Marine Sciences Graduate Handbook This page contains information for our current graduate students to successfully navigate the program. For more information or if you have questions contact the Graduate Coordinator (Dr. Cliff Buck; clifton.buck@skio.uga.edu). Additional information, including a detailed checklist with program milestones, can be found in the following document: General information for MS and PhD students in the UGA Department of Marine Sciences. REGISTRATION How do I register for classes each semester? Prior to registration, the Marine Sciences Student Affairs Professional will clear all students for registration. Students must work with their advisor to determine the courses they will take each semester. Once the student and their advisor agree on courses and hours, the student should confirm by email with the Student Affairs Professional their planned courses to ensure compliance with the department’s requirements for programs of study. If a course is outside the department and requires permissions (e.g., ECOL, GEOL…) the student should email the instructor of that course to request the permission. Students must register during their assigned preregistration phase to qualify for a tuition waiver. Students must register for the CRN which corresponds to their location. Athens-based students register for the Athens section and Skidaway-based students register for the Off-Campus CRN. Failure to register for the correct section may result in the University charging that student additional fees. Required Credit Hours for Full-time Status To receive a teaching or graduate assistantship, students must register for the minimum number of credit hours required of full-time students. However, students are encouraged to register for the maximum allowed credit hours. Limits on repeatable credit are outlined below. Work with your advisor to determine the optimum number of credit hours for which you should register. Minimum Credit Hours Maximum Credit Hours Fall/Spring Semesters 12 18 Summer Semester 9 15 *A student who will not receive a graduate research or teaching assistantship (e.g., DoubleDawgs and some nonthesis M.S. students) may register for three credit hours in a semester. For more information on University of Georgia enrollment requirements, please visit https://grad.uga.edu/graduate-bulletin/enrollment-policy/ COURSE REQUIREMENTS A. Definitions: The following definitions are used in this handbook and in each degree program’s Program of Study checklist. Graduate-only classes: • 6000-level classes provided no undergraduates are enrolled. Note: DoubleDawg students will enroll at the 6000-level and are not considered undergraduates. • All 8000-level classes. Graduate classes: • All 6000-level classes, including those with undergraduates enrolled at the 4000-level. Classes which do not count toward any program of study: • MARS6740L/6750 (Scientific Diving) • Non-research 7000-level classes cannot be counted toward the credit hour requirements for your degree. MARS7380 is an exception and can be counted toward the non-research, graduate class credit hour requirement for MS and NT-MS programs of study. MARS 7380 may not be counted toward a PhD program of study. B. Doctoral Degree Credit Hour Requirements: The program of study must include at least 30 credit hours. Minimum Non-Research Credit Requirements: 1. Student entering the program without a M.S. degree in a natural sciences discipline: • 20 credit hours in non-research classes are required • 16 credits must be from 8000-level, graduate-only classes • 4 credits can be from any graduate-only class (8000-level or 6000-level with no enrolled undergraduates) 2. Student entering the program with a M.S. degree in a natural sciences discipline: • 16 credit hours in non-research classes are required • All 16 credits must be from 8000-level, graduate-only classes 3. Minimum Research Credit Requirements for Ph.D. seeking students: • At least 3 research credit hours in MARS9000 (Doctoral Research)*. MARS9000 is repeatable for a maximum of 45 credits toward the program of study, however you may continue to enroll in this course beyond 45 credits. • At least 3 credit hours in MARS9300 (Doctoral Dissertation) to be taken the semester you defend your dissertation. MARS9300 is repeatable for a maximum of 15 credits toward the program of study. *When registering for MARS 9000, look for the course section (CRN) under the advisor’s name and adjust the number of hours as necessary to meet the minimum credit hour requirement for full-time status. There is no cap on the number of MARS 9000 credits that can be taken, but only 45 credits can be applied to the program of study. Students who are dual-advised will need to contact the Student Affairs Professional before they can register for research credits with both advisors. This must be done every semester, including summer. C. Master’s Degree Credit Hour Requirements: The program of study must include at least 30 credit hours 1. Minimum Non-Research Credit Requirements: • 21 credit hours in non-research classes • 12 credits must be from graduate-only classes • 9 credits can be from graduate or graduate-only classes 2. Minimum Research Credit Requirements: • At least 3 research credits in MARS7000 (Master’s Research). MARS7000 is repeatable for a maximum of 45 credits toward the program of study, however you may continue to enroll in this course beyond 45 credits. • At least 3 credits in MARS7300 (Master’s Thesis) to be taken the semester you defend your thesis. MARS7300 is repeatable for a maximum of 15 credits toward the program of study. D. Nonthesis Master’s Degree Credit Hour Requirements The program of study must include at least 30 credit hours. 