Thank you for your interest in the Odum School of Ecology at the University of Georgia. As you consider applying to one of our graduate programs, we encourage you to:

• Look over our webpages, including the graduate program and individual faculty labs:
• Determine which degree program best suits your career aspirations. We offer several flavors of degree programs:
  • Ph.D. in Ecology
  • Ph.D. in Integrative Conservation (with an emphasis in Ecology)
  • M.S. in Ecology
    • You can choose a thesis-based option or a non-thesis option
    • You also can choose to include an Area of Emphasis in Integrative Conservation and Sustainability.
• Download our Graduate Handbook, which will explain many specifics regarding our program
• Review the list of faculty who can advise or co-advise Ecology graduate students and identifies which faculty anticipate taking on a student this coming year. This should help you target your search for an advisor.
• Initiate a dialogue with faculty who share your interests in ecology. When you contact faculty, we encourage you to share a copy of your CV, state your career objectives, and articulate your research interests (and thus, why you are interested in their lab). This step is important, as we will not admit someone unless they have the support of at least one of our faculty. Introduce yourself, share your ideas and research interests, explore your potential role in their lab, and get a feel for their style and their mentoring approach. The relationship that you nurture with your faculty advisor is very important to your development as a scientist.
• Apply and stay in touch. Submit your application via the Graduate School.

In addition to the information on our web pages, here is some useful information (based upon many questions we receive):

• We have one application deadline annually: Dec. 1. Accepted students are expected to matriculate in August of the following year (although they can start in summer or defer until January).
• GRE scores will NOT be considered in our admissions decisions (so do not submit them).
• The personal statement should be forward-looking (your CV will explain your past experiences) and help us understand your interests, the questions that drive you, and what you’d bring to our community.
• We have no specific entrance requirements, recognizing that students might come to graduate school in ecology from various paths. However, we expect all successful applicants to have sufficient background and training to be able to effectively engage in advanced studies in ecology.
• You do not need an M.S. to apply for the Ph.D. program, although an M.S. is encouraged for the ICON program.
• We cannot waive application fees, but individual faculty might have funds they can use to pay fees for students who are financially challenged.
• We will review applications in December and January. Acceptance letters usually are sent out between early March and mid-April. In May and throughout the summer, we prepare for your arrival in August.
• All M.S. (thesis) and Ph.D. students are guaranteed assistantships (which come with tuition waivers) for at least 2 and 5 years, respectively; we do not promise assistantships for non-thesis M.S. students, although they can receive teaching assistantships (and tuition waivers) if positions are available in a given semester.
• We have extensive funds available to support travel and research via a competitive grants program.

We look forward to hearing from you!