Program of Study
Please consult your graduate program student handbook (see website) with regard to your program’s specific requirements (e.g. required courses, seminars, research proposal, proposal defense, written and/or oral prelims etc.). Be sure you are meeting regularly with your advisor, and at least annually with your entire committee. Annual review of graduate students is required, and will be announced in January.
ALL documents are submitted to the Graduate School through your CAHNRS Graduate Academic Coordinator.
The Master’s Programs of Study (save form first) should be submitted in your second term (or, for part-time students, one year before taking your final exam). You may not take an exam in the same semester you submit your Program of Study.
The Graduate School’s deadlines are:
- Due February 1 (in advance of Summer or Fall final exam)
- Due September 1 (in advance of Spring final exam)
- If you have an external committee member, you will need to submit the external committee member form (pdf) too.
The PhD Programs of Study (save form first) should be submitted in your second semester but no later than your third semester and at least 5 months prior to prelims. An approved Program of Study is required before a student can schedule their preliminary exam.
The Graduate School’s recommended deadlines are:
- Due October 1, if your third semester is a Fall term
- Due March 1, if your third semester is a Spring or Summer term
- If you have an external committee member, you will need to submit the external committee member form (pdf) too.
Transfer Credit Policy and Procedure:
Chapter Six G2 | The Graduate School | Washington State University (wsu.edu)
Section e. Courses Taken as a Graduate at Other Accredited Institutions of Higher Learning (Transfer Credit)
Transfer credits cannot be more than six years old for a master’s or certificate program and ten years old for a doctorate program at the time of WSU graduation. Present the courses you wish to transfer on your program of study exactly as it appears on the original transcript. Transfer credit hours should be reported in semester hours and/or will be converted by the Graduate School. With regard to international transcripts, please include a copy of the transcript page noting the course you wish to transfer, a catalog description of the course from the University Catalog, as well as a course syllabus.
Preliminary Examination
Preliminary examinations for doctoral students may be scheduled once the Program of Study is officially approved by the WSU Graduate School, and after completion of most of your coursework. Students should have no more than 6 graded credits left to complete (including that currently enrolled) on their program of study coursework. At least 4 months must lapse between the preliminary exam and the final exam/defense. Review your student handbook for preliminary exam details pertaining to your degree program, and also confer with your advisor. All aspects of the examination (i.e., the evaluation of any written component, oral exam, balloting) must be completed within 30 calendar days. You must be enrolled for a minimum of 2 credits of research (800) in the semester (or summer) you take your preliminary exam. Students should aim to take prelims during the academic year to avoid summer session tuition not covered by academic year tuition waivers.
The Preliminary Exam scheduling form (save form first) is due no less than 10 working days in advance of the proposed exam date. Please work ahead of schedule to collect signatures, and reserve the room.
Zoom arrangements: To accommodate program faculty at our statewide locations all preliminary exams should have ZOOM availability for the event. For meeting security, it is recommended the advisor personally make the ZOOM arrangements via their own account in order to ensure full host control of the meeting from their laptop or device—or at the very least, the advisor should be set as ‘alternate host’ in order they can assume full-host control. Please remind your advisor to do this and include Deb Marsh on the invitation— and earlier is better so the ZOOM details can be included with the preliminary exam announcement to the department.
Last dates to conduct a preliminary exam in the regular term are:
- Spring 2024: April 26, 2024
- Summer 2024: July 26, 2024
- Fall 2024: December 6, 2024
- Spring 2025: April 25,2025
- Summer 2025: July 25, 2025
An Interim Preliminary exam may be requested in extenuating circumstances. In such cases, the Interim Preliminary Exam scheduling form must be used (save form first). The currently known interim exam windows are:
- Spring 2024 (April 29 – May 10, 2024)
- Summer 2024 (July 29 – August 16, 2024)
The interim exam is particularly helpful for students enrolled a minimum of 2 credits of 800 in Spring term that can’t make the regular Spring deadline (which would save them from re-enrolling in 2 credits of 800 in summer costing additional tuition). It is also helpful for students who are trying to make cutoff for ABD waiver eligibility for the following term (ABD waiver eligibility deadline is Aug 16 for Fall term; Jan 1 for Spring term).
Program Handbooks: Crop & Soil Sciences, Horticulture, Plant Pathology, Entomology, Food Science, MS in Agriculture.