercourseevaluations,youracademicperformance,andyourcapstoneexperienceprogresswillbeusedtodeterminethecontinuationofyourGTAappointment.
IfyouareacceptinganewGTAappointmentorplanningtocontinueyourGTAdutiesintoanewsemester,youshouldsubmitacopyofyourclassscheduleforthatsemestertoyoursupervisoryLabCoordinatorassoonaspossibletofacilitatescheduling.
IfyouareinterestedincontinuinganexistingGTAappointmentbeyondthetermofyouroriginalappointment,youmustnotifytheESCGraduateProgramCoordinatorviaemailofyourintenttocontinuepriortothelastdayofclassesduringthefinaltermoftheoriginalappointment.
4.2.GraduateResearchAssistantships
Studentsmaybeawardedgraduateresearchassistant(GRA)positionsfundedbytheresearchgrantsandcontractsoftheirgraduateadvisors.GRAsplayafundamentalroleinthefundedresearch,andmayparticipateinrelatedliteraturereviews,lab-orfield-basedresearchtasks,and/orpreparationandpresentationofresearchresults.GraduateadvisorsserveasthesupervisorsofGRAssupportedbytheirresearchfunding.
GRAappointmentscanrequirefull-time(20hours/week)orpart-time(10/hoursweek)performanceofassociatedduties.Collectively,theresponsibilitiesofaGRAandgraduatecourseworkrepresentasignificantworkload.Assuch,full-timeGRAsintheESCgraduateprogrammaynotbeotherwiseemployed(i.e.,outsidethedepartmentoroff-campus)formorethananadditional10hours/week.Part-timeGRAsmaynotbeotherwiseemployedformorethananadditional20hours/week.
Currently,allGRAsaresupportedbyamaintenancefee(i.e.,tuition)waiverandaminimumstipendof$3500/semesterforfull-timeappointmentsand$1750/semesterforpart-timeappointments.GRAsupportalsomayincludecoverageofadditionalstudentfees(e.g.,studentactivityfee,greenfee,technologyfee,labfees)chargedbytheUniversity.AllGRAsmustmaintaineitherfull-time(9semesterhours)orpart-time(6semesterhours)enrollmentstatusinaccordancewiththeirGRAaward.Toretaintheirappointments,GRAsmustdemonstratesatisfactoryprogressintheirprogramofstudy.
![Page 31: M.S. in Environmental Science Graduate Program Handbook · Dr. Jennifer Boyd Dr. John Tucker Graduate Program Coordinator Department Chair jennifer-boyd@utc.edu john-tucker@utc.edu](https://reader030.fdocuments.us/reader030/viewer/2022040204/5eca1140a9bd6d2a2b2e6a4c/html5/thumbnails/31.jpg)
28
ApplyingforaGRAAppointment
ThetimingofGRAawardsisdependentlargelyonthecyclesofexternalfundingcompetitions.Assuch,GRApositionscanbeawardedatanytimethattheybecomeavailable.Ifyouareacurrentgraduatestudentingoodstandingoranenteringgraduatestudent,youareeligibleforaGRAawards.GRAawardsareofferedatthediscretionofthesupervisorygraduateadvisorwithapprovalfromtheGraduateSchool.Typically,studentswhoareofferedGRApositionsarealreadyinvolvedintheiradvisor’sresearchasreturningstudentsorhavecommunicatedextensivelywiththeadvisorabouttheirinterestsandqualificationsasincomingstudents.
YoumayapplyforGRApositionsbycorrespondingdirectlywiththesupervisorygraduateadvisorandfilingaGraduateAssistantshipApplicationwiththeESCGraduateProgramCoordinator.
4.3OtherInstitutionalSupport
Historically,GRAandGTAappointmentshavebeenthemostcommonandsubstantialtypesofinstitutionalsupportforESCgraduatestudents.However,UTCalsoprovidesinternalfundingtosupportgraduatestudentsandtheiractivitiesintheformofothertypesofassistantships,institutionalemployment,andgraduatestudentawards.OtherAssistantships
Onoccasion,theUniversitymaymakeadditionalgraduateassistantshipsavailableforstudentstoassistwithUniversityneedsasGraduateProfessionalServiceAssistantsorGraduateAdministrativeAssistants.CurrentorincomingstudentscancheckwiththeGraduateSchoolandESCGraduateProgramCoordinatorforinformationaboutanyavailablepositions.
