The Entomology Graduate Program at Maryland is designed to accommodate the individual needs and interests of each student. Therefore, there are few course requirements and the design of each program is strongly influenced by the student and their study committee.

The Study Committee

One of the first things a new graduate student should do is discuss the formation of a Study Committee with his or her advisor. The Study Committee serves to guide students in their degree program, evaluates the students' progress, and administers the qualifying examination and dissertation defense to Ph.D students.

The Study Committee is formed by the student and their major advisor during the student's first year of residency. Faculty composition of a Study Committee is primarily dictated by the nature of the thesis problem and focus area. The Study Committee for a Ph.D. student is composed of a minimum of five members. Students meet with their Study Committee annually to discuss progress made toward completion of their degree. The Graduate School regulations governing Study Committees are described in more detail in the Graduate Catalog. The student is responsible for determining that these requirements are met.

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Degree Requirements

Each Ph.D student must:

• Fulfill all requirements and meet all deadlines set forth by the Graduate School. The Graduate School requires a minimum of 12 semester hours of dissertation credits (898 or 899).

• Take 40 credits of coursework, including:
  • 12 research credits.
  • Two core courses. Regardless of focus area, all graduate students in the Ph.D. program must demonstrate a basic
    command of core areas of entomology by taking and obtain a B or better
    (or satisfy by oral examination) in the following core courses:

     

    • BSCI 480 Arthropod Form and
      Function (4 credits)
    • BSCI 481 Insect Diversity and Classification (4 credits)

    Incoming students that have taken equivalent courses (and made a grade of B or better) at other institutions may petition the Graduate Affairs Committee to take an oral examination to demonstrate proficiency in one or more of the core courses. The examination will be administered by the instructor with one member of the Graduate Affairs Committee present. Students joining the Department should come to campus prepared to take the exam before the semester begins. A student will be allowed to take each proficiency exam only once. If the student passes, then the student does not have to take that particular core course.

  • Five
    topics seminars (ENTM 798A-F, or relevant offerings of other departments)

• Submit an annual Student Progress Report to the Graduate Director.

• Attend each Entomology Colloquium session and
  register for ENTM 788 Special Topics: Colloquium each semester (does not fulfill topics seminar requirements)

• Prepare a dissertation representing a report of independent research. The dissertation research topic is selected by the
  student and the Study Committee.

• Take a Qualifying Examination prior to advancement to
  Candidacy. This examination tests the depth of the student's knowledge in their
  areas of expertise, examines a student's ability to synthesize, and integrate
  information among disciplines of entomology and biology in general, and
  evaluates the student's ability to produce a defendable proposal and to succeed
  in the proposed research.

• Defend the dissertation. After completion of the dissertation and before the
  degree is conferred, the student must defend the dissertation in a final oral
  examination before the Study Committee.

• Present research results to the department at the Entomology Colloquium or special seminar.

Access the Graduate Requirements Worksheet

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Pursuing the Ph.D. Degree without an M.S. Degree

The Department's general policy is to encourage students having only the baccalaureate degree to complete an M.S. degree before proceeding with a Ph.D. degree. However, the Department may allow students with exceptional scientific research and coursework accomplishments to proceed directly into a Ph.D. degree program.

A student that bypasses the M.S. and goes directly to the Ph.D. program is required to fulfill both Ph.D. and M.S. degree course requirements, with the exception that only 5 topics seminars are required.

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Student Progress Report

The Student Progress Report is an internal form designed to help the faculty
advisor and Graduate Director track progress of each student through theirdegree program. It is sent annually to each student in early January and must be filled out and returned to the Graduate Director. The report is reviewed by the Graduate Affairs Committee to determine if students are meeting deadlines and making satisfactory progress in their degree program. A student's failure to meet one of the following graduate program requirements indicates
unsatisfactory progress:

1. Study Committee is not formed within the first year
   of residence
2. Study Committee meetings are not held annually
3. research
   proposal is not prepared, filed, and defended within the required time period
4. failure to submit annual progress reports
5. failure to take the Qualifying
   Exam within the six semester time limit
6. failure to meet satisfactory
   attendance in the Department Colloquium.

Unsatisfactory progress is subject to special review by the Graduate Affairs Committee. Upon review, the student may be put on probation for one semester. After probation, departmental support may be terminated if the student does not complete the requirements. For students without departmental support, failure to make satisfactory progress and meet deadlines may result in a registration block being placed on enrollment in the subsequent semester. Additional time may be granted by the Graduate Director if there are extenuating circumstances of a sufficient nature to warrant such action but only after reasonable notification
and review of justification by the Graduate Affairs Committee.

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Research Proposal

For the student's Study Committee to evaluate the dissertation topic, the student must prepare a research proposal. The format should correspond to that required for submitting proposals to the National Science Foundation or National Institutes of Health. The proposal should contain statements of:

1. problem in question
2. background information in the form of a review of the
   pertinent literature
3. specific question(s) being investigated
4. methods or
   approach
5. reasoning or logic behind the methods of approach
6. manner of
   data collection and statistical procedures utilized
7. way in which data
   will be interpreted and presented

In addition, preliminary data if available should be presented. The research proposal must be reviewed by Study Committee prior to initiation of the dissertation research.

