Outline of the Program
Master’s degree students will be required to participate in studies and research for a period of up to 24 months.  Every academic year consists of two 15-week semesters.  The studies will include required and elective courses, seminars, lab work (in some of the fields of studies), and a thesis. The Board of Studies of each field, is authorized to require a student to take courses as it sees fit, and to allow his or her participation in elective courses for credit, even if they are not in his or her major. Every exception to the official course of studies requires advance authorization from the relevant Board of Studies. In addition, the Board may appoint a personal consultant for the student at any stage (in addition to the supervisor) from the Weizmann Institute of Science (WIS) staff. The Board of Studies may recommend to the Dean to terminate a student’s studies, but the final decision in this matter is the sole prerogative of the Dean.

Credits and Courses
During their studies students must accrue credits according to the requisites of the pertinent Board of Studies, (see details below). In special cases, the Board of Studies may require the student to accrue a greater number of credits than those required in that specific major, or to participate in courses in accordance with its decision. Any deviation from the official curriculum requires prior approval from the pertinent Board of Studies.  Please note that unless there is an obvious continuum of studies (as full-time FGS students), the FGS will not recognize credit points from courses which are five years old (including FGS courses).

Rotations – Selection and Registration
Students in the life sciences, chemical sciences and biological physics fields of study are required to participate in three research labs for a period of approximately ten weeks (rotations). The students in these majors must contact heads of research groups at the WIS and request to be accepted to a rotation in their labs. When the student finds a rotation lab, he or she must register online prior to commencing, as well as receiving FGS approval for the selection. Students are not prevented from trying to meet with the scientists before the start of the academic year, but will be able to register for them only after the first day of the academic year. Students must remember that once they agree with a scientist on a rotation in his/her research group, this commitment must be honored.

Students may choose up to two rotations only within the same department.

It should be noted that there are limitations on the number of rotation students that each group may take (four rotation students in total and not more than two rotation students per rotation). Life sciences students who intend to do rotations in groups using laboratory animals, are required to take, in the first semester, the course: "Laboratory Animals at the Weizmann Institute of Science".


Information on Research Groups and Research Areas
Information on research groups and research areas of WIS scientists may be found through the following links:

Research Group for the M.Sc. Thesis - Selection and Registration
Students who have successfully completed the first two semesters of their studies will be permitted to commence their thesis. The students are required to contact a senior scientist from the WIS staff to be the advisor for their Master’s thesis. When the scientist agrees, the student must register online and receive FGS approval for the selection.  It should be noted that there is a limitation on the number of M.Sc. students that each group may take per year (not more than two).

The Research Proposal
The proposal will be based on experimental or theoretical work. The work may be part of a larger project, or an independent one. The scope and subject of the research will be determined in consultation with the advisor. It is possible to include preliminary results in the proposal. More relevant information and details concerning the Research Proposal are available under a separate heading.

Transition to the Status of “Second-Year M.Sc. Student”
The transition to the status of “Second-year master’s student” is conditional to the approval of the MSc Research Proposal and the completion of the number of credit points or pr the particular courses required by the Board of Studies. If the proposal was not submitted by the end of the first month of the second academic year, and a request to postpone the due date was not approved, the student’s studies at FGS may be terminated.

Second Year MSc Fellowship
The Entitlement to financial support at a second-year master’s level will take effect in the month following the one in which the research proposal was submitted subject to the following conditions:

	The research proposal was approved by the Board of Studies
	The student had completed ALL the credits points or partiular courses specified by the Board of Studies as part of the requirements for the first two semesters.
	In case there's a delay in obtaining the grades, the student should contact the Feinberg Graduate School.

Should the student complete the credit points required for the first year after the approval of the research porposal, then the student must contact the FGS and ask that his/her status change to a 2nd year MSc student

Transition to the Direct Ph.D. Track
Second-year M.Sc. students may apply for the direct PhD track during the first two weeks of the month of June in their second year of studies. Decisions are made during the month of July. More relevant inforamtion and details concerning the transition to the Direct Ph.D. Track are available under a separate heading.

The Thesis and Defence
The thesis is the conclusion of the student’s research and includes: A general description of the research subject, a detailed description of the research study (including research methodology, results and discussion), and a summary. More relevant information and details concerning the Thesis and Defence are available under a separate heading.
 
Approval of the Degree
The Dean of the Feinberg Graduate School will recommend to the WIS Scientific Council to grant the student the degree of M.Sc. after fulfilling all the degree requirements. Usually, at this stage, a decision is made whether or not the student will be allowed to pursue Ph.D. studies at the School. After approval of the degree by the Scientific Council, the student may receive an official confirmation from the FGS Dean that he or she has fulfilled all the requirements for the M.Sc. degree. The confirmation will include the thesis grade, the exam grade and the student’s grade average for the courses taken.  There is no weighted grade.  The date of the degree is the date on which the WIS Scientific Council approved the degree. Following approval of the degree, the student will submit to the FGS Office one corrected and bound copy (which will be sent by FGS to the Wix Library), as well as one copy on a CD.

Conferring of the Degree
Master of Science degrees are awarded at the graduation and awards ceremony that takes place once a year in the spring.

Distinctions
The Scientific Council of the Weizmann Institute of Science does not award degrees with distinctions such as Cum Laude or Magna Cum Laude.

Awards
Every year the FGS awards several prizes to outstanding MSc students for outstanding achievements.  The FGS asks (once a year, towards the end of the first semester) the WIS scientific staff to recommend candidates for the awards.  The candidates from all majors are ranked by the Boards of Studies with the final ranking determined by the FGS Steering Committee and presented for approval by the Dean of the Graduate School.  The awards for excellence in studies and research are granted at the graduation ceremony in the spring.