Graduate Programs

Graduate Education is a State-Wide Program

• Tenure and Promotion requirements are the same for faculty located on campus in Gainesville and those located at Research and Education Centers (REC’s). This includes the expectation to conduct strong graduate education programs, regardless of location.

• Graduate students are advised by both on-campus faculty and faculty located at REC’s

• Faculty at REC’s serve as primary advisors for 26% of our current students

• If a student is advised by a faculty member located at a REC, a campus Co-Advisor is also appointed to the Supervisory Committee

Graduate Education at Research and Education Centers

REC’s provide:

Graduate Student Housing (Jay/Milton, Marianna, Quincy, Ona, Belle Glad and Ft. Lauderdale)

Assistantship Funding (matching assistantships and other Center support)

Excellent Field Support Facilities

Involvement in Interdisciplinary Programs

Opportunities for Interactions with Clientele

Degrees Offered

Ph.D. (60 credit hours beyond the M.S.) M.S. (30 credit hours beyond the B.S.)

• Thesis• Non-Thesis

Minor (6 hours M.S.; 12 hours Ph.D.)

Graduate Program Increasing demands by students

Excellent quality of applicants

Program size limited by:

• Number of faculty

• Funding

University Entry Requirements

• Baccalaureate, graduate or professional degree from an accredited College or University, or an international equivalent

• Grade point average of 3.0

• If English is not the native language:

TOEFL: 550 paper, 213 computer or 80 internet; 6 IELTS; 77 MELAB or documented successful completion of the UF English Language Institute program

Departmental Entry Requirements

• One-page vision essay indicating research interests and background in Genetics & Plant Breeding, Management & Nutrition, Physiology & Ecology, or Weed Science

• Minimum GRE Test Score of 1000, or equivalent in new scoring scale

• Three letters of recommendation from scientists in the desired field of research

Occasional conditional admission of students that fall below the UF or Departmental requirements (usually low GRE)

The Agronomy Department does not accept any student to the program without having first identified a faculty member to serve as Advisor and there is agreement on funding of the student

Supervisory Committee Ph.D. (5 members)

M.S.

Thesis – (4 members) Non-thesis (3 members)

A Departmental Representative is appointed to each Supervisory Committee

Supervisory Committee monitors and approves:

• Coursework

• Research Proposal

• Progress (Final Exam for M.S.; written and oral Qualifying Exam and oral Final Exam for Ph.D.)

Course Requirements Core Courses (listed on page 11.44 of Review Syllabus):

One course from Each of Three Discipline Areas:

Genetics & Plant Breeding (13)Plant Physiology & Biochemistry (8)Plant Ecology, Management, and Nutrition (14)

Graduate Seminar (2)

ProposalExit

All other coursework requirements are determined by the Supervisory Committee

(list of Agronomy graduate courses are listed on pages 11.36-11.39 of the Review Syllabus)

Current Students 46 Total Graduate Students

M.S. non-thesis – 0M.S. thesis - 20Ph.D. - 26

74% Male26% Female

50% Domestic50% International (increased slightly from 43% over past 12 years)

International students are from:

India, Nepal, Bolivia, Argentina, Bolivia, Equador, Honduras, Venezuela, Colombia, Mexico, China, Taiwan, Korea, Ghana

Only one minority student (Asian) among domestic students

Current Assistantship/Fellowship Funding• UF has annually provided 1-2 Graduate School Fellowships ($22,000 with tuition payment included)

• CALS has annually provided 2-6 Matching Assistantships ($8,000 each with tuition payment for that amount). Faculty

must at least match the $8,000 with other funds and provide tuition payment for the faculty match). 5% budget cut to CALS next year.

• Department has provided four, 1/3-time assistantships, one in each of the four program areas (Genetics & Breeding; Physiology &Ecology; Management & Nutrition; Weed Science with tuition payment for the 1/3-time amount). Program area faculty

determine allocation with priority for new faculty. Students on these departmental assistantships serve as TA’s for several courses.

• REC’s provide some matching assistantships (tuition payment as described above) from REC teaching budgets, and some from other REC funds.

