The Department of Entomology has a rich legacy of vibrant scholarship and innovative education and outreach, coupled with strong commitment to graduate education. Individual graduate programs are planned by students in consultation with their advisory committees and the Director of Graduate Studies. Entomology, like all agricultural and biological sciences disciplines, continues to evolve and integrate state of the art technology and new research perspectives with insect biology. Although departmental research is unified by a focus on insects and their arthropod relatives, many research groups creatively merge aspects of basic and applied biology. Graduate study and research opportunities are available in a diverse range of areas of entomology, including agricultural and urban entomology, biological control and integrated pest management, medical, veterinary, and public health entomology, pollinator biology and insect-plant relationships, forest entomology, and arachnology. Research covers many major fields of biology including behavior, biochemistry, ecology (including evolutionary, urban, landscape, and general ecology), genetics, neuroscience, molecular biology, physiology, toxicology, and systematics.
Graduate study and research opportunities are available in a diverse range of areas of entomology, including agricultural and urban entomology, biological control and integrated pest management, medical, veterinary, and public health entomology, pollinator biology and insect-plant relationships, forest entomology, and arachnology. Research covers many major fields of biology including behavior, biochemistry, ecology (including evolutionary, urban, landscape, and general ecology), genetics, neuroscience, molecular biology, physiology, toxicology, and systematics.
Admission Requirements
A Bachelor’s degree with an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 and GPA of 3.25 in all graduate level work are required. Graduate Record Examination scores are not required. Applicants whose native language is not English must have a Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) with a minimum score of 79 on the TOEFL‐iBT. A minimum overall band score of 6.5 on the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) may be used in lieu of a TOEFL score. The Program requires three letters of recommendation. Meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission. These minimum requirements may be waived in exceptional cases if sufficient additional evidence is presented regarding the ability of the student to do graduate work. Admission to the Graduate Program in Entomology does not automatically guarantee financial assistance to the student.
Degree Requirements
During their first year of graduate studies Ph.D. students complete a formal written research proposal encompassing a thorough literature review, clear statement of objectives, and materials and methods of the project. A research proposal seminar will be presented to the Department upon completion of the written research proposal. An exit seminar, usually presented during the last semester of the student’s tenure, is required. In addition, the follow requirements must be completed:
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36 credit hours prior to qualifying examination (Students who have completed a Masters degree can petition to waive 18 credit hours of pre-qualifying examination credits)
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STA 570 (Basic Statistical Analysis) or equivalent, or a different statistics course (STA, BST, PLS, or BIO) approved by the student’s advisory committee
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Completion of courses in two of three Core Areas. Core Areas include diverse courses in 1) Insect Behavior, Ecology, Evolution and Systematics, 2) Insect Molecular Biology, Physiology and Genetics, and 3) Pest Management and Applied Ecology.
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Ph.D. candidates must take four semesters of Entomological Seminar (ENT 770 ), or seminars from other departments approved by the student’s advisory committee
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Qualifying Examination
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Doctoral Dissertation
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