The B.A./M.A. Program Schedule for Completion

What should be your timetable for finishing the concurrent B.A./M.A. degrees? If you are accepted in the fall of your junior year, the following schedule is recommended (see Table 1 for other possibilities). Please submit all of the following undergraduate forms to the undergraduate staff in Ramaley N236 and the graduate forms to Jill Skarstad (N125A Ramaley). See Jill to register for graduate courses.

Fall of Junior Year

Talk with your research advisor and establish your Thesis Committee immediately. Do not put this off. You should have a first committee meeting before pre-registration so that you can enroll in the appropriate courses for the following semester. Course selection is decided by you and the Thesis Committee--you need their approval before preregistering. You should also contact Jill Skarstad for a brief orientation to graduate programs in EBIO. At this time, be sure that you complete the Application for Admission to the Concurrent Bachelors-Master's Degree Program Form which is signed by the Program Director. This application is important because it changes your status so that you can register in graduate courses while still an undergraduate. At the initial Thesis Committee meeting plan to:

• Present your research project to the committee and provide a timetable for completion of the research.

• Discuss courses needed for completion of your undergraduate degree, and the 5000+ courses (graduate courses) you should take given your research interest. Remember that you will need 30 hours of graduate level credit to receive the BA-MA degree. But 6 of those graduate credits (5000+) can count toward both the B.A. and M.A. degrees.

• Do sign up in the fall for the first of the two seminars that you are required to take for the degree (e.g. EBIO 6000, Introduction to Biological Research).

• Check that all undergraduate A&S core and EBIO requirements will be fulfilled by the end of your senior year.

Spring of Junior Year

During the spring of the junior year continue with course work and thesis research. For field-related research, plan the research project for the upcoming summer.

Fall of Senior Year

During the fall of the fourth year continue with course work and thesis research.  Hold MA "first-semester meeting", including receiving a reading list.

Spring of Senior Year

In the spring semester of the senior year, your Thesis Committee meets to:

• Administer your "MA second-semester advisory meeting" see page 14 of the EBIO Graduate Regulations to discuss the proposed research plan for the upcoming year.

• Update your Thesis Committee on your progress to date. Discuss your coursework and research plan and include for their approval any adjustments that you think might be warranted.

• It is also at the end of the 4th Year that you contact the Program Director for your Mid-Program Review. The Mid-program Review is a check that you are proceeding through the program on target.

Fall of Fifth Year

Finish the research project and take any remaining courses.  Hold "MA third-semester exam" see page 14 of the EBIO Graduate Regulations.

Spring of Fifth Year

For most students, this will be the last semester of the program.

*Please see Jill at the beginning of the semester to review the deadlines and pick up any required forms for the BA and MA degrees.

• During this semester you write the thesis. You can take Thesis Hours (EBIO 6950) for up to 6 credits. Remember that the Graduate School requires that you be registered (minimum of 1 credit) the semester you receive the degree.

• If you need additional credits to maintain graduate status, but have completed all of your course requirements, you can register for Master's Candidacy credit hours (EBIO 6940) for up to 6 credits/semester. Your research advisor acts as sponsor.  These credits are placeholder credits only; they cannot be used toward the course requirements for the BA or MA degrees.

• You need to be especially aware of the numerous deadlines during this semester. Be sure to submit an Application for Admission to Candidacy Form by the deadline. The Program Director also has to identify which courses are being counted toward both the BA and MA degrees ( Supplement to the Application for Admission to Candidacy Form) and confirm that you have completed all of the requirements for the degrees. Both forms are available from Jill and the completed forms are submitted to her.

• Final Thesis Committee meeting to defend the thesis. Be sure to submit the MA exam form to Jill at least two weeks before your Thesis defense. Also, your Thesis Committee should have at least 2 weeks to read your thesis. Following successful completion of the thesis defense, the finished and signed MA exam form is given to Jill by the deadline.

• Commencement. Let Jill know your thesis title at least one month before commencement. At this time tell her if you plan to attend the EBIO commencement reception. You graduate with concurrent BA and MA degrees in EBIO! Yes, it will eventually happen.

* Students engaged in field research may require an extra summer for completion of their project.

Table 1. Suggested Time Schedules for BA-MA Degrees*

If Accepted Spring of Sophomore Year

If Accepted Fall of Junior Year

If Accepted Spring of Junior Year

*Although summers are not listed on the grid, it is expected that much of the thesis research will be done at this time. This is especially the case for research in the field.