Inaddition,theOfficeofEquityandDiversityatUTCsponsorsOpportunityGraduateAssistantshippositionsforfirst-generationgraduatestudentsindegreeprogramswhowillpromotethebenefitsofadiversegraduatestudentbody.MoreinformationabouttheOGAprogramcanbefoundbyreferringtotheOpportunityAssistantshipApplication.GraduateScholarships
TheGraduateSchooloffersalimitednumberofscholarshipstograduatestudentswithacumulativeinstitutionalGPAof3.0orhigher.Eachscholarshiphasitsownspecificadditionaleligibilitycriteria.AcompletelistofGraduateScholarshipsislinkedfromtheGraduateSchoolwebsite.Toapplyforagraduatescholarship,youshouldcompletetheApplicationforGraduateScholarships.TheprioritydeadlineforapplicationsisFebruary15th.GraduateStudentAwards
Graduatestudentsareencouragedtoapplyforcompetitiveinternalawardstosupportactivitiesassociatedwiththeircapstoneexperiences.Ifyouareafull-timeM.S.ESCstudentsengagedinresearch,youareeligibletoapplytotheProvostStudentResearchAward(PSRA)programforupto$1000offundingtosupportoriginalresearchwithfacultymembers.
![Page 32: M.S. in Environmental Science Graduate Program Handbook · Dr. Jennifer Boyd Dr. John Tucker Graduate Program Coordinator Department Chair jennifer-boyd@utc.edu john-tucker@utc.edu](https://reader030.fdocuments.us/reader030/viewer/2022040204/5eca1140a9bd6d2a2b2e6a4c/html5/thumbnails/32.jpg)
29
InformationandapplicationmaterialscanbefoundontheOfficeofResearchandSponsoredProgramswebsite.
Inaddition,theGraduateStudentAssociation(GSA)offersGraduateStudentTravelAwardstodefraythecostofengaginginprofessionaldevelopmentactivities,suchasattendingaconferenceorgatheringdataforresearch.AllESCgraduatestudentsareeligibletoapply.InformationandapplicationmaterialsarelocatedontheGSAwebsite.InstitutionalEmployment
EmploymentopportunitiesforgraduatestudentstoperformspecificdutiesonbehalfoftheDepartmentoritsfacultymembersmaybecomeavailableattimes.Thesedutiescouldincludeassistancewithfacultyresearch,courses,and/ordepartmentalneeds.Suchemploymentwouldinvolveanappropriatehourlypayrateforaspecifiedamountofworkeachweek.Typically,studentslearnoftheseopportunitiesdirectlyfromtheDepartmentorinvolvedfaculty.
4.4GraduateStudentLoans
GraduatestudentspursingtheM.S.ESCdegreewhoareenrolledatleasthalftimemaybeeligibleforlow-interestunsubsidizedfederalloans.Graduatestudentsalsomaybeeligibleforprivateeducationloans;eligibilityrequirementsvarybyprivateloanlender.FormoreinformationaboutGraduateStudentFinancialAid,pleasevisittheUTCOfficeofFinancialAidwebsite.
![Page 33: M.S. in Environmental Science Graduate Program Handbook · Dr. Jennifer Boyd Dr. John Tucker Graduate Program Coordinator Department Chair jennifer-boyd@utc.edu john-tucker@utc.edu](https://reader030.fdocuments.us/reader030/viewer/2022040204/5eca1140a9bd6d2a2b2e6a4c/html5/thumbnails/33.jpg)
5.CampusResources
30
5.1GraduateStudentAssociation
TheGraduateStudentAssociation(GSA)representsgraduateandprofessionalstudentsatUTCinanofficialcapacity.GSAmembersadvocateforgraduateandprofessionalstudentsthroughregularcommunicationswithcampusadministratorsandrepresentationontheUTCGraduateCouncil.GSAalsoorganizesandsponsorssocialnetworkingeventsthatbringtogethergraduateandprofessionalstudentsfromacrosscampus.AsanESCgraduatestudent,youareencouragedtobecomeinvolvedwithGSA.MoreinformationisavailableontheGSAwebsite.
5.2Library
TheUTCLibraryprovidesallstudentswithvaluableresourcesandspace,includingprintandelectronicscholarlymaterials,WindowsandMaccomputers,groupstudyroomsforreservation,privatestudycarrels,24-hourstudyspace,andpracticepresentationrooms.TheLibraryalsohousesaGraduateStudentLoungeonthe1stfloorexclusivelyforusebygraduatestudents.Formoreinformationaboutthelibraryortoreserveastudyroom,pleasevisittheUTCLibrarywebsite.
