DEPARTMENT OF ENTOMOLOGY
GRADUATE STUDENT MANUAL

Core Curriculum

Students will satisfy this requirement by demonstrating their command of material in:

Please note: It is assumed that most students will have taken at least one course in general entomology, or equivalent, as an undergraduate before entering the department. For this reason, Insect Biology (ENT 3500/5900) does not count toward the minimum credit requirement needed for amn M.S. or Ph.D. nor does it satisfy the core curriculum requirements. If a student has not had an equivalent course elsewhere, he/she should attend Insect Biology (ENT 3005), but enroll in ENT 5900 (A-F) to obtain graduate credit for Insect Biology. See the instructor of ENT 3005 for details.

Core courses may not be taken pass-fail (S/N). A passing grade will be a "B" or better. In the event a "C" or worse is attained, a student must either retake the class or pursue remedial study as directed by the course instructor and with the approval of the student's Advisory Committee. Remedial study must be completed by the end of the following semester.

The basic rules for transferring credits from other Institutions are outlined in the Graduate School Catalog. In brief, the Graduate School states that courses taken before the awarding of a baccalaureate degree cannot be transferred, and Master's degree students are required to complete at least 60% of the coursework for their degree (excluding thesis credits) as registered University of Minnesota Graduate School students. However, a student may be allowed to waive a required course by obtaining certification from the appropriate instructor that he or she has taken an equivalent course elsewhere or knows the material through experience or independent study. Such certification must be in writing and addressed to the Director of Graduate Studies. The number of courses and credits that can be transferred or waived to complete a Masters or Ph.D. degree will be considered on a case-by-case basis for each student, and must be approved by the student's advisor and the Director of Graduate Studies.

The Graduate School sets a minimum grade point average (GPA) for all courses listed on the official degree program at 2.80.  If a student’s GPA falls below 3.0, a letter to the student and the major advisor will be sent and continuation in the program will be determined by the Student Advisory Committee. 

Oral Seminars

The intent is to develop and evaluate oral communication skills and to help students learn how to review and summarize literature.

Students will satisfy this requirement by presenting one (M.S.) or two (Ph.D.) public seminars for one credit each through ENT 8300.  The seminars will be evaluated "S/N."  Seminars must be presented before the final oral examination can be scheduled.  Ph.D. students will not receive credit for a thesis defense seminar that reflects work for a previous M.S. degree.  One seminar will be a research proposal.  The other may be a review of literature on a subject outside the student's specialty area.  The topic of the second seminar should be agreed upon by the student, advisor (and/or Student Advisory Committee), and the instructor of ENT 8300.  If a student enters the M.S. program and later switches to a Ph.D. program after giving a research proposal seminar, the second seminar may be a new research proposal seminar if the research direction has changed substantially.

Written Preliminary Examinations

Component Questions

To satisfy the written prelim requirement, a student must pass a required number of "Questions" according to the degree being sought. Six questions will be offered every year. Students must take a minimum of three questions per year until obtaining the required number of passes. The number of accumulated points will be tracked by the Director of Graduate Studies. Number of passes and time allowed are as follows:

Because there is no penalty for failures, students should take as many questions as possible during their residence to improve their writing skills. The maximum number of years allowed is ample for all students to pass, regardless of native language. Not passing the required number of questions in the allotted time is grounds for dismissal from the program.

Mechanics

The Director of Graduate Studies with concensus of the Graduate Faculty will appoint a Prelim Coordinator whose job will be to assign members of the six exam committees per calendar year.  Committees consist of two to four faculty with a designated chair.  At two-month intervals, the corresponding committees will compile background readings, write a question, and present them to the Prelim Coordinator.  The Prelim Coordinator will place the readings on reserve in the library and publicize the date for each question.  Readings will not exceed 200 pages of background material and will be posted one month in advance of the examination date.

Each question, drawing upon the background material, will require synthesis of ideas and/or integration to solve a problem.  Questions can be open or closed book at the discretion of the exam committee.

Discussion of the reading material before the question is presented is encouraged, but each student is expected to write his or her own answer on the day of the examination.  Answers must be typed.  The questions should be short enough to answer in four hours, but students are allowed 24 hours to turn in their answers.  Answers may not exceed 1000 words in length.  A file of past questions and examples of well-written answers are on the reserve reading shelf in the EF&W library.  New students are encouraged to discuss the general expectations with their advisory committee and senior students who have completed this component of their degree programs.

