The following is a summary of committee requirements, course requirements, and important benchmarks, as extracted from EEB’s full Graduate Student Handbook (pdf, revised August 2023).
| Category | MS Degree | PhD Degree |
|---|---|---|
| Committee | 3 members, including advisor (at least 2 must be EEB graduate faculty members (1 Core); 1 from minor Dept., if pursuing a minor) chosen during 1 st year 1 st committee meeting by end of 2 nd semester | 4 members, including advisor (3 of whom approved by Graduate Council to direct dissertation research, 1 member from EEB Core faculty and 1 member from outside of Dept.) chosen during 1 st year 1 st committee meeting by end of 2 nd semester submit Doctoral Committee Appointment form |
| Course Requirements | 30 credit hours (2/3rds 500-level or higher; 400-levels from approved list only) Required Courses: CORE-Evolution and Ecology (6hrs) 1 quantitative course (3 hrs) EEB 503 (1 hr; Dept. seminar; required for all first and second year students and for GTAs every semester) EEB 507 (2 nd /4 th year seminar) 6 hrs EEB 500 (Thesis), 3 of which must be taken in final semester *Remaining hrs from other EEB courses including approved 400-level classes, seminars or independent study. Minor possible: 6-12 hrs | 24 credit hours beyond MS (12/24 graded A-F) or 48 hrs without MS (30/48 graded A-F). 2/3rds of courses 500 or higher (400-levels from approved list only). 6 hrs UTK 600-level courses, exclusive of EEB 600. 24 hrs EEB 600 (Dissertation). Required Courses: CORE-Evolution and Ecology (6hrs) 1 quantitative course (3 hr) EEB 503 (1 hr; Dept. seminar; required for all first and second year students) EEB 507 (2 nd /4 th year seminar) 24 hrs EEB 600 (Dissertation) – once you start these (after comp exams, proposal approved), you must be continuously enrolled in them, including summer. *Remaining hrs from other EEB courses including approved 400-level classes, seminars or independent study. |
| Important Benchmarks | Form thesis committee (by 2 nd semester at latest) Write thesis proposal (by end of 2 nd semester) – have 1 st committee meeting Admission to Candidacy for MS (after coursework completed and acceptance of thesis proposal) http://gradschool.utk.edu/gradforms.shtml Make satisfactory progress toward degree (annual progress reports) Complete thesis (within 2-3 yrs, max 5) Defense of thesis and oral exam (with public seminar); due dates set by Grad College, must be scheduled 6 weeks before deadline. Notify Grad School one semester before intending to graduate. | Form dissertation committee (within 1 st year suggested) Write dissertation proposal (ideally by end of 2 nd year) – have 1 st committee meeting Advancement to Candidacy Exam (ideally by end of 5 th semester) – complete all coursework with a minimum grade of a B- in each course, includes both written and oral components (contents and structure determined by the committee, typically involves grant proposal or manuscript for the written component and oral exam). Exam can only be taken twice. Once passed admission to candidacy must be applied for at Graduate School. Once candidacy is approved, begin taking EEB 600 (Dissertation credits) Make satisfactory progress toward degree (annual progress reports) Complete dissertation (original scholarly research)(within 5 years, max 8) Defense of dissertation and oral exam (with public seminar); due dates set by Graduate School |