• Faculty Grants (assistantship plus tuition payment)

Percentage of Graduate Students Supported on Various Funding Sources

Totally on State Funds – 0%

Totally on Grant Funds – 18%

Grant/State Blend – 38% (matches and departmental funds)

University Graduate School Fellowships – 16%

Endowment or Other Unit Funding – 15%

Self-funded – 16%

Stipends

The typical, and recommended, stipend in the Department is based on a 1/2-time appointment, although a few students are on less than 1/2-time appointments. Current rates for 1/2-time assistantships may vary across faculty programs, depending on availability of funds, but on average are:

$17,500 for 1/2-time M.S. Assistantship

$19,400 for 1/2-time Ph.D. Assistantship

Cost of Graduate Education at UF

Assistantship Tuition Total(24 hours per year)

M. S. (2 years) $35,000 $23,568 $58,568

Ph.D. (4 years) $77,600 $47,136 124,736

Goal: On average, two graduate students per faculty member. Currently, 1.7 per faculty member.

Degree2000-2001

2001-2002

2002-2003

2003-2004

2004-2005

2005-2006

2006-2007

2007-2008

2008-2009

2009-2010

2010-2011

Ph.D.2 3 3 2 5 6 2 7 5 4 3

M.S.5 2 10 4 5 5 4 5 7 6 8

Total7 5 13 6 10 11 6 12 12 10 11

On average, four Ph.D. and six M.S. degrees have been awarded per academic year

Degrees Awarded (by Academic Year)

Future of Graduate ProgramGrowth of Program is dependent on:

Maintaining or increasing faculty numbers (Must continue to recruit and hire excellent faculty)

More involvement of REC faculty (40% of total faculty are located at REC’s)

Accrual of additional extramural funding and use of those funds for graduate education Continued funding of assistantships and fellowships from UF, CALS and Department (Continuing budget reductions will likely cause declines)

Faculty placing a high priority on graduate education despite rapidly escalating costs (tuition and operating funds)

Challenges, Opportunities and Plans for Improvement (con’t)

Graduate Education Program will be greatly enhanced as graduate programs of newly-hired faculty mature:

Flory SchnellGettys WangOdero Leon

Improve research facilities (laboratories, plant growth facilities consolidation into McCarty Hall)

Increased focus on basic research programs (opportunities for more grant opportunities)

Improve diversity among faculty and students Recruitment to increase minority enrollment

(example: discussions with faculty and students at Florida A&M University and Florida International Universities)

Challenges, Opportunities and Plans for Improvement (con’t)

Improve Graduate Education section on Website Increase Distance Education course offerings (MacDonald, Erickson, Fishel, and Bennett currently offer DE courses)

Produce more Ph.D.’s (University-wide priority) Develop a departmental policy concerning direct entry to a Ph.D. program without having completed M.S. (more frequent request by students and some faculty)

Successfully implement the Agroecology program and the Peace Corps Masters International program Attain or surpass goal of, on average, two graduate students per faculty member (currently 46 students and 27 Graduate Faculty = 1.7 ratio)

Enhancing the Value of the M.S. Non-Thesis Degree

Peace Corps Masters International ProgramCALS will begin participation in the MI program beginning in Fall 2012 and will offer both thesis and non‐thesis tracks within the Master of Science degree programs of the departments of Agronomy, Agricultural Education and Communication, Animal Sciences, Entomology and Nematology, Food and Resource Economics, Forest Resources and Conservation, Horticultural Sciences, Plant Pathology, and Soil and Water Science.

The program will provide Master’s-level training in the following relevant Peace Corps assignment areas: applied agriculture, agribusiness, agroforestry and forestry, business development, and environment/natural resources.

Coordinator: Dr. MacDonald

Enhancing the Value of the M.S. Non-Thesis Degree (con’t)

Agroecology - A concentration of courses leading to a M.S. non-thesis (or thesis in some cases) degree in either Agronomy or Soil and Water ScienceThis new concentration is the first online Agroecology Master of Science program in the U.S. and is offered through a joint collaboration of the Agronomy and Soil & Water Science Departments. This program is a diverse, interdisciplinary program with a core curriculum of crop, soil and water science courses that emphasize sustainability, resource management, valuation of ecosystem services, system productivity, and profitability.

The goal is to train students in agriculture through the application of ecological concepts and principles to design, develop and manage sustainable agricultural systems.

Coordinators: Drs. Rowland and Bennett (Agronomy) Dr. Hochmuth (Soil and Water Science)

Documenting Success of the Graduate Program

Effective Mentoring

Professional Development

Retention Degrees Awarded Student surveys Exit Interviews Job Placement

Student Learning Outcomes (SLO’s) have been developed for graduate degree programs. Currently developing Assessment Protocols and Methods of Data Collection