1. Admission is limited and competitive. The application deadline for Fall (September) admission is March 1 for Canadian students and February 1 for International students each year. Applications submitted after these dates may be considered on a case-by-case basis.

2. Admission to the Ph.D.(BEAS) program is by application to the School of Graduate Studies. Information regarding the application process is available at www.mun.ca/become/graduate/apply.

3. Applicants normally shall hold a Master of Science degree, with a cumulative average of at least 75% in the last two years of study, from an institution recognized by Senate. Applicants may come from diverse fields of study, including but not limited to agricultural sciences, biology, environmental science, earth sciences, ecology, and natural resources.

4. Applicants must demonstrate ability for creativity, independent thoughts, advanced study, and independent research.

5. Applicants must meet the English Proficiency Requirements described under General Regulations, English Proficiency Requirements.

Students in the Master of Science in Boreal Ecosystems and Agricultural Science program or other related Master of Science program (such as Environmental Science or Biology) at Memorial University of Newfoundland may request a transfer to the Doctor of Philosophy in Boreal Ecosystems and Agricultural Sciences program after a minimum of 12 months in their program of study, and completion of all required BEAS (or equivalent) course work with clear evidence of exceptional research productivity. Final decision for transfer from any Masters program to the Ph.D. (BEAS) program rests with the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies. Prior to proceeding with a formal application, potential students will be required to contact potential supervisors from within their area of research interest to determine the availability of positions and supervisor interest. If potential supervisors are accepting students, they will instruct the student to prepare a formal application. Potential students must identify a supervisor willing to provide a commitment that a research project and funding are available before an application can be processed.

Students enrolled in the Ph.D.(BEAS) program will be required to complete BEAS 6000 Issues in Boreal Ecosystems and Agricultural Sciences, BEAS 600A/B a seminar course, a comprehensive examination, a research seminar and a thesis. Students who have completed the coursework for the M.Sc.(BEAS) will not be required to re-take these two mandatory courses. However, students may be required to take additional courses in consultation with the thesis supervisory committee to fill the gaps related to the research project if required. The duration of the program will aim to be four years. The program will be available on a full-time and part-time basis. The program will be delivered at the Grenfell Campus of Memorial University of Newfoundland and courses will be offered by faculty in the respective sub-disciplines as suggested by the supervisory committee. The make-up of the supervisory committees, comprehensive examination committees, seminar and other program requirements will be scheduled as outlined in the guidelines of the School of Graduate Studies of Memorial University of Newfoundland.

1. Every student in graduate studies shall comply with the General Regulations, the Degree Regulations, and all additional requirements of the appropriate academic unit.

2. To continue in the School of Graduate Studies and to qualify for a Ph.D.(BEAS) degree, a student shall obtain an 'A' or 'B' grade in each program course as outlined under General Regulations, Evaluation, Evaluation of Graduate Students. When it has been determined, based on consultation with the student, the instructors in graduate courses, and the thesis or report Supervisor, that a student’s work has fallen below a satisfactory level, the Supervisor or the Head of the academic unit may recommend to the Dean that such a student be required to withdraw from the program.

3. The student shall undertake a written and an oral comprehensive examination, which will follow General Regulation Comprehensive Examinations, Ph.D. Comprehensive Examination which sets out the procedures for the comprehensive examination. The comprehensive examination will be held upon completion of all coursework, and no later than the seventh semester of the student’s program. In this examination, students must demonstrate a mastery of the general literature associated with Boreal Ecosystems and Agricultural Sciences and the program broadly and a mastery of literature appropriate to their specific research area, as well as their ability to present their arguments in a coherent, logical, and scientific manner. The topic will be assigned by the Examination Committee, which also determines the submission date for the paper, and the date of the examination.

The student must submit a written thesis proposal to the supervisory committee no later than the end of the fifth semester in the program. The thesis proposal must include a working title, statement of purpose and research scope, outline of theoretical and methodological approach, working plan, and a preliminary bibliography. The research proposal is accepted if all supervisory committee members agree to accept it. Before submitting the thesis proposals, students are required to make public presentations of their thesis research proposals and methodologies, to discuss them with fellow students and faculty members, aiming to improve the research proposals based on received feedback and suggestions.

The Ph.D. thesis will be evaluated according to the General Regulations, Theses and Reports, Evaluation of Ph.D. and Psy.D. Thesis governing the School of Graduate Studies. All students are required to follow the Memorial University of Newfoundland Policy for Integrity in Scholarly Research. Every student in graduate studies shall comply with the General Regulations, the Degree Regulations, and all additional requirements of the appropriate academic unit.

A selection of the following graduate courses will be offered to meet the requirements of students, as far as the resources of the Academic unit will allow.

Boreal Ecosystems and Agricultural Sciences

• BEAS 6000 Issues in Boreal Ecosystems and Agricultural Sciences
• BEAS 600A/B Graduate Research Seminar
• BEAS 6002 Advanced Quantitative Research Methods for the Natural Sciences
• BEAS 6003 Advanced Quantitative Research Methods for the Social Sciences
• BEAS 6010 Agriculture and Forestry Economics
• BEAS 6020 Management of Crop Nutrition
• BEAS 6021 Organic Farming for Sustainable Agriculture
• BEAS 6022 Plant Biochemistry
• BEAS 6023 Plant Physiology
• BEAS 6030 Chemical Speciation Modeling for Environmental Matrices
• BEAS 6031 Soil Functions Soil as a Bioreactor
• BEAS 6032 Environmental Soil Physics
• BEAS 6033 Soil and water Conservation
• BEAS 6040 Advanced Groundwater Management
• BEAS 6041 Applied Hydrology
• BEAS 6042 Soil and Groundwater Remediation
• BEAS 6050-6150 Special topics in Boreal Ecosystems and Agricultural Science