We offer several degree programs, including a non-thesis program (M.R.), a Master of Science (M.S.) and a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in both biology and fisheries, wildlife and conservation biology.

For you to be accepted into a program, a faculty member must have the funds and willingness to be your graduate advisor. Before beginning the application process, we recommended that you contact graduate faculty advisors whose research interests match your own. Advisors can tell you if they have availability in their labs and the resources to bring in a new graduate student during the semester in which you want to start graduate study.

While our program does not have definitive prerequisites, we recommend that students have a bachelor’s degree in a biological science with at least an overall “B” average and a minimum number of courses in biology and supporting fields (6 in biology, 4 in chemistry, 2 in physics, and 2 in mathematics). Prospective students should contact the faculty with whom they would like to work for prerequisites for the specific research program.

In addition to the applicant’s grades and coursework, we consider relevant experience (e.g. internships, volunteer, or paid work), a statement of interest, letters of recommendation, and GRE scores.

We require a minimum cumulative 3.0 GPA for previous undergraduate and graduate work (if applicable).

Our priority deadline for incoming thesis-based programs is January 15th for fall applicants and October 15th for spring applicants. The final admission deadline for thesis-based programs is June 25th for fall applicants and November 25th for spring applicants.

The admission deadline for the non-thesis based Master of Biology program is March 15th for fall applicants.

The priority deadline is set to allow advisors an opportunity to ensure funding for incoming students. Applying after this deadline does not mean that you will not receive funding; however, applying by this deadline ensures that advisors will have an opportunity to secure funding.