Master of Science in Agriculture
Program Description
The graduate program in agricultural sciences is designed to further the professional competence of those individuals engaged in production agriculture, careers in agricultural and related agencies, businesses and industries, and/or agricultural education and extension.
The Agricultural Sciences program maintains four locations with working laboratories. The Agriculture Center is home to the Indoor Arena, Meat Science Lab, Equine Science Facilities, and a greenhouse. Nearby is the Horticulture Center with two greenhouses and a classroom. The William R. Harrell Engineering Technology Center provides excellent advanced teaching and research opportunities in the areas of Agricultural Engineering Technology.
The 1740-acre Gibbs Ranch is home to purebred and crossbred beef cattle herds and a meat goat flock, along with additional plant, soil and animal resources used for instructional and research purposes.
Admissions
Students seeking admission to the graduate program in Agricultural Sciences must submit the following to the Office of Graduate Admissions:
- Graduate Application
- Application fee
- Official transcripts of all college-level work, including the transcript that shows the date the undergraduate degree was conferred in agriculture, engineering technology, industrial technology, technology or related field from an accredited four-year institution (Note: Applicants without an acceptable background in agriculture or technology must complete 12 hours of undergraduate stem work earning a minimum GPA of 3.0)
- GRE scores
- Two letters of recommendation from faculty in the undergraduate major field of study (not required for SHSU Agriculture graduates)
A holistic review of each student’s application file will be completed on a competitive basis.
Degree Requirements
This degree is designed to be a broad-based degree, including thirty-seven hours of coursework. A minimum of fifteen hours from agri-business, agricultural education, agricultural engineering technology, animal science, equine science, and plant and soil sciences is required. In addition, the curriculum includes courses in research methodology and agricultural statistics, and graduate seminar. The remaining semester hours are designated as electives and can be taken in agriculture or from a related field. The degree is designed to provide comprehensive knowledge and capabilities in several fields of agriculture.
Plan 1 - MS in Agricultural Science - Thesis Option
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| MS in Agriculture - Thesis Option | ||
| Required courses: | ||
| AGRI 6140 | Graduate Seminar | 1 |
| AGRI 6350 | Tchnqs & Interpretatn Research | 3 |
| STAT 5360 | Special Topics In Statistics | 3 |
| Electives | ||
| Select eight graduate courses in AGRI or approved courses from other departments 1 | 24 | |
| Thesis | ||
| AGRI 6099 | Thesis | 3 |
| AGRI 6398 | Thesis | 3 |
| Total Hours | 37 | |
| 1 | At least eighteen hours must be at the 5000 or 6000 level. |
The thesis option must have prior approval by the chair of the thesis committee and includes an oral comprehensive exam and thesis defense. Once enrolled in a thesis class, AGRI 6099, a student must be continually enrolled until graduation.
Plan 2 - MS in Agricultural Science - Non-thesis Option
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| MS in Agriculture - Non-thesis Option | ||
| Specified Courses | ||
| Required courses: | ||
| AGRI 6140 | Graduate Seminar | 1 |
| AGRI 6350 | Tchnqs & Interpretatn Research | 3 |
| STAT 5360 | Special Topics In Statistics | 3 |
| Electives | ||
| Select ten graduate courses in AGRI or approved courses from other departments 1 | 30 | |
| Total Hours | 37 | |
| 1 | At least eighteen hours must be at the 5000 or 6000 level. |
The non-thesis option includes the thirty-seven hours listed above followed by a written or oral comprehensive capstone exam.
4000 level courses must be approved by Committee Chairperson or Graduate Coordinator.
