SNR Handbook
Contact(s)
Masters Degree
A student is admitted to Candidacy for the masters degree when admission deficiencies have been removed and when the ability to perform satisfactorily in graduate studies has been demonstrated, by filing a Memorandum of Courses in the Office of Graduate Studies.
A masters degree student may change his/her declared Option at any time during the program of study with written approval from the adviser, the Chair of the Graduate Committee in the student's major and the Dean for Graduate Studies. The only exception to this policy is that students may not change from Option I to any other Option if certification of full time status has been utilized.
For additional information see the Graduate Studies website (https://graduate.unl.edu/academics/program-steps#masters).
Doctoral Degree
For additional information see the Graduate Studies website (https://graduate.unl.edu/academics/program-steps#doctoral).
Choosing an advisor whose interests match your research goals is critical for the success of your work. SNR emphasizes the cooperative exchange between students and advisors in research programs while still giving advisors the overall responsibility for the direction and course of the student's research. Contact an SNR faculty member regarding your interest in our graduate program. Before you apply, you must receive the advising support of a faculty member who is a member of the Graduate Faculty (as recognized by the Office of Graduate Studies). This potential advisor is required to write a letter of approval for your application. Please note: this letter does not count toward your required letters of recommendation.
When a student begins their final semester, application for graduation will need to be completed. Refer to the Graduate Studies website for specific information and due dates.
Masters: https://graduate.unl.edu/academics/program-steps#masters
Doctoral: https://graduate.unl.edu/academics/program-steps#doctoral
Assistantships provide students with income, tuition remission (12 credit hours per semester, and up to 12 in the summer, depending on stipend amount paid), and health insurance at a reduced rate. More information can be found at: https://www.unl.edu/gradstudies/funding/assistantships.
Health coverage for the fall semester is from August 1 through December 31 and for the spring semester is January 1 through July 31. More information can be found at: https://health.unl.edu.
If, during the course of the semester, a student decides to leave the position, it is expected they will give 30-day notice. Likewise, if there is a need to terminate an assistantship, a student will be given 30 days' notice. Students should be aware that if their assistantship is terminated, either by themselves or the department, before completing 120 continuous days of employment (PER SEMESTER), all tuition and health benefits will be forfeited and the entire cost for those benefits will once post to their student account. Should a student choose to resign from their assistantship, they must submit a letter of resignation to their supervisor, Graduate Studies, and NRBC. They may request a copy of the original signed offer letter from the Recruitment and Retention Coordinator - SNR Graduate Programs.
Additionally,
Students who have completed their program may participate in the commencement ceremony at the end of the semester in which they complete their program.
Masters Commencement Ceremony: https://graduate.unl.edu/academics/program-steps#masters
Doctoral Hooding Ceremony: https://graduate.unl.edu/academics/program-steps#doctoral
Scholastic Grade Requirements are set by UNL Graduate Studies and are described here.
PhD in Natural Resource Sciences
MS in Natural Resources Sciences
Regular discussions with your adviser will help you identify the specific objectives of your research. Narrowing your topic should be done with help from your advisor and committee members.
Doctoral candidacy is not the same as admission to or enrollment in a doctoral program; it is a specific stage of doctoral program progress. https://catalog.unl.edu/graduate-professional/policies/academic-program-requirements/
Apply for Candidacy: http://www.unl.edu/gradstudies/current/Doctoral-Candidacy.pdf
Once a student becomes a doctoral candidate, the student is required to enroll continuously until the program is completed.
Request for Certification of Full Time Status: https://go.unl.edu/gradfulltime.
Natural Resource Sciences students must have primary adviser (chair of the committee) chosen prior to completing their application.
Eligible Advisers
Natural Resource Sciences: https://snr.unl.edu/aboutus/who/people/directory.aspx
Final Oral Exam is often called the "Defense."
Contact the Office Associate for Student Services to reserve a room in Hardin Hall for the defense.
Research responsibility requirements:
The UNL Office of Graduate Studies provides the necessary forms for completing a doctoral program. They can be viewed at https://www.unl.edu/gradstudies/academics/program-steps/doctoral-degree-steps-to-completion.
The UNL Office of Graduate Studies provides a timeline for completing a doctoral program. This timeline can be viewed at https://www.unl.edu/gradstudies/academics/program-steps/doctoral-degree-steps-to-completionl.
From time to time, all beings face challenges. Whether it’s hunger, shelter, finances, identity, discrimination, emotions, sensory, social, psychological or just uncertainty in our life course—we all face challenges. At times, we manage these challenges beautifully, at other times we may struggle, and at times, we suffer at the weight of these challenges. If you are feeling unsure, weighed down, or just want to be sure you are on track, we encourage you to reach out. Look at Big Red Resilience for events and resources to help you bounce back. https://resilience.unl.edu/. Other possibilities include:
The Graduate Committee Chair is responsible for:
Additional information can be found at https://graduate.unl.edu/academics/resources/graduate-chair
The SNR Graduate Committee is comprised of seven faculty members, six of which must have their graduate faculty home in SNR. The seventh member may have a courtesy, adjunct, or partial appointment in SNR. Committee members shall be elected for staggered three-year terms and may serve two consecutive terms. The SNR Graduate Student Association (SNR GSA) elects a representative who serves on the Graduate Committee in matters of policy and procedures but is not involved in screening prospective students or in deliberations involving an individual student.
The major duties of the Graduate Committee include:
For additional information on the SNR Graduate Committee, including committee members, visit https://snr.unl.edu/employeeinfo/people/committee/graduate.aspx.
The Natural Resource Sciences Doctoral Graduate Student Conference Travel Grant, granted on a competitive basis, allows advanced Natural Resource Sciences Ph.D. students to travel to professional and scholarly meetings to make professional presentation. The request must be submitted and approved in advance of travel.
Eligibility Requirements:
Grant Disbursement:
Graduate Student Conference Travel Grants must be used to defray lodging, travel and related expenses. Travel Grants will be disbursed to recipients as lump-sum payments processed through UNL Payroll. Recipients who are on UNL's payroll will receive their grants through the payroll system, with tax deductions made as in the normal process for tax withholding. Recipients who are not on UNL's payroll are still responsible for taxes and must declare their grant award in their tax statements.
Download Travel Fund Request Form
The Trust supports travel expenses (up to $500) for SNR graduate students to present their research at professional meetings. Graduate students advised by SNR's Applied Ecology faculty are eligible. Graduate students may receive one travel award during their graduate program.
Please send Mark Pegg a cover letter requesting the funding, a copy of your presentation/poster title and abstract (please indicate if it is accepted), and a very brief budget showing total costs and what is covered by Wildwood.
Students whose major is within the College of Agricultural Science and Natural Resources may be eligible to apply for IANR fellowships and travel grants.
More information can be found at: https://ard.unl.edu/funding-awards.
This document represents an agreement reached between the graduate student and the faculty mentor/advisor regarding the structure of the working relationship during the student's working relationship with the professor. It should be developed collaboratively between the two parties.
Steps
Download Mentoring Agreement
Form for Graduate Student and Advisor to fill out on periodic meetings to chart the graduate students progress toward completing their degree.
Download Graduate Student Progress Form
When you begin your studies, if you have been assigned a workspace in the graduate student cubicles in Hardin Hall, the Office Associate - Operations will provide you with a key for the cabinets in that workspace. There is a $5 deposit for the cubicle cabinet key.
If you will be working in a lab or other locked space in Hardin Hall, your advisor will work with the faculty responsible for the space who must provide written authorization to the Office Associate for Operations for you to access the space. A $10 deposit is required for each key. Upon leaving SNR, you will return all of your keys receive refunds for keys assigned through SNR. Refunds are in the form of a State of Nebraska warrant (check). A valid mailing/forwarding address will need to be provided so that the check can be mailed.
When room assignments are made at the time of hire or relocation, keys will be ordered by the Office Associate for Operations (OAO). A $10 deposit is required for each interior door key. If you need access to other rooms, your supervisor should notify the OAO with these room number(s) so that these keys can be ordered, additional deposits will be required. Upon leaving employment with SNR, you will receive refunds for keys assigned through SNR; refunds are in the form of a State of Nebraska warrant (check). A valid mailing/forwarding address will need to be provided so that the check can be mailed.
Your office key will unlock the work room on your floor except 1st floor north work room 150, which is unlocked each morning, and for 4th floor which has a coded lock. The OAO will provide the door code when you move onto the floor.
The UNL Office of Graduate Studies provides a timeline for completing a masters program. This timeline can be viewed at https://www.unl.edu/gradstudies/academics/program-steps.
Contact the Graduate Admissions Coordinator to reserve a room in Hardin Hall for the defense.
Final Defense of the Thesis (Option I)
The final defense of the thesis takes place during the semester in which the student intends to graduate. The final examination consists of two parts: a seminar on the thesis topic (described above) and a formal oral examination. These two parts are generally held on the same day. Thesis examinations are open to all Graduate Faculty. Active participation in the examination process (other than at the seminar) is at the discretion of the adviser and the student's advisory committee. Additional information can be found at https://snr.unl.edu/gradstudent/nresprogram.aspx.
Regular discussions with your adviser will help you identify the specific objectives of your research. Narrowing your topic should be done with help from your adviser and committee members.
Students taking graduate courses should check with their instructor on what their responsibilities are to remove an incomplete. Normally there is no time limit for graduate students to remove an incomplete. However, the instructor does have the option of determining the requirements for completing the course and requisite date for removal of incompletes. It is helpful to have these requirements in writing to ensure there is no miscommunication between the instructor and student.
Additional information about incompletes may be found at https://catalog.unl.edu/undergraduate/academic-policies-other-units/procedures/.
Incomplete grades for research, thesis or dissertation hours are no longer assigned. A letter grade may be assigned OR, in lieu of an 'I' (Incomplete), one of the following may be assigned:
Note that on the final transcript, the "IP" and "XP" grades will count towards attempted hours but for Financial Aid purposes, they will count differently. Both grades will convert to an "I" on the official record if not graded as P (Pass) or with a letter grade. Because the "XP" grade will not be used in calculating the GPA, no direct academic sanction, such as academic dismissal from the University, will be imposed for earning one or more "XP" grades.
Note: if an XP for graduate research, thesis or dissertation hours is earned, please visit with your advisor about completing a course syllabus listing expectation and goals for the upcoming semester (see Rights and Responsibilities/Probation and Termination).