Graduate Student Handbook
Department of Crop and Soil Sciences
Washington State University
2007-2008
Introduction
Welcome to the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences (CSS) at Washington State University! We are proud to offer world-class M.S. and Ph.D. graduate programs that focus in a broad spectrum of areas including crop genetics and breeding, environmental soil science, soil geomorphology and geographical information systems, turf management, crop and weed ecology/management, precision agriculture, sustainable agriculture and organic farming, and soil conservation/soil quality. Our goal is to train tomorrow’s leaders, scientists and educators capable of making valuable contributions in their chosen field or endeavor. To achieve this goal, CSS offers students opportunities to develop in-depth knowledge in his/her chosen field, to develop critical thinking skills and to conduct original, creative cutting-edge research. Our CSS students are also provided teaching opportunities in the classroom and in outreach programs. At the same time, students have the opportunity to develop a breadth of knowledge across the varied CSS disciplines and beyond by interacting with colleagues and faculty working in research areas outside of their own.
This handbook will acquaint students with Graduate School and CSS guidelines and regulations. Failure to follow these regulations and observe the degree requirements inevitably results in complications and could delay completion of the degree.
We have a long-standing commitment to financially supporting our CSS graduate students with a combination of funds from Washington State and from various private and governmental external grants. Since the availability of these funds fluctuates from year to year, we cannot guarantee support for all students throughout their entire programs. Nevertheless, we have an outstanding and consistent track-record of fully supporting our productive and progressive students from the day they start to the day they graduate. Graduate students on formal appointment and receiving a stipend are considered full-time graduate assistants in the department. These appointments represent an agreement between the student and the department with each party having defined responsibilities. Academic responsibilities are defined in this handbook and your advisor and committee define your research responsibilities. Being a graduate student is more than a full time endeavor and requires your full attention and effort to succeed. Employment in addition to an assistantship is not acceptable. Students generally devote half of their time to class studies and half to their research under the guidance of a major professor. Students are expected to complete their research project and thesis prior to graduation. Publication of the research is an expected outcome of graduate research.
I reflect back to my graduate school experiences with great fondness and pride in achievement. Today, some of my best friends and colleagues are students and faculty I met in graduate school. In addition, my personal and professional growth was exponential while I was in graduate school. Those were some of the best years of my life, and I hope that you will leave WSU CSS with the same feelings. It is truly a transitional period in your life in which you will begin as a student and leave as a professional scientist and educator. The CSS faculty and staff are dedicated to enriching your graduate experience and we wish you every success in your program and your subsequent endeavors in the Crop and Soil Science related professions.
William L. Pan
Chair, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences
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