AGST-MS - Agriscience Technology, M.S.

Academic Standards

Admission, retention and graduation standards will follow Tennessee Tech College of Graduate standards. Per Tennessee Tech’s College of Graduate Studies, admission to the College of Graduate Studies is open to anyone holding a bachelor's or master's degree from an accredited college or university. A foreign degree must be equivalent to a U.S. Bachelor’s degree and must be accredited by its regional or national accreditation agency or Ministry of Higher Education.

Admission

Students are admitted to Tennessee Tech University through a cooperative effort of the College of Graduate Studies and the departments, colleges, and schools of the University. When the College of Graduate Studies receives the student's application material, an official file is established. The department then reviews the application file and makes a recommendation to the College of Graduate Studies, who notifies applicants as soon as a decision has been reached.

Graduate students in a program leading to the master's degree, except those in Special Standing, should make application for admission to candidacy immediately following the completion of nine (9) semester hours of graduate credit. If application is not made by the time 15 hours are completed, the student may not be permitted to register for subsequent work until the application is approved. The requirements which must be met before approval of admission to candidacy are:

1. the achievement of Full Standing.

2. the completion of at least nine (9) semester hours of graduate credit with a minimum quality point average of 3.0.

3. the written approval by the student's advisory committee.

4. the written approval of the chairperson of the major department.

5. successful completion of any examination which may be required by the student's department.

If the student's application for admission to candidacy is not approved due to academic deficiencies, the student cannot continue graduate study with a major in any of the departments of the college in which he/she is studying.

Acceptance of Transfer and other Credit

The College of Graduate Studies specifies that students who wish to transfer graduate course credits from an accredited institution to Tennessee Tech must request that the institution send official transcripts, including all grades, directly to Tennessee Tech. The Graduate Program Director will determine whether transfer coursework is eligible for transfer to the student’s program of study. Coursework transferred or accepted for credit toward a graduate degree must have a minimum grade of “B” in each course. Any decision on acceptance of transfer credit will follow SACSCOC Accreditation Standard 3.6.3. Tennessee Tech’s policy is to exclude grades earned in transferred courses in the calculation of grade point averages. Tennessee Tech Policy #283 (General Graduate Transfer Credit Requirements) provides additional information on Transfer Credit.

Comprehensive Examination

The College of Graduate Studies requires that each candidate must pass a comprehensive examination, conducted by the candidate’s graduate advisory committee, at or near the completion of the course requirements for the graduate degree. The examination, which may be oral or written or both, should require the student to demonstrate breadth of knowledge in the discipline, depth in specific areas, and the ability to integrate what has been learned.