The Master of Science (MS) degree is awarded upon successful completion of a minimum of 36 credits. A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 must be achieved to graduate. Individual courses require a minimum of a B- for course credit.
Students are responsible for planning their graduate program in consultation with their Academic Advisor. Students must meet all deadlines and be aware that most Core Courses are offered only once per academic year. Students are expected to complete the MS degree as follows:
Students must complete their thesis by the end of the fourth Semester (not including the Summer Session). Students who require additional time to complete their thesis must apply for an extension per the time limits and extensions policy. It is expected that students complete the MS thesis track. Non-thesis will only be granted in exceptional cases and require prior approval of the Academic Advisor and the Program Chair.
The MS Requirements
MS students must complete the following requirements:
- Core Courses (12 credits)
- Elective Courses (6-12 credits)
- Research/Capstone (Thesis 18 credits, Non-Thesis 12 credits)
- Graduate Seminar (non-credit)
- Winter Enrichment Program (non-credit)
Core and Elective Courses must be technical courses and cannot be substituted with Research, Internship, or Broadening Courses to fulfill degree requirements.
Core Courses (12 credits)
Core Courses provide students with the background needed to establish a solid foundation in the program area. Students must complete 12 credits (4 Core Courses). Most Core Courses may be offered only once per academic year.
| B 204 | Genomics | 3 |
| B 241 | Molecular and Cellular Biology Lab | 3 |
| PS 201 | Concepts of Developmental Biology and Genetics | 3 |
| PS 202 | Plant Physiology and Adaptation | 3 |
Elective Courses (6-12 credits)
Elective Courses allow students to tailor their educational experience to meet individual research and educational objectives with the permission of the Academic Advisor. Thesis students must take two Elective Courses (6 credits) and Non-Thesis students must take four Elective Courses (12 credits).
| B 206/BioE 206 | Synthetic Biology and Biotechnology | 3 |
| B 211 | Fundamentals of Molecular Microbiology | 3 |
| B 214 | Biomolecule Structure and Function | 3 |
| B 316 | Foundations in Bioimaging | 3 |
| BESE 300 | Fundamental Skills in Bioinformatics | 3 |
| CS 247 | Scientific Visualization | 3 |
| ErSE 394 B | Geo-Environmental Modeling & Analysis | 3 |
| AMCS 215 | Mathematical Foundations of Machine Learning | 3 |
Others upon approval of the Academic Advisor.
Graduate Seminars (non-credit)
All students must register for PS 398 and receive a Satisfactory grade for two Semesters during their MS.
Winter Enrichment Program (non-credit)
All students must register for WE 100 and successfully complete one Winter Enrichment Program (WEP), usually taken in the first year of study.
MS Thesis
Students planning to pursue the Thesis option must complete a minimum of 12 credits of Thesis Research (PS 297). Students must complete any remaining credits through one or a combination of the options listed below:
Thesis Application
Students must complete the application and have it approved by the Program Chair no later than the end of week one of their third Semester. The Thesis Advisor must be a full-time program-affiliated Assistant, Associate, or Full Professor at KAUST. The Thesis Advisor can only become project affiliated for the specific thesis project with the Program Chair’s approval. The application must include a Thesis Proposal endorsed by the Thesis Advisor and a timeline for completion.
MS thesis students who meet the graduation requirements of the non-thesis track may drop the thesis up until the end of their third Semester. Students not able to complete their thesis after this deadline will face academic dismissal.
Petition to Defend Thesis
Students must submit a petition to defend their thesis by the deadline published in the Academic Calendar. Students are responsible for scheduling the Thesis Defense Date. All committee members must attend the Defense. Students must defend their thesis and obtain the final approval of the Defense within their duration of study (4 Semesters).
Thesis Committee Formation
The MS thesis defense committee must include a minimum of three members and may have up to four members. The composition of the committee is outlined as follows:
| Member |
Role |
Affiliation |
| 1 |
Chair |
Primary or alternative affiliation within of the student’s program
|
| 2 |
Faculty |
Primary or alternative affiliation within of the student’s program |
| 3 |
Faculty |
Primary or alternative affiliation outside of the student’s program
|
| 4 |
Faculty or Research Scientist |
Affiliation within or outside of KAUST |
Notes:
- The committee must be approved by the Dean.
- Members 1-3 are mandatory, while member 4 is optional.
- The student’s advisor serves as the chair of the committee and must use the affiliation within the student’s program.
- Either member 1 or member 2 must have primary affiliation within the student’s program.
- The student’s co-advisor may serve as member 4.
- Professors of Practice and Research Professors may serve as members 1-4, depending on their affiliation and whether they are the student’s advisor or co-advisor.
- Adjunct Professors and Professors Emeriti may continue serving on committees in the roles they had at the time of their departure but are not permitted to serve on new committees.
- Visiting Professors may only serve as member 4. Once approved, any changes to the committee require the approval of both the student's advisor and the Dean.
Thesis Defense Results
The format of the Oral Defense is left to the discretion of the Thesis Committee. At the end of the Final Defense, students will be evaluated with one of the following outcomes:
- Pass: The Committee agrees with no more than one dissenting vote. The Thesis must be archived within two weeks of the defense, and the student must send the Thesis Result Form to the GPSA within two days of the defense.
- Pass with Conditions: All committee members must agree on the required conditions. If they cannot agree, the Dean will make the final decision. The student has up to three months to meet these conditions, unless the Committee unanimously agrees to change the deadline.
- Fail with Retake: If conditions cannot be met within three months, or more than one member casts a negative vote, one retake of the defense is allowed. The retake must occur within six months of the original defense unless the Committee unanimously agrees to a shorter timeline. If the student fails the retake, they will be dismissed from the University. The Committee Chair must immediately inform the GPSA to initiate the necessary actions.
- Fail Without Retake: The decision must be unanimous, resulting in the student’s dismissal from the University. The Committee Chair must inform the GPSA immediately to take the necessary actions.
Additional Guidelines
- Students who have exceeded their duration of study must apply for an extension as per the Time Limit and Extension Policy. All conditions must be fulfilled by the end of the extension period, which takes precedence over the Committee’s set deadlines.
- The outcome of the Thesis Defense must be recorded by submitting the Thesis Defense Evaluation Form to the Office of the Registrar within two days of the defense.
- Additionally, students must submit the Defense Results Form by the deadline published in the Academic Calendar.
- The required forms are available on the webpage of the Office of the Registrar.
Thesis Document
Students must follow the Thesis and Dissertation Guidelines available on the KAUST Library webpage when they write their thesis. Once the thesis is ready to be examined, students must determine the Defense date with the agreement of all members of the Thesis Committee.
Thesis Archiving
Students must archive the thesis in the KAUST Library two weeks from the defense date. This must not exceed the duration of study or the deadline published in the Academic Calendar.
MS Non-Thesis
The non-thesis option will only be granted as exceptions and with a strong justification. The non-thesis option must be approved by the Academic Advisor and the Program Chair.
Students wishing to pursue the non-thesis option must complete a total of 12 capstone credits, with a minimum of 6 credits of Directed Research (PS 299). Students must complete the remaining 6 credits through one or a combination of the options listed below: