Graduate Catalog 2024-2025
Department of Marine and Environmental Science
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 Return to: College of Sciences and Technology
Master of Science in Marine Sciences
Application Requirements
A complete application for admissions consists of a completed application form, statement of purpose with focus on research interests (more than 500, less than 1000 words, please), an official copy of all transcripts, official Graduate Record Exam (GRE) scores, two letters of recommendation on applicant’s potential for graduate study and research, a resume, and Certificate of Immunization. It is highly recommended that applicants communicate with the faculty regarding potential thesis research prior to application to the program. The GRE is optional unless the applicant has a GPA < 2.50.
Admissions
Regular Admission
Applicants may be granted regular admission provided they have met the following requirements:
An undergraduate degree in the sciences, technology or mathematics from an accredited college on file in the Office of Graduate Studies and Sponsored Research
An acceptable grade point average (3.0 preferred*)
Acceptable combined Verbal and Math GRE scores (1,000 preferred*) - optional
MSMS Admissions Committee evaluates all scores and documents in admissions decisions.
Provisional Admission
Applicants who do not meet the requirements for regular admission may be considered for provisional admission. Provisionally admitted students are allowed to take a total of up to nine hours of graduate credit. If requirements for full admission are met prior to completion of nine credit hours and the student has demonstrated progress in their thesis research, the Provisional Status Review Committee can recommend full admittance before nine credit hours have been earned. If requirements for full admission have not been met and/or significant progress in thesis research has not been demonstrated by the time nine credit hours have been received, the Provisional Status Review Committee can recommend removal of the student from the program.
Mechanisms for Change of Admission Status from Provisional to Regular
After at least eight but no more than nine credit hours of study within the MSMS Program, the Provisional Status Review Committee must make a recommendation to the Coordinator for full admission or removal of the student from the program. All provisional students are required to submit progress reports to the Provisional Status Review Committee on the second Monday of every December and May and the last Monday of July. See the Provisional Document for details of the progress report contents.
To be considered for removal from provisional status, a student must maintain a B average in all graduate courses taken in the MSMS Program and obtain a grade of B or better in all core courses. Additional requirements may apply depending on reasons for admittance with provisional status.
Non-Degree Post-Baccalaureate (Special) Admission
Non-degree post-baccalaureate students can enroll in a maximum of eight semester hours of graduate credit in MSMS courses at SSU. If later admitted to the MSMS Program, only eight credits taken while enrolled as a non-degree student can be applied toward degree program requirements.
Transfer Credits
No more than six semester hours of graduate credit taken at another university or eight semester hours of graduate credit taken as a non-degree student at SSU may be applied toward the MSMS degree. Courses must have been passed with a B or better and must be approved by the students’ thesis committee prior to the thesis proposal defense.
Timing of Admission
Admission in the fall semester is preferred in order to facilitate the proper course sequence and the establishment of a cohort of students for peer support. Admission in the spring semester will be considered. Student support (fellowships and assistantships) typically are not initiated in the spring semester.
Orientation
New students will be provided with all of the policies, procedures, forms and information necessary to complete the degree no later than the first day of classes of the first semester of enrollment in the program.
Enrollment and Readmission
Unless an admitted graduate student does not plan to be on campus for services of any kind (including meetings with their thesis advisor) the student must enroll in at least 1 unit of credit (typically Directed Research if all other coursework is completed) each semester excluding summer.
A graduate student who does not register in the semester for which they were accepted or who has not been enrolled for a period of two consecutive semesters will be classified as inactive. To resume graduate study, the student must reapply for admission using a special form (not the original process) available from the Graduate Studies Office. A graduate student does not need to be enrolled in the semester in which they apply for candidacy or the semester in which the degree is conferred.
Grade Requirements and Qualifying Examinations
Scholastic Warning/Academic Probation
A regularly admitted graduate student whose GPA falls below 3.0 in a given semester will receive a letter of scholastic warning from the University placing the student on Academic Probation.
Academic Termination
The following are grounds for Academic Termination from the graduate program:
A provisionally admitted student fails to achieve a 3.0 GPA after nine semester hours of course work.
A regularly admitted student who is on academic probation fails to achieve a 3.0 GPA after nine additional semester hours of course work.
NOTE: With the exception of core courses and students who have provisional status, the number of C’s a student earns is irrelevant as long as a cumulative 3.0 GPA is maintained.
All students in the MSMS Program are expected to complete the five core courses (listed below) with a grade of B or better.
MSMS Core Courses:
Students who receive grades of B or better in the core courses need not take a qualifying exam. They should, however, be prepared to answer integrative questions on concepts presented in the core courses at their defense in addition to questions specific to their thesis research.
If a student fails to achieve a grade of B or higher in one of the MSMS core courses, he/she will have one opportunity to pass a written qualifying exam in that core area. The exam will be designed by the professor(s) who taught the core course in which unsatisfactory progress was made and will be designed to test competency in that core area. It is the responsibility of the student to seek guidance on preparing for the exam from the relevant faculty member(s).
Scheduling of qualifying exams will be done by the MSMS Program Coordinator in conjunction with relevant faculty members and students. Qualifying exams will be offered once per semester. The exam should be scheduled no earlier than one month after the receipt of the unsatisfactory grade (< B) to ensure ample preparation time. The qualifying exam should also be offered well in advance of the start of the semester in which the relevant course(s) will next be taught.
