What is the admissions process for a new Fisheries and Wildlife graduate student?
The faculty member notifies the department Graduate Program Coordinator with a written letter of acceptance that includes a description of how the student will be funded and how the faculty member will address any academic deficiencies in the student's application. The student submits the OSU online application including three letters of reference, GRE scores, transcripts, and a Statement of Objectives. Students may submit paper copies of required materials if electronic submission is not possible. The FW Graduate Committee reviews the student's application packet and provides feedback to the faculty advisor. If concerns with the application are raised during the FW Graduate Committee review, they may be referred to the Department Head for further review.
The Department's recommendation on admission is entered with the Graduate School. As long as the student meets the Graduate School's minimum standards for acceptance (3.0 GPA for regular admission, 2.75 for conditional admission, and a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution), they will finalize the admission and notify the student. If the application does not meet these standards, the department can elect to appeal to the Graduate School's Graduate Admissions Committee (GAC) for acceptance.
Timeline for Admissions
Due to Coalition of Graduate Employees contract requirements, the Department must implement application deadlines for each academic term. If an incoming student does not complete their application on time, they may have to defer their term of admission to the program until the subsequent term. This may be an issue for some grants, so please be sure to communicate these deadlines to any students you’re considering for admission. These deadlines are communicated to all prospective student who email the department.
Domestic application deadlines for the MS/PhD program (International student application deadlines in parentheses):
- Fall Term: June 15th (February 15th)
- Winter Term: October 1st (June 1st)
- Spring Term: December 15th (August 15th)
- Summer Term: March 1st (December 1st)
The Departmental review process requires approximately two weeks once the student's application is complete. Unless the application requires an appeal to the GAC, the Graduate School process only requires two to five days to complete for non-international applicants. Appealed applications will be reviewed at GAC meetings that occur once or twice a month.
If the student is admissible but official copies of transcripts are still needed, the Graduate School can admit the student with a one-term grace period to receive the documents, but only if the student has at least one unofficial transcript to review at the time of admission. Official GRE scores are not as critical, as they are a Department requirement and there is no Graduate School minimum standard for scores.
As long as the letters of reference and other review documents arrive quickly, we can complete the entire review process for a domestic student in as little as a two weeks. We prefer to have at least three to four weeks turnaround before the start of the term the student is enrolling. This gives more time to see any possible roadblocks when the official documents arrive.
International student applications are sent on to the Graduate School’s international admissions coordinator, who reviews the file for additional requirements such as TOEFL scores and financial declarations. Once the file is deemed acceptable, a visa is requested. Depending on the country of origin, obtaining a visa can take two to six months.
Funding Graduate Students
Graduate Assistantship
Graduate Research and Graduate Teaching Assistantships are most common in our department. Find more detailed information on the Graduate Assistantships page.
Fellowships
Graduate fellowships and traineeships which are recognized nationally as a means to acknowledge and support outstanding graduate students in pursuit of their advanced degree objectives. Find more detailed information on the Fellowships page.
What is the difference between fellowships and graduate assistantships?
Fulbright Student Program
The Fulbright U.S. Student Program offers research, study and teaching opportunities in over 140 countries to recent graduates and graduate students.
We are now offering resident tuition rates to all Fulbright applicants. This includes applicants from the three Fulbright administration agencies: IIE, LASPAU & Amideast. There are conditions associated with this guaranteed rate. Applicants still have to show that they meet the minimum cost of attendance at OSU, which many Fulbright grants don’t completely cover. In addition, as a stipulation of granting the resident tuition rates, OSU now requires graduate programs to provide complete funding for students between the end of their sponsored funds and the completion of their degree.
Options for topping up Fulbright grant :
- Regular Graduate Assistantship – .30 to .49 FTE
- The Alternatively Funded Graduate Fellowship program – Fulbright pays tuition and fees, plus monthly stipend. Student is on a fellowship appointment and graduate program tops-up the stipend to meet minimum requirement, using scholarship or other non-employment type funds. Fellowship covers health insurance.
- Apply for Departmental, College, and University scholarships.
Faculty Expectations after Graduate Student is Admitted
It is the responsibility of the major professor to help shape their graduate student into a successful professional within the industry.
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Office Space- As a Major Professor, you will need to contact the FW Space Committee to line up a desk space for your student (if needed). All future requests for and changes in office space should go to the Space Committee. All desk space assignments for grads, RAs, and Post-docs can only be made by the space committee.
- Once an office space has been secured, email the Office Specialist 2 with the office number as well as any lab space you would like the graduate student to have access to.
- The Office Specialist 2 will then submit the online request form for keys.
- The graduate student will receive an email within 2-3 business days when their key(s) are ready for picked up.
- Computer Setup- If you want to setup your graduate student with a computer consult roots.support@oregonstate.edu or reach them by phone at 541-737-2443.
- Submit Documentation- Ensure your graduate student has completed all necessary documentation for contract or teaching assignments.
- Funding- Clarify that your graduate student understands the requirements of their funding (i.e., registration requirements). Also be on the lookout for other funding opportunities for your student(s).
- Introduction- Bring your graduate student by the front office, introduce them to the Graduate Program Coordinator, encourage them to attend the Fall BBQ, or bring them to Friday Coffee Club (Nash 104A).
- Program Requirements- Have frequent conversations with your graduate student(s) to ensure they are meeting Graduate School and Departmental deadlines. Consult the Graduate Program Coordinator with any questions or concerns.
Publishing Expenses
Departmental Support
The Thomas G. Scott Publication Fund, Henry Mastin Graduate Fund, or the James Sedell Graduate Fund may be awarded to any student or staff member for publications where Fisheries and Wildlife is listed as the author's institution. You must submit acknowledgment of funding in your publication, therefore, requests made after publication cannot be considered. For details on how to apply please see our page on FWCS Travel and Publication awards.
OSU Library
PeerJ operates a peer-reviewed journal and a preprint server, covering the biological and health sciences, and computer sciences. All articles published in PeerJ are immediately and freely accessible on the web. OSU Libraries and Press are proud to offer OSU faculty coverage of APCs (article processing charges) for PeerJ in support of their open access publishing activities. The charge will be paid when OSU faculty have an article accepted for publication in PeerJ. Please contact Michael Boock Michael.Boock@oregonstate.edu with questions.