AEAB Graduate Student Handbook

AEAB Graduate Student Handbook For students seeking Master of Science (MS) in Agricultural Economics Master of Business Administration (MBA-AB) with Specialization in Agribusiness Master of Agriculture (MAG-AB) with Specialization in Agribusiness DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS AND AGRICULTURAL BUSINESS NEW MEXICO STATE UNIVERSITY 2014-15

TABLE OF CONTENTS Program Overview... 1 Program Requirements... 3 Master of Science (MS-AEAB)... 3 Admission... 3 Course Deficiencies... 3 Degree Requirements... 4 Advisor and Advisory Committee... 4 Oral Exam and Thesis Defense... 5 Master of Agriculture - Agribusiness (MAG-AB)... 6 Admission... 6 Course Deficiencies... 6 Degree Requirements... 7 Professional Achievement Options... 7 Page Creative Component (AEEC 598)... 7 Advisor and Advisory Committee... 8 Oral Exam and Research Defense... 8 Master of Business Administration in Agribusiness (MBA-AB)... 10 Master of Science in Water Science & Management (MS-WSM) and PhD in Water Science & Management (PhD-WSM)... 10 Doctorate of Economic Development (DED)... 10 Academic and Work Performance... 11 Transferring Between Programs... 11 Time Limit... 11 Steps to Degree Candidacy... 11 Other Guidelines... 12 Assistantships and Employment... 12 Pay... 13 Supplies... 13 Mailboxes... 13 Keys and Space Assignment... 13 Appendix A. Course requirements for AEAB Master s Alternatives... 14 Appendix B. Prerequisite Course Requirements... 15 2

Program Overview A graduate degree from the Department of Agricultural Economics and Agricultural Business (AEAB) provides flexibility to students with diverse career and academic interests. Within our faculty there are experts in a variety of disciplines including agribusiness management, economic development, marketing, production economics, natural resource economics, and sustainable agriculture. Our dedicated faculty aim to provide students with the latest advances in knowledge, information, and techniques that will well equip them for careers that embrace the challenges of an increasingly global, complex and informationdriven world, including those in food and agriculture, natural resource management, economic development, consulting and business. Our alumni have found excellent business, and academic career choices and competitive salaries with a wide range of job opportunities. The Department of Agricultural Economics and Agricultural Business (AEAB) offers and is affiliated with six distinct graduate programs: four programs leading to Master's Degrees and two leading to Doctoral Degrees: Master of Science in Agricultural Economics (AEAB-MS) Provides rigorous training in economic theory, applied economic analysis and quantitative methods and is designed to prepare students for professional careers in business, government, and research, and for continued education in pursuit of a Ph.D. A thesis is generally written, but a non-thesis option can be followed with approval. Master of Agriculture with specialization in Agribusiness (MAG-AB) Provides students with backgrounds or interests in agriculture with graduate-level training in agribusiness and applied economics. It is a degree alternative for individuals holding undergraduate degrees in various agricultural and food science fields and/or communication studies and is designed for those desiring a career in agribusiness from farm to table. Master of Business Administration with specialization in Agribusiness (MBA-AB) This is an AACSB international accredited MBA degree that prepares students for business and public-sector careers in agriculture- and food-related enterprises. Master of Science in Water Science & Management (MS-WSM) This degree provides advanced interdisciplinary training for careers in water-related science, assessment, and management. Other disciplines include hydrology (Department of Animal and Range Science; Department of Civil Engineering), geography (Department of Geography), environmental science (Department of Plant and Environmental Science) and others. Doctor of Philosophy in Water Science & Management (PhD-WSM) The degree of doctor of philosophy requires distinguished attainment in both scholarship and original research pertaining to issues and problems of significance to the use and management of water resources. To train the next generation of water professionals is a clearly stated goal of this interdisciplinary program that includes faculty from many programs and departments, including hydrology (Department and Animal and Range Science; Department of Civil Engineering), geography (Department of Geography), and environmental science (Department of Plant and Environmental Science). 1

