Program Overview
The Stockbridge Fifth-Year Master's Program allows qualified undergraduate students to complete a Master of Science in Plant and Soil Sciences in one year, providing advanced career opportunities. It offers both thesis and non-thesis tracks, with the option to transfer up to nine undergraduate credits towards the MS degree. Students must maintain a 3.0 GPA and complete their degree within 15 months of completing their bachelor's degree.
Program Outline
Degree Overview:
The Stockbridge Fifth-Year Master's Program is an accelerated graduate program for students seeking a Master of Science in plant and soil sciences. It is designed for students who wish to continue their undergraduate research projects and complete a master's degree efficiently. The program can be completed in one year following the completion of a bachelor's degree.
Objectives:
- To provide students with the opportunity to earn an MS degree in one year.
- To make graduates more competitive in job markets.
- To prepare students for admission to PhD programs.
Description:
- The program is available to all Stockbridge BS majors and environmental science majors.
- It offers both a thesis and a non-thesis track.
- Up to nine credits at the 500 level can be taken during the BS program and transferred towards the MS degree.
- Students must complete their MS degree requirements within 15 months of completing their bachelor's degree.
- The GPA of the completed courses submitted for the degree must be 3.0 or higher.
Careers:
The Stockbridge master's degree qualifies graduates for advanced career opportunities.
Other:
- The program is open to undergraduates in allied programs, such as biochemistry, biology, chemical engineering, ECO, food science, geosciences, and microbiology.
- Suggested research areas include climate change adaptation, soil pollution and health, nano-enabled agriculture, plant biotechnology, agroecology, plant health and physiology, insect-plant interaction, microbe-plant interaction, soil biogeochemistry, turfgrass science, and horticulture science.
- No financial support is available for the Fifth-Year Master's Degree Program.
- Funding may be available for students who instead choose the non-accelerated, regularly paced MS degree program with a thesis.
Entry Requirements:
- Undergraduate students who are already conducting research or an independent internship/project in Stockbridge or related departments are eligible to apply for the thesis track of the Fifth-Year Master's Degree Program.
- Undergraduate students who are not conducting research are eligible for the non-thesis track of the Fifth-Year Master's Degree Program.
- Students may apply to either program in the first semester of their junior year, or during their senior year, so long as required courses and lab work are completed or in progress.
- Before the end of their senior year, undergraduate students must complete a minimum of six credits, and a maximum of nine credits, earned from courses at the 500 level, within the student's indicated area of interest. These credits will be transferable to the MS degree.
- Undergraduates in allied programs, such as biochemistry, biology, chemical engineering, ECO, food science, geosciences, and microbiology, are highly encouraged to apply.
