Applying for graduate school is a three-step process:
- Make contact with faculty member(s) whose research interests you
- Review admission requirements
- Submit required application materials to the Graduate College
1. Make contact with faculty member(s)
In order to be accepted into the Integrative Biology Graduate Program, you must have a faculty member in the department who accepts you into their lab. This is necessary to ensure that there will be space in the department for you and that there will be at least one faculty member who will take responsibility for your research training. Therefore, it is critical that you identify one or more faculty members with whom you share research interests and that you make contact with them directly to introduce yourself and to inquire if they will be accepting new students. If you have not already done so, be sure to examine the research interests of (and contact information for) Integrative Biology Faculty here.
2. Review admission requirements
1. Academic GPA: a GPA of 3.00 or better in all undergraduate coursework.
2. Description of preparation and accomplishments ( see below for details) indicating promise in graduate work.
3. GRE scores: Our program no longer requires GRE scores. However, individual faculty may prefer them, so please consult with your potential advisor(s).
3. Submit application materials to the Graduate College
Required application materials include:
Personal Statement: Submit a personal statement specifying your area of interest, outlining your qualifications and experience in this area and associated career goals, and indicating whether you wish to be considered for a teaching assistantship (if so, please describe any previous teaching experience). You should also indicate the faculty member (s) with whom you have been in contact and list them in order of your preference as your possible advisor.
Curriculum Vitae: Submit your Curriculum Vitae, which gives your contact information, summarizes your educational and employment history, and lists honors and awards, teaching and research experience, grants or scholarships, professional presentations and publications, and any other professional accomplishments or qualifications.
Supplemental Form: This form is completed by all graduate students in the Department of Integrative Biology. Students are required to rank up to three Integrative Biology faculty members that they are interested in working with. Many of our students are supported financially through teaching assistantships, and this form also collects information that may be helpful in determining courses for which students have particular interest/expertise.
Letters of Recommendation: Have at least three individuals familiar with your academic or professional performance write letters of recommendation on your behalf.
Student Application Deadlines: The deadline for receiving all application materials for admission in the fall semester is 1 February. Applications received after the deadline can still be considered. However, submission of all materials prior to the deadline will guarantee that the applicant will be considered for available teaching and/or research assistantships. OSU belongs to a large consortium of universities that have agreed that applicants who are accepted and offered financial support in the form of an assistantship do not have to make a final decision on accepting that support until 15 April.
While there may be exceptional opportunities to begin graduate work in the spring semester, we do not have an application deadline for it. Most students are admitted for the fall semester.
Graduate Student Support
Graduate students in our program are supported by teaching assistantships, research assistantships, or fellowships. Graduate teaching assistantship are readily available and the current 9-month stipend is $19,944 (for MS students) and $23,175 (for Ph.D. students). Tuition is waived for students on assistantships. For more information, please see here.