The policies and guidelines listed in this handbook require continuing evaluation, review and approval by the department and the university administration. The procedures in this handbook reflect the policies at the time of printing and the department and the university reserve the right to change the policies at any time without prior notice. It is the responsibility of each student to become familiar with these guidelines and to become aware of changes as they occur.

The Aquaculture/Fisheries Center at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB) was created in 1988. It combines resident instruction, research and extension responsibilities into one comprehensive unit. Currently, the Center has a total of 47 faculty and staff including 16 Ph.D. scientists, 15 M.S., 10 B.S.-level staff and 4 secretarial and maintenance personnel.

The research component of the Aquaculture/Fisheries Center is supported by a 113-pond earthen pond facility that also includes a 40-pool unit. The 5,400 sq. ft. hatchery houses holding, spawning, and experimental tanks along with a small recirculating culture system. Additional buildings provide storage areas for feed, chemicals, tools and seines. A research and demonstration building for value-added product development provides opportunities to measure dressout yield of fish in production studies and develop new value-added products from aquaculture. The S. J. Parker Agricultural Research Center building provides laboratory space that includes a 1,300 sq. ft. wet laboratory for aquarium studies, a water quality laboratory, and a 1,000 sq. ft. nutrition laboratory. The 1890 Extension building houses the state-of-the-art fish health diagnostics laboratory that is fully equipped to conduct microbiological, viral, and histopathological analyses of fish. The Aquaculture Equipment Development Building provides facilities for equipment, research, and development. The Hatchery Development and Research Building was completed in 2005 for hatchery fish and water quality. It is divided into two dry labs and two wet labs that can be combined or separated with independent temperature/light control. The Fish Shop, the Applied Sciences Building, and the Boat Storage Facility provides approximately 7,000 sq. ft. of laboratory, wet-lab, offices, and equipment storage for natural fisheries research. This research program has available 3 electrofishing boats, 3 backpack shockers, 4 aluminum boats ranging in size from 14 to 18 ft., outboard motors from 7.5 hp to 40 hp, a state of the art fish aging laboratory, and additional equipment (standard nets, seines, trawls, and traps) and supplies necessary to support recreational fisheries research needs of Arkansas’ Delta Region.

Aquaculture research conducted at UAPB focuses primarily on pond and hatchery production technologies, fish nutrition, water quality, fish health, and economics and marketing of aquaculture products. Much of the work is devoted to catfish and bait minnows. UAPB aquaculture researchers have developed new fish spawning and hatching technologies that dramatically improve hatch rates and survival, lower production costs, and reduces groundwater usage. The UAPB fish nutrition program has developed new feed formulations that lower costs of production and improve growth and feed conversion. New catfish farming equipment developed and patented at UAPB reduces harvesting labor, removes undersized fish from harvesting nets and effectively sorts other species from catfish. UAPB research develops guidelines that help farmers select the most efficient and profitable management strategies. Water quality research has focused on the effects of filter-feeding fish in catfish ponds and the effects of aerial applications of common herbicides on pond plankton populations and water quality.

UAPB natural fisheries research is focused on improving recreational fishing in Arkansas’ Delta Region (Mississippi River alluvial plain). Research includes: evaluating stocking success of largemouth bass and crappie in rivers, oxbow lakes, and reservoirs; identification of appropriate species, impacts of stocking programs, and management options in farm pond; program evaluations of community fishing programs; and studies that are designed to gain a better understanding of floodplain river ecosystem function and its importance for maintaining and enhancing fisheries resources.

Aquaculture Extension programming in Arkansas is administered through the Aquaculture/Fisheries Center at UAPB. Seven Extension Fisheries Specialists, and three Extension Associates are located in Lonoke, Pine Bluff, Lake Village, and Newport, Arkansas, to provide assistance to the aquaculture industry. Disease and water quality diagnostic support is provided through four laboratories in Lonoke, Lake Village, and Newport, Arkansas, and the 1200 sq. ft. diagnostics laboratory on the UAPB campus. Extension efforts have included intensive in-service training of county agents in catfish production, producer workshops, problem solving, publication of the quarterly newsletter Arkansas Aquafarming, bilingual farm labor training, farm demonstrations, an innovative Catfish Research Verification Program, farm pond management, and a Fish Farm Safety Program.

