Introduction

This handbook describes the policy and procedures for graduate programs offered by the Department of Earth Sciences at FIU. The Department offers graduate degrees in geosciences at the M.S. and Ph.D. levels with opportunities for concentrated studies in structural geology/tectonics, igneous petrology/geochemistry/economic geology, hydrogeology and environmental geology, stratigraphy/sedimentology, paleobiology, geophysics/paleomagnetics and remote sensing/geographic information systems. In addition, the Department participates in a multidisciplinary Graduate Certificate Program in Geographic Information Systems.

This handbook is intended for the informational use of graduate students in the Department. It utilizes new forms produced by the University Graduate School (UGS) and supercedes the previous handbooks produced separately for the M.S. and Ph.D. programs. In addition, it is the responsibility of all graduate students to conform with forms, procedures, and deadlines published by the University Graduate School. Information, procedures, forms and deadlines may be obtained from the University Graduate School WWW site at http://gradschool.fiu.edu/ . Additional information on regulations and course offerings may be found in the Graduate Catalog, which may be purchased at the University Bookstore or viewed on-line at http://www.fiu.edu/orgs/register/catalog/graduate/ .

Updates and revisions to this guide will be published periodically. Revisions will be emailed to students and posted on the Department website.

It is the student’s responsibility to be familiar with the policies and procedures within this manual. After reading this manual, all students must detach and sign the form below and return it to the Graduate Program Secretary, for inclusion in your file.

Note: Throughout this document, the word “term” refers to either the Fall or Spring semesters or Summer C. There are 3 “terms” per academic year.

Detach Below:

I have received and read the Department of Earth Sciences Graduate Program Handbook.

Print Name Signature Date

Master of Science Degree in Geosciences

The Master of Science (M.S.) degree is conferred upon successful completion of the requirements (listed below) of either the Thesis Track or Non-Thesis Track option of the degree program. The Thesis Track, M.S. program is a traditional master’s degree program that requires satisfactory completion of required course work, mastery of a subdiscipline of geoscience, and completion of an independent research project (the master’s thesis). The Non-Thesis Track, M.S. program is aimed at working professionals with work duties that do not allow them the research time required to complete a master’s thesis. Graduate assistantships (financial aid) are generally not awarded to students pursuing the Non-Thesis Track M.S. Both tracks require completion of at least 30 credits of approved graduate level coursework with a minimum GPA of 3.0. Up to 6 semester hour credits of Graduate Level work earned as a non-degree seeking student may be applied towards the MS degree with the approval of the Graduate Program Director.

M.S. Thesis Track: Procedures and Regulations

Initial Advisement

As soon as possible, but no later than early in your second term, you should formally choose a thesis advisor and a thesis topic. Your thesis advisor must be a member of the Department and the FIU Graduate Faculty. Please bear in mind that professors are not obligated to advise you, even if you are admitted and you would like to work with them. If you strongly prefer to work with a particular faculty member, you should make sure that they are willing to advise you before or shortly after you submit your application. If you are admitted but have not identified an advisor through your own discussions with faculty members, the Graduate Program Director will assign you an academic advisor based on your scientific interests.

Before the registration period of your first term, you will meet your advisor to discuss your coursework. Also, at this time you can begin discussing potential thesis topics. Selection of a thesis topic and work toward a thesis proposal should begin as soon as possible (see “Thesis Proposal and Defense” section). In addition to meeting with your assigned advisor, you may want to seek out introductory meetings with other faculty members of the department whose research fields are of potential interest to you. You may change advisors if your interests change during the first term.

Minimum Course Requirements:

Two Graduate Seminars (GLY 5931 and GLY 6931) 2 credits

Formal (non-research) graduate courses 18 credits

Electives (formal graduate courses, seminars, or supervised research) 4 credits

M.S. Thesis (GLY 6971) 6 credits

Total 30 credits

Other specific graduation requirements include:

1. A minimum GPA of 3.0 in all course work required for the M.S. degree.

2. Passing performance on the oral defense of the M.S. thesis proposal.

3. Completion and successful public defense of the M.S. thesis.

At least 18 credit hours from among the total of 30 required for the M.S. must be in formal lecture and/or lab courses (not supervised research or seminars). All courses must be chosen in consultation with your advisor. Courses outside the department may be taken at the discretion of your advisor. A maximum of 6 semester hour credits of graduate-level coursework may be transferred from another accredited university toward your M.S. credit requirements, provided you earned these credits within the 6 years prior to your enrollment at FIU, you earned at least a B on these credits, and the courses are considered acceptable as part of your academic program by your advisor and the Graduate Program Director. No course counted towards a student’s undergraduate degree may be included in that student’s M.S. degree program.

The M.S. degree is a two-year program for a full-time student. Since a full-time student normally takes 9 credits of coursework each fall and spring term (the minimum necessary to maintain an assistantship), and 6 credits during the summer term, M.S. students usually graduate with more than the required 30 credits. Normally, the excess credits (beyond the required 30) are in Supervised Research (GLY 6910), and/or Thesis (GLY 6971). Students should register for at least one credit of Thesis (GLY 6971) in the term in which they defend their proposal and file Form M-2, and should continue to register for at least one credit of Thesis each term (including summer) until the thesis requirement is fulfilled. Once you begin taking Thesis, you should not register for Supervised Research except in unusual circumstances.