The qualifying exam will be in written format with approximately one-half day allotted per exam.
The qualifying exam will be initially evaluated by the course instructor. If it falls into a potentially failing category based on the instructor’s evaluation, it will be evaluated by no less than three faculty members including the instructor for the course, the thesis advisor, and the coordinator of the program. For cases in which there is overlap (e.g. thesis advisor is coordinator) another faculty member will be selected to serve on the committee.
Students who pass the qualifying exam need not retake the course. If the written exam is not passed prior to the subsequent semester in which the relevant core course is offered, then the student will be required to reenroll in the course and achieve a B or better. Students who do not pass the course the second time with a ‘B’ or ‘A’ will be recommended for academic termination from the degree program.
Graduate Student Advisement
The thesis advisor must be a member of the graduate faculty at SSU. *In the case of co-thesis advisors, one must be a full graduate faculty member. An advisory committee consists of at least three advisory members, of which at least two are graduate faculty members based at Savannah State University.*A “proposal of research” must be submitted by the student and approved by the student’s advisor and advisory committee. *Special exceptions may apply at the discretion of the MSMS Program Coordinator.
Financial Assistance
Applicants and students may apply for financial assistance in the form of Research Fellowships, Graduate Assistantships, research awards, and travel awards. See a marine science faculty member to inquire further about funding opportunities.
Thesis Proposal
The thesis proposal must be presented to and approved by the thesis committee in the form of a formal written document and an oral presentation. This must be done by the end of the 2nd semester of study (e.g. 1st Monday of May for those entering in the fall semester) for full-time students. The timeline for part-time students is at the discretion of the advisor and committee. The proposal should clearly describe the problem or questions to be addressed by the research with clearly stated hypotheses, the methodology to be used, a preliminary literature review, and a timeline for project completion. A statement of needed equipment, supplies, and travel required for the project and how these items will be funded should also be included. This document is not meant to restrict the student from pursuing different avenues as opportunities arise within their research, but to provide a clear initial guideline for the committee’s input and approval. Once the thesis proposal and the initial draft of the “Application for Candidacy” form including curriculum track and courses (see Plan of Study Approval) are approved/signed by the committee, a student is eligible to enroll in Thesis I.
Plan of Study Approval
At the time that the thesis proposal is presented to the thesis committee the ‘Thesis Proposal Defense and Candidacy Qualification Form’ should be presented to and approved by the committee. This ensures that the courses taken by a student are approved by the committee as relevant to their particular needs and goals and that the student is on track to graduate in a timely manner. This document is to be submitted to the MSMS Program Director with an attached copy of transcripts (official or unofficial) from SSU graduate study and transcripts from any off campus graduate work to be applied to the degree. Deviations from this initial plan of study may occur due to restrictions in course offerings. If this occurs, the advisor and committee must approve the revised plan of study and the advisor must initial any course substitutions made on the original “Application for Candidacy Thesis Proposal Defense and Candidacy Qualification Form’” form prior to course registration. The form can then be updated, printed again, and used as the official Application for Admission to Candidacy for the Master’s Degree.
Thesis Defense
The thesis defense shall consist of two parts: 1) an oral presentation open to the public with a question and answer period; followed by 2) a thesis evaluation attended only by the committee members and the student. The oral presentation must be advertised two weeks in advance. The purpose of the private thesis defense is mainly, but not exclusively, to address any outstanding concerns based on the oral presentation, to review substantive changes to the penultimate draft submitted before the defense; and to ask questions that will help determine the readiness of the student to graduate. The committee can set future writing deadline(s) to assist student in graduating on time. Scheduling a defense before the graduation deadline does not ensure that the candidate will graduate as all committee members must sign the thesis cover page attesting that they approve the final written version.
In the event of an unforeseen circumstance whereby one of the thesis committee members is unable to participate in the thesis defense, acceptable alternatives, which must be approved by the thesis advisor and program coordinator, exist to allow the defense to proceed. With approval of the thesis advisor, the student may ask another MSMS graduate faculty member to stand in for the absent member during the defense and sign the thesis defense report form. If such an event renders a committee member unable to remain on the committee, the student may ask another MSMS graduate faculty member to become a committee member (thesis committee form addendum signed by stand in and coordinator is required). Finally, if the committee member who cannot attend the defense is a thesis advisor, the thesis advisor may petition the Graduate Program Coordinator for an extension of the deadline for the defense, if necessary, and allow the student to reschedule the defense.
Application for Candidacy
The Application for Admission to Candidacy for the Master of Science in Marine Sciences Degree form must be submitted by the advisor for processing prior to scheduling of thesis defense.
All degree program forms and instructions are available online.
Thesis and Defense Deadlines
The thesis defense which includes a public presentation of thesis in seminar series format followed by a thesis committee meeting must be scheduled no later than six (6) weeks prior to the date graduating students’ grades are due in the registrar’s office (see academic calendar).
A penultimate draft of the thesis must be submitted to thesis committee members no later than three (3) weeks prior to the scheduled thesis defense date. The penultimate draft is the next to final version in a series of versions of the thesis which the thesis committee has reviewed. The final version is the one containing the signed thesis signature page that will be submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies Administration.
For information on thesis processing and questions concerning the Thesis Guide contact the Graduate Program Coordinator.
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