Wildlife, Aquatic, and Wildlands Science and Management - PhD

Attainment of a Ph.D. brings the expectation that the individual can serve as a faculty member or research scientist. Therefore, the Ph.D. candidate is generally involved in generation of original ideas, proposal writing, and funding negotiations.

The Ph.D. student must show considerable command of the scientific literature, creativity at hypothesis formation, skill at research design, the ability to solve a problem, and competence in data analysis. The major professor and graduate advisory committee do not solve the details but serve as advisors and critics to give the student a taste of the peer review system used in science. The outcome is judged on its originality and contribution to science and whether it is substantial enough to merit publication.

The doctoral graduate program is directed by a major professor and a graduate advisory committee. The major professor chairs the graduate committee. The major professor and student work closely together on all aspects of the student's graduate degree program. PhD students undergo a preliminary assessment (oral or written or both), define an original research problem, and write a detailed proposal. The proposal should consist of a title, a statement of the problem and rationale for gathering original research data, a statement of objectives including hypotheses to be tested, a review of the literature, and a detailed description of the design, data analysis, and procedures of the study.