Doctorate of Economic Development (DED) The DED is a professional degree primarily intended to provide advanced applied training for economic development professionals, and can be seen as the link between academic research in economic development and economic development problems. 2

Admission Program Requirements Master of Science (MS-AEAB) Admission to the MS-AEAB program begins with an application to Graduate School (http://gradschool.nmsu.edu/ ) that requires a $50 nonrefundable application fee. Students who plan to engage in advanced study in the AEAB Department must first be admitted to the Graduate School. International students must apply through International Student Services by completing the International Application of Admissions form and paying the nonrefundable application fee of $50. Admission to the MS-AEAB program is coordinated through the Department of Agricultural Economics and Agricultural Business once all materials have been received and processed by the Graduate School. Admission to the Graduate School and to AEAB graduate programs requires that students attain regular status which is granted to applicants with at least a 3.0 undergraduate GPA or 3.0 in the last half of their undergraduate work. Students without adequate GPA can apply to the Graduate School as a non- degree graduate student and take 9 graduate credits plus pre-requisite undergraduate courses. With a 3.0 GPA on the 9 graduate credits the student can reapply to the AEAB program for admission. GPA 3.0 or better GRE required (verbal, analytical and quantitative sections) prior to admission If applying for teaching or research assistantship only o Personal Statement o 3 Letters of recommendation The graduate school may require that international students complete one or more English as a foreign language courses. If required, the student should enroll in the first such course during his or her first semester at NMSU. In all cases, the first course must be successfully completed by the end of the second semester of enrollment. All English as a foreign language courses must be satisfactorily completed by the end of the student s fourth semester. No specific deadlines for receipt of applications for admission into the MS-AEAB program is enforced but applications are expected by June 1 for fall semester and by November 1 for spring semester. Course Deficiencies All applicants to the MS-AEAB program are required to have undergraduate classes in upper division microeconomic theory, upper division macroeconomic theory, calculus, and statistics. Students may be admitted into AEAB programs without having first taken prerequisite courses; however the deficiencies must be removed within two semesters after starting coursework. The courses that you must take as deficiencies will be identified when your admission materials are reviewed. If you have 9 or more credits of deficiencies to take you may be required to enroll as a continuing undergraduate student for a semester while the deficiencies are removed. Students entering the MS-AEAB graduate program are required to have completed intermediate microeconomics (ECON 371) with a B or better. Intermediate macroeconomics (ECON 372) or Money and Banking (ECON 304) are also required with a B or better. A college level calculus class and a course in statistics that included linear regression analysis must also have been taken with a B or better. 3

