AGRO/HORT 894 – Master’s Project

Instructor(s): Leah Sandall, MS and Dr. Sam Wortman

Number of Credit Hours: 3 total credits required during the MS program

Description: The master’s project is the capstone event for students pursing a Master of Science in Agronomy degree under the Option B pathway.

The project is an opportunity for students to apply knowledge to design, develop, and complete a project that requires synthesis of course topics covered in students’ area of personal or professional interest as it relates to their primary area of study. The purpose of this course is to facilitate progress in preparation and completion of your MS project. You will have opportunity to interact with others also in pursuit of their online MS in Agronomy, as well as your faculty advisor.

The goal of the project is for the student to demonstrate their best professional capabilities.  The type of project will vary with the professional goals of the student.  Because the M.S. Option B Project is not a research degree, the scope of the project is not the same as a Masters thesis. Projects are focused on Education, Extension/Outreach or Research and example projects can include:

• Analysis of field study data based on an initial hypothesis.
• Develop lesson plans or teaching or training materials in an area of interest.
• Write a comparison paper analyzing different methods, tools, etc. in an area of interest.
• Create an online educational resource (ex. video, animation) or other educational resource (ex. paper-based activities) that help explain a topic of importance.
• Create, administer and evaluate a survey addressing a specific question(s).
• Conduct research activity and present conclusions.
• Complete a literature review on a topic of interest which synthesizes information and provides new insight(s).
• More examples of MS projects

Structure of the Course:

Students will enroll in this course a minimum of three times to work on their project. You will focus on one section of the course depending on where you are in the progression of your program at the time you enroll. Total Graduate Degree Project credits taken during the program will be 3 credits. There are three sections of the course: 

• Part A - Proposal Development: enrolled during 1st or 2nd semester of program with focus on project proposal development (1 credit)
• Part B - Project Work: enrolled during project implementation (1 credit)
• Part C - Final Presentation & Written Document: enrolled during the final semester of program with a focus on creating the final written document and presentation (1 credit)

Prerequisites: Admission to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Admission to M.S. in agronomy degree program.

Course Requirements & Materials:

• Technical Requirements: Access to high-speed Internet and email with up-to-date browsers and the ability to view and create videos (recommended browsers are Firefox, Chrome, and Safari); must also be able to use Microsoft Office products, Adobe Acrobat, and Adobe Connect
• Textbooks: No textbooks required. All course materials are online in Canvas.

This Course is Ideal For…

• M.S. (non-thesis) project students who wish to complete their M.S. degree in agronomy