New section to be added following the section on Admission Requirements
While it is possible to go directly to the Ph.D. program, the Department Faculty prefers that students complete the M.S. before being admitted or reclassified into the doctoral degree program in Entomology and Applied Ecology. Students already matriculated in the M.S. Program in Entomology and Applied Ecology or Wildlife Ecology and who plan to go on for the doctoral degree may, at an appropriate time, request reclassification to the Ph.D. program as a pre-candidate in lieu of reapplying for graduate study. The department Graduate Admissions Committee will review the request using the same criteria applied to all applicants to the Ph.D. program. Materials to submit with the request should include score for Advanced GRE in Biology, any updated information since the M.S. application (such as new GRE general test scores), three new letters of recommendation (one should be from the M.S. major professor), and written material resulting from the M.S. research completed to date. Requests should be submitted to the department Graduate Program Director in one of the following ways: 1) if sought before completing the Application for Advanced Degree for the Master’s degree, submit a letter of request only; 2) if sought at the time of submitting the Application for Advanced Degree for the M.S. (last semester of M.S. program), check the appropriate box on the form indicating that you plan to continue in the doctoral degree program; 3) if sought within one year after completing the M.S., submit a letter of request; or 4) if sought one year or more after completing the M.S., submit a new application with fee to the Office of Graduate Studies. Requests under the conditions for items 1 – 3 should include a graduate studies change of classification form. If the department does not approve the request for reclassification from the M.S. program to the Ph.D. program, the M.S. degree will be considered the terminal degree for the candidate.