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Preparation of Dissertation

Dissertations should follow the editorial style of the journal in which publication of research is anticipated. The selected journal formatshould be determined in consultation with the major advisor. Preparation of the dissertation in journal format allows the student to expedite publication of research results. Many students prefer to prepare separate
scientific articles as chapters in the dissertation with introductory and concluding sections. For dissertations not prepared in journal format, the Graduate School's Thesis and Dissertation Manual describes the format and general requirements for preparation of a dissertation.

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Publishing Before the Defense

If a student finds it advantageous to publish material included in the dissertation prior to defense, written approval must be obtained from the Graduate Dean. This request must be signed by a student's Faculty Advisor.

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Ph.D. Qualifying Examination

This examination is a departmental requirement of all students enrolled in the Ph.D. program. It is administered orally by the Study Committee with the student's Faculty Advisor as Chair. Under special circumstances, if requested by the student, the Study Committee can elect to administer a written examination. A student should schedule the qualifying examination at the
completion of most course work and near the beginning of dissertation research.Qualifying examination must be taken within six semesters of matriculation in the Ph.D. program and at least one academic year before the date on which the degree is conferred. The Department strongly urges students to take the examination during their 4th or 5th semester. Failure to take the examination within the time limit results in special review by the Graduate Affairs
Committee. The student must complete the Admission to Candidacy Form and obtain required signatures prior to the examination. Also, the student must provide each member of the Study Committee with a copy of the dissertation research proposal 10 days prior to examination. To ensure that all committee members understand the purpose of a qualifying exam in advance, the student must obtain a standardized form (from the Graduate Director) that explains the qualifying exam. The form must be signed by the Faculty Advisor and attached to the
proposal submitted to each committee member.

A qualifying examination is not intended to focus solely on the dissertation area but: 1) tests intensely the depth of the student's knowledge in the student's areas of expertise; 2) examines student's ability to think, synthesize, and integrate information from disciplines of entomology and biology in general, and 3) evaluates the student's ability to produce a defendable proposal and actually do the proposed research. Major flaws in the proposed research found at the time of the qualifying examination may also constitute failure. In addition, the Graduate School guidelines state that the Ph.D. is granted only upon sufficient evidence of high attainment in scholarship and ability to engage in independent research. It is not awarded for completion of course and seminar requirements no matter how successfully
completed. The examination is open to all faculty and all attending faculty may question students, but only the Study Committee will vote. Two or more negative votes constitute a failure. A student has two chances to qualify.
Access the Qualifying Exam form

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Ph.D. Dissertation Defense

Upon completion of the dissertation, the student must defend the research
before an Examining Committee. A student must give each member of the Examining Committee a copy of the dissertation 10 days before the defense. Furthermore, the student must notify all Entomology faculty of the time and place of the defense 10 days before the defense.

The Examining Committee is established according to the rules of the Graduate School. These rules specify that the Examining Committee include a Dean's representative to ensure that all Graduate School procedures are observed.

Membership on an Examining Committee must be approved by the Dean of the Graduate School at least six weeks before the expected dissertation defense. The Examining Committee is usually composed of the student's Study Committee but is open to all faculty. All attending faculty may question the student but only the Examining Committee is allowed to vote. Two or more negative votes constitute a failure. The student has two chances to defend the dissertation.

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The Colloquium

The Entomology Colloquium, proceeding every fall and spring semester, offers a
series of seminars of interest to both faculty and students. Invited speakers
represent a broad range of academic expertise. New Ph.D. students, coming from
other institutions or departments, are encouraged to present a Colloquium
seminar based on their master's degree research during the first semester of
residence. In addition, all finishing Ph.D. students are
required to present their dissertation research before they graduate.

All graduate students are expected to attend each Colloquium session and register for ENTM 788 Special Topics: Colloquium each semester. The faculty member in charge of the Colloquium will monitor attendance. Unsatisfactory attendance is subject to special review by the Graduate Affairs Committee.Extenuating circumstances (such as off-campus employment or scheduling
conflicts with courses or assistantship duties) may qualify students to be excused from regular attendance. However, the Department's Graduate Director must approve the excuse for the absence.

View the Colloquium Schedule

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Time Limitations

For the doctoral degree, a student must be advanced to candidacy within three years after admission and at least one year before the date on which the degree will be conferred. Furthermore, the doctoral student must complete the entire program for the degree during a four year period after admission to candidacy. Details of time limitations are described in the Graduate Catalog. Extensions of time are granted only under the most unusual circumstances. The
student's advisor may request a first time extension from the Graduate School. However, subsequent extensions must be evaluated by the Graduate Affairs Committee before requests are sent to the Graduate School.