Agriculture Ph.D.

Major in Agriculture

(Major Code: 7500)

For information on how to apply for the Ph.D. in Agriculture and other requirements, go to the Ph.D. program’s Admission to Graduate School - Ph.D. Program .

Admission to the program is highly selective on a competitive basis and includes a secondary application. Students interested in a doctoral research assistantship are strongly encouraged to visit campus and meet with the faculty in their proposed academic study area.

Additional information about the Ph.D. program can be found here .

Admission Requirements

Deadline for application: Fall semester - July 1st, Spring semester - November 1st, Summer sessions - April 1st

Applicants for the Ph.D. degree must have a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree (thesis preferred) from accredited institutions with at least one degree in an agricultural or closely related discipline
Applicants must have a dissertation committee chair to supervise coursework and dissertation research projects
GPA of > 3.5 from master’s degree or > 3.0 on master’s coursework (not including thesis, research, problems or directed studies)
Official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended
Additional requirements for International students include:
- Official transcripts, mark sheets, graduation certificates, etc., with certified English translations from all colleges and universities attended
- Submit Foreign Credential Evaluation of foreign transcripts and documents
- TOEFL (> 79 iBT) or IELTS (> 6.0) score
The Department of Agricultural Sciences has a secondary application process (“Application for Graduate Studies”) that will be sent to the student once they have applied to the University, sent official transcripts, and it has been determined that the student meets the minimum GPA requirements. The “Application for Graduate Studies” includes reference forms to be completed by three individuals knowledgeable about the applicant, and essay questions to be completed by the applicant. Also, the applicant must include an updated vita or resume.
Deadline for application: Fall semester - July 1st, Spring semester - November 1st, Summer sessions - April 1st

NOTES:

The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is not required.
After all documentation has been evaluated by the Department of Agricultural Sciences, the application file will be forwarded to the appropriate faculty for review.
Decisions about whether you are eligible for a doctoral research assistantship are not made until a faculty member has accepted the applicant into the Ph.D. program.
Meeting minimum admission requirements does not guarantee admission into the Ph.D. degee program and/or a doctoral research assistantship.
Applicants previously admitted who do not enroll in courses for either a fall or spring semester must reapply to the University and must receive permission from the Ph.D. program for readmission.
Students should consult with the Coordinator of Graduate Admissions for additional information about the Ph.D. degree program:

Coordinator of Graduate Admissions
Department of Agricultural Sciences
agscgradpgrm@wtamu.edu

Other requirements:
Vaccinations: The bacterial meningitis vaccination is required of all students attending WTAMU. Please submit required Bacterial Meningitis Form as proof of vaccination.

NOTE: Students must be admitted before being eligible for federal financial aid.

Degree Requirements

Departmental Core

A core of 24 semester credit hours, including 12 semester credit hours of formal core courses:

AGRI 7375 - Systems Agriculture I 3
AGRI 7381 - Systems Methods 3
AGRI 8303 - Systems Agriculture II 3
AGRI 8000 - Doctoral Dissertation 1-6 (12 semester credit hours of dissertation)
AGRI 7101 - Doctoral Leadership 1 (One semester credit hour of graduate seminar in leadership-offered once per year and repeated three times for a total of three semester credit hours.)

Multi-Disciplinary Breadth

A minimum of nine additional semester credit hours with a minimum of three hours each in at least two of four departmental disciplines (AGBE, AGRI, ANSC, PSES) to insure multidisciplinary breadth. Courses are to be chosen from:

AGRI 8070 - Graduate Experiences in Systems Agriculture 1-3 (1-3 semester credit hours for a total of 3 hours - summers only with faculty outside focus area.)
AGRI 7302 - Agricultural Perspectives on Environmental Risk (HAZ) 3
AGBE 7301 - Organization, Operation and Management of Agribusiness 3
AGBE 7302 - Policy, Trade and the Agribusiness Firm 3
ANSC 7301 - Integrated Animal and Resource Management 3
ANSC 7302 - Case Studies in Integrated Animal Management 3
ANSC 7325 - Forage Resource Utilization by Grazing Animals 3
PSES 7301 - Advanced Plant and Soil Management 3
PSES 7302 - Plant, Soil and Environmental Resource Management Perspectives 3
PSES 7325 - Soil-Plant-Water Relationships 3
PSES 7344 - Agricultural Waste Management 3

Graduate Statistics

A minimum of six semester credit hours of graduate-level statistics equivalent to AGRI 7301 (Advanced Agricultural Statistics) and AGRI 7318 (Agricultural Statistical Analysis II) or above must be completed in residence for the Ph.D. degree. If this requirement is satisfied during the M.S. degree, six semester credit hours of electives, including research, may be substituted at the discretion of the student’s advisory committee and approval of the department head, dean of the college and dean of the Graduate School.

Discipline Depth

A minimum of six semester credit hours of Ph.D.-level courses to be chosen from:

AGBE 7301 - Organization, Operation and Management of Agribusiness 3 or
AGBE 7302 - Policy, Trade and the Agribusiness Firm 3
whichever was not taken to satisfy requirements for multi-disciplinary breadth, or other AGBE 7000-level or above course.
AGRI 7302 - Agricultural Perspectives on Environmental Risk (HAZ) 3 (formerly 8302) or other AGRI 7000-level or above course
ANSC 7302 - Case Studies in Integrated Animal Management 3 (formerly 8302) or other ANSC 7000-level or above course exclusive of ANSC 7301
PSES 7302 - Plant, Soil and Environmental Resource Management Perspectives 3 (formerly 8302) or other PSES 7000-level or above course exclusive of PSES 7301

Note:

At the discretion of the committee, the six semester credit hours may be in a single discipline.

Additional Credit Hour Requirements

Forty-five semester credit hours of electives from 6000-level or above courses, including research credits. No more than nine semester credit hours may accrue from AGRI 8095 , AGBE 8095 , ANSC 8095 , PSES 8095 or other independent or directed studies, and no more than six semester credit hours may accrue from directed studies in a single discipline.

Credit for Master of Science Degree

Up to six semester credit hours thesis, plus up to two semester credit hours seminar, plus up to 32 semester credit hours from lecture, laboratory or independent study courses may be applied to the 90 required semester credit hours beyond the baccalaureate degree upon request of the student’s graduate advisory committee and approval of the department head, dean of the college and dean of the Graduate School.