Graduate degrees in the life sciences are primarily research degrees, enabling recipients
to conduct independent scientific inquiry as self-motivated professionals. Such individuals
contribute greatly to the advancement of society through a generation of new knowledge
relevant to economic development and environmental protection. The M.S. program is
tailored to meet your individual interests and needs, whether your career goals are
teaching, research or outreach in industry, government agencies or non-governmental
organizations. Areas of study include plant physiology, cell biology, molecular genetics,
molecular systematics, evolutionary ecology, population ecology, physiological ecology,
community ecology, evolutionary development and genomics.
Some of our recent M.S. recipients are employed in high school teaching, non-governmental
organizations and government agencies.
Admissions Requirements
Official transcripts
Statement of purpose and goals, tailored toward specific faculty member(s) with whom
you wish to work
Resumé/CV
Three letters of recommendation
Financial affidavit in accordance to OSU requirements (international students only)
*Note that to ensure full consideration, you should directly correspond with one or
two members of our faculty whose research most closely matches your own interests.
Initial contact should be made several months prior to admission semester and before
submitting application paperwork.
Test Scores:
TOEFL required for international applicants who aren't native English speakers (iBT
score of 79/PBT Score of 550)
Minimum TOEFL speaking score of 26 for teaching assistantship eligibility
Application Deadlines:
Jan. 15 (fall admission primary consideration)
March 1 (fall admission)
July 15 (spring semester primary consideration)
Sept. 1 (spring semester)
*Meeting early application deadlines is strongly advised for full consideration and
support.
Cost & Assistance
Graduate teaching and graduate research assistantship positions are available. Each
comes with tuition waivers and monthly stipends.