The aquaculture industry in Arkansas supports the Aquaculture/Fisheries Center with financial support, in-kind contributions and through participation in the National Fisheries Advisory Council to the Center. The Advisory Council provides overall guidance in terms of research priorities.

The NAA (National Aquaculture Association) moved its office to the UAPB campus in 2008.

The Department of Aquaculture and Fisheries offers post-baccalaureate training for careers in aquaculture (applied fisheries, fish farming and related support industries) and natural fisheries (fisheries science, fish population management and related support areas of study). The course work includes 22 graduate lecture courses, Graduate Seminar, Graduate Research Problems, Special Topics, and Research and Thesis. Offering both aquaculture and fisheries science specializations provides an opportunity for a broader degree program that fits the needs of the state of Arkansas and our students

Prospective students must submit a complete set of application materials to the Department of Aquaculture and Fisheries. All correspondence regarding admission should be directed to the Aquaculture and Fisheries Graduate Coordinator. The set of application materials includes:

1. Application for Admission to the Aquaculture/Fisheries Degree Program (Form # 01)
2. Application for Admission (Form #00)
3. Three letters of recommendation (Form # 02)
4. Official transcripts from all schools attended beyond high school
5. Official TOEFL paper score of 550 (213 on computer version, 79 on the internet version) or 6.5 on the IELTS (International students). International applicants who hold degrees or diplomas in a related subject from post-secondary institutions in English-speaking countries (e.g. the United States, Canada, England, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand) or who have successfully completed at least a two year post-secondary course of study in which English was the language of instruction are not required to submit TOEFL or IELTS scores.
6. Official GRE scores
7. Copy of Immunization Records, including MMR. International applicants also need a TB test result (MMR and TB tests can also be obtained on site)
8. Non-refundable application fee of $37 (checks should be made out to the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff)
The applications for admission and the recommendation forms are available on the departmental web site www.uaex.edu/aqfi/grad/ .

Application deadlines for admission to the Master of Science degree program are: June 20 for Fall Semester, November 10 for Spring Semester, and March 10 for Summer Session I. Application deadlines for international students are: June 1 for the Fall Semester and October 1 for Spring Semester, April 1 for the Summer Session .

No student will be admitted under any condition unless a faculty member agrees to serve as the student’s advisor. During the application process, the applicant indicates a preferred area of specialization that is referred to the appropriate faculty member for review. This requirement ensures that adequate research facilities and funding will be available upon admission for the student’s thesis work.

1. Regular Admission
To be admitted as a regular student, applicants must have earned a baccalaureate degree in a natural science field from an accredited institution and have scored above 550 on the TOEFL paper version (213 on the computer version, 79 on the internet version), or 6.5 on IELTS (for international students, if applicable). Applicants must have scored at least 900 on the GRE (Quantitative & Verbal) with a grade point average during the Junior and Senior years of 3.5 or better, or have scored at least 1000 on the GRE with a grade point average during the Junior and Senior years of 3.0 or better.

2. Provisional Admission
Applicants who meet the GRE and grade point average requirements but have a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution in a non-natural science field may be accepted as a provisional student. Provisional students must make up deficiencies through undergraduate course work that will not count for credit toward a degree. The specific course work will be determined by the graduate coordinator, the student’s advisor, and the department chair.

3. Conditional Admission
Students with a baccalaureate degree in a natural science field from an accredited institution who do not meet the GRE and/or grade point average requirements may be accepted as a conditional student. Conditional acceptance is granted only at the chair’s discretion and is usually reserved for individuals with extensive work experience in the field. Conditional students must earn a GPA of 3.0 or better during their first semester to continue in the program.

1. Tuition
In-state tuition is $151 per credit hour and out-of-state tuition is $349 per credit hour. Graduate students on assistantships are charged in-state tuition. Students are responsible for all fees.

2. Other Fees

International Students Fee (international only)$50.00/regular semester
International Students Fee     "                "     $25.00/summer session

Research assistantships are awarded for a maximum of 2.5 years. Research assistantships are funded through research grants to individual faculty members and funding possibilities should be discussed with prospective advisors.

The assistantship for first-year graduate students is $17,800 per annum and for second-year graduate students is $18,800 per annum. Students receiving assistantships are expected to work 20 hours per week and to be enrolled as a full-time student. Students are responsible for all tuition and fee payments. The first-year assistantship breakdown is tuition and fees ($3,300), health insurance ($500) and stipend ($14,000). In addition, international students are required to use international health insurance ($590/yr) and to submit the International Students Fee ($50/semester regular and $25/semester summer sessions).

