Program Information
The combined Plant Sciences B.S./M.S. QuickStart program enables highly-qualified students to be admitted to the M.S. program during the junior year of their B.S. program, and to work thereafter toward both the B.S. and M.S. degrees. Accepted students would earn a B.S. degree in Plant Production and Protection and the M.S. degree in Plant Sciences . This program allows for early planning of the M.S. portion of the student’s education, along with beginning a thesis research project before the completion of the B.S. degree. It offers increased flexibility in the order in which courses are taken, and more efficient use of what would otherwise be a final semester with a light credit-hour load. As many as 6 credit hours of undergraduate coursework at the 5000 level (or 4000 level for courses in which no 5000-level course is available) may be counted toward both the B.S. and M.S. degree programs. Additionally, students retain the existing right to reserve up to 6 hours of graduate credit that may be taken during their undergraduate degree program. These 6 reserved credits will NOT count toward both the B.S. and M.S. degrees, but only toward the M.S. degree.
Admission to the program
Minimum requirements for admission to the accelerated program are:
1. completion of sophomore year, 60 credit hours,
2. a minimum overall GPA of 3.0,
3. a minimum GPA of 3.0 in PLNT courses,
4. a minimum of three letters of recommendation (at least two must be from faculty at UW),
5. a DPS fculty member willing to serve as M.S. advisor, and
6. a research proposal submitted to, and approved by, the student’s M.S. advisor and at least one other Plant Sciences faculty member as a presumptive graduate committee member.
Transfer students must have also completed at least 15 credit hours of coursework at UW to be eligible for admission to this program.
If interested in this program, please visit our website at http://www.uwyo.edu/plantsciences/ for further information on additional requirements.