EEOB Graduate Admissions

The Evolution, Ecology, & Organismal Biology Graduate Admissions Committee (GAC) welcomes applications for admission to the M.S. and Ph.D. programs in Evolution, Ecology, & Organismal Biology. By the time of admission, applicants must have earned a B.S. or B.A. from an accredited institution with a major in one of the life sciences. Course work in calculus, physics, and organic chemistry or biochemistry is required.

Admission Credentials

In addition to the Graduate School requirements, the Graduate Program in EEOB requires:

• 40 quarter (32 semester) hours of biology
• 10 quarter ( 8 semester) hours of physics
• 10 quarter ( 8 semester) hours of mathematics including calculus
• 15 quarter (12 semester) hours of chemistry including organic or biochemistry

Graduate Record Examination scores from the general aptitude (verbal, quantitative, and written) tests are required.

Luciana Gusmao in Japan
[image courtesy of Dr. Meg Daly]

Required Documents

1. An online application form (available at http://www.gradapply.osu.edu/). Paper applications are no longer available. PLEASE NOTE: THIS REQUIRES AN ONLINE PAYMENT OF AN APPLICATION FEE. If you absolutely cannot use the electronic application, please contact Graduate Admissions:

   • International Students: international.grad@osu.edu
   • Domestic Students: domestic.grad@osu.edu
2. A complete set of official transcripts. (Transcripts stamped "Issued to Student" will not be accepted by the Office of Admissions.)
3. Scores from a recent Graduate Records Examination (GRE).
4. Three (3) letters of recommendation
5. Statement of Purpose and Research Interests
6. A Curriculum Vitae or Resume of no more than 2 pages is required of all applicants who wish to be considered for a Graduate School fellowship (both University and Enrichment). The CV/resume is required in addition to the statement of intent.

NOTE: INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS, WHOSE NATIVE LANGUAGE IS NOT ENGLISH, MUST SUBMIT RESULTS FROM THE TEST OF ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE (TOEFL) AND THE TEST OF SPOKEN ENGLISH (TSE). PLEASE SEE "ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE" BELOW.

Additional Requirements

• All applicants must have a temporary advisor before they are admitted to Evolution, Ecology, & Organismal Biology (see Review of Applications). The letters of recommendation, autobiography, and correspondence with any Evolution, Ecology, & Organismal Biology Graduate Faculty member may be sent directly to the Department of Evolution, Ecology, & Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University, 300 Aronoff Laboratory, 318 W. 12th Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43210.
• Send the following directly to the Graduate Admissions Office, Lincoln Tower, 1800 Cannon Drive, Columbus, OH 43210:
  1. A completed online application form (available at http://www.gradapply.osu.edu/). Paper applications are no longer available. PLEASE NOTE: THIS REQUIRES AN ONLINE PAYMENT OF AN APPLICATION FEE. If you absolutely cannot use the electronic application, please contact Graduate Admissions:
     • International Students: international.grad@osu.edu
     • Domestic Students: domestic.grad@osu.edu
  2. One (1) official copy of transcripts or record of marks for each university-level school attended. Include English translation of each of any foreign documents.
  3. Official GRE scores
  4. TOEFL scores, if appropriate
• Send the following directly to the EEOB Graduate Admissions Committee Chair:
  1. A completed online application form (available at http://www.gradapply.osu.edu/). Paper applications are no longer available. PLEASE NOTE: THIS REQUIRES AN ONLINE PAYMENT OF AN APPLICATION FEE. If you absolutely cannot use the electronic application, please contact Graduate Admissions:
     • International Students: international.grad@osu.edu
     • Domestic Students: domestic.grad@osu.edu
  2. A statement of purpose (see below)
  3. One (1) official copy of transcripts or record of marks for each university-level school attended. Include English translation of each of any foreign documents.
  4. Three letters of recommendation written on recommenders’ original letterhead stationery, accompanied by completed Ohio State Reference Forms.

  The deadline for application to the Department of Evolution, Ecology, & Organismal Biology is January 15. International applicants who wish to be considered for fellowships must have their applications completed by November 30th.  The EEOB Graduate Admissions Committee begins review of applications in mid-December and completes this process in February; thus, applications received after the deadline might not receive full consideration for admission with financial aid.

  You can review overall Graduate School requirements at the following site: http://gradadmissions.osu.edu/

Letters of Recommendations and Statements of Purpose

Letters of recommendation should come from individuals who are qualified to evaluate your academic preparation for graduate school, particularly as it relates to your learning skills, work habits, and writing ability. A faculty member or scientist with whom you have worked closely or who has supervised your independent research would be particularly well-suited to perform this evaluation.

The statement of purpose should describe your scientific interests, professional goals, and how you plan to accomplish them. We want to know about your past accomplishments, but your plans for future graduate work and beyond are equally important. For example: Why do you want to obtain a graduate degree? What factors led you to apply to The Ohio State University and the Department of Evolution, Ecology, & Organismal Biology? Describe experiences that have motivated you to choose a career in the biological sciences. The GAC is also interested in your preparation for thesis research. We are especially interested in hearing about the specific research that you have conducted and your interpretation of findings. You might also describe a specific biological system or question that you find interesting and ideas for future investigation of the topic.

Review of Applications

Three groups participate in selecting applicants for admission to the Graduate School:

• The GAC, which evaluates and ranks applicants;
• The University Office of Admissions, which determines whether the applicant has submitted a complete application that meets University standards, and;
• One or more members of the Evolution, Ecology, & Organismal Biology Graduate Faculty who would agree to serve as advisor to the applicant.

Because all applicants must have a temporary advisor before they are admitted to Evolution, Ecology, & Organismal Biology, finding a faculty member who will sponsor your application is particularly important. Although this does not guarantee acceptance, the GEES relies heavily on recommendations from the Evolution, Ecology, & Organismal Biology Faculty, and the University Admissions Office relies heavily on the recommendations of the GAC. The Faculty Research Interest Sheet, found in your information packet, is a valuable document for your use in identification of a potential faculty advisor. After reading this material, you are urged to correspond with one or more professors in Evolution, Ecology, & Organismal Biology regarding positions available in their laboratories. If possible, you may also want to consider visiting The Ohio State University Campus and meeting with faculty members in the Department.

Professional treeclimber Matthew Allen helps Jessica Miesel get geared up for a short trip into the canopy of an Abies concolor in the Southern Cascades Fire and Fire Surrogate site, northern California.
[image courtesy of Jessica Miesel, photo by D. Schmidt]

Financial Aid

Nearly all Evolution, Ecology, & Organismal Biology Graduate Students are supported on a Graduate Teaching Associateship (GTA), Graduate Research Associateship, (GRA), or Fellowship. The GAC nominates a limited number of highly qualified applicants for the University Fellowship competition in early February and June of each year. Nominees who are not awarded a Fellowship are automatically considered for a GTA or GRA and notified of their appointment by early March.

English as a Second Language

To be accepted into the EEOB Graduate Program, students for whom English is not the first language generally must have:

1. passed the Test of Spoken English (http://www.toefl.com/tse/tseindx.html) (passing score = 60), a SPEAK test administered at OSU, or a Mock-Teaching Test administered at OSU.  Information about these OSU tests can be found at http://www.esl.ohio-state.edu/SEP/Testing/Desc.html
   or
   
2. support as a Graduate Research Associate on a research grant
   or
3. a Fellowship that pays a stipend and tuition
   or
4. been nominated by the EEOB Graduate Studies Committee for a University Fellowship (http://www.gradsch.osu.edu/)