Ph.D. in Agricultural Sciences

The Ph.D. in Agricultural Sciences degree program is designed to prepare students for careers in food, agricultural, and environmental sciences to meet the growing demand for research professionals in private industries, academia, and government agencies. The research-based terminal degree is offered for those candidates who have already completed a research-based MS degree in agricultural or related sciences. It requires a minimum of 24 credit hours of dissertation research: AGSC 8120, 13 credit hours of core courses, and 11 credit hours of elective courses as recommended by student’s dissertation research advisory committee.

Admission Requirements

Candidates must have a bachelor’s degree from accredited four-year degree granting institutions and thesis-based MS degree with a major in Agricultural or other related sciences, a minimum quality grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 point scale (for MS degree), and a minimum GRE score of 290 (verbal & quantitative, or verbal, quantitative & subject).  Applicants to the Ph.D. program must submit a completed application form that includes official copy of transcripts (both BS and MS), standardized test scores, three reference letters from persons familiar with the applicant’s academic work, and personal statement of purpose (SOP) describing how the academic background and prior work/research experiences have shaped the applicants’ research interests and motivation to earn a Ph.D. degree in Agricultural Sciences. The Departmental admission committee will base admission upon these materials.

The degree candidates shall file a program of study during the first semester of their residency into the program. The program of study shall include the courses which will be used to satisfy the degree requirements, as well as detailed plan how other requirements will be met. The student may later change the program of study with the written approval of the Department chair and the Graduate School.

The degree candidates must complete 9 credit hours of major core courses: AGSC 5110, AGSC 6350 and AGSC 7590 with a grade point average of 3.0 or above, successfully defended the dissertation proposal, passed both written and oral comprehensive examinations prior to obtaining admission to candidacy for the doctoral degree.
After gaining admission to candidacy the student must complete an approved curriculum (minimum 11 hours of electives courses recommended by the student’s dissertation research advisory committee), enroll in two credit hours of Doctoral Seminar (AGSC 7610, AGSC 7620) and two credit hours of experiential learning courses (AGSC 6620 and AGSC 7200), complete a dissertation (at least 24 hours dissertation research; AGSC8120), and successfully defend the dissertation prior to gaining the Ph.D. degree (Please refer to Agricultural Sciences Graduate Student Handbook for milestones and specific dissertation requirements). The total number of credit hours required for Ph.D. in Agricultural Sciences is 48 hours.

PDF copy of the Program of Study - PhD in Agricultural Sciences

Program of Study
Core Courses: 13 Credit Hours
• AGSC 5110 - Research Methods (3) 
• AGSC 6350 - Topics in Agricultural Sciences (3) 
• AGSC 6620 - Research Ethics in Agricultural Sciences (1) 
• AGSC 7200 - Experiential AgriScience Teaching in Higher Education (1) 
• AGSC 7590 - Applied Multivariate Analysis (3) 
• AGSC 7610, 7620 - Doctoral Seminar in Agricultural Sciences I, II (1-1) 

Dissertation Research: 24 Credit Hours
• AGSC 8120 - Doctoral Dissertation Research (24) 

Electives: 11 Credit Hours
• AGSC 5130 - Advanced Animal Nutrition (3) 
• AGSC 5015 Principles of Organic Agriculture ((3) 
• AGSC 5050 Methods of Teaching Agricultural and Environmental STEM (3) 
• AGSC 5060 Statistics for Research (3) 
• AGSC 5170/6170 Advanced Poultry Production and Management (3) 
• AGSC 5180 Soil Classification (3) 
• AGSC 5190 Plant Breeding (3) 
• BIOL  5190 Ecology (3) 
• AGSC 5220 Plant Growth Substances (3) 
• AGSC 5230 Advanced Propagation of Horticultural Plants (3) 
• AGSC 5260 Environmental Analysis (3) 
• AGSC 4270/5270 Biosecurity and Bioforensics (3) 
• AGSC5280 Advanced Poultry Nutrition and Biotechnology (3) 
• AGSC 5290 Omics (3) 
• AGSC 5320 Wetlands Ecology & Management (3) 
• AGSC 5340 Cell and Tissue Culture (4) 
• AGSC 5350 - Independent Study of Contemporary Issues and Problems (3) 
• AGSC 5470 Immunochemistry in Biotechnology (3) 
• AGSC 5500/7500 Environmental Issues and Sustainability (3) 
• AGSC 5510/7510 Ecosystem Science and Management (3) 
• AGSC 5520 Advanced Food Processing and Engineering (3) 
• AGSC 5530 Advanced Technologies in Detection and Food Analysis (3) 
• AGSC 5560 Food Product Development and Sensory Science (3) 
• AGSC 5570 Climate Change (3) 
• AGSC 5590 Forest Ecology and Management (3) 
• AGSC 5900/7900 Applied Entomology (3) 
• AGSC 6010 Gene Structure & Function (3) 
• AGSC 6270 Advanced Agricultural Biosecurity (3) 
• AGSC 6510 Advanced Geospatial Information Systems (3) :
• AGSC 6520 Advanced Spatial Analysis (3) 
• AGSC 6525 Remote Sensing and Image Analysis (3) 
• AGSC 6530 Advanced Geospatial Metadata (3) 
• AGSC 6540 Advanced Spatial Database Design and Management (3) 
• AGSC 6550 Advanced Geospatial Information Systems Application and Design (3) 
• AGSC 6560 Advanced Global Positioning Systems (3) 
• AGSC 7010 Advancement in Agricultural Biotechnology (3) 
• AGSC 7040 Plant Tissue Culture Methods and Application (3) 
• AGSC 7050 Biotechnology in Animal Reproduction (3) 
• AGSC 7260 Advanced Environmental Analysis (3) 
• AGSC xxxx Climate Smart Agriculture (2) 
• Guided Elective (3)

For more information, contact the Graduate coordinator: Dr. Bharat Pokharel, (615) 963-6054.