Graduate Study Overview
Application Process

Application Process

Please use the links below to jump to specific sections

Faculty Advisors  |  Application Deadlines  |  Application Materials  |  Curriculum Overview

Faculty Advisors

All Entomology applicants, both MS and PhD, must contact faculty members in the department before and during the admissions process. All students are admitted directly into a faculty member’s lab. Please refer to this document for tips & guidance. Additionally, we do not accept new graduate students into the program unless

  1. financial support for the student is currently in the hands of a faculty member, or is assured by the time a student begins, or
  2. a student brings independent funding and has contacted a faculty member who agrees to serve as advisor. Some students are able to find partial support for independent funding through Teaching Assistantship positions in other departments on campus (i.e. Zoology).

To determine the availability of research support, students should directly contact faculty members whose interests match their own and also review the positions posted on the Graduate Training Opportunities page. The most successful applicants are those who have developed a research focus and can relate their desired area of study to that of a particular faculty member, so personal contact is imperative. Contact should be made before the application deadline. Please note that acceptance by a faculty member (advisor) may or may not be accompanied by an offer of a research or teaching assistantship and stipend. If such financial support is required, please be sure that this is discussed this with the faculty advisor in advance of the formal application to the department. Once a student receives confirmation of support from a faculty member they should contact the Graduate Program  Manager (Emily Laabs). This ensures that the application is routed to the appropriate faculty member.

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Deadlines

The application deadline for the fall semester or summer term is the preceding December 1. The application deadline for the spring semester is the preceding October 1. Applications received by the department after the deadline will be reviewed, but will be at a disadvantage for admission and financial support unless they have been advised by a prospective faculty mentor to apply after the deadline. Prospective MS and PhD students will typically apply for fall admission, but are advised to consult with prospective faculty advisors about applying for other terms. We make every effort possible to have all admissions decisions finalized by April 15 for applicants who submit their materials by the deadline.

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Application Materials

The Entomology department requires specific materials for the graduate application. These materials include

  • Graduate School Application Form and Application Fee
    • All applicants must complete the Graduate School’s online application which is available on their Electronic Application website.
  • Supplementary Application
    • To assist the admissions committee in reviewing files, we require applicants to submit a supplementary application.
    • The supplementary application will appear as a part of the Graduate School’s electronic application once the applicant selects Entomology.
  • Resume or CV
    • Applicants must submit resume or CV electronically through the supplementary application.
  • Transcripts
    • All applicants must upload an unofficial transcript (non-encrypted) in a PDF format to their online application
      • Any school listed must have a transcript uploaded, otherwise the application will not be complete
      • If an applicant is recommended for admission they will be asked to submit an official transcript to the Graduate School; official transcripts are not to be mailed to the department
    • International academic records must be in the original language accompanied by an official English translation. Documents must be issued by the school with the official seal/stamp and an official signature.
    • The Entomology department requires all applicants to have a BA/BS degree from an accredited institution.
    • A minimum undergraduate grade-point average of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) on the equivalent of the last 60 semester hours from the most recent bachelor’s degree institution is required for regular admission. If an applicant has received a post-baccalaureate degree and the GPA for that degree is above a 3.0, then they may be admitted with full standing even if their undergraduate GPA does not meet the standards above. Under some circumstances, applicants with lower averages are admitted on probation but this is not common.
  • Statement of Purpose
    • This should describe the applicant’s graduate program objectives and career focus. Since applicants are rarely admitted to our PhD program without prior research experience, applicants must describe past research experiences in their statement.
    • The statement of purpose should be around two pages in length.
  • Three Letters of Recommendation
    • These letters are preferably from people acquainted with the applicant’s academic, research and/or professional qualifications.
    • Letters must online through the Graduate School’s electronic format; references experiencing difficulty with the online system should contact the Graduate Program  Manager (Emily Laabs).
  • English Proficiency Requirements

Note: International student financial information will only be requested by International Student Services after  admission. Additional information regarding admission requirements can be found on the Graduate School website.

Submitting Application Materials

All materials are to be submitted electronically through the Graduate School’s online application. The only exception being the official transcripts, if a recommendation of admission is made.

All questions regarding the admissions process and the application should also be directed to the Graduate Program Manager (Emily Laabs).

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Curriculum Overview

Below is an overview of the curriculum requirements for the Entomology MS and PhD degrees. For a more comprehensive listing of the degree requirements please visit the handbooks and forms page.

MS Curriculum

  • Entomology 302 Introduction to Entomology, or equivalent
  • Entomology 601 Seminar in Methods of Scientific Oral Presentations
  • Entomology 801 Colloquium
  • At least two additional courses in Entomology with a total of 6 or more credits. The selected courses must include more than one subdiscipline of entomology as defined by the department (suborganismal, organismal and applied entomology).
  • One seminar course from either Entomology 901 Seminar in Organismal Entomology, Entomology 903 Seminar in Evolutionary Entomology, or Entomology 905 Seminar in Applied Entomology
  • Entomology 990 Research, enough credits to reach a minimum of 30 total degree credits

All MS students are also required to write and defend a thesis as a part of their degree requirements.

PhD Curriculum

All Entomology PhD students are required to complete the following major requirement courses: PhD Prerequisite Courses

  • Biological sciences: courses in four of the five areas: biochemistry, genetics, physiology/cytology, ecology or population dynamics and structure or phylogeny
  • Chemistry: general chemistry with lab (2 semesters), organic chemistry with lab
  • Physics: introductory physics course, or applications of physics to biological, chemical or atmospheric sciences
  • Mathematics: two college level mathematics including statistics

PhD Course Requirements

  • General Entomology – Entomology 302 Introduction to Entomology (or equivalent)
  • Four courses distributed from the three following areas (at least one course in each category)
    • Suborganismal
    • Organismal
    • Applied Entomology
  • Entomology 601 Seminar in Methods of Scientific Oral Presentations
  • Entomology 901 Seminar: “Synthesis in Entomology” taken twice
  • Entomology 875 Seminar in Special Topics

All PhD students are also required to pass their preliminary exam and produce and defend a dissertation.

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Last reviewed: 4/11/2024