1. Non-Research Credit Requirements: • 21 credit hours in non-research classes • 12 credits must be from graduate-only classes • 9 can be from graduate or graduate-only classes. 2. Research Credit Requirement • 9 credits must be in MARS 7100 (Nonthesis M.S. Research Project or Internship Experience), taken in a single semester or spread over multiple semesters. 3. DoubleDawgs Credit Hour Requirements • Up to 12 hours of graduate-level courses as an undergraduate student that count toward both your undergraduate and graduate degree program requirements • Students should work with the DoubleDawgs program advisor to ensure they meet degree requirements • An example course of study for the DoubleDawgs program can be found here. E. Other Requirements: • All graduate students must enroll in MARS 8900: Methods in Oceanography "Bootcamp" in their first semester of study unless they are granted a waiver due to scheduling conflicts. Consult with your advisor and the Graduate Coordinator. Credits do not count toward non-research course requirements. • MARS7380: Quantitative Methods in Marine Science is required of all students in the graduate program. Students may test out of this requirement and should consult with the instructor for more information. Credits from this course do not count toward PhD non-research course requirements but can be applied toward the graduate-only, non-research course requirements for MS and NT-MS programs of study. • All first-year students are required to enroll in GRSC7001: GradFIRST once during their first year. More information about GradFIRST seminars can be found here. Students at Skidaway Institute can enroll in an online version of GRSC7001. Credits do not count toward non-research course requirements. • All graduate students except for DoubleDawgs are required to participate in the departmental seminar by enrolling in MARS8130 in 3 semesters of their first 2 years of study. DoubleDawgs should enroll in the MARS8130 seminar during at least one semester of their fourth or fifth year and can apply 1 credit hour from MARS8130 to their program of study. • To count more than a total of 3 credits (combined) from MARS8130, MARS8190, MARS8900, and MARS8990 towards a program of study, a GAC-approved syllabus must be part of the student’s file held by the Student Affairs Professional.• A grade of C or better must be obtained for all courses on your program of study; a cumulative average of B must be maintained for all graduate courses. • The Marine Sciences graduate core courses MARS 8010, 8020, and 8030 must be included in your program of study and a B average among these three core courses is required. • A core class can only be repeated once. When repeated, the last grade received will be used in calculating the cumulative graduate average used for evaluation of student status for probation, dismissal, admission to candidacy, and graduation decisions. • Grades received in all graduate courses, except the first attempt of a repeated core course, will be included in the graduate cumulative average. ADVISORY COMMITTEE When should I form my advisory committee? Your advisory committee should be formed by the end of your first year of study. How many members are on a committee? Master’s Committee: 3 members. Your major professor and at least one of the other members of the advisory committee must be members of the graduate faculty. Doctoral Committee: 5 members. Your major professor and at least two other members of the advisory committee must be members of the graduate faculty. Other Members on M.S. and Ph.D. committees: • One member may be unaffiliated with UGA (i.e., someone who is not a regular or adjunct member of the UGA faculty) if approved by the Graduate School. The outside committee member must be available for committee meetings, oral exams, and final defense. • One member may be a UGA employee who holds the rank of public service assistant, public service associate, senior public service associate, assistant research scientist, associate research scientist, or senior research scientist. • To obtain approval in either of these cases, a current CV of the potential committee member must be submitted to the Graduate Coordinator. Your major professor must provide a letter addressed to the Dean of the Graduate School explaining the role this person would serve on the committee. The Graduate Coordinator will review and sign the letter. You will upload both the CV and signed letter through GradStatus when you submit your Advisory Committee Form (G130). • Co-major professors. Co-major professors, limited to two, may be appointed to an advisory committee provided both parties are appointed members of the Graduate Program Faculty. Co-major professors may comprise two of the three required members of an advisory committee. Both co-major professors must sign all forms that require the signature of an advisory committee chair. How often should I hold Committee meetings? Students should convene a meeting of their advisory committee at least once per calendar year. A meeting once per semester may be desirable. Your major professor will provide guidance on expectations for your meetings. Where do I find the Advisory Committee Form? The form is available at https://grad.uga.edu/current-students/forms/. How do I change committee members once I have submitted an advisory committee form? To change your advisory