Thank you for your interest in graduate study programs in the Department of Ecology. The Ecology Department includes the Fish and Wildlife Management Program at Montana State University. The graduate degree programs provide opportunities for students to pursue M.S. and/or Ph.D. degrees in various disciplines under the guidance of our faculty.  The Master's degree may be taken under either Plan A (thesis) or Plan B (without thesis). Graduate students may conduct research on a diversity of topics pertaining to their individual areas of interest: terrestrial and aquatic ecology, fish and wildlife management, evolutionary biology, quantitative ecology, and conservation biology. 

To help students locate an advisor and determine eligibility, the department uses a preliminary application form. To be considered for the program, fill out the online preliminary application form, specify the degree and program in which you are interested, and return the form to the Ecology Department.  The information provided in the preliminary application form will enable the department to decide if you qualify as a graduate student.  

Qualified students must secure an agreement from a faculty member who is willing to serve as major professor or graduate academic advisor.  We do not accept students into the program unless an advisor has agreed to supervise the students. Generally, the major professor will identify a research project and possible sources of funding as part of the admission process. We highly recommend that you formally apply only after a faculty member indicates that he or she is willing to serve as your graduate advisor and requests the full application through the Division of Graduate Education.

Only a limited number of graduate students are admitted to our program each year.  There is an excellent article written by Dr. Al Zale, Director of the Fishery Cooperative Research Unit, "How to Surpass the Competition," which you may find helpful as you think about applying for admission. We accept students into the program based on their academic performance, graduate record examination scores, recommendation letters, experience, and potential for scientific and professional excellence.  Students must meet the minimum entrance requirements to be considered by an advisor.

Degrees

A list of these degrees offered through the Department of Ecology is provided here with details about each degree program directly below the list. Links will provide information on other department web sites.

M.S. in Biological Sciences
M.S. in Fish and Wildlife Management
M.S. in Land Rehabilitation (Intercollege)
M.S. in Ecological & Environmental Statistics (Interdepartmental)
PhD in Fish and Wildlife Biology
PhD in Biological Sciences
PhD in Ecology and Environmental Sciences (Intercollege)

M.S. in Biological Sciences
The M.S. in Biological Sciences covers a broad array of ecological topics and serves the
needs of students whose thesis research addresses basic, fundamental ecological principles
or of those conducting applied research not involving fish or wildlife management. It may
be a terminal degree leading to professional employment as an ecologist, but may also
lead to a Ph.D. in Biological Sciences or other discipline. Coursework associated with
this degree tends to emphasize fundamental principles of ecology. The M.S in Biological
Sciences currently makes up about 27% of our graduate students with 11 M.S. degrees
granted in the last four years.

M.S. in Fish & Wildlife Management
The M.S. in Fish & Wildlife Management serves the needs of students whose thesis
research addresses an applied fish or wildlife management problem. It may be a terminal
degree leading to professional employment as a fisheries or wildlife biologist, but may also
lead to a Ph.D. in Fish & Wildlife Biology or other discipline. Coursework associated with
this degree tends to emphasize applied fish and wildlife management. The M.S. in Fish
& Wildlife program has been our largest degree program for many years, and currently
makes up about 24% of our graduate students, with 25 degrees granted in the last four
years.

M.S. in Ecological and Environmental Statistics
The Ecology Department shares the M.S. in Ecological and Environmental Statistics
with the Department of Mathematical Sciences and the Department of Land Resources &
Environmental Sciences. This degree is often taken in conjunction with a Ph.D. in Ecology
and Environmental Sciences, but may also lead to a Ph.D. in Statistics or professional
employment as an applied statistician. This is a fairly new degree program, with only three
students in the department (and several more in Math/Stats) and one degree granted in
the department to date.

M.S. in Land Rehabilitation
The M.S. in Land Rehabilitation is shared with the Department of Land Resources
and Environmental Sciences (LRES) in the College of Agriculture. In recent years no
students in Ecology have graduated with this degree, which is now primarily associated
with LRES. No students are currently enrolled in the program in the department and none
have been granted this degree in the last four years.

Ph.D. Ecology and Environmental Sciences
The Ph.D. in Ecology and Environmental Sciences was developed jointly by the Departments
of Ecology and Land Resources & Environmental Sciences as a broad interdisciplinary
Ph.D. program open to graduate students in several departments in the Colleges
of Letters & Science and Agriculture. The degree program was approved by the MUS
Board of Regents in 2006, and now meets the interests of graduate students in Ecology
in a broad array or subjects. Currently there are four Ph.D. students in the program in
our department (and several more in LRES), and two Ph.D. degrees have been granted to
date in our department. Other departments include Earth Science and Plant Science.

Ph.D. in Fish & Wildlife Biology
The Ph.D. in Fish & Wildlife Biology serves the needs of students whose dissertation
research addresses an applied fish or wildlife management problem. It serves the interests
of students primarily interested in research careers in federal or state fish and wildlife
agencies or in academic careers in fish and wildlife departments. Coursework associated
with this degree tends to emphasize applied fish and wildlife management. The Ph.D. in
Fish & Wildlife Biology is currently our largest Ph.D. program with 14 graduate students.
Three students have completed this degree in the last four years.