Mathematical Economics (ECON 457) is a prerequisite for core graduate courses in the MS degree program. Students in these programs should take ECON 457 during their first semester if not previously taken as an undergraduate student. ECON 457 can be taken for graduate credit. Degree Requirements The general NMSU requirements for the MS-AEAB degree are described in the Graduate Catalog available through the Dean of the Graduate School or on-line (http://catalog.nmsu.edu/). Completion of the Master of Science degree in agricultural economics requires completion of a minimum of 33 graduate credit hours (Appendix A). Twenty-one of the credits must have one of the following three prefixes: AEEC, ECON, or ECDV. Twenty- four of the credits must be associated with course numbers greater than 500. All students in the MS program must successfully complete the following core courses: AEEC 501, AEEC 502, AEEC 540, AEEC 585, and AEEC 599 (4-6 credit hours). In addition to core courses, nine additional credits must be completed from an agricultural economics and agricultural business (AEAB) course block. AEEC 545 must be taken in the graduate program if an agricultural policy course was not taken as an undergraduate. Individual study (AEEC 596) is limited to 3 credit hours. Electives and up to 3 credits from the AEAB course block can be used to pursue a minor. The goal for many MS-AEAB students is to complete a research thesis (AEEC 599) following Graduate School guidelines. The student should become familiar with the specific thesis format (http://gradschool.nmsu.edu/guidelines/ ) and know deadlines for thesis submission to the committee and the Graduate School. Non-thesis options including a non-thesis research topic (AEEC 597, 3 cr) or an internship (AEEC 595, 3 cr) are available for students whose interests and career path do not include pursuit of a Ph.D. or professional research and who receive approval from the student s advisory committee and graduate chairman. Non-thesis options require completion of a significant project and paper. The student's committee will determine the report s format and final acceptance. Credit cannot be given for both AEEC 599 and AEEC 597. Students pursuing the MS degree may not complete the graduate program with more than one C grade in the core courses described above. If a student receives C grades in two of these core classes one of the classes must be repeated with a grade of at least B. Graduate students must maintain a cumulative 3.0 grade point average or they will be placed on academic probation with possible suspension as described in the graduate catalog. Advisor and Advisory Committee To insure that you have someone to assist with registration and departmental procedures, all incoming students are assigned a temporary graduate advisor during the first semester. Before the end of the first semester of enrollment students are required to select a permanent advisor. Students starting the program during the summer have until the end of the fall semester to select a permanent advisor. Students are required to notify the graduate chairman and the departmental student records clerk (currently held by Irma Marshall) about their final advisor selection and any proposed changes to the degree program. It is the student s responsibility to seek and solicit faculty members willing to act as his/her faculty advisor. Selection should be based on appropriate expertise and available time for advising. Faculty advisors must be a member of the graduate faculty. The faculty advisor will have primary responsibility for working with the student on the thesis or project paper for the MS degree. 4

Students in the MS-AEAB program are normally expected to select a graduate committee by the end of the first year of graduate study. The selection of the committee should be consistent with the research topic or individual study area to be investigated. In accordance with NMSU guidelines, the graduate committee shall consist of at least 3 members: 2 from the AEAB department and at least one from outside the department who will normally serve as the Representative of the Graduate School Dean (Dean s Rep)'. Because we have a joint graduate program with the Economics Department, economic department faculty members can serve as a departmental committee representative, but not as the outside representative. At the time of the final examination, the Graduate School may appoint the outside member as the Dean s representative to the committee. The graduate school prefers that the student and his/her advisor select the third member (the committee member outside the department) to serve as Dean's Representative. Oral Exam and Thesis Defense NMSU requires all Master s Degree students to pass an oral examination. The objectives of the oral examination and public seminar for MS-AEAB students are as follows: 1. To demonstrate the ability to apply coursework to economic problems. 2. To orally defend thesis research methods and results, if appropriate. 3. To orally defend the non-thesis research paper if the non-thesis option is followed. 4. To demonstrate communication skills. 5. To demonstrate proper application/integration of tools and concepts from multiple economic and business courses. Regardless of degree program, all orals are to be preceded by an open seminar. The seminar is to cover the candidate's research activities or activities related to individual investigations that fulfilled the research component of the MS degree program. The seminar is to be conducted in the format of a professional presentation. It must be open to the public and should be announced at least one week in advance. At the time of the final exam, a graduate student must have an NMSU cumulative graduate grade-point average of at least 3.0 and must be enrolled in the final semester of course work. According to the Graduate Catalog, students who fail the final exam may, with recommendation of the faculty adviser and the approval of the graduate dean, be granted a second exam after a lapse of at least one semester. Failure in the second examination disqualifies the candidate from obtaining the degree. 5