As noted in above, you must have a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 to graduate from the M.S. program. Your GPA will be based only on formal lecture and/or lab courses. If your GPA drops below 3.0 in any term, you will be put on academic warning by the Graduate School. Refer to the Graduate Catalog for information on the conditions for academic warning, probation, and dismissal.

Thesis Committee and Research

Thesis research will form the centerpiece of your M.S. degree. Students frequently underestimate the time needed to carry out their research and write their theses. Thesis research should begin immediately in the first term, with at least background readings and discussions of these readings with your advisor, and possibly preliminary lab and fieldwork. This early work will form the basis of your thesis proposal (see below). Your first summer will normally be your first opportunity to carry out research without concurrent coursework, and should be a time for significant progress. Your research will then continue concurrently with coursework during your second year (ideally you should try to have all your coursework completed by the end of your third semester so that you can enroll only in Thesis (GLY 6971) in subsequent terms and complete your thesis without interruption).

Thesis research is conducted under the guidance of your advisor and thesis committee. By the end of your second term, you should (with your advisor’s assistance and approval) appoint the members of your thesis committee and file Form M-1: Appointment of Thesis Committee. The committee must consist of a minimum of 3 members (including your advisor), at least two of whom must be from the Department of Earth Sciences. All committee members must be members of the FIU Graduate Faculty. Additional members may be appointed; if they are not FIU Graduate Faculty, a CV must accompany Form M-1. Form M-1 should be submitted no later than the UGS and College of A&S deadlines and should typically be submitted one term before Form M-2 (the thesis proposal), and at least 2 terms before the anticipated graduation date.

Forms may be obtained from the UGS office (PC236) or from the UGS website. After obtaining Departmental signatures, a photocopy of each form (M-1àM-5) should be submitted to the Graduate Program Director for inclusion in your file. Each year the UGS publishes specific deadlines for submission of forms and holding a thesis/dissertation defense. These dates are available at http://gradschool.fiu.edu/dates1.htm

Thesis Proposal and Defense

Before the end of the third term, you should prepare and defend a proposal of your thesis research. (For a part time student this defense should be no earlier than the completion of 9 credits of coursework and no later than the completion of 26 credits.)

Your proposal should be developed in close consultation with your advisor. The text of the proposal must be no longer than 10 double-spaced pages (Excluding abstract and figures). The proposal should include an abstract, introduction, proposed research, preliminary data, figures, and references based on your background research. Once your advisor agrees the proposal is ready to defend, you will distribute a copy to each committee member and at that time schedule your presentation/defense. Copies of the proposal should be given to each committee member no later than 2 weeks before the date of the proposal defense. Students must register for at least 1 credit of Thesis (GLY 6971) in the term that they plan to defend their proposal. Once enrollment in Thesis credits is initiated, continuous registration for at least 1 credit hour of Thesis each term (including the summer term) is required until the thesis is completed. Once you begin taking Thesis, you should not register for Supervised Research except in unusual circumstances.

The thesis proposal is judged primarily on the following three criteria:

1. It addresses a scientific problem or issue of some significance.

2. The methodology is appropriate to the problem, and it is logically presented.

3. It is based on a sound understanding of coursework and research literature relevant to the topic.

The thesis proposal is presented at a short (20-30 minute) public seminar, followed by questions from the audience. The student is responsible for arranging with Department staff to find an open classroom or lab at a time that is convenient for interested parties to attend. An announcement of the seminar should be posted in the Department one week in advance of the seminar date. Immediately thereafter your thesis committee will question you in detail about your research plan and your readiness to undertake your project. The committee will then excuse you from the room while they evaluate your proposal research (and defense of it) in a closed-door discussion. Possible outcomes of the proposal defense are: 1) pass, with little or no revision; 2) pass, with revision of the written proposal to the satisfaction of the committee; or 3) revision of the written proposal and resubmission for a second defense. The thesis proposal can be submitted for defense a total of two times; failure to pass results in termination of the program of study and of financial aid.

After the successful proposal defense, you must file Form M-2: Master’s Thesis Proposal with the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and the University Graduate School along with a 5-page summary of the thesis proposal. Consult the UGS "Regulations for Thesis and Dissertation Preparation Manual" for the format for the thesis proposal. Form M-2 should be submitted no later than the UGS deadline and at least one term before the anticipated graduation date. In addition, you should email the Graduate Program Director, a 1 page abstract of your proposal in electronic form (attached M.S. word doc or PDF file) for posting on the department web site.

It is important to prepare the thesis proposal as early as possible. Full-time students must successfully defend their proposals within one year of entering the program. For example, if you are a full time student entering in fall term, you must pass your proposal defense by the end of the following summer term. Part-time students must defend their proposals before completing 26 credits. Failure to do so may result in loss of TA and/or dismissal from the program.

Thesis Preparation

Formal FIU guidelines for preparation of your thesis are found in the UGS "Regulations for Thesis and Dissertation Preparation Manual". These guidelines must be followed exactly.

Your thesis is submitted first to your thesis advisor (wholly or in sections, depending on your advisor’s instructions to you). Your advisor will require at least one cycle of revisions and improvements until a high-quality and complete draft is produced that he or she approves for distribution to the other members of your thesis committee. Once your advisor feels the thesis is ready to present and defend, you will distribute copies to the other members of your thesis committee, and at that time schedule your thesis defense. You must provide copies of your thesis to your committee at least 4 weeks before your defense date.

To schedule your defense, you must submit Form M-3: Preliminary Approval of Thesis and Request for Oral Defense with signatures to the UGS. At the time that Form M-3 is filed, the thesis must be complete and suitable for defense. One copy of the thesis, certified as complete and provisionally acceptable to the committee, and one copy of the Thesis Defense Announcement must be submitted with Form M-3 to the UGS at least 3 weeks before the date of the defense or by the term’s deadline (whichever is earlier). The announcement should be posted publicly in the Department at least one week before the defense.

Closer to the date of your defense, you should visit with each committee member and ask whether they have comments or suggestions to relay to you before your defense.

Many students underestimate the amount of time required to prepare an M.S. thesis. Students should start writing their thesis at least 6 months before their planned graduation date. Committee members and the Graduate Program Director will not sign Form M-3 for an incomplete Thesis, regardless of any impending deadline. Failure to consider this may result in the delay of your defense and graduation by one term.

Thesis Defense

At your thesis defense, you will present your results in a talk of about 40 minutes length to the Department, and answer questions from the audience. After this open presentation and question/answer period, your committee will question you privately in more detail about the results of your project. You will then leave the room while they evaluate your written thesis and your defense.

Possible outcomes include: 1) pass with minor/no revision; 2) pass with major revision; and 3) failure (the thesis requires major revision and a second defense must be scheduled). The first outcome requires only that your advisor approve the final copy of your thesis before it is forwarded outside the department for further approval (see below). The second outcome requires that the final version of your thesis be evaluated and approved by all thesis committee members. The third outcome should be uncommon, and can be avoided by careful attention to a few common sense points:

1. Be sure there is clear agreement among members of your committee, at the completion of your proposal defense, about the requirements and expectations for your thesis.

2. Do careful, quality work in your research and writing, in close contact with your advisor.

3. Keep your committee informed of your progress from time to time between your proposal defense and your thesis defense, especially if there are changes in the scope or focus of your work after the proposal defense. If you feel that you are unclear about what needs to be done to complete your thesis, or that you are getting contradictory advice from your advisors, you can schedule a meeting of your thesis committee at any time when all can attend to review the issues that concern you.

4. Prepare well for your thesis defense. Construct a good talk with clear visual aids. Practice the talk several times before your defense, trying to anticipate likely questions for which you can formulate answers in advance.

After the defense Form M-4: Thesis Defense Report is filed with the UGS. You should have this form ready for the signatures of your committee members at the defense.

Submission of Thesis

After the thesis is revised and approved by all committee members, final copies must be prepared according to the formal guidelines in the UGS "Regulations for Thesis and Dissertation Preparation Manual". The signature page of the thesis requires the signatures of all committee members, the Dean of Arts & Sciences, and the Dean of Graduate Studies. One copy is to be submitted to the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and then to the Dean of Graduate Studies for approval, together with Form M-5 Final Approval of Thesis. The Graduate School will carefully review the format of the thesis. The Graduate Studies Office submits the fully approved thesis to the University Library. In addition to the official University copies, at least two copies are required for the Department of Earth Sciences: one for the department thesis inventory, and one for your advisor. It is also common practice to offer a copy to each member of your thesis committee.

Students must meet all published deadlines. The form: “Application for Graduation” must be filed with the Registrar’s Office before the end of the 3^rd week of the term in which they plan to graduate. Students turning in the Application for Graduation after the deadline will graduate the following term and may incur additional tuition expense. Students who do not complete the degree requirements in the term for which they apply for graduation must re-apply and complete the requirements needed for graduation.

Changing Thesis Advisor or Committee Members

If subsequent to the submission of your thesis proposal, a committee member is unable to continue to serve, you must file Form M-1r: Approval of Revised Thesis Committee. This form will require the signatures of the leaving members and the new replacement members. The signatures of the faculty leaving the committee affirm that the reason for their departure is not related to any concerns regarding the quality of the thesis. The signatures of the faculty added to the committee affirm they met with the student, reviewed and approved the proposal and agreed to serve on the committee.

If you want to change thesis advisors after filing Form M-1, you must have approval from the Department Graduate Committee. Requests for a change of advisor must be submitted in writing to the Graduate Program Director. We expect that you and your advisor will be in agreement before the request is submitted, and that approval will be routine. After obtaining approval from the Graduate Committee you must submit Form M-1r. If you and your advisor disagree over the change, you are both urged to discuss it first with the Graduate Program Director, and then with the Department Chair if necessary, and make every effort to resolve the disagreement.

If diligent efforts fail to resolve the conflict, both sides will present a brief written summary of their case to the Graduate Program Director. Both sides will then present their case in a hearing before the Graduate Committee, who together will consider the situation and make a recommendation. If a Committee member is involved in the dispute, he/she will only present his/her case and will not be allowed to vote. Tie votes will be decided by the Department Chair. Such a hearing is the very last resort in resolving a problem between a student and their advisor, and will not be held unless all other avenues have been unsuccessful.

Master Degree Milestone Table

A sample sequence of the required courses, forms and milestones for a full time student in the thesis M.S. program is summarized in the table below. Please note that an individual student’s program may differ slightly.

	Year 1			Year 2
Fall	Spring	Summer	Fall	Spring	Summer
Initial advisement	Nominate Committee (Form M1)	Formalize research plan	Do thesis research	Prepare thesis	Defend thesis (M3,M4)
Talk with potential Committee members	Graduate Seminar (GLY 5931)	Submit proposal (Form M2)	Advanced Graduate Seminar (GLY 6931)	Submit draft to advisor, committee	Submit final approved thesis (Form M5)
Coursework	Coursework		Coursework
Supervised Research (GLY 6910)	Supervised Research (GLY 6910)	Thesis (GLY 6971)	Thesis (GLY 6971)	Thesis (GLY 6971)	Thesis (GLY 6971)

Non-thesis M.S. Degree Option

The non-thesis option requires 30 credits of coursework and provides working professionals the opportunity to pursue an advanced education without having to leave their jobs and attend full time, or to coordinate the extensive lab or field time typically required for the M.S. thesis.

Admissions and Application Criteria

Students applying for the non-thesis M.S. track must meet the same qualifications as regular M.S. applicants. Non-thesis M.S. students will not be awarded tuition waivers, and will not normally be awarded assistantships.

Students who wish to switch to the non-thesis M.S. track from either the M.S. thesis track or the Ph.D. program in the Department must submit a written request for the change to the Department Graduate Committee. The Committee will accept or reject the request in consultation with the student’s major advisor in their current program. In general, students who have received assistantships from the Department for more than one term will not be eligible for the non-thesis master’s degree.

Advising

New students in the non-thesis track will select a major advisor based on their scientific interests, subject to the agreement of that advisor—if the student does not select a major advisor, the Graduate Program Director will appoint one for them. The student may change major advisors if their interests change. The major advisor is responsible for seeing that the student’s coursework fulfills the requirements for the degree track. The student must have their course schedule approved by their major advisor each term. If the student chooses to do a research proposal or internship, the major advisor must approve the quality of the completed project.

Course requirements for the non-thesis track:

Formal (non-research) graduate courses in the field of specialization 18 credits

Elective graduate courses within or outside the field of specialization. 12 credits

The non-thesis M.S. is conferred based on satisfactory performance (grade of B or above) in all formal graduate coursework. Up to 4 hours of a senior (4000 level) coursework may be included in the required 30 hours if these credits were not counted as part of the student’s undergraduate degree program. Courses outside the department may be taken at the discretion of the major advisor. A maximum of 6 semester hours of Graduate level coursework, undertaken within the past 6 years, may be transferred from FIU or another accredited U.S. university toward the non-thesis Master’s credit requirements; the student must have earned at least a B on these credits, and they must be considered acceptable by the major advisor and the Graduate Program Director.

The student will choose one of the areas of concentration offered by the Department of Earth Sciences as their field of specialization. Courses in the designated specialization will constitute at least half of the required coursework (18 credits); courses in the field of specialization must have the approval of the major advisor.

The remaining 12 elective credits may be satisfied in any of three ways.

1. The student may take 12 credits of graduate-level formal courses within or outside the field of specialization.

2. The student may choose to take 9 hours of formal graduate coursework in or outside of the field of specialty, combined with a 3 credit research project. The student will take 3 credits of Supervised Research (GLY 6910) and write a research paper on a topic in their field of specialization to satisfy the course requirement. The topic of the research paper must be approved by the major advisor, and it must be graded by the major advisor and receive a grade of “B” or better to be accepted.

3. The student may choose to take 9 hours of formal coursework within or outside the field of specialization, combined with 3 credits of Professional Internship in Earth Science (GLY 6949). The student must complete an internship in a company where they are employed in earth science-related work, and write a report on the work done in their internship. The internship must be approved by the student’s major advisor, and the report must be graded by the major advisor and receive a grade of “B” or better to be accepted.

Students choosing options 2 or 3 must present their research paper or internship report to the Department.

A minimum GPA of 3.0 in all course work required for the 30 credits toward the Master of Science in Geosciences degree, including 3 credits of Supervised Research if the research paper option is chosen. All courses for the non-thesis M.S. degree track must be taken for a letter grade--no pass/fail graded courses will be counted toward the 30 required credits.

Required Forms

Non-thesis M.S. students are not required to file Forms M1 – M5. The form: Application for Graduation must be filed with the Registrar’s Office before the end of the 3^rd week of the term in which they plan to graduate.

Ph.D. Program in Geosciences

The Ph.D. in Geosciences is a research-based degree which also requires a significant body of coursework. Satisfactory completion of the following major elements of the program is required for graduation:

• coursework

• a written and oral qualifying examination administered by the dissertation committee

• a written dissertation research proposal, and oral presentation/defense of the proposal

• a written dissertation presenting original research of publishable quantity and quality, and oral presentation/defense of the dissertation.

Ph.D. Procedures and Regulations

Initial Advisement

As soon as possible, but no later than early in your second term, you should formally choose a dissertation advisor. The dissertation advisor must be a member of the FIU Graduate Faculty who holds Dissertation Advisor Status. Please bear in mind that professors are not obligated to advise you, even if you are admitted and you would like to work with them. If you strongly prefer to work with a particular faculty member, you should make sure that they are willing to advise you before or shortly after you submit your application. If you are admitted but have not identified an advisor through your own discussions with faculty members, the Graduate Program Director will assign you an academic advisor based on your scientific interests.

Before the registration period of your first term, you will meet your advisor to discuss your coursework. Also, at this time you can begin discussing potential thesis topics. In addition to meeting with your assigned advisor, you may want to seek out introductory meetings with other faculty members at the University whose research fields are of potential interest to you. You may change advisors if your interests change during the first term. While not taking formal courses and prior to reaching candidacy, you should be registered for one or more credits of a section of Supervised Research (GLY 6910) under your advisor’s name.

Minimum Course Requirements (75 credits, including):

Graduate seminars (GLY 5931, GLY 6931) 2 credits

Formal (non-research) graduate courses 30 credits

Ph.D. Dissertation (GLY 7980) 24 credits

Courses will be chosen in consultation with your advisor. At least 30 credit hours from among the total of 75 required for the Ph.D. must be in formal lecture and/or lab courses (not research or seminars). Courses outside the department may be taken at the discretion of your advisor. Additional courses may be either lecture or research credits. Research credits should be in either a section of Supervised Research (GLY 6910), or in Dissertation (GLY 7980) under your advisor’s name. A student may register for Supervised Research (GLY 6910) from his/her first semester through the semester he/she is admitted to candidacy (Form D-2 signed and deposited in UGS). From the following term (i.e., the term immediately after the student is accepted to candidacy) onward until the dissertation requirements are fulfilled (filing of Form D-7), the student must register for at least 3 credits of dissertation (GLY 7980) each term (including summer). Once you begin taking Dissertation credits, you should not register for Supervised Research except in unusual circumstances. In addition, Ph.D. students should never register for Thesis (GLY 6971).

A maximum of 36 semester hour credits of graduate level coursework may be transferred from another accredited U.S. graduate program toward your Ph.D. credit requirements, provided that these credits were earned as part of a completed graduate degree. A maximum of six semester hours of graduate credits earned as part of an incomplete accredited graduate program or as a FIU non-degree-seeking student may only be transferred provided that they were earned within the last 6 years prior to enrollment at FIU. All transfer credits must have a minimum grade of B, and must be considered acceptable as part of your academic program by your advisor and the Graduate Program Director. Normally, only credits from lecture courses are transferable. Transfer credits are assigned at the time of filing the Application for Candidacy (Form D-2).

Since a full-time student takes 9 credits of coursework each fall and spring term before candidacy and 6 credits during the summer term, Ph.D. students may graduate with more than the required 75 credits. Normally, the excess credits (beyond the required 75) are in Dissertation (GLY 7980).

A minimum GPA of 3.0 is required for the Ph.D. degree. Your GPA will be based only on formal lecture and/or lab courses (Supervised Research, GLY 6910 and Dissertation, GLY 7980, are graded on a pass/fail basis only). If your GPA drops below 3.0 in any term, you will be put on Academic Warning by the College of Arts and Sciences. Refer to the University Student Handbook and the Graduate Catalog for information on the conditions for academic warning, probation, and dismissal.

Dissertation Committee and Research

While coursework is required for the Ph.D. degree and is important, the focus of the Ph.D. program is the completion of a dissertation involving original research. Timely completion of the program requires that you begin your research as soon as possible. Dissertation research should begin in the first term, with at least background readings and discussions of these readings with your advisor, and possibly preliminary lab and fieldwork. This early work will form the basis of your dissertation proposal (see below). Ultimately, your dissertation research should result in publications in the peer reviewed scientific literature.

Your first summer will normally be your first opportunity to carry out research without concurrent coursework, and should be a time for significant progress. Your research will then continue concurrently with coursework until your coursework is completed (ideally you should have all your coursework completed by the end of your second year).

Dissertation research is conducted under the guidance of your advisor and dissertation committee. By the end of your first year, you must (with your advisor’s assistance and approval) appoint the members of your dissertation committee and file Form D-1: Appointment of Dissertation Committee. The committee must consist of a minimum of four members (including your advisor), at least two of whom must be from the Department of Earth Sciences. At least one committee member must be from an outside department or school within FIU. All four committee members must be members of the FIU Graduate Faculty and the Chair must hold Dissertation Advisor Status. Additional members may be appointed; if they are not FIU Graduate Faculty, a CV must accompany Form D-1. Committee appointments must be approved by the Graduate Program Director and the University Graduate School. Form D-1 must be submitted no later than the UGS deadline and should typically be submitted at least two terms before Form D-3 (the dissertation proposal), and at least five terms before the anticipated graduation date. Students should meet with their dissertation committee at least once a year.

Forms may be obtained from the UGS office (PC236) or from the UGS website. After obtaining Departmental signatures, a photocopy of each form (D-1à D-7) should be submitted to the graduate secretary for inclusion in your file. Each year the UGS publishes specific deadlines for submission of forms and holding a thesis/dissertation defense. These dates are available at http://gradschool.fiu.edu/calendars.html

Qualifying Examination

The purpose of the qualifying examination is to determine the student's aptitude for conducting independent PhD research and to identify any deficiencies in background that might hinder progress towards the degree. The examination should normally be taken soon after a dissertation committee is nominated (Form D-1). Students entering with a M.S. degree from an accredited U.S. university should be prepared to take the qualifying examination during the second term in the program (before completing 18 credits); those without an M.S. normally take the examination before four full terms (36 credits) are completed. Passage of the qualifying examination allows continuation to the candidacy examination and dissertation proposal (Forms D2 and D3).

Important notice – Scheduling of qualifying examination. The qualifying exam will only be administered during the Fall and Spring (9 month academic year) semesters, and will not be administered during the Summer term. Furthermore, blackout dates include the first week of the semester and the two weeks prior to the scheduled final exam period.

The PhD qualifying examination will consist of both written and oral portions administered by at least 4 FIU graduate faculty members from the student’s dissertation committee. The student must pass both the written and oral portions of the qualifying examination. Failure to pass will result in the student's termination from the Ph.D. program. However, this examination may be taken one additional time (i.e., a “second chance”), at the discretion of the committee.

The written portion will be an open-book examination administered by the graduate director with questions submitted by the committee. The student will have 24 hours to complete the examination and will be allowed access to available library or internet resources necessary to answer the questions. While taking the examination, the student will not be allowed to consult with any person regarding questions on the examination, other than for clarifications on specific questions from the examiners themselves. Examination questions will be graded by the faculty members who wrote them. Each question will be graded on a scale from 0 to 4. The student must receive a grade of at least 1.0 on every question, and an average of at least 3.0 for the complete examination.

Each committee member will grade their questions, and turn in the graded exam questions directly to the graduate program director, not to the student’s dissertation advisor. The graduate program director will compile the grades and submit a memo summarizing the results of the written exam to the dissertation advisor, prior to the oral examination, which will then be shared with the student and dissertation committee.

The student must schedule the oral portion of the exam within 1 week of completing the written examination. If the student does not pass the written exam, the committee may elect to proceed with the oral exam in order to explore the student’s scientific capabilities that may not have been reflected in the written exam. The oral examination will be administered by the student's dissertation committee and generally will be 1-2 hours in duration. In the oral examination, the student will be expected to answer questions relating to their research area of interest and to general scientific knowledge. The examination committee will determine by a majority vote of at least 3 members whether the student passes the oral portion of the exam. At that time, members of the examination committee may recommend additional remedial coursework or study. Immediately after the oral exam, the dissertation advisor will complete the “Results of the PhD Qualifying Examination Form” and submit the form to the graduate program director.

The student will be notified by the committee of the results of the examination immediately following the oral examination. In addition, within 10 days, the student will be given official written notification of the results, in which the committee may stipulate additional conditions or expectations for the student’s continued progress in the program.

Dissertation Proposal and Defense: The Candidacy Exam

A student is admitted to doctoral candidacy upon successfully completing all required coursework and passing the candidacy exam. The candidacy exam must take place before completing 60 graduate credits in the program, including transfer credits. For full time students, this will occur before the end of 8 terms in the program (there are 3 “terms” per year, Fall, Spring, and Summer). For PhD. Students transferring credits from a Masters program, this will occur earlier. The candidacy exam must also be scheduled at least 4 terms before the anticipated graduation date. It is extremely important that you proceed to candidacy in a timely manner. Students who do not take their candidacy exam before accruing 60 credits will be dismissed from the program.

The purpose of the candidacy exam is to determine whether you are prepared to begin work on the doctoral dissertation. The exam consists of a closed oral defense of the proposed dissertation project and related knowledge before your dissertation committee. Prior to scheduling your candidacy exam, you should meet with your advisor and the Graduate Program Director to verify that you have met all Departmental course and seminar requirements.

You must submit a complete written Ph.D. dissertation proposal to your examiners at least 2 weeks before the exam. Your proposal should be developed in close consultation with your advisor. The text of the proposal must be no longer than 15 double-spaced pages (Excluding abstract, figures, and references). The proposal should include an abstract, introduction, hypotheses (if relevant), proposed research methods, preliminary data, figures, and references based on your background research.

At the exam, you will give an oral presentation of the proposal, and justify the objectives of the project and their significance, the proposed methodology, and the relevance of the projected results to the research problem. You may also be required to answer questions demonstrating appropriate background knowledge in your specialization. Your advisor will notify you in writing of the results of the examination. At that time, the advisor or the Graduate Program Director may stipulate additional expectations for continued progress in the program.