Subject to the approval of the student’s advisor, the graduate coordinator, and the department chair, a student may transfer up to 8 semester hours of credit from graduate courses taken elsewhere with a “B” grade or above (Form #03) toward the M.S. at UAPB.

While in the M.S. program at UAPB, requests for course work to be taken at another institution for transfer must have the advance approval of the student’s advisor, the graduate coordinator, and the department chair. Only course work with “B” or better grades earned at an accredited graduate school and acceptable toward a graduate degree at that institution will be considered for transfer. No course work taken by correspondence will be considered.

Undergraduate students and students who have not been admitted to the Aquaculture/Fisheries Master of Science degree program may enroll in graduate courses only with approval of the department chair and course instructor. Graduate courses may not be used simultaneously to fill both undergraduate and graduate course requirements.

A full-time graduate student load is 6 credit hours during a regular semester and 2 credit hours during the summer term. A full-time graduate student’s load may not exceed 15 credit hours per regular semester, including any undergraduate courses. A full-time student’s load may not exceed 8 credit hours during the summer term. Students who wish to enroll in a course at another campus must file a concurrent enrollment form, signed by their major advisor, graduate coordinator, department chair and dean, with the Registrar prior to enrolling on another campus. There is a separate concurrent enrollment form to be filed by international students with the Office of International Studies. Students who are not enrolled full-time are not eligible for graduate assistantships. Students not on assistantships and finishing their thesis may maintain graduate status with 1 credit. International students will need to contact the Office of International Studies for a course reduction form and will need a letter from their advisor to maintain graduate status with 1 credit.

Students registering for “Audit” must indicate during the registration period. The symbol to use for a course being audited is “AUD”. Auditors pay the regular student fee (no academic credit is awarded). Students seeking to audit a graduate course must obtain permission from the course instructor.

A student’s advisor must be a faculty member of the Department of Aquaculture and Fisheries. During a student’s first semester an advisory committee must be assembled (Form #04). This is the responsibility of both the student and the advisor. Failure to complete this requirement will result in receiving an “F” in Graduate Seminar GAQF 5195-5196. The advisory committee should consist of three to five members including the advisor. Faculty from the Department of Aquaculture and Fisheries must compose a majority of the committee members and must have UAPB graduate faculty status. UAPB faculty from other departments must also have UAPB graduate status to serve on thesis committees. Students are encouraged to seek professionals from outside of the department to serve on their committee. These professionals are not required to have UAPB Graduate Faculty status. The graduate coordinator will maintain a list of possible external committee members. External committee members should submit a CV or resume and receive approval from the advisor, graduate coordinator, and the department chair before serving on an advisory committee. Switching advisors is allowed during the first two years of study with permission of the current advisor, the prospective advisor, the graduate coordinator, and the department chair (Form #05). Changes in a committee member (Form #06) must be approved by the student’s advisory committee, the graduate coordinator, and the department chair. All original forms must be filed with the graduate coordinator. Copies will be forwarded to the registrar’s office by the graduate coordinator.

A program of study must be finalized by the end of the first semester of graduate course work in a committee meeting (Form #7). This meeting should be arranged by the student and attended by the advisor, all committee members, and the graduate coordinator and/or the department chair. Conference call arrangements should be made for committee members unable to attend the meeting. The advisory committee, the graduate coordinator, and the department chair must sign programs of study. The program of study includes courses to be taken by semester over the generally 2.5 year period of enrollment. Coursework must include a minimum of 34 credit hours. At least 26 credit hours must be core courses, including Research Methods and Scientific Writing, and one graduate level course in statistics. In addition to the 26 credit hours of core courses , 2 credit hours of Graduate Seminar are required. A student’s committee may require further course work. Failure to complete this requirement by the end of the first semester will result in receiving an “F” in Graduate Seminar GAQF 5195. Changes in the program of study (Form #8) must be approved by the student’s advisory committee, the graduate coordinator, and the department chair. All original forms must be filed with the graduate coordinator to be forwarded to the registrar’s office, with copies kept on file by the graduate coordinator.

Committee meetings are essential to a successful and positive graduate student experience. This format brings members of the students support team together to exchange ideas, work through research problems and changes, and monitor the student’s academic and research progress. Students are required to have a program of study committee meeting their first semester.

