MS Degree

MS Degree: First Semester

Form an Advisory Committee

The graduate student and graduate advisor decide who should be invited to serve as Graduate Advisory Committee members. The Appointment of Graduate Advisory Committee form can found on the Graduate School website  (use the button to Grad School Forms on the right). This form must be used to formally establish a committee or to make changes in committees. The following conditions apply for the Advisory Committee:

  • The Graduate Advisory Committee must contain at least 3 members, including the major advisor.
  • A minimum of 2 committee members for M.S. committees must be faculty in the Biology and Wildlife Department. Faculty with emeritus status with the Department of Biology and Wildlife may count toward the minimum number of Biology and Wildlife faculty committee members.
  • The committee of a student pursuing an M.S. degree in Wildlife Biology and Conservation or a Ph.D. degree with Wildlife Biology and Conservation concentration must contain at least one wildlife biologist. 
  • All committee members (including "collaborating" or "affiliate" faculty, see below) must have attained or exceeded the academic degree of the committee on which they are serving (e.g. must be M.S. with thesis, not an M.B.A.). Rare exceptions may be granted upon request.

Collaborating Faculty - Collaborating faculty are faculty employed by another unit of the University of Alaska Fairbanks (e.g., Fisheries or the Geophysical Institute). Collaborating faculty may serve as a graduate advisory committee members or co-chairs alongside a Biology and Wildlife faculty member. A collaborating faculty member may request to serve as the sole chair of a Biology and Wildlife graduate committee. Such requests are reviewed by the Research Scientist and Affiliate Faculty Committee (RSAFC) and the department chair. Criteria include a Ph.D. in a biology-related discipline and a record of success mentoring graduate students. Previous experience successfully co-chairing the advisory committee of a Biology and Wildlife graduate student is desirable.

Affiliated Faculty - Affiliated faculty are not currently employed as faculty by the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Affiliates must be reviewed and approved to serve on the graduate advisory committee of a Biology and Wildlife Department student.

Requests to confer affiliate faculty status for service on a graduate committee should be made by the chair of the student's committee in an email to the graduate coordinator (raelmer@alaska.edu) with cc to the department chair (dwagner10@alaska.edu). The email should include:

  • Text indicating the unique expertise that the proposed affiliate will contribute to the student’s program of study, and
  • The proposed affiliate's current curriculum vitae (CV)

The request will be reviewed by the Research Scientist and Affiliate Faculty Committee (RSAFC) and the department chair. The affiliation with CNSM is renewed annually until the student completes their degree.

Students and advisors who wish to include an affiliate on a graduate advisory committee should request to do so without delay, because the committee will not be operational until the affiliate has been approved by the department and the college.

Start Coursework

Students should consult with the graduate advisor when choosing courses before a formal committee has been formed. The first time a student registers for classes, the advisor must release a hold on registration; in subsequent semesters, advisor approval is not necessary.