Graduate Student Information

Marine Science graduate students at USD typically spend their first year taking classes and developing a research question that will serve as the basis for their thesis projects. Required coursework for all first-year graduate students includes three lecture/lab courses, one each in Biological, Geological, and Physical & Chemical Oceanography. These classes provide students with a core background in oceanography. First-year students also enroll in one Core Seminar course in each semester. These seminars introduce students to the graduate program and resources of the university and assist them in the development of their research question and identification of a research advisor. The culmination of the first year is a thesis proposal that will describe the research that the student proposes to complete as part of the M.S. program. Any coursework deficiencies also should be completed by the end of the first year.

By the end of the first year, students typically have identified a research chair who will head their thesis committee and an approved plan of research, as described in their thesis proposal. The next step is to constitute a thesis committee, generally consisting of the chair and two other members. The committee members should be selected in consultation with the committee chair and the director of the graduate program. In some cases, the committee chair will not be a faculty member at USD, and such committees must include a member from among the USD Marine Science graduate faculty. That person will serve as the thesis advisor.

Once the thesis committee has been constituted, the student should meet with the full committee to discuss their proposed research. This initial meeting should take place at the end of the student’s first academic year, usually in late May or early June. At this meeting, the student and committee should discuss the student’s research proposal and their plans for the summer. At the end of the summer, a second full committee meeting should take place to evaluate the student’s progress. After this second meeting, the committee may recommend that the student be advanced to candidacy for the M.S. degree. Master’s students cannot register for more than 3 units of research until they have achieved candidacy or obtained written permission from the graduate director.

Once candidacy has been achieved, students work on their thesis research, with periodic committee meetings to update committee members on their progress and receive guidance from the entire committee. Semi-annual meetings are recommended. The director of the graduate program and the executive assistant in the Marine Science & Environmental Studies department must be notified after each committee meeting.

The culmination of the graduate program is a public thesis defense and completion of a written master’s thesis. Prior to the defense, all committee members must have seen and approved a complete version of the thesis. Usually, there is a full committee meeting after the complete thesis has been distributed and 3-4 weeks prior to the defense date. Defenses should be scheduled in consultation with all committee members and the graduate director.