Doctoral studies consist of selected courses within the Graduate Research and Education Areas and independent research leading to a dissertation. The student with the approval of a Supervisory Committee individually formulates the program. A minimum of 90 credits is required. Credits for course work earned as part of a Master's degree may be counted upon approval of the Graduate School (restrictions apply). In addition, written and oral comprehensive qualifying examinations are required of all PhD students (refer to the Graduate Catalog).

Seminar Requirements

All graduate students are required to register for two Departmental Seminars (1 semester credit hour each, graded S/U). One of the Departmental seminars requires students to attend the Departmental Colloquium (4 to 5 presentations per semester) every semester, with a minimum 75% attendance rate required to pass. The second Departmental seminar is taken in one of the following focus areas: Air Pollution, Hydrologic Sciences, Potable Water, Solid Waste, Systems Ecology, Water/Wastewater Treatment, and Wetlands. A maximum of 2 credits of seminar coursework may be applied to the formal degree requirements.

Qualifying Exam

Written and oral comprehensive qualifying (preliminary) examinations are required of all Ph.D. candidates. The exams should be taken no later than the fourth semester of residence toward the degree. Exceptions to this policy may be handled by petition. The Supervisory Committee has the full responsibility for the formulation, administration, and evaluation of the qualifying exam. Arrangements for the exam should be made with the Committee Chair. A research proposal should be prepared and made available to the Committee well in advance of the examination.

A student may register for ENV 7980, Research for Doctoral Dissertation, in the semester in which he/she plans to take the qualifying exam. A student will be formally admitted to candidacy for the PhD following successful completion of the qualifying exam. At least two semesters (or a calendar year for less than full-time students) must elapse between admission to candidacy and the date of the awarding of the degree. The semester in which the qualifying exam is passed is counted if the exam is completed prior to the mid-point of the semester. Prior to admission to candidacy, doctoral students should register for ENV 7979, Advanced Research.

Final Oral Examination

Upon completion of the dissertation, the Supervisory Committee will conduct a final oral examination, focused principally on the dissertation research although other relevant topics may also be examined. The student must notify the Department's Academic Office which will complete the notice form of the time and place of the final examination. This must be submitted to the Graduate Coordinator of the Department 10 business days (two calendar weeks) prior to the examination, with copies to all members of the Supervisory Committee. Doctor of Philosophy students should also attach the abstract of the dissertation. The Report on Thesis or Dissertation and/or Final Examination form must be submitted to the Graduate School. The candidate must pass the final comprehensive examination. This examination, held on campus with all Supervisory Committee Members, will cover at least the candidate's field of concentration, and in no case may it be scheduled earlier than the term preceding the semester in which the degree is to be conferred.

Grade Requirements

The only passing grades for graduate students are C or above (or S in a course graded S/U). A graduate student may be denied further registration should scholastic performance become unsatisfactory to the Department, College, or Dean of the Graduate School. Failure to maintain a B average is defined as unsatisfactory scholarship. At the time of graduation, a minimum GPA of 3.0 must be achieved overall as well as in the student's major area of concentration.

A student receiving a grade of incomplete (a grade of "I") should complete the required work and have his/her professor submit a change of grade form to the Registrar by the time specified in the University calendar. Otherwise, the grade will be treated as an "E" (fail) grade for GPA purposes after one semester has passed. Students cannot graduate until all "I" , "E", "N" and "NG" grades have been resolved.

Students holding a graduate assistantship or other stipend must maintain a B average or the assistantship will be discontinued.

Time Limitation

The doctorate must be completed within five calendar years after passing the qualifying exam, or this exam must be repeated.

Supervisory Committee

By midpoint of the second semester of registration you must form a Supervisory Committee. The general duties and responsibilities of the Supervisory Committee for the doctoral candidate are described in the Graduate Catalog. The Supervisory Committee consists of four members selected from the graduate faculty. At least two members, including the Chair, will be from this Department, and at least one member will be from a different educational discipline.

If a minor is chosen, the Supervisory Committee will include at least one person selected from the graduate faculty from outside of the Department for the purpose of representing the student's minor. In the event that the student elects more than one minor, each minor area must be represented on the Supervisory Committee.

Plan of Study

The Plan of Study must be done by the beginning of the second semester. The Plan of Study is a projection of the courses a student plans to take in his/her degree program and it is signed by the student's Supervisory Committee. The plan must be approved and submitted to the Graduate Coordinator by the mid-point of the second semester of registration. The student must insure that changes to the plan of study are approved by the Supervisory Committee in writing.

Dissertations

Guidelines concerning the format of dissertations is published by the Graduate School, 284 Grinter Hall. This should be obtained and carefully followed. Each thesis or dissertation, at the time of submission for initial review by the Editorial Office of the Graduate School, must be accompanied by a brief "General Audience Abstract" in addition to the academic abstract. The abstract should be written in a fashion that communicates in clear and effective, nonspecialized language the contributions of the work to the state of Florida, the nation, society in general, and/or the discipline. Copies of the abstract should be sent to the Department Chair, Graduate Coordinator, and the College Dean. The abstract must be submitted to the Graduate School Editorial Office both as a hard copy and on a diskette, which will be returned. In addition, the Graduate Catalog contains more specific rules and regulations. The original dissertation manuscript must be presented to the Dean of the Graduate School. A second copy should be delivered to the Library for binding. The Supervisory Committee Chair and the candidate will each need a copy, and a copy must also be provided for the Department library. As a courtesy, students normally provide copies to those members of the Supervisory Committee who desire one.

The Department copy must be on bond paper and can be bound in a black spring-back binder with the student's name, degree and date of degree tag placed on the spine of the binder (these materials may be purchased at the bookstore). Alternatively, it is possible to have the thesis or dissertation professionally bound at a facility in Gainesville.

Each student is urged to prepare articles on the subject of his/her report, thesis or dissertation for publication in technical journals. This is normally done in collaboration with his/her Supervisory Committee Chair.

Language Requirement

The department does not have a foreign language requirement at this time, although the Supervisory Committee may require competency in a language if that is appropriate to a student's research topic.

Minor

A minor is optional, depending on the wishes of the student and recommendation of the Supervisory Committee. Regulations regarding a minor may be found in the Graduate Catalog.

Registration

Registration requirements listed here do not apply to eligibility for financial aid programs administered by the Office for Student Financial Affairs. Check with Student Financial Affairs in S-107 Criser Hall for financial aid registration requirements.

Students who do not register according to the minimum registration requirements in each semester in which they hold graduate assistantships will not be permitted to remain on assistantships.

For students on appointment for the full Summer Semester, minimum registration must total that specified for C Semester. Registration may be in any combination of A, B, or C Semester. However, courses must be distributed so that the student is registered during each Semester that he/she is on appointment. Students on appointment who register for any Summer Semester must register at the beginning of Summer A.

Students may register for a minimum of 3 credits in their final semester. Students will only get one "final semester." If the degree is not earned during that period, students will have to register for full time status in subsequent semesters.

Students must get registration advisement each semester either by their Advisory Committee Chairperson or the Graduate Coordinator. Students must register for a minimum of 1 credit hour of research (ENV 6971, Master's Research or ENV 6916, Non-thesis Project) during semesters in which they are performing research.