College of Graduate Studies | Master of Science

Section Contents
Degree Requirements | Advisory Committee | Program of Study | Courses Audited | Repeating Course | Transfer Credit | Plan of Research | Admission to Candidacy | Residence | Research Seminar | Thesis | Final Examination | Time Limit

Degree Requirements
The College of Graduate Studies does not require a specific number of course credits for the master of science (M.S.) degree, although each program does have specific requirements. The student shall follow an individual program of study designed in consultation with the Advisory Committee and approved by the Graduate Training Committee of the program.

Each student is expected to be familiar with the elements of statistics. If the sponsoring department considers that the student has insufficient preparation in this field, one or more courses may be included in the program of study.

Advisory Committee
This committee, which is recommended by the major department/program and approved by the Dean, consists of at least five members, three from the major department and two from outside the department. All members of the committee must be members of the graduate faculty. The Chairperson must be a full member of the graduate faculty. The Advisory Committee should be appointed after a student has chosen a specialized area in his/her field and no later than 6 months after the student enrolls. In the interim, the student is advised by the departmental graduate committee or advisor. 

The student must meet at least annually with his/her Advisory Committee from the time of appointment of the committee until completion of the requirements for the degree. The departmental coordinator and the Dean should be notified in writing of the annual meetings by the chairperson of the Advisory Committee. Yearly, a detailed letter of evaluation of student progress from the program, whether from the mentor or the graduate training committee of the program, must be written to the student with a copy placed in the student’s program file. More frequent meetings of the Advisory Committee and the student are encouraged in order to facilitate student-committee interaction. Meetings may be called at the discretion of the student, the advisor, or if two or more members of the Advisory Committee request such a meeting.

Program of Study
The program of study is planned in a joint meeting of the student and his/her Advisory Committee. It is a list of courses and other requirements (including those of the major department) which the student must complete in order to meet the minimum requirements for a given degree. It lists courses which are being transferred as well as courses which are to be taken on campus. After approval by the Advisory Committee, the approved program of study is filed with the departmental graduate coordinator and with the Office of the Dean of Graduate Studies within three months after the Advisory Committee is organized. The program of study does not require approval by the Graduate Council.  A decision to remove, substitute, or add courses to the program can be made in a joint meeting of the student and the Advisory Committee and by a unanimous vote of that committee. Any changes in the program must be completed no later than one week after the substituted or additional course has begun. A record of any change in the program will be submitted by the Advisory Committee chairperson to ensure that any change in the program of study is consistent with the maintenance of at least the minimum course requirements of the major department/program.

Ordinarily, only courses listed in the catalog of the College of Graduate Studies will be included in the program. Students may be required by the Advisory Committee to take courses not listed in the catalog.

The program must be completed before the final oral examination is scheduled.


Courses Audited
Any graduate student, with permission of the instructor and the chairperson of the Advisory Committee, and with written notice to the graduate office, may audit a course. Audited courses are not part of the program of study and will not be given credit, although they will appear on the academic transcript.
 

Repeating Course
The Advisory Committee may permit a student to repeat a course under certain circumstances. Courses which have been repeated will be treated as follows:

1. Credit hours will be granted only once. (In separately computing the overall average to determine eligibility for degrees or in rulings on probationary matters, the credit hours must be counted twice and both grades included.)
2. The transcript must show both grades, with the second being designated as repeated and credit hours being given only once.

Transfer Credit
Only those courses (none from correspondence or research) in which grades of 3.0 or above were received will be acceptable for transfer in the program of study. In some instances, the department may request that a student transfer hours received in certain courses which have been taken on a pass/fail basis, but these cannot be averaged in the GPA.  It is the responsibility of the department to determine the student’s comprehension of the material before such hours are shown in the program of study for credit toward the degree.

Plan of Research
Prior to a student being certified as a candidate for the M.S. degree, he/she will submit a research proposal on the proposed topic in NIH grant format. This proposal should show evidence of creative integration of course material, superimposed on a sound understanding of the pertinent literature.

Admission to Candidacy
Upon approval of the research proposal, the student will be certified as a candidate for the M.S. degree. Such admission to candidacy must occur at least three months prior to completing requirements for the degree.

The graduate school recognizes that the student’s research may deviate substantially from that originally proposed.  The student should be encouraged to pursue promising leads; however, long-term changes in the direction of the student’s research should be in consultation with the Advisory Committee.


Residence
At least one year of residency at the Medical University is required, before receipt of the M.S. degree. Individual degree programs may establish additional requirements which will be publicized for the particular program. A graduate student who has completed the course requirements for a degree and plans to write the thesis either in absentia or in residence must register and pay tuition for a minimum of one hour each semester until completion of a successful oral defense of the thesis.

Research Seminar
Students are required to make a research presentation, on campus, in a manner to be determined by the department and the Advisory Committee.


Thesis
A thesis, contributing new knowledge or the treatment of familiar materials from a new point of view, is required on a topic in the major field. These may comply with the regulations contained in A Guide to the Preparation of Theses and Dissertations which is available through the CGS website.

Following approval of the Advisory Committee, two copies of the final rough draft of the thesis must be available in the Dean's office or Department.. The typed original and two copies of the final thesis, ready for binding, must be turned into the MUSC Bindery prior to receipt of the diploma.  Students may be reimbursed a portion of the costs related to preparation of the thesis.


Final Examination
Each candidate is required to pass a general oral examination covering the major field and the thesis.The candidate is required to notify the Graduate School officer of the date, time and place no less than three weeks prior to defense. This shall begin with a formal presentation with appropriate slides and shall be at least 20 minutes in length for the M.S. candidate. The examination is conducted by the Advisory Committee, with its chairperson presiding.

The Advisory Committee will have primary responsibility for evaluating the student’s research, including the written thesis, and the formal oral presentation (which is open to the general graduate faculty) and for administering the final oral examination.

Approval by the Advisory Committee, with no more than one dissenting vote, is necessary for recommendation for awarding the degree. The decision of the Advisory Committee will be forwarded to the Dean of the College of Graduate Studies. The graduate faculty has the authority, which it has delegated to the Dean, for final approval of the candidate for the awarding of the degree.

Only one opportunity for re-examination shall be given (in not less than six months and not more than one year from the time of the final examination at which this decision was made). Any candidate who is granted the privilege of re-examination shall retain the status and obligations of a graduate student until the time of such re-examination.

Time Limit
All requirements should be completed within a period of five years following initial registration, although course credit is not nullified until six years after completion of a course.