Program policies

Admission

Minimum requirements for admission to the MS program in Environmental Science are as follows:

• Students must hold a baccalaureate degree in one of the natural sciences or engineering from an accredited college or university, or permission of the director of the program.
• Students must have earned an undergraduate grade point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale calculated on all work attempted in which letter grades were awarded.
• Students must present a minimum score of 1000 on the verbal and quantitative (aptitude test) of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE).

Applications can be obtained from the Office of Graduate Admissions, Columbus State University, 4225 University Avenue, Columbus, GA 31907-5645.

Provisional Admission

Students who have earned an appropriate baccalaureate degree but whose undergraduate grade point average is lower that 3.0 or whose Graduate Record Examination (GRE) aptitude test score is lower that 1000 will be given consideration by the graduate admissions committee of the College of Science and may be admitted provisionally. Provisional students may be given specific coursework or independent study requirements in order to make up deficiencies but must complete a minimum of 10 semester hours of program core courses with a grade of B or better. Provisional students will not be eligible for teaching or research assistantships until they have obtained regular admission to the program.

Selection of An Advisor

Upon entering the Environmental Science graduate program, the student will be assigned an advisor. This advisor will assist the student in choosing courses and schedules that will best fit the student's interests and goals. The student may change his or her advisor after the first semester. The choice of thesis or non-thesis should be made in consultation with the advisor as soon as possible.

Degree Track Options

Students may elect to pursue one of two different educational options in environmental science. The thesis-track option places emphasis on both acquisition of a broad background of environmental knowledge and ecological methods as well as on developing research skills necessary to design and conduct original research. It also stresses communication skills necessary to present research results in both oral and written forms. The intention is to develop those abilities which allow our graduates to become productive environmental scientists and educators. The non-thesis track option stresses a broadly-based background in environmental science in order to prepare graduates for careers in environmental consulting in industrial and governmental fields. In either track, if a student has taken one or more of the program's core courses as an undergraduate, he or she will substitute courses from the program's elective courses in consultation with their advisor.

Thesis track students

Students wishing to enter the thesis track are required to complete 20 hours of specific program core courses, 10 hours of program electives and 6 hours of research. The student in consultation with his or her advisor will select, by the end of the first semester, two other faculty members to serve, along with the advisor, as a graduate committee. The purpose of the graduate committee is to guide and assist the student's thesis research. In consultation with the advisor, one member of the graduate committee may be chosen from faculty in other units of the University or from other institutions. The thesis is to be a significant original contribution in environmental science. The topic must be approved by the student's graduate committee in advance of the beginning of the thesis research. When the thesis is completed, the student will present the work in a public forum and will defend the work before the graduate committee.

Non-thesis track students

Students wishing to enter the non-thesis track are required to complete 24 hours of program core courses and 12 hours of program electives. The student in consultation with his or her advisor will select, by the end of the first semester, two other faculty members to serve, along with the advisor, as a graduate committee. The purpose of the graduate committee is to guide selection of elective courses to best match the student's goals.

Coarse Load

The maximum recommended course load for a graduate student in the School of Science in a given semester is 12 semester hours. The maximum course load for a student holding a graduate assistantship is 9 semester hours.

Application for Graduation

Approval of an application for a Master of Science in Environmental Science is contingent upon successful completion of the approved program of study. Application for degree conferral must be submitted to the Office of the Registrar prior to completion of the degree requirements.
The following requirements must be met for completion of the degree program:

• Students must earn a 3.0 grade point average calculated on all graduate work attempted for which letters are awarded and cannot include more than five hours with grades of C. At least 30 of the hours required for the degree, including the program core, must be earned in residence at Columbus State University. A maximum of six semester hours with no grade lower than B may be accepted for transfer. Transfer credit will not be used in computing the student's grade point average.
• Comprehensive written exams in program core courses must be satisfactorily completed before graduation. Exams will be offered by individual instructors throughout the academic year and graduate students will sign up for the exams. A student who does not perform satisfactorily may be required to enroll in additional courses and then take the exam again, but will not be eligible before the following semester. In such instances, it will not be necessary for the student to be enrolled in order to be re-examined.
• All degree requirements must be completed within seven years of first enrollment.