The Department of Horticulture and Crop Science offers three degree programs:

• Master of Science (MS) degree with thesis
• Master of Science degree with a non-thesis option
• Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree

The non-thesis MS degree is permitted only by petition to the Graduate Studies Committee. The Graduate Faculty rules for MS and PhD degree programs are listed in the OSU Graduate School Handbook. The student is responsible for knowing all the graduation requirements of both the Graduate School and the Department.
All new graduate students will be required to attend a two-day departmental orientation before the start of the Autumn Quarter. New students will be introduced to the faculty, staff, current graduate students and facilities. Students are also encouraged to attend university autumn orientations and TA workshops.

A. Course Requirements.
Graduate programs in Horticulture and Crop Science require a solid background in mathematics and the basic sciences (biological, chemical, and physical). Good communication skills are essential. The Department does not require a foreign language for graduate students, but a foreign language may be required by individual student advisory committees, if they feel that such training is in the best interest of the student.
Shortly after the first meeting with the student's student advisory committee, a complete Graduate Course Program must be prepared by the student and his or her adviser. The proposed Graduate Course Program should meet the minimum requirements of the department and be approved by the SAC no later than the end of the second quarter (M.S.) or third quarter (Ph.D.). Any deviation from the minimum requirements must be approved by the student advisory committee and the Departmental Graduate Studies Committee.

Minimum course requirements for the MS & PhD degree in Horticulture & Crop Science:

1. Seminar requirement:
Seminar presentations are an excellent educational resource for faculty and students of the Department. Research presented by investigators, both those located at Ohio State and those from outside the university, generally represents state-of-the-art or frontier level topics. Graduate students are encouraged to attend all departmental seminars that do not conflict with class schedules. It is also important to be aware of seminars offered outside of the department which relate to the student's research program.
MS and PhD students are expected to register in Horticulture and Crop Science Seminar (H&CS 804) and present two seminars during their enrollment in the program. Ordinarily, one of these seminars is the colloquium (presentation of research proposal) and the other is the exit seminar. Attendance at seminars is expected regardless of enrollment for H&CS 804 credit.

2. Current Topics requirement:
All graduate students are required to register for current topics courses offered as Horticulture and Crop Science 830 (2 credits). These courses have a journal club format where current papers in the field are discussed by students and faculty. These classes may be repeated up to 8 credit hours. MS students must register for a minimum of 2 times, and PhD students must register for a minimum of 4 times. Similarly structured classes may substitute for this requirement.

3. Statistics requirement:
All students are expected to complete Horticulture & Crop Science 887 (5 credits), Techniques of experimental design – offered winter quarters.

4. Horticulture and Crop Science Core requirement:
It is essential that a graduate from this department possess a fundamental knowledge of plants. A minimum of two (2) courses for MS students and three (3) courses for PhD students in the fundamental plant sciences is required. The Graduate Studies Committee will consider exemptions from this requirement if a student provides justification that is supported by his or her advisory committee. The following is a list of recommended courses from which the student may choose:

5. Methods course requirement:
Each student is required to take at least one of the following courses.

• HCS 604.01 Research Methods in Plant Science. I. Whole Plants.
• HCS 604.02 Research Methods in Plant Science. II. Plant Cell & Tissue Studies.
• HCS 604.03 Research Methods in Plant Science. III. Molecular & Biochemical Methods.

6. Teaching requirement:
One quarter of a teaching experience is required as part of the program of studies for all MS and PhD students. (For specific GA responsibilities, please refer to section IV #6.) This experience could be:

1. Direct responsibility for teaching a lab or discussion section of a course,
2. Giving a series of lectures in a course, or
3. Making extension presentations.

The activity should not demand more than 20 hours per week of the student's time. The student in consultation with the student advisory committee, will be asked to indicate the area and time the teaching experience could occur. The assignment of a student to a particular teaching duty will be made by the Chair of the Department (who may delegate this responsibility to the Coordinator of the GSC or the Academic Affairs Coordinator) in consultation with the student's advisor. Students may gain up to 5 hours of credit in HCS 993 (Individual Studies) in the quarter of the assignment.
In addition, students are encouraged to enhance their teaching skills through attendance at the Fall Quarter TA workshop, a course in teaching methods, observation of teaching by a member of faculty recognized for outstanding teaching and the use of resources such as The Faculty and TA Development Office in the College of Education.

7. Research Proposal:
The student must also undertake an innovative, timely research project as a major component of the total graduate program. It is highly recommended that students enroll in Horticulture and Crop Science 999 (Research) to obtain credit for their research experience. Research Proposals must be submitted to the GSC by the end of the second quarter of enrollment for M.S. students and by the end of the third quarter of enrollment for Ph.D. students.

B. Filing a Graduate Course Program.
The student is required to file a Graduate Course Program in Horticulture and Crop Science with the GSC before the end of the second quarter of enrollment. The course program is a detailed overview of the courses to be taken during each quarter the student is enrolled in the graduate program. Careful consultation between student, adviser and student advisory committee is essential before this filing, so that the student must meet with the student advisory committee to review and receive approval of the proposed Course Program. Once filed, the course program is considered a part of the degree requirements for the student and may be changed only with the consent of the student advisory committee.

C. Academic Misconduct.
Academic misconduct is defined as any activity which tends to compromise the academic integrity of the institution, or subvert the educational process (University Committee on Academic Misconduct, section 2.0). Examples of academic misconduct include, but are not limited to:

1. Violation of course rules as contained in the course syllabus or other information provided the student; violation of program regulations as established by departmental committees;
2. Providing or receiving information during quizzes and examinations such as course examinations and candidacy examinations; or providing or using unauthorized assistance in the laboratory, at the computer terminal, or on field work;
3. Submitting plagiarized work for an academic requirement. Plagiarism is the representation of another's works or ideas as one's own; it includes the unacknowledged word for word use and/or paraphrasing of another person's work and/or the inappropriate unacknowledged use of another person's ideas;
4. Falsification, fabrication, or dishonesty in reporting research results;
5. Serving as, or enlisting the assistance of, a "ringer" or substitute for a student in the taking of examinations;
6. Alteration of grades or marks by the student in an effort to change the earned grade or credit; and
7. Alteration of University forms used to drop or add courses to a program, or unauthorized use of these forms. (see University rule 3335-31-02)