Master’s degree requirements

Except under special conditions, candidates for the Master of Science degree offered through the Grain Science and Industry  graduate program are required to spend one academic year in residence.

A committee of at least three graduate faculty members supervises the program of study for the master’s degree. The candidate’s major professor serves as committee chair. The committee is selected by the student and his or her major professor, with selection of the committee subject to approval by the Graduate School. The supervisory committee’s responsibilities include approval of a thesis research proposal, guidance in and approval of a written plan of study which describes course work to be completed, approval of the final copy of the thesis, and administration of a final oral examination.

A master’s degree requires a minimum of 30 semester hours of graduate credit including 6 to 8 research credit hours resulting in a thesis.

The student must submit a written plan of study to the Graduate School prior to the end of the second semester that the candidate is enrolled at Kansas State University.

A candidate will submit the thesis to all committee members before the examination is scheduled. A copy is to be available at the final oral examination.

A final oral examination is required of all students. This must include a defense of the thesis in the grain science department, and may include interpretation of other scholarly work, and testing of the students’ understanding of their fields of study.