committee, go to https://grad.uga.edu/current-students/forms/. UGA GRADUATE SCHOOL RESIDENCY REQUIREMENT How do I meet the residency requirement? For students pursuing the M.S. degree, the minimum residence requirement is two semesters which do not have to be consecutive. For students in the Doctoral degree program, a minimum of three full years of study beyond the bachelor’s degree is required. At least 30 hours of consecutive course work included in the program of study must be spent in resident study on the Athens or Skidaway campuses. Undergraduate courses taken either to fulfill research skills requirements or to remove deficiencies may not be calculated in the 30 consecutive hours of resident credit. Summer semester does not break consecutive enrollment. For more information see https://grad.uga.edu/graduate-bulletin/doctoral-degree-requirements/phd-requirements/. TEACHING AND FIELD EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS M.S. Degree: None. However, should a M.S. student wish to serve as a TA then all requirements to teach described below will apply. Ph.D. Degree: Students in the Ph.D. program must obtain teaching experience by serving as a teaching assistant (TA) for at least one semester. All TAs must complete the CTL TA Orientation training modules and GRSC7770 as required by the Graduate School. International students from non-English speaking nations must demonstrate an adequate level of spoken English proficiency before they are given instructional responsibilities. When required, a student must successfully pass LLED 7768 and/or LLED 7769 courses. Students from non-English speaking countries should consult https://resources.coe.uga.edu/students/international-teaching-assistant-testing/#overview for more information on required language proficiency testing. Obtain field experience by participating in at least 14 days of research cruises and/or coastal (shore-based) research trips while in the Marine Sciences program. The field experience can include a combination of ship- and shore-based research. The 14 days do not have to be consecutive. A Field Experience Form must be submitted to the Department prior to filing for admission to candidacy. Teaching-related field experience does not count toward this requirement. GUIDELINES FOR THESIS/DISSERTATION PROSPECTUS Nonthesis Master’s Degree Internship/Project The student will submit a 3 to 5-page description of the proposed internship or research project to their advisory committee for approval. The approved document will be sent to the Student Affairs Professional. The format is flexible but should include a description of the internship or project’s goals, the skills and experiences that will be gained, and a timeline for completion. This requirement is in addition to the syllabus for MARS7100 which must be submitted to the Graduate Coordinator. Master’s Degree: During the student’s second year, they will submit a 3 to 5-page description of the proposed research, signed by the members of the advisory committee, to the Student Affairs Professional. The prospectus format is flexible but should include a description of the questions to be addressed in your thesis, an outline of the proposed research, and a timeline for completion. Doctoral Degree: During the student’s third year, they will submit a 5 to 8-page description of the proposed research, signed by the members of the advisory committee, to the Student Affairs Professional. The prospectus format is flexible but should include a description of the questions to be addressed in your dissertation, an outline of the proposed research, and a timeline for completion. PH.D QUALIFYING EXAMS A student must pass formal, comprehensive written and oral examinations before being admitted to candidacy for the degree. These examinations are administered by the student’s advisory committee. Written exams • Qualifying exams can only be taken once the course work prescribed by their advisory committee has been completed. This includes the core courses, and may also include other courses prescribed by their advisory committee. • Students are expected to complete their written exams by the end of year 3. • Each committee member will provide written questions (typically taking 1/2 to 1 day to answer) to the student’s advisor, who will distribute the questions to the student. • To pass each examination, the agreement of the advisory committee is achieved with no more than one dissenting vote. If the written exam is unsuccessful, the entire exam must be attempted again with new questions from all committee members. Only one retake is allowed. Oral exams • Students should hold their oral exam soon after successful completion of written exams. Two weeks is the suggested timeframe. • Students must provide a completed dissertation prospectus to all committee members at least two weeks prior to the oral exam. • Students must notify the Student Affairs Professional of the time and place of the oral exam at least two weeks prior to the oral exam. The Student Affairs Professional will notify the Graduate School of the exam time and location. • To complete this requirement, a passing grade must be received from all but one committee member. If the oral exam is failed, this section of the exam must be attempted again with new questions from all committee members. Only one re-take is allowed. • All committee members must participate in the oral exam at the scheduled time. Committee members may participate via tele-or videoconference. • The graduate school requires the final Program