You can only pass or fail the candidacy exam; the Graduate School does not allow passing to be contingent on further coursework, papers or any other conditions. Failure of this exam terminates your enrollment in the Ph.D. program, though the exam may be retaken one time at the discretion of your examiners.

After passing the candidacy exam, you should immediately submit Form D-2: Program for Doctoral Degree and Application for Candidacy. This form signifies that your formal coursework has been completed, and that you have passed the qualifying and candidacy exams. The Graduate Program Director will review Form D-2 for accuracy and forward the signed form to the University Graduate School. Form D-2 should be submitted as soon as the candidacy exam results are known and before the end of the term. Students will be allowed to register for Dissertation credits in the term after submitting Form D-2 to the University Graduate School.

Proposal seminar: Ph.D. candidates are required to present a public Department seminar to the faculty and students on their proposed dissertation research before the end of the term following passage of the candidacy exam. The seminar should be general enough to be understood by the various disciplines within the department. It should be ~45 min in length and should allow time for questions from the audience. The seminar will normally be presented as part of the Friday Department Seminar series, but can be scheduled as a special seminar during the Summer term or if a Friday slot is not available. The candidate is responsible for arranging with the Graduate Seminar instructor to schedule a seminar time. An announcement of the seminar should be posted in the Department one week in advance of the seminar date.

Before the start of the term immediately following submission of Form D-2, you should submit Form D-3: Doctoral Dissertation Proposal with the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and the University Graduate School along with a 5-page summary of the proposal (typically a much shorter and less informative version of the dissertation proposal submitted to the committee for examination). Consult the UGS "Regulations for Thesis and Dissertation Preparation Manual" for the format for the proposal. Form D-3 should be submitted no later than the UGS deadline and at least four terms before the anticipated graduation date. In addition, you should email the Graduate Program Director, a 1 page abstract of your proposal in electronic form (attached MS Word doc or PDF file) for posting on the department web site.

Important Notice: Students are advised to submit Forms D-2 and D-3 in the same term, well before the end of the term. The University Graduate School is typically swamped with graduation issues at the end of each term, which may result in delays processing the forms. These delays, in turn, may impact registration for dissertation credits for the following term.

You must complete at least 24 Dissertation (GLY 7980) credits to graduate from the Ph.D. program. You should start registering for Dissertation in the term after you pass the candidacy exam. After a doctoral student is admitted to candidacy, continuous registration for at least 3 credit hours of Dissertation each term (including the summer term) is required until the dissertation requirement is fulfilled. Once you begin taking Dissertation credits, you should not register for Supervised Research except in unusual circumstances. If a candidate plans to be absent from FIU in any term prior to completing their dissertation, they should file a leave of absence form with the University Graduate School.

Annual Dissertation Progress Conference

Doctoral candidates should convene a yearly conference with their committee to discuss their progress towards the dissertation. Candidates should indicate if they need clarification of the direction of their research, or if they feel that they are receiving contradictory advice from members of their committee which could be cleared up in a face to face meeting. At this meeting, the committee members will sign and record comments on Form D-4: Dissertation Committee Report of Annual Dissertation Progress Conference. At the conference, the dissertation Advisor will indicate whether progress is satisfactory or if it needs improvement. Failure to record satisfactory progress in two consecutive dissertation progress conferences may result in dismissal from the program.

Form D-4 should be submitted to the UGS for the first time within a year after Form D-3 and at least yearly thereafter until the dissertation is completed.

Dissertation Preparation

Guidelines for preparation of your dissertation are found in the Division of Graduate Studies' "Regulations for Thesis and Dissertation Preparation Manual". These guidelines must be followed exactly.

Your dissertation is submitted first to your dissertation advisor (wholly or in sections, depending on your advisor’s instructions to you). Your advisor will require revisions and improvements until a high-quality and complete draft suitable for distribution to your dissertation committee is produced. Once your advisor feels the dissertation is ready to present and defend, you will distribute copies to the other members of your dissertation committee, and at that time schedule your dissertation defense. You must provide copies of your dissertation to your committee at least 4 weeks before your defense date.

To schedule your defense, you must submit Form D-5: Preliminary Approval of Dissertation and Request for Oral Defense with signatures to the UGS. At the time that Form D-5 is filed, the dissertation must be complete and suitable for defense. One copy of the dissertation certified as complete and provisionally acceptable to the committee, and one copy of the Dissertation Defense Announcement must be submitted with Form M-3 to the UGS at least 3 weeks before the date of the defense or by the term’s deadline (whichever is earlier). The announcement should be posted publicly in the Department at least one week before the defense.

After your dissertation committee has had an opportunity to read your dissertation, any member of your dissertation committee who sees fit, or yourself as the Ph.D. candidate, may require an informal meeting of your committee to review the written document before your dissertation defense. This consultation may serve to clarify aspects of the scientific emphasis, direction or significance of your research, organization of the dissertation, the extent of revisions to be expected, scheduling of the dissertation defense or any other issue where clarification is needed. The consultation is meant to resolve potential disagreements among advisors, streamline the dissertation defense process, provide you with the clearest possible guidance leading up to the defense, and reduce the time spent on revisions after the defense. Committee members whose attendance would be difficult to arrange need not be present. You are not required to be present at this consultation if one is held.