Admission Master of Agriculture - Agribusiness (MAG-AB) Admission to the MAG-AB program begins with an application to Graduate School (http://gradschool.nmsu.edu/ ) that requires a $50 nonrefundable application fee. Students who plan to engage in advanced study in the AEAB Department must first be admitted to the Graduate School. International students must apply through International Student Services by completing the International Application of Admissions form and paying the nonrefundable application fee of $50. Admission to the MAG-AB program is coordinated through the Department of Agricultural Economics and Agricultural Business once all materials have been received and processed by the Graduate School. Admission to the Graduate School and to AEAB graduate programs must be at regular status. Regular admission is granted to applicants with at least a 3.0 undergraduate GPA or 3.0 in the last half of their undergraduate work. Students without adequate GPA can apply to the Graduate School as a non- degree graduate student and take 9 graduate credits plus pre-requisite undergraduate courses. With a 3.0 GPA on the 9 graduate credits the student can reapply to the AEAB program for admission. GPA 3.0 or better GRE (verbal, analytical and quantitative sections) or GMAT exam required prior to admission If applying for teaching or research assistantship only o Personal Statement o 3 Letters of recommendation The graduate school may require that international students complete one or more English as a foreign language courses. If required, the student should enroll in the first such course during his or her first semester at NMSU. In all cases, the first course must be successfully completed by the end of the second semester of enrollment. All English as a foreign language courses must be satisfactorily completed by the end of the student s fourth semester. No specific deadlines for receipt of applications for admission into the MAG-AB program is enforced but applications are expected by June 1 for fall semester and by November 1 for spring semester. Course Deficiencies All applicants to the MAG-AB program are required to have undergraduate classes in upper division microeconomic theory, upper division macroeconomic theory, calculus, and statistics. Students may be admitted into AEAB programs without first having taken prerequisite courses; however the deficiencies must be removed within two semesters after starting coursework. The courses that you must take as deficiencies will be identified when your admission material is reviewed. If you have 9 or more credits of deficiencies to take you may be required to enroll as a continuing undergraduate student for a semester while the deficiencies are removed. Students entering the MAG-AB graduate programs are required to have completed intermediate microeconomics (ECON 371) or production economics (AG E 385) and Agricultural Prices (AG E 340) with a B or better. Intermediate macroeconomics (ECON 372) or Money and Banking (ECON 304) are also required with a B or better. A college level calculus class and a course in statistics that included linear regression analysis must also have been taken with a B or better. FIN 341, ACCT 251 and ACCT 252 with a B or better are pre-requisites for business courses included with this degree option (Appendix B). 6

Degree Requirements All students in the MAG-AB program must successfully complete the following core courses: AEEC 551, AEEC 556, FIN 503, and ACCT 503 (Appendix A). Six additional credits must be completed from an agricultural economics and agricultural business block. An internship (AEEC 595, 3 cr.) or individual investigation (AEEC 598, 3 cr.) is also required. A thesis (AEEC 599, 4-6 cr.) is not required but can substitute for the internship or individual investigation. Individual study (AEEC 596) is limited to 3 credits. An oral defense must be scheduled and completed as prescribed by the Graduate School. The defense must be preceded by a public seminar to present major findings, experiences, and contributions of the individual investigation, internship, and/or thesis research to faculty, fellow students, and the interested public. Some of the courses required for the MAG-AB degree are core requirements for the MBA program and have limitations for participation by non-mba students. MAG-AB students (Non-MBA) cannot take either BA502 or MGT590. Further, MAG-AB students can only take 9 credits from the list of ACCT503, BCS502, BLAW502, ECON503, FIN502, FIN503, MGT502, MGT503, MGT512, and MKTG503. MAG-AB students are required to take FIN503 and ACCT503. Thus, only one additional MBA course can be taken by MAG-AB students. Professional Achievement Options Four alternative options can be followed by MAG-AB students to fulfill the professional achievements requirement. A graduate committee and a plan for how the professional achievement requirement will be met should be organized by the end of the second semester of study. 1. An internship can be taken as AEEC 595. 2. A thesis can be written as AEEC 599 in consultation with a thesis advisor and following the graduate school guidelines. 3. A creative component paper can be written as AEEC 598. Additional requirements and guidelines are detailed below. AEEC 598 is limited to a maximum of 6 credit hours toward the degree (maximum of 3 hours per semester and is graded using traditional grading). 4. Six additional graduate credits of course work can be taken with approval of your graduate advisor and the graduate chairman. In this case a public seminar is not required and the required oral exam will cover course material and demonstrate your ability to apply coursework material to economic problems. Regardless of degree program, if a student is enrolled in either AEEC 595, 597, 598 or 599, all orals are to be preceded by an open seminar. The seminar is to cover the candidate's research activities or activities related to individual investigations and/or internships that fulfilled the individualized studies or research component of the degree program. The seminar is to be conducted in the format of a professional presentation. It must be open to the public and should be announced at least one week in advance. Creative Component (AEEC 598) The purpose of AEEC 598 (Creative Component) is to allow students a chance to conduct an comprehensive literature review in a research area related to agribusiness or to undertake a project to solve a problem of practical and professional significance in an area of interest to the student or that is useful to your advisor if funded by the department. The creative component of the program involves completing three credits of AEEC 598. This requirement can be met in one of two ways. In consultation with the advisor, the student can select a topic of importance to agribusiness and prepare a comprehensive literature review covering that topic. An alternative way to meet this requirement is for the student, in 7

consultation with the advisor, to conduct a research project and prepare a written manuscript for evaluation by the advisory committee. In either case, the student will present results of the project in an open seminar and then be examined by the advisory committee. In certain cases, the student may request approval from the Advisory Committee to complete two additional graduate courses (at least six credits) in lieu of writing a report. If this approach is approved, the oral examination at the end of the program will cover all the courses completed during the MAG-AB Program. Students pursuing this option must also prepare and present a topical seminar at some time during the program. Advisor and Advisory Committee To insure that you have someone to assist with registration and departmental procedures, all incoming students are assigned a temporary graduate advisor during the first semester. Before the end of the first semester of enrollment, students are required to select a permanent advisor. Students starting the program during the summer have until the end of the fall semester to select a permanent advisor. Students are required to notify the graduate chairman and the departmental student records clerk (Irma Marshall) about their final advisor selection and any proposed changes to the degree program. It is the student s responsibility to seek and solicit faculty members willing to act as his/her faculty advisor. Selection should be based on appropriate expertise and available time for advising. Faculty advisors must be a member of the graduate faculty. The faculty advisor will have primary responsibility for coordinating the professional achievement requirement. Students in the MAG-AB program must select a graduate committee by the end of the first year of graduate study. The selection of the committee should be consistent with the research topic or individual study area to be investigated. The graduate committee shall consist of at least 3 members: 2 from the department and one from outside the department. Because we have a joint graduate program with the Economics Department, economic department faculty members can serve as a departmental committee representative, but not as the outside representative. At the time of the final examination, the Graduate School may appoint the outside member as the Dean s representative to the committee. The graduate school prefers that the student and his/her advisor select the third member (the committee member outside the department) to serve as Dean's Representative. Oral Exam and Research Defense All departmental graduate students are required to pass an oral examination. The objectives of the oral examination and public seminar for MAG-AB students are as follows: 1. To demonstrate proper application/integration of tools and concepts from multiple economic and business courses. 2. To present a summary and defend work completed while on an internship or as the professional achievement component of the MAG-AB degree. 3. To orally defend thesis research methods and results if a thesis was written under the MAG-AB option. 4. To demonstrate communication skills. Regardless of degree program, if a student is enrolled in either AEEC 595, 597, 598 or 599, all orals are to be preceded by an open seminar. The seminar is to cover the candidate's research activities or activities related to individual investigations and/or internships that fulfilled the individualized studies or research component of the degree program. The seminar is to be conducted in the format of a professional presentation. It must be open to the public and should be announced at least one week in advance. 8

At the time of the final exam, a graduate student must have an NMSU cumulative graduate grade-point average of at least 3.0 and must be enrolled in the final semester of course work. According to the Graduate Catalog, students who fail the final exam may, with recommendation of the faculty adviser and the approval of the graduate dean, be granted a second exam after a lapse of at least one semester. Failure in the second examination disqualifies the candidate from obtaining the degree. 9