of Study to be on file when scheduling the oral exam. • Students should discuss exam content and format with their advisor and committee members. • An examination of the student’s dissertation prospectus (proposal) may precede or follow the oral comprehensive examination but may not take the place of the oral comprehensive examination. THESIS/DISSERTATION DEFENSE or INTERNSHIP PRESENTATION Graduate thesis defenses (M.S. & Ph.D. tracks) or internship presentations (NT-M.S. tracks) are the final culmination of graduate work and are required. • The student should discuss with their advisory committee expectations for their report/thesis/dissertation early in their program of study. • The defense/presentation will be chaired by the student’s major professor and attended by all members of the advisory committee simultaneously for the entire defense/presentation period. • The student and committee chair must appear in person. Other members may appear via tele- or videoconference. • The major professor can designate a substitute chair from the members of the advisory committee if they are unable to attend the defense in person • The committee must approve the thesis/dissertation and defense with no more than one dissenting vote. Abstentions are not allowed. • The defense results must be reported to the Graduate School at least two weeks before graduation. WHAT DO I NEED TO GRADUATE? Nonthesis M.S. Degree 1. Committee form 2. Program of Study form 3. Internship/project proposal and syllabus for MARS7100 4. Meet residency requirement 5. Apply for graduation (see below) 6. Submit written project report to committee members 7. Deliver and pass the oral presentation for completion of MARS7100 M.S. Degree 1. Committee form 2. Program of Study form 3. Thesis proposal 4. Meet residency requirement 5. Apply for graduation (see below) 6. Submit the written thesis to the advisory committee at least two weeks prior to the thesis defense. 7. Pass an oral thesis defense. The oral defense must be scheduled at least two weeks in advance with the Graduate School. 8. Follow Graduate School deadlines for thesis check and final submission. Ph.D. Degree 1. Committee form 2. Preliminary Program of Study form 3. Final Program of Study form 4. Dissertation proposal 5. Admission to Candidacy form 6. Field Experience form 7. Required teaching experience form 8. Pass written and oral qualifying exams 9. Meet residency requirement 10. Apply for graduation (see below) 11. Submit the written dissertation to the advisory committee at least two weeks prior to the defense 12. Pass oral defense of your dissertation. The oral defense must be scheduled at least two weeks in advance with the Graduate School, and the dissertation must be provided to committee members. 13. Follow Graduate School deadlines for thesis check and final submission. *All requirements for the PhD degree must be complete within a period of six years from the first registration for graduate courses on the student’s program of study. Exceptions to this requirement include the teaching and field requirements as well as the dissertation and final oral dissertation defense. A student may petition for an exception to this policy by writing a letter to the Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School. This request for an extension of time must include the specific reasons that the student did not complete the requirements in the time allotted. The student must include a specific timeline for the completion of degree requirements. The student’s major professor must review the student’s request and write a letter to the Vice Provost and Dean stating approval or disapproval of the petition. The graduate coordinator and department head must review the major professor’s recommendation and indicate their concurrence by writing an additional letter. If they do not concur with the recommendation, further information should be provided by them in the letter. An extension of time may be granted only on conditions beyond the control of the student. CONTINUATION IN THE PROGRAM Student academic and research progress is monitored by the advisor, the advisory committee, and the GAC. Lack of adequate progress or satisfactory work performance, a finding of a violation of scientific ethics guidelines (including but not limited to falsifying data, plagiarism), the inability to find an academic advisor and other factors deemed relevant for the successful participation in the graduate program, may be cause for dismissal from the program, in accordance with graduate school policies. At the departmental level, dismissal decisions are made by the GAC after consultation with the student, the advisor, and the advisory committee. APPLYING FOR GRADUATION What is the deadline for applying for graduation?You must apply for graduation by the course withdrawal date in the semester of anticipated graduation.How do I apply for graduation?You may apply for graduation online through Athena. A link to the instructions is available here: https://grad.uga.edu/current-students/forms/Once I have applied to graduate, how do I change that date if I can’t meet that deadline?Changes to graduate applications are made through Athena.TIMELINE Please review the document General Information for M.S. and Ph.D. Students in the UGA Department of Marine Sciences for suggested timelines and program checklists. CONFLICT RESOLUTION For information on resolving personal and ethical, or academic concerns, please see this document Last edited: March 2025 to reflect field experience policy changes.