Students are strongly encouraged to schedule additional committee meetings during their tenure in the department.

Students will prepare a thesis concerning original research during their tenure in the Master of Science degree program. A thesis proposal should be presented and defended in a seminar prior to the initiation of thesis research and must be completed and approved by all committee members within the first 200 days in the program. The deadlines are as follows:
 

At least one week’s notice to all faculty, staff and students is required. The defense should be scheduled in a major auditorium. The committee will meet immediately following the defense to discuss any further changes in the proposal. Failure to complete the thesis proposal, (i.e., public presentation and defense of proposal, and submission of approved thesis proposal by all committee members) by the above deadlines will result in termination of the assistantship. Upon completion of the thesis proposal, proposal defense, and submission of the proposal with signatures of committee members the assistantship will be resumed. Lost income will not be returned and the student is not eligible for employment in the department during this time period. The proposal must include an Introduction, Literature Review, Methods, and Citations section. The style of the thesis proposal will follow the “manuscript preparation” guidelines for American Fisheries Society or World Aquaculture Society journals (see PREPARATION OF THE THESIS below). The advisory committee, the graduate coordinator, and the department chair must sign the thesis proposal. The original must be filed in the department office with the graduate coordinator.

The letters A, B, C, D, F, I, P, and W are used in grading, indicating the following qualities: A-Excellent, B-Good, C-Fair, and D-Failure, I-Incomplete, P-Pass, and W-Withdrawal. Except in the case of Thesis Research an incomplete grade not removed within one semester will be recorded as “F”. A summer session counts as a semester.

A student who drops an individual course will receive a grade of W in the course. The final date for dropping individual courses is listed in the course schedule booklet each semester. It is usually the end of the eighth week of classes. A student withdrawing from a course must have the written permission of the advisor and the department chair.

For the purpose of computing cumulative grade point averages, grade points are assigned as follows: A-4, B-3, C-2, D-1, F-0. A student’s grade point average is computed by multiplying the number of hours of credit of each grade by the grade points assigned to that grade and dividing the sum of these products by the total number of hours in which the student was enrolled.

A cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or better on a 4 point scale must be maintained during the student’s academic career. If a student’s GPA falls below a 3.0 they are placed on academic probation during the following semester. If at the end of their probationary semester, the student’s GPA is still below a 3.0 they will be dismissed from the Master of Science degree program. The dismissal may be appealed to the advisory committee, graduate coordinator and the department chair.

A student’s grade should represent the instructor’s good faith judgement of the student’s performance in the course based on the informed use of appropriate measurement and evaluation instruments. If a student disagrees with a grade he/she has received, the following procedure should be followed until the problem is resolved. These steps must be followed in order and appropriate documentation of each step (including notation of the date, time, location, length, content and final outcome of the discussion) must be provided in order to proceed to the next step.
1. The student should discuss the disputed grade with the instructor of the course. This should normally take place during the instructor’s posted office hours.
2. If the dispute is not resolved in step one, the student should request a meeting with the chairperson of the department offering the course. The instructor of the course will also attend this meeting.

Students must pass a comprehensive examination prior to defense of their thesis. The comprehensive examination will test a student’s overall competence and ability to think critically and synthesize information. The examination will include written and oral components. The student’s graduate committee will be responsible for constructing, administering, and grading the examination. The particular format of the exam is at the committee’s discretion. Students should meet with each committee member to determine the exam format and content in order to prepare properly.

The comprehensive examination must be successfully completed no later than the semester prior to the semester a student wishes to graduate. Passing the comprehensive examination requires a unanimous committee vote. Students who do not successfully complete the comprehensive examination on their first attempt will be notified in writing by their advisor and may be required to conduct more course work or independent study prior to attempting the exam a second time. Students who fail the comprehensive examination twice will be dismissed from the program. Notification of successful completion of the comprehensive examination must be made known to the department and to the registrar by the committee (Form #9).

Students should submit application for graduation (Form #14) with the registrar by Sept. 15 for fall graduation and by Jan. 15 for spring graduation. Students and their advisors should ensure that all the courses listed on programs of study have been taken and, if necessary, submit substitution forms if changes need to be made. During the final semester, students must take final examinations early (see schedule for graduating seniors) and instructors must submit final grades according to the same schedule. A minimum of 34 credit hours is required in a six (6) year time period. The student must have at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA to graduate. All necessary paperwork must be submitted to the graduate coordinator at least 2 weeks prior to commencement ceremonies.

