The milestones to be accomplished and requirements for the degree are:

1. The student must select a suitable major professor, who must be a faculty member of VIMS/SMS, as soon as possible following admission. The student and the major professor will choose an advisory committee, which must be approved by the Associate Dean of Academic Studies. The major professor and advisory committee direct the student’s program. Should a student’s major advisor retire or leave the VIMS/SMS before the student completes his/her degree, the student is required to select an appropriate on-campus co-advisor.
2. The advisory committee, chosen by the student and approved by the Associate Dean of Academic Studies, must consist of at least four members. A majority of the committee’s members must be from the faculty of VIMS/SMS, although persons with appropriate qualifications from outside VIMS/SMS may serve on the committee with the approval of the Associate Dean of Academic Studies. The committee must include at least one VIMS/SMS member who is both outside of the student’s research discipline and outside of the student’s home department. The committee must be approved by the Associate Dean of Academic Studies before the qualifying exam is scheduled.
3. At least one academic year (Fall and Spring terms) of each student’s program must be spent as a full-time resident student, as defined in the general degree requirements.
4. At least 36 credit hours of advanced work, of which at least nine (9) credit hours have been earned in courses numbered 550 or above with a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or better, are required for the M.S. degree. In addition, a student must have registered for thesis credit (MSCI 599) for at least one semester. No more than six (6) thesis credits may be counted toward the\ minimum 36 credits required for the M.S. Students also will be expected to register for seminar as required by their respective departments; however, only two (2) credits will be applicable to the degree.
5. Upon a favorable recommendation of the student’s advisory committee and the Academic Status and Degrees Committee, followed by a majority vote of the Academic Council and the approval of the Associate Dean of Academic Studies, a student may be admitted to candidacy after completion of the following requirements:
   1. The student must have achieved a grade point average of B (3.0) or better, averaged over all courses taken for credit at the time of application for admission to candidacy.
   2. The SMS and departmental core course requirements must be completed.
   3. The qualifying examination must be passed and prospectus must be completed.
6. The student must present a seminar to the marine science faculty, staff, and students on a thesis topic approved by the major professor, the advisory committee and the Associate Dean of Academic Studies, and must defend this thesis before his/her major professor and committee. The defense of the thesis will be separate from any other examination. The qualifying examination must be successfully completed at least six months prior to the defense of the M.S thesis.
7. All requirements for the degree must be completed within three calendar years after commencing graduate study. In exceptional cases, if recommended by the Academic Status and Degrees Committee, the Associate Dean of Academic Studies may approve time extensions. (See section entitled, Degree Program Time Extension under  Degree Program Milestones ).