Ph.D. in Biological Sciences
The Ph.D. in Biological Sciences covers a broad array of ecological topics and serves
the needs of students whose dissertation research addresses basic, fundamental ecological
principles or of those conducting applied research not involving fish or wildlife management.
It serves the interests of students primarily interested in research careers in federal or state
agencies or in academic careers in ecology departments. Coursework associated with this
degree tends to emphasize fundamental principles of ecology. This program currently has
10 graduate students enrolled, and has granted eight Ph.D. degrees in the last four years.

An applicant must fulfill the following four qualifications. In exceptional cases, at the request of the students advisor, the Department Head may waive one of the qualifications. 

1. A composite of the applicant's letters of recommendation must indicate the student has good prospects of success in graduate school. 
2. The applicant should have at least the equivalent of three-fourths of the science courses required in the undergraduate curriculum at Montana State University in the option chosen for graduate study. 
3. Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test scores must be submitted at the time the student subm11/19/09 Graduate Studies. The sum of the verbal and quantitative scores should be at least 1100. (For information regarding the GRE, check out their website at: http://www.gre.org/ )
4. The applicant should have maintained the following minimal undergraduate grade-point averages: 3.0 average in all biology courses; 3.0 average in all courses taken during the junior and senior years; and 2.5 average in all chemistry, physics and mathematics courses. For international students a minimum TOEFL score of 550 is required (230 computer based) or a minimum of 7.0 on the IELTS test.

Once the application has been accepted at a departmental level, it will be sent on to the Division of Graduate Education(formerly the College of Graduate Studies) where the Graduate Dean will give final approval. 

International students have some additional qualifications to meet for approval from the Division of Graduate Education. The Office of International Programs can provide assistance to international applicants.

Please see the web pages of individual graduate advisors in the Ecology Department to obtain more information about graduate positions that may be available.

1. The minimum credit requirement for a master's degree is 30 credits, and at least 20 credits must be from course work other than thesis work.  A minimum of 10 thesis credits must be successfully completed. Minimum thesis registration is one (1) credit for a semester.   
2. Two-thirds of the minimum number of credits (including not more than ten (10) credits for the thesis) required for a degree must be taken from MSU
3. Non-thesis credits: In all programs, at least twenty (20) credits must be for coursework other than the thesis.
4. Major area: 50% of the degree minimum credit requirements must be taken in the major area of study.
5. Transferring credits: A maximum of nine (9) credits total of all 400 and graduate level courses taken at MSU prior to completion of a baccalaureate degree may be reserved and applied toward any graduate program requirements with the approval of the student's graduate committee and Graduate Dean. (For more information, refer to the section on Petitions, Appeals and Grievances.)
6. Course work more than six years old at the time the degree is granted will not apply towards credit requirements.

Doctoral Degree Credit Guidelines

1. The minimum credit requirement for a Doctoral degree is 60 credits beyond the bachelor's degree, and at least 42 credits must be from course work other than thesis work. (At least 12 additional credits from course work would be required if an appropriate Master's degree has been previously earned.) A minimum of 18 thesis credits must be successfully completed.
2. In addition, a minimum of 9 credits must be from course work in a supporting area. 
3. Two-thirds of the minimum number of credits (including not more than ten (10) credits for the thesis) required for a degree must be taken from MSU.
4. A maximum of 30 credits from a previously earned Master's degree may be applied toward the 60 credit requirement.
5. Major area: 50% of the degree minimum credit requirements must be taken in the major area of study.
6. Transferring credits: A maximum of nine (9) credits total of all 400 and graduate level courses taken at MSU prior to completion of a baccalaureate degree may be reserved and applied toward any graduate program requirements with the approval of the student's graduate committee and Graduate Dean. (For more information, refer to the section on Petitions, Appeals and Grievances.)
7. Course work more than ten years old at the time the degree is granted will not apply towards credit requirements.

For further information regarding Masters and Doctoral programs and requirements, please consult the on-line Graduate Catalog. The on-line catalog has the most current and up-to-date information. All graduate students are required to know the information provided in the catalog as stated by the Division of Graduate Education.

Applications are accepted and evaluated year round, though many students begin studies in the fall semester. To be admitted for a specific term, the formal application must be completed before a specific date in the previous semester.  The Ecology department application deadlines are listed below (and, generally, fall a week before those listed by the Division of Graduate Education). Deadlines for completed applications do change, and you should verify these dates either with the Ecology department office or with the The Division of Graduate Education.  The Division of Graduate Education lists application deadlines on their web page, or you can call them at 406-994-4145.  Simply, remember that the Ecology department will need to see your application at least one week prior to listed Division of Graduate Education deadlines. 

Ecology Department Application Deadlines

Domestic Degree Seeking Applications:

Fall Semester:                  July 8

Spring Semester:              November 24

Summer Semester:           March 25

International Degree & Non-degree Seeking Applications:

Fall Semester:                   May 8

Spring Semester:               November 24

Summer Semester:            January 25

To be considered for teaching assistantships for the following fall semester, all application materials must be received by March 1st. 

Most graduate students in the program are supported on Graduate Research Assistantships (GRA's) provided by their major professor from grant funds. A limited number of Graduate Teaching Assistantships (GTA's) are chosen during the semester before the next academic semester and reflect teaching needs and financial assