General Graduate Program Requirements

Graduate School policies and standards can be found on the Graduate School Policies page. 

The minimum GPA for any graduate program is 3.0. Individual programs may require more than a 3.0 to remain in good standing. 

The minimum grade for a course to be accepted toward any requirement is C. Individual programs may require higher grades for specific courses.

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY - FISH AND WILDLIFE BIOLOGY

Students in the Fish and Wildlife Biology doctoral program must:

• Complete a minimum of 60 graduate semester credits beyond the bachelor’s degree.
  • These credits can include up to 30 semester credits completed as part of a master of science degree. Ten (10) of the may be for thesis, research, or independent study courses and be applied to the 60 credit requirement. See Graduate School Policy D2.100 for policies on graduate transfer credits.
  • The student's dissertation committee may require more credits depending on the student’s background for the proposed dissertation research program.
  • Of the 60 graduate semester credits, no more than 20 of these credits may be thesis credits.
  • Of the remaining credits, at least 20 must be numbered at the 500-level or above. Specific courses will be determined by each student’s graduate committee.
  • At least 30 graduate semester credits must be taken at the University of Montana.
• Successfully write and defend a dissertation. This will include the completion of the following: 
  • A research statement – a short written description of preliminary research ideas.
  • A preliminary research proposal – an expansion of the research statement to provide initial thoughts on conceptual basis and study design.
  • A research proposal – a formal research proposal presenting the conceptual and empirical framework of the research.
• Successfully complete a comprehensive exam that consists of 5 days of written questions and a 3-hour oral exam.
• Complete supervised teaching, which includes 2 semesters of teaching assistantship or similar experience as approved by the student’s graduate committee.

The only required coursework for the Ph.D. program is at least two semesters of WILD 594. Additionally, each student should be able to demonstrate through appropriate coursework competence in some aspect of theory, applications, and methods.

Most students’ coursework will also include appropriate biometry/statistics courses. Additional required coursework will be determined by each student’s graduate committee. These courses will be selected primarily to assist the student in planning, conducting, and writing the dissertation.

Required Courses

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Graduate Seminar
Complete two credits of the following course:
WILD 594	Graduate Seminar in Wildlife Biology (two semesters)	2
Electives, Research, and Dissertation
Complete 58 credits of graduate-level coursework selected in consultation with your advisor.		58
Total Hours		60