Master of Business Administration in Agribusiness (MBA-AB) Admission to the MBA program is contingent on admission to the NMSU Graduate School. Admission is coordinated through the College of Business Administration and Economics and students should refer to the NMSU MBA Handbook (http://business.nmsu.edu/academics/mba/handbook/ ) for detail about the MBA Program and its administration. The MBA Office is located in Guthrie Hall 114. Program requirements specific to the MBA with Agribusiness specialization are described at http://business.nmsu.edu/academics/mba/degree-requirements/specializations/agribusiness/. Master of Science in Water Science & Management (MS-WSM) and PhD in Water Science & Management (PhD-WSM) An Interdisciplinary Degree Program in Water Science & Management (WSM) has been developed at NMSU by a team of water experts Major participating departments include Agricultural Economics and Agricultural Business, Animal and Range Science, Civil Engineering, Geography, and Plant and Environmental Sciences. The Water Science and Management Program offers five fields of study including agricultural water resources; watershed, riparian, and aquatic systems; water quality and treatment; water economics and policy; and water informatics. Students should refer to the website http://wsm.research.nmsu.edu/ for additional description and program requirements. Doctorate of Economic Development (DED) The Doctor of Economic Development (DED) is a professional doctorate offered jointly by the Department of Economics, Applied Statistics & International Business in the College of Business and the Agricultural Economics and Agricultural Business and Extension Economics Department (AEAB) in the College of Agriculture, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES). Students should refer to the website http://business.nmsu.edu/academics/economics-ib/economics-programs/ded/ for additional description and program requirements. 10

Academic and Work Performance Students have a right to periodic evaluation of academic and work progress and performance. The AEAB department will conduct this review on the one year anniversaries of your arrival in the graduate program. This review will be conducted by the student-selected guidance committee, the faculty advisor, your job supervisor, and the departmental graduate chairman. The review will include your progress in research or the creative component as well as plans of work for completing research assignments. Work performance as a teaching assistant (TA) will also be evaluated at the annual review. Academic and performance deficiencies will be considered failure to complete pre-requisite courses with a B or better, failure to progress on research and creative activities, if your cumulative graduate GPA falls below 3.0, and if unsatisfactory work performance is noted and documented. The faculty advisor and the graduate student will complete and sign the completed annual progress report, which will be submitted to the graduate chairman and AEAB Department Head for review and filing in the graduate student s file. Graduate students desiring to appeal any part of the evaluation may do so in writing to the AEAB Department Head. Termination of an appointment for unsatisfactory performance will not occur without a one semester probationary period, during which time the student will be given the opportunity to improve performance. Transferring Between Programs A student may desire to change degree programs. To transfer between AEAB degree programs, or to any other NMSU degree program, requires that a change of major form be submitted through the graduate school (http://prospective.nmsu.edu/graduate/forms/index.html). This form and the student referral package (application, transcript, etc.) are then sent to the appropriate department for consideration by the graduate committee chairman, the department head, and the student s major professor. A change of program will alter course requirements. Time Limit NMSU policy requires that students complete Master s Degree programs within seven years (or eight successive summers) including completion of the master s thesis or final project. Any course work more than seven years old at time of the final examination will not be included in the program. For doctoral and Ph.D. degrees, if more than five years pass between the date of the comprehensive examination and final examination, the candidate will be required to take and pass a new comprehensive examination. Steps to Degree Candidacy For all graduate degree programs, four forms mark the steps toward degree candidacy: 1. Program of study 2. Admission to candidacy 3. Application for degree 4. Oral examination form Generally, the program of study is completed after the first year or once approximately 12 graduate credits have been completed. The graduate school also requires that the Admission to Candidacy form be submitted when 12 hours of graduate work have been completed. The Application for Degree form is 11