The candidate must complete a minimum of 28 hours in residence in order to receive the Master of Science degree from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.

There is no formal requirement for a foreign language for the Master of Science Degree in Aquaculture/Fisheries. However, the department recognizes the international nature of aquaculture research and the increasing frequency with which international collaboration is occurring. For this reason we encourage students to become familiar with at least one foreign language.

Format specifications are outlined in the “Department of Aquaculture and Fisheries Thesis Preparation Guidelines”. The style and format for the thesis must follow the “manuscript preparation” guidelines for American Fisheries Society or World Aquaculture Society journals. If specific formats are not covered by the manuscript preparation instructions, students must follow the style and conventions espoused in the CBE Style Manuel (Council of Biological Editors, Chicago).

The thesis will be presented in seminar format. The student must give their entire advisory committee sufficient time (see Time Line in Thesis Preparation Guidelines) to review and approve (Form #10) the thesis for defense prior to scheduling the defense. Notice of the defense must be posted at least one week prior to the event. The student will give a 30-40 minute overview of his/her research and results followed by audience questions (total time 60 minutes). The student’s advisor will serve as moderator of the seminar. Following the seminar, the student and committee will meet for the thesis defense. Upon completion of the defense the student will be excused while the committee determines the outcome of the defense (pass/fail). Passing the thesis defense requires a unanimous committee vote. The student will be notified immediately following the defense of his/her success or failure and what changes must be made before the thesis will be given final written approval by the committee. The committee chair will provide written notification of the defense outcome to the student and the graduate coordinator. If the student fails the thesis defense, the student will be given the opportunity to defend a final time at least 30 days after the first defense. If the student fails the second defense, he/she is dismissed from the program.

After making the recommended changes to the thesis, the student will secure written approval from each committee member (signature page). Signatures of each committee member, the graduate coordinator, and the Aquaculture and Fisheries Department Chair are required on the signature page. After receiving the proofread thesis with completed signature page, the advisor notifies the graduate coordinator that the thesis requirement has been fulfilled (Form # 11) and also provides a copy of the thesis cover and signed signature page. Notification that the thesis is complete must be made two weeks prior to graduation. Six copies of the proofread thesis must be printed on proper bond paper (25% cotton), copied as a PDF file, and must be submitted to the Aquaculture/Fisheries Research and Education Library. Watson Memorial Library will ensure that the paper is the correct bond, ensure that photographs are glued properly, and submit the six copies to the binder. One bound copy is for the student, one copy is for the advisor, two copies are for the library, and two copies are for the department. The cost for reproduction is the responsibility of the student. The cost for binding is the responsibility of the library.

Prior to graduation, graduating students must fill out and submit an exit interview form (#16). The form is available online under the graduate program and should be submitted to the Graduate Coordinator.

Students should always be enrolled, i.e., be registered until graduation. When a student completes all requirements of credit hours for Core Courses, Thesis Research and Graduate Seminar but is yet to complete the thesis, the student is required to register for one (1) credit hour in "Research and Thesis". If any graduate student is not registered at any time during the regular semesters of fall and spring and the summer semester, the student will be considered to have withdrawn from the program and cannot graduate (see "Withdrawal from the Graduate Program" below). A student who withdraws and wants to graduate has to apply for readmission (see readmission requirements below).

Students voluntarily withdrawing from the Master of Science Degree program during a session must submit written notice to the department and the University. This process must be completed at least seven days prior to the beginning of the final examinations.
1. Secure a withdrawal slip from Admissions and Academic Records.
2. Secure approval from the department chair, dean of the college, and the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs.
3. Secure clearance from the Student Accounts office.
4. Return the approved slip to the admissions and Academic Records office.

Students who cease to attend classes without submitting written notice of withdrawal will automatically receive an “F” in all courses in which they were enrolled.

Application for re-admission to the Aquaculture/Fisheries Master of Science degree program should include:

1. The Application for Admission to the Aquaculture/Fisheries Master of Science degree program.
2. Three letters of recommendation.
3. One copy of transcripts from all schools attended since the student was enrolled in the Aquaculture/Fisheries Master of Science degree program.
4. GRE scores (if scores are more than five (5) years old)