The Prelim Coordinator hands out a question to all interested students on the examination date and then receives their answers the following day.  Students who elect not to answer the exam simply need not turn in an answer.  Student essays will be coded and then passed to the exam committee for "blind" evaluation; i.e., readers will not know who wrote a given answer.  Blind grading assures that evaluations are based on what was written, and not on knowledge of who wrote it.

Grading and Evaluation
There are four grading options:

Answers will be graded by all committee members, but each student will be issued a single, consensus grade.  Primary emphasis will be on thinking and writing ability.  Examiners will use an evaluation form to structure their evaluation and comments.  Once graded, the committee will return answers to the Prelim Coordinator with comments from the committee.  In turn, the Prelim Coordinator will decode the names and return answers with comments to students.

Revisions

Students are strongly encouraged to consult with committee members in person to ensure that the comments made by each member are understood by the student.  Students must not discuss their answers with members of the department other than the examining committee.  Revisions should be resubmitted within two weeks of receipt of committee comments on the first answer.

Transfers between Programs

Students who petition from one program into another will be allowed to carry their passes into the new program.  For example, an M.S.-A student who has passed two questions might elect to petition directly into the Ph.D. program without earning an M.S.  In this case, the two passes would be credited toward the required three for the Ph.D.

Oral Preliminary Examinations

For Ph.D. students, the format of this exam will follow Graduate School guidelines.  Consult the Graduate School Catalog for more specific details.  The exam will take no more than three hours.  It will be conducted by a committee of at least four examiners, consisting of the Student Advisory Commitee from within Entomology plus one graduate faculty from a minor or supporting program.  The exam can be taken only after the written prelim has been passed.  The student will be expected to answer both general and specific questions.

The oral prelim for M.S. students in Plan A will be similar in purpose and format to that of the Ph.D. oral prelim, except that the examining committee can consist of just the Entomology Advisory Committee (not the outside member from a supporting field) and the exam is limited to 2 hours.  The chair of the Advisory Committee will report results of the exam to the Director of Graduate Studies.  The oral prelim must be passed before the final examination can be scheduled.  The oral prelim for M.S. students is a requirement of the Department of Entomology.  It is not required by the Graduate School.  Forms for the M.S. prelim exam may be obtained from the Entomology office.

There is no oral prelim for M.S. Plan B students.

Thesis Defense and Final Oral Examinations

This requirement is set by the Graduate School and the exam follows their guidelines.  Consult the Graduate School Catlog for more specific details on the forms that must be on file in the Graduate School before the exam may be taken.

Students in the Ph.D. and M.S. Plan A programs must present their thesis in a public seminar.  The seminar should be advertised in the department at least one week in advance.  The final oral exam will be conducted immediately thereafter.  Students in M.S. Plan B are not required to present project reports in a seminar, but may do so if they wish.  M.S. Plan B students will have a final exam (written and/or oral).

The final oral exam can be scheduled with the Graduate School when all Advisory Committee members certify unanimously that the thesis or project reports are ready for defense.  All members must be given at least two weeks to read the thesis or project reports before the final oral exam can be scheduled.

The major advisor may not chair the final oral exam committee for a Ph.D. candidate.

Voucher Specimens

Representative vouchers of relevant subjects studied for M.S. theses or projects (Plan A or B) and Ph.D. dissertations must be deposited in the insect museum, 311 Hodson Hall. Vouchers should be deposited according to established procedures (Bull. Entomol. Soc. Am. 21: 157-9, ibid 24: 141-2, ibid 30: 8-11). The museum will maintain the specimens indefinitely. See the curator, Dr. Philip Clausen, or Dr. Ralph Holzenthal, for labeling and deposition procedures.

Reference to the number of specimens, their life history stage(s), sex and institution where deposited should appear in the "Materials and Methods" section of the thesis or dissertation and in any subsequent publications derived from the research.

In some cases, voucher specimens may not be required. Waiver of the voucher requirement may be obtained from the Director of the Museum, Ralph Holzenthal.