generally submitted in the semester in which the student plans to graduate. The Application for Degree form has a submission deadline each semester. If a student files the Degree form and does not complete all of the requirements for graduation, the student must reapply and pay the fee again. The oral examination form must be submitted to the Graduate School at least 10 working days before the scheduled date for the oral examination otherwise the exam will be cancelled by the Graduate School. All forms are available from the departmental student records secretary (Irma Marshall) in GT379. Assistantships and Employment Other Guidelines Pending available funding, two types of assistantships are available through the AEAB department. Teaching assistantships (TA) are typically awarded for the academic year (9 months) -- subject to satisfactory performance. Specific assignments and responsibilities for TAs change each semester; as a consequence, TAs will often have work assignments with professors other than their chosen advisor. Research assistantships (RA) are typically awarded for either 9 or 12 months, depending on funding availability. RA assignments are usually with the same faculty member for the duration of the student s program of study, contingent on continued funding availability. Assistantships (TA and RA) may be awarded for 10 hours (half-time) or 20 hours (full-time). NMSU policy requires students on assistantship to be enrolled in at least nine credit hours at the graduatelevel (courses numbered 450 and above) --considered a full course load. Students must also have regular admission status (see earlier discussion) to receive an assistantship and must maintain a graduate program GPA of 3.0 to remain on assistantship. All students with at least 10 hours of assistantship receive a waiver of out-of-state tuition. Students should consider workload and other commitments when determining an appropriate course load. An assistantship is not a scholarship. Graduate students are expected to provide a professional service to the department and to their assigned faculty member. This includes being accountable for the number of hours assigned under the assistantship and for meeting the reasonable requests of the assigned faculty (including meetings, project deliverables, etc.). Departmental assistants are expected to maintain professional conduct and attitude. Scheduled time off, except regularly scheduled student holidays, must be agreed to and approved in advance by the assigned faculty. In accordance with NMSU policy, doctoral and Ph.D. students are eligible to receive TA support for up to six semesters; and Master s degree students for up to four semesters. Students may also be funded on temporary funding with the period of payment and the contingent nature of the employment clearly defined at the time of employment. Funding will continue provided work performance is satisfactory and funding continues to be available. Within its capacity, the AEAB Department endeavors to maintain student financial support. This is, however, often conditional on the availability of external funding that is frequently limited in both scope and duration, and may not be available for the full duration of a student s program. NMSU policy requires that all students newly assigned as TA s must attend the New Graduate Student Orientation presented by the Graduate School at the beginning of each semester. New international students must pass the NMSU International Teaching Assistant (ITA) Screening administered by the Department of Communications. If they do not pass the ITA Screening, a student must attend courses offered through the Department of Communications, to ensure that they have command of English and will be able to teach and assist students. NMSU policies require that all graduate students employed at NMSU must meet specific Federal and State eligibility requirements for employment in the United States. This requirement includes completion 12

of the Federal I-9 form, a social security card provided in addition to a drivers' license or passport. Employment paperwork is completed in the main office (GT387). International students may have additional eligibility requirements, including valid VISA and I-20 documents. Pay TA and RA students may pick up their paychecks in the main office (GT387). TA and RA stipends change each academic year and you can ask in the main office (GT387) for current rates. Automatic deposit is available and is encouraged. Graduate students employed on an hourly basis are responsible for the timely submission of their time sheet which is submitted online at http://my.nmsu.edu. Instructions for online submission are available in the main office (GT387). Supervisors are responsible for approval of online time sheet submissions. Time sheet due dates and payroll dates are available online at http://www.nmsu.edu/~payroll/. Supplies Pens, pencils, paper pads, etc. are provided by the department for work related activities. Access to the copier is restricted. Personal photocopies for classes and other activities are not authorized. Graduate students should obtain a copier user access number from their faculty advisor or supervisor. Mailboxes All AEAB graduate students who are on assistantship or hourly pay are provided a mail box located in the main departmental office (GT 387). Keys and Space Assignment All AEAB graduate students are provided with office space and students on TA and RA have first priority for this space. Students will be issued keys to their office area and the Gerald Thomas building. It is imperative that keys be returned prior to departure from NMSU. Failure to return keys can result in refusal by NMSU to release grades or graduation information. Lost keys must be reported to the main office as soon as possible. 13

Appendix A. Course requirements for AEAB Master s Alternatives 14

Appendix B. Prerequisite Course Requirements 15