GRAD - REQUIREMENTS - The Department of Family & Consumer Studies @ the University of Utah

Requirements Summary for M.S. in Family Ecology
Total credit hours:
	31 minimum, on a credit basis (14-17 core hours, at least 6 departmental allied hours, 6 thesis hours & 4 other hours)
Minimum & maximum hours per semester:
	9 to 12 for financially supported teaching or research assistants; 3 to 16 for other students.
Thesis hours:
	At least 6, no more than 10.
Supervisory Committee (Thesis Committee):
	Students form a three-person (minimum) thesis committee. The thesis chair and at least one more member should be tenured or tenure track FCS Department faculty. The process of forming a supervisory committee is completed by filing a Request for Supervisory Committee form with the department and sending a copy of the completed form with signatures to the Graduate Records Office for approval by the dean of The Graduate School. It is recommended that the Committee be formed by the end of first academic year for full time students.
Application for Candidacy:
	Some time after the first semester of graduate work, the student should file the Application for Admission to Candidacy for the Master's Degree with the chair of the supervisory committee and department chair. No sooner than one year before graduation, the supervisory committee should review and approve a formal Application for Admission to Candidacy for the Master's Degree for the student and should then forward that form to the dean of The Graduate School for approval. The application is due in the Graduate Records Office one semester before graduation and no earlier than one year before graduation. It is recommended that the Application for Admission to Candidacy be filed after Thesis Committee selection but before thesis proposal defense.
Thesis requirements and regulations:
	On http://www.utah.edu/graduate_school/index.html see the Important Dates under Current Students. Students defend their thesis proposal (which serves as the Comprehensive Exam) and their completed thesis and have the thesis accepted by the thesis editor. At least three weeks before the final oral defense, the student should submit an acceptable thesis draft to the committee chair; committee members should receive copies at least two weeks before the examination date. The form and distribution for the thesis and abstract as well as the use of restricted data are determined by The Graduate School and published in A Handbook for Theses and Dissertations, available online or in the Thesis Office for $4. The thesis format must be approved by the Graduate School thesis editor, 302 Park Building. Students who wish to graduate in a specific semester must submit a defended, committee-approved thesis or dissertation that has final approval by the committee and department chairs to the thesis editor six weeks prior to the last day of the semester.
Grades:
	B or higher for each core class; B average for all classes (3.0 on 4.0 scale). A grade below C- is not accepted toward a graduate degree. If a grade of B- or lower is received in any core classes, the student is automatically terminated unless a petition is filed within 40 working days from the posting of grades. The petition should be evaluated by the faculty as a whole and a decision should be made and notified to the student within 15 working days after the receipt of the petition.
Time limits & residency:
	Maximum is 4 consecutive calendar years (except when a leave of absence is granted). 18 credit hours of resident study in consecutive semesters are required.
A typical course work plan for a full-time student:
	Semester 1
		FCS 6901-1: Thesis Development Seminar (1) + allied or other hours to total 9 or 10
	Two or three courses: (All three recommended, but 2 of 3 requiered)
		FCS 6200: Families and Social Policy (3) SOC 6400: Families and Economic Policy (3) FCS 6600: Environments and Human Behavior (3)
	Semester 2 (core courses) :
		FCS 6110: Graduate Multivariate Statistics (4) SOC 6110: Methods of Social Research (3) or equivalent methods class FCS 6970: Thesis hours (2-5)
		Semesters 1 thru 4 (allied courses and thesis hours) Select at least two courses from one area. Needs approval from Thesis Committee Chair. FCS 6970:Thesis hours (at least 6 total, no more than 10 total)
Allied Courses
	Students can select, in consultation with their advisor, at least two different departmental courses from either list below to provide depth of learning within an interest area. All are 3 credit hours unless indicated otherwise.