5.3Technology
InformationTechnology(IT)managesaccesstoUTC’sonlineservices(MyMocsNet,UTCLearn)andemailaccounts(MocsMail+)andprovidestechnologicalsupportforbothstudentsandfaculty.StudentsshouldbecomefamiliarwithhowtoaccessanduseUTC’sonlineservicesastheyprovidegeneralandup-to-datecampusinformation,resourcesspecifictoindividualstudents,andcoursecontent.AsaUTCstudent,youshouldexpecttouseyourUTCemailaccountforofficialUniversitybusiness,includingcorrespondencewithfacultyandbeingnotifiedofimportantannouncementsbytheGraduateSchool,theDepartment,andtheESCGraduateProgramCoordinator.Forthisreason,evenifyouprimarilyuseadifferentexistingemailaccount,youshouldcheckyourUTCemailaccountfrequently.
ITalsoprovidesfreesoftwareforcurrentUTCstudentstoinstallontheircomputers.ThissoftwareincludesthepopularstatisticspackagesSPSSandSAS,whichoftenareusedbyESCgraduatestudentsconductingempiricalresearch.ThebibliographymanagementprogramEndnotealsoisavailabletocurrentUTCstudentsatnocost.EndnoteispopularamongESCgraduatestudentswritingthesesbecauseUTCthesisstandardsrequirethatbibliographymanagementsoftwarebeused.InformationtechnologyalsoprovidesfreeaccesstotheonlinesurveyplatformQualtrics,whichcanbeusefultoESCgraduatestudentswantingtosurveypeopleaspartoftheircapstoneexperience.AcompletelistofSoftwareAvailabletoStudentsisavailableontheITwebsite.
5.4ResearchCompliance
IfyouareplanningtouseanimalsubjectsorhumanparticipantsinyourresearchasanESCgraduatestudent,youmusthaveyourplansapprovedbyUTC’sInstitutionalAnimalCareand
![Page 34: M.S. in Environmental Science Graduate Program Handbook · Dr. Jennifer Boyd Dr. John Tucker Graduate Program Coordinator Department Chair jennifer-boyd@utc.edu john-tucker@utc.edu](https://reader030.fdocuments.us/reader030/viewer/2022040204/5eca1140a9bd6d2a2b2e6a4c/html5/thumbnails/34.jpg)
31
UseCommittee(IACUC)orInstitutionalReviewBoard(IRB),respectively.SuchresearchmaynotbeinitiatedwithoutIACUCorIRBapproval.InformationabouttheIACUCprocessandIRBprocessisavailableonline.
5.5Counseling
TheCounselingandPersonalDevelopmentCenteratUTCprovidescounselingatnochargetostudentsstrugglingwithstress,feelingdepressedoranxious,havingtimemanagementdifficulties,orexperiencingotherissuesthatareadverselyimpactingtheiracademicprogressandsuccess.Formoreinformation,youareencouragedtovisittheCenter’swebsite.
5.6Accommodation
TheDisabilityResourceCenter(DRC)atUTCprovidessupporttostudentswithdisabilitiesseenorunseen(e.g.,physical,learning,psychiatric),includingspecialassistanceoraccommodationincourses.Formoreinformation,youareencouragedtovisittheDRCwebsite.
![Page 35: M.S. in Environmental Science Graduate Program Handbook · Dr. Jennifer Boyd Dr. John Tucker Graduate Program Coordinator Department Chair jennifer-boyd@utc.edu john-tucker@utc.edu](https://reader030.fdocuments.us/reader030/viewer/2022040204/5eca1140a9bd6d2a2b2e6a4c/html5/thumbnails/35.jpg)
AppendixA–ProgramFaculty
A-1
DavidA.Aborn,Ph.D.UniversityofSouthernMississippiOrnithology,Behavior,ConservationJoséM.F.Barbosa,Ph.D.AuburnUniversityPlantPhysiology,CellBiology,Genetics
DeAnnaBeasley,Ph.D.UniversityofSouthCarolinaInsectEcology,EvolutionaryBiology,UrbanEcology,CitizenScienceJenniferBoyd,Ph.D.ColumbiaUniversityPlantEcology,PhysiologicalEcology,GlobalChangeBiologyEthanCarver,Ph.D.UniversityofTennesseeDevelopmentalBiology,HumanAnatomy,EnvironmentalGeneticsStylianosChatzimanolis,Ph.D.UniversityofKansasEntomology,InvertebrateZoology,Evolution,Systematics,PaleoentomologyHabteGiorgisChurnet,Ph.D.UniversityofTennesseeOrigins,Formations,andDeformationofRocksandEconomicMineralDepositsJ.HillCraddock,D.R.UniversityofTorino,ItalyHorticulture,Dendrology,MycologyTimothyJ.Gaudin,Ph.D.UniversityofChicagoComparativeVertebrateZoology,VertebratePaleontology,MammalogyDavidGiles,Ph.D.EastTennesseeStateUniversityEnvironmentalMicrobiologyLorenHayes,Ph.D.UniversityofMiami,OhioBehavioralPhysiology,SocialBehavior
![Page 36: M.S. in Environmental Science Graduate Program Handbook · Dr. Jennifer Boyd Dr. John Tucker Graduate Program Coordinator Department Chair jennifer-boyd@utc.edu john-tucker@utc.edu](https://reader030.fdocuments.us/reader030/viewer/2022040204/5eca1140a9bd6d2a2b2e6a4c/html5/thumbnails/36.jpg)
A-2
AzadHossain,Ph.D.UniversityofMississippiGIS,RemoteSensing,SpatialAnalysis,EnvironmentalGeoscienceHopeKlug,Ph.D.UniversityofFloridaEvolutionaryEcology,BehavioralEcologyMargaretJ.Kovach,Ph.D.ColoradoStateUniversityMammalianGenomics,MolecularBiologySeanM.Richards,Ph.D.TexasTechUniversityEnvironmentalToxicology,EnvironmentalChemistryMarkS.Schorr,Ph.D.MississippiStateUniversityLimnology,Ichthyology,StreamEcologyJoeyShaw,Ph.D.UniversityofTennesseePlantTaxonomy,Biogeography,MolecularPhylogenetics,EvolutionHenryG.Spratt,Jr.,Ph.D.UniversityofGeorgiaMicrobiology,MicrobialEcology,Biogeochemistry,BioremediationJohnC.Tucker,J.D.,LL.M.UniversityofFlorida,Lewis&ClarkCollegeEnvironmentalLaw&PolicyThomasP.Wilson,Ph.D.GeorgeMasonUniversityHerpetology,Ecology,SpatialSciences
![Page 37: M.S. in Environmental Science Graduate Program Handbook · Dr. Jennifer Boyd Dr. John Tucker Graduate Program Coordinator Department Chair jennifer-boyd@utc.edu john-tucker@utc.edu](https://reader030.fdocuments.us/reader030/viewer/2022040204/5eca1140a9bd6d2a2b2e6a4c/html5/thumbnails/37.jpg)
AppendixB–ImportantDates&Deadlines
B-1
TheselistsareprovidedtohelpyoumeetrequireddeadlinesofM.S.ESCstudentsduringthe2017-2018academicyear.YoushouldnotethattheydonotsubstituteforthedetailsofrequirementsasdescribedinthefullcontentsoftheGraduateStudentHandbook.
Fall2017Aug18 Fri • GraduateTeachingAssistantWorkshopforGTAstudents
Aug21 Mon • Firstdayofclasses
Sept1 Fri • DeadlineforFall2017GSAtravelawardapplications:GraduateStudentTravelAwardApplication
Sept6 Wed • ThesisFormattingWorkshopOct15 Sun • DeadlinetoapplyonlineforSpring2018graduationOct19 Thurs • LastdayfordefensesforFall2017graduation
Nov6 Mon • Thesisandthesis/internshipdefenseresultsdueforFall2017graduation:UTCScholarGraduateDegreeExaminationResults
• InternshipreportsandlearneddiscoursesdueforFall2017graduation(tobesubmittedtotheESCGraduateProgramCoordinator) • RegistrationforSpring2018begins
Nov17 Fri • DeadlinetoapplyforagraduationauditforSpring2018graduation:GraduationAudit
Nov20 Mon • DeadlineforSpring2018GSAtravelawardapplications:GraduateStudentTravelAwardApplication
LastdayforinternshipdefensesforFall2015graduation
Dec4 Mon • Lastdayofclasses
• ProgramofStudydeclarationsduefromfirst-semesterstudents:ProgramofStudy
• Committeeappointmentsduefromfirst-semesterstudents:GraduateCommitteeAppointment(forthesis)Internship/LearnedDiscourseCommitteeAppointment
Dec6 Wed • FinalexamsbeginDec15 Fri • GraduateStudentCommencement
![Page 38: M.S. in Environmental Science Graduate Program Handbook · Dr. Jennifer Boyd Dr. John Tucker Graduate Program Coordinator Department Chair jennifer-boyd@utc.edu john-tucker@utc.edu](https://reader030.fdocuments.us/reader030/viewer/2022040204/5eca1140a9bd6d2a2b2e6a4c/html5/thumbnails/38.jpg)
B-2
Spring2018Jan8 Mon • Firstdayofclasses
Jan19 Fri • ThesisFormattingWorkshopMar8 Thurs • LastdayfordefensesforSpring2018graduation
Mar15 Thurs • DeadlinetoapplyonlineforSummer2018degrees
Mar19 Mon • RegistrationforSummer2018coursesbegins
Mar30 Fri • Thesisandthesis/internshipdefenseresultsdueforSpring2018graduation:UTCScholarGraduateDegreeExaminationResults
• InternshipreportsandlearneddiscoursesdueforSpring2018graduation(tobesubmittedtotheESCGraduateProgramCoordinator)Apr2 Mon • DeadlineforreturningstudentstoapplyforESCgraduateassistantships:
GraduateAssistantApplication
• RegistrationforFall2018begins
Apr16 Mon • DeadlinetoapplyforagraduationauditforSummer2018degrees:GraduationAudit
Apr23 Mon • Lastdayofclasses
• ProgramofStudydeclarationsduefromfirst-semesterstudents:ProgramofStudy
• Committeeappointmentsduefromfirst-semesterstudents:GraduateCommitteeAppointment(forthesis)Internship/LearnedDiscourseCommitteeAppointment • Deadlineforcapstoneexperienceproposalapprovalforsecond-semesterstudentsApr25 Wed • Finalexamsbegin
May4 Fri • GraduateStudentCommencement
![Page 39: M.S. in Environmental Science Graduate Program Handbook · Dr. Jennifer Boyd Dr. John Tucker Graduate Program Coordinator Department Chair jennifer-boyd@utc.edu john-tucker@utc.edu](https://reader030.fdocuments.us/reader030/viewer/2022040204/5eca1140a9bd6d2a2b2e6a4c/html5/thumbnails/39.jpg)
B-3
Summer2018June15 Fri • DeadlinetoapplyforagraduationauditforFall2018graduation:
GraduationAudit • DeadlinetoapplyonlineforFall2018graduationJuly Fri • Thesisandthesis/internshipdefenseresultsdueforSummer2018degrees:UTCScholarGraduateDegreeExaminationResults • InternshipreportsandlearneddiscoursesdueforSummer2018degrees(tobesubmittedtotheESCGraduateProgramCoordinator)Aug11 Sat • Summerdegreesawarded(noceremony)
![Page 40: M.S. in Environmental Science Graduate Program Handbook · Dr. Jennifer Boyd Dr. John Tucker Graduate Program Coordinator Department Chair jennifer-boyd@utc.edu john-tucker@utc.edu](https://reader030.fdocuments.us/reader030/viewer/2022040204/5eca1140a9bd6d2a2b2e6a4c/html5/thumbnails/40.jpg)
AppendixC–StudentChecklists
C-1
ThesechecklistsareprovidedtohelpyoumaketimelyandsuccessfulprogressthroughM.S.ESCdegreeprogram.Specificchecklistsareprovidedforyourfirstandsecondsemestersofenrollment,thesemesterbeforeyourgraduation,thesemesterofyourgraduation,andallothersemestersinwhichyouareenrolledintheprogram.YoushouldnotethattheydonotsubstituteforthedetailsofrequirementsasdescribedinthefullcontentsoftheGraduateStudentHandbook.
ESCGraduateStudentChecklist-FirstSemester
Early:
c Setupascheduleforregularmeetingswithyouradvisor.
c Definecapstoneprogressgoalsforthesemesterwithyouradvisor.
c SubmitCapstoneProgressGoalstotheGraduateProgramCoordinator.
During:
c Discussthedetailsofyourcapstoneexperienceplanswithyouradvisor.
c Discussappropriategraduatecommitteememberswithyouradvisor.
c Discusscourseofferingsfornextsemesterwithyouradvisorandregister.
c Workonyourthesis,internship,orlearneddiscourseproposal.
BytheEnd:
c DeclareyourProgramofStudytotheGraduateSchool.
c Appointyourgraduatecommitteemembers:
GraduateCommitteeAppointment(thesisstudents)
Internship/LearningDiscourseCommitteeAppointment
c Discussyourprogressforthesemesterwithyouradvisor.
c Definecapstoneprogressgoalsforthenextsemesterwithyouradvisor.
![Page 41: M.S. in Environmental Science Graduate Program Handbook · Dr. Jennifer Boyd Dr. John Tucker Graduate Program Coordinator Department Chair jennifer-boyd@utc.edu john-tucker@utc.edu](https://reader030.fdocuments.us/reader030/viewer/2022040204/5eca1140a9bd6d2a2b2e6a4c/html5/thumbnails/41.jpg)
C-2
ESCGraduateStudentChecklist-SecondSemester Early:
c Setupascheduleforregularmeetingswithyouradvisor.
c SubmitCapstoneProgressGoalstotheGraduateProgramCoordinator.
During:
c Discusscourseofferingsfornextsemesterwithyouradvisorandregister.
c Finalizeyourthesis,internship,orlearneddiscourseproposal(ifstillinprogress).
c Beginyourcapstoneexperience(ifproposalhasbeenapproved/submitted).
BytheEnd:
c Discussyourprogressforthesemesterwithyouradvisor.
c Definecapstoneprogressgoalsforthenextsemesterwithyouradvisor.
![Page 42: M.S. in Environmental Science Graduate Program Handbook · Dr. Jennifer Boyd Dr. John Tucker Graduate Program Coordinator Department Chair jennifer-boyd@utc.edu john-tucker@utc.edu](https://reader030.fdocuments.us/reader030/viewer/2022040204/5eca1140a9bd6d2a2b2e6a4c/html5/thumbnails/42.jpg)
C-3
ESCGraduateStudentChecklist–SemesterbeforeGraduation Early:
c Setupascheduleforregularmeetingswithyouradvisor.
c AttendaUTCThesisandDissertationFormattingWorkshop (recommendedifnotpreviouslyattended).
c SubmitCapstoneProgressGoalstotheGraduateProgramCoordinator.
During:
c Discusscourseofferingsfornextsemesterwithyouradvisorandregister.
c Preparethefinalwrittendocumentofyourcapstoneexperience.
BytheDueDates:
c SubmityourGraduationAuditrequesttotheGraduateSchool.
c Applyforgraduationonline.
BytheEnd:
c Discussyourprogressforthesemesterwithyouradvisor.
![Page 43: M.S. in Environmental Science Graduate Program Handbook · Dr. Jennifer Boyd Dr. John Tucker Graduate Program Coordinator Department Chair jennifer-boyd@utc.edu john-tucker@utc.edu](https://reader030.fdocuments.us/reader030/viewer/2022040204/5eca1140a9bd6d2a2b2e6a4c/html5/thumbnails/43.jpg)
C-4
ESCGraduateStudentChecklist–SemesterofGraduation Early:
c Setupascheduleforregularmeetingswithyouradvisor.
c SubmitCapstoneProgressGoalstotheGraduateProgramCoordinator.
During:
c Finalizethefinalwrittendocumentofyourcapstoneexperience.
c Planandscheduleyourdefense.
BytheDueDates:
c Defendyourthesis,internship,orlearneddiscourse.
c Reporttheresultsofyourdefense(thesisandinternshipstudents)
GraduateDegreeExaminationResults
c SubmityourfinalwrittendocumenttotheGraduateSchoolortheGraduateProgramCoordinator.
![Page 44: M.S. in Environmental Science Graduate Program Handbook · Dr. Jennifer Boyd Dr. John Tucker Graduate Program Coordinator Department Chair jennifer-boyd@utc.edu john-tucker@utc.edu](https://reader030.fdocuments.us/reader030/viewer/2022040204/5eca1140a9bd6d2a2b2e6a4c/html5/thumbnails/44.jpg)
C-5
ESCGraduateStudentChecklist–AllOtherSemesters Early:
c Setupascheduleforregularmeetingswithyouradvisor.
c SubmitCapstoneProgressGoalstotheGraduateProgramCoordinator.
During:
c Discusscourseofferingsfornextsemesterwithyouradvisorandregister.
c Workonyourcapstoneexperiencetowardmeetingsemestergoals.
BytheEnd:
c Discussyourprogressforthesemesterwithyouradvisor.
c Definecapstoneprogressgoalsforthenextsemesterwithyouradvisor.