Graduate students are expected to complete the requirements for the M.S. Degree within 2 years. Graduate Research Assistantships (GRA's) are generally awarded yearly for a maximum period of 3 years. The master's degree program must be completed within six years of initial enrollment as a degree seeking graduate student. Please also see Section II under Graduate Academic Regulations and Policies in this publication.

The Graduate Committee consists of three School of Agriculture, Communities, and the Environment (ACE) faculty, and can include one additional member from outside of ACE. Students are required to prepare a draft proposal and hold their first committee meeting during their first semester of study.

The major professor will guide the student on research, analysis, writing, and other scholarly aspects of the work. Members of the student's committee contribute, but the primary responsibility is that of the major professor.

Submission of a thesis or Capstone manuscript is defined as the time at which the first complete draft of such is submitted to the major professor for review. After the major professor approves the draft for committee revision, the student will then submit the manuscript for critical review by the committee. Each may suggest improvements and refuse approval pending additional work. When committee members and the major professor sign the Approval Page, they certify that the thesis or capstone manuscript is clear and accurate, that it represents an original and worthwhile contribution, that the suggestions made by them are incorporated into the final work, and that the work conforms to the standards of Kentucky State University College of Agriculture, Community, and the Sciences (CACS). No faculty member will sign a thesis until it is of foremost quality and meets all requirements. The major professor and committee members must sign their names personally. There can be no temporary substitute members and no other person may sign a committee member's name on an Approval Page, even with the authorization of the committee member involved and the major professor. Electronic signatures are allowed for students completing their degree online.

All MES students pursuing a thesis track, will complete a written comprehensive exam to be administered by the faculty mentor with questions from the student's faculty mentor and committee members. This exam must be administered before the student defends and must have a majority of the committee members award a passing grade to the questions that they have provided.

CORE COURSES (Total of 21 credit hours)

ENV 501: Introduction to Environmental Studies

ENV 502: Population and Community Ecology

ENV 503: MES Student Team Project

ENV 506: Applied Stats and Exp. Design or ENV 509/AQU 509: Biostatistics

ENV 511: Energy and the Environment

ENV 699: MES Capstone Research Project or

ENV 600/601: MES Research/Thesis