As described at the Graduate Catalog link below, it is possible for a PhD candidate proceeding directly from the BS to receive a Concurrent MS degree during their PhD program. This is contingent on meeting the minimum requirements below, and on receiving approval from the Major Professor, the Advisory Committee, and the appropriate Director of Graduate Studies. For BESS, the requirements are as follows:
- must have a BS degree and be working towards a PhD without having previously achieved an MS in the discipline or a closely-related area
- approval for this must be given by the Major Professor and Advisory Committee, and relayed by the Major Professor to the program Director of Graduate Studies
- must have completed the following courses at the time of application:
- 6 hours of the appropriate Dissertation course (BSE/ESS600)
- 21 hours of courses that meet the MS requirements, not including the BSE or ESS courses 500/502/503/600/603
- 3 hours (3 times 1 hour) of ESS603 Seminar
- must have successfully completed a major written assignment to the satisfaction of the Major Professor and Advisory Committee. At the discretion of the Major Professor and Advisory Committee—and with their prior approval—this may be one or more of the following:
- technical chapter in the Dissertation
- submission of a refereed journal or Extension publication for which the candidate is the primary author
- submission of a major funding proposal, for which the candidate is a primary author
- must complete the Application Form at the link below and forward that to the appropriate Director of Graduate Studies for approval and submission to the Graduate School, as described on the form.
- For students earning a concurrent master’s, a minimum of 18 additional credit hours of graduate coursework beyond the master’s degree must be earned at UT plus completion of at least 24 credit hours of course 600 Dissertation. Credit hours earned in 500 Thesis may not be counted toward the doctoral degree.
Notes:
1) the general program Catalog requirements that a candidate sign up for ESS603 Seminar in their final semester will generally mean that the candidate will end up with a total of 4 hours of credit for ESS603 during their course of study, rather than the 3 hours required for just the PhD
2) the candidate is not required to meet the non-course requirements for the MS degree, such as the final oral or written exam/s. They are required to meet all PhD exam requirements.