Many students underestimate the amount of time required to prepare a doctoral dissertation. Students should start writing their thesis at least 12 months before their planned graduation date. In fact, writing should start immediately after candidacy. Some students choose to compile a dissertation from separate papers written during their tenure in the Ph.D. program. Consult with your advisor and committee as to the preferred format for your dissertation. Committee members and the Graduate Program Director will not sign Form D-5 for an incomplete Dissertation, regardless of any impending deadline. Failure to consider this may result in the delay of your defense and graduation by one term.

Dissertation Defense

At your dissertation defense, you will present your results in a ~45 min talk to the University community and the general public. Your committee will then question you on the content, significance, and presentation of the research, and determine the outcome of the defense. Possible outcomes include: 1) pass with minor/no revision; 2) pass with major revision; and 3) failure (the dissertation requires major revision and a second defense must be scheduled). The first outcome requires only that your advisor approve the final copy of your dissertation before it is forwarded outside the department for further approval (see below). The second outcome requires that the final version of your dissertation be evaluated and approved by all dissertation committee members. The third outcome should be quite uncommon, and can be avoided by careful attention to a few common sense points:

1. Be sure there is clear agreement among members of your committee at the completion of your candidacy exam and in your annual meetings about the requirements and expectations for your dissertation.

2. Do thorough, quality research and careful writing in close consultation with your advisor.

3. Keep your committee informed of your progress between your candidacy exam and your dissertation defense, especially if there are changes in the scope or focus of your work after your candidacy exam.

4. Call additional meetings of your dissertation committee if you need clarification of your research direction.

5. Prepare well for your dissertation defense (i.e., construct a good talk with clear visual aids, practice the talk several times before your defense, anticipate likely questions and formulate answers in advance).

After the defense, Form D-6: Dissertation Defense Report is filed with the UGS; you should have the form ready for the signatures of your committee members at the defense.

Submission of Dissertation

After your successful dissertation defense, you will carry out all revisions specified by your committee. Once the revised dissertation is approved by all committee members, final copies must be prepared according to the guidelines in the Division of Graduate Studies' "Regulations for Thesis and Dissertation Preparation Manual". The signature page of the dissertation requires the signatures of all committee members, the Dean of Arts & Sciences, and the Dean of the UGS. One copy is to be submitted to the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and then to the Dean of UGS for approval, together with Form D-7:Final Approval of Dissertation. Form D-7 is signed by the dissertation advisor and the two Deans. The Deans (or their designates) will carefully review the format of the dissertation. The Graduate Studies Office submits the fully approved dissertation to the University Library. At least two additional copies are required for the Earth Science Department: one for the department dissertation inventory, and one for your advisor. It is also common practice to offer a copy to each committee member.

Changing Dissertation Advisor

If subsequent to the submission of your dissertation proposal, a committee member is unable to continue to serve, you must file Form D-1r: Approval of Revised Dissertation Committee. This form will require the signatures of the leaving members and the new replacement members. The signatures of the faculty leaving the committee affirm that the reason for their departure is not related to any concerns regarding the quality of the dissertation. The signatures of the faculty added to the committee affirm they met with the student, reviewed and approved the proposal and agreed to serve on the committee.

To change dissertation advisors after passing your proposal defense, you must have approval from the Graduate Committee. Requests for approval must be submitted in writing to the Graduate Program Director. We expect that you and your advisor will be in agreement before the request is submitted, and that approval will be routine. After approval from the Graduate Committee you must submit Form D-1r. If you and your advisor disagree over the change, you are both urged to discuss it with the Graduate Program Director and make every effort to resolve the disagreement. If diligent efforts fail to resolve the conflict, both sides will present a brief written summary of their case to the Graduate Program Director. Both sides will then present their case in a hearing before the Graduate Committee, who will deliberate and make a recommendation. If a Committee member is involved in the dispute, he/she will not be allowed to vote. Tie votes will be decided by the department Chair. Such a hearing is the very last resort in resolving a problem between a student and their advisor, and will not be held unless all other avenues have been unsuccessful.

Doctoral Degree Milestone Table

A sample sequence of the required courses, forms and milestones for a full time student in the Ph.D. program is summarized in the table below. Please note that an individual student’s program may differ slightly.

	Year 1			Year 2
Fall	Spring	Summer	Fall	Spring	Summer
Initial advisement	Nominate committee (Form D1)	Explore research plan	Qualifying exam	Prepare proposal	Submit proposal (Form D3)
Talk with potential Committee members	Graduate Seminar (GLY 5931)	Preliminary research/ fieldwork	Advanced Graduate Seminar (GLY 6931)	Candidacy Exam (Form D2)
Coursework	Coursework		Coursework	Coursework
Supervised Research (GLY 6910)	Supervised Research (GLY 6910)	Supervised Research (GLY 6910)	Supervised Research (GLY 6910)	Supervised Research (GLY 6910)	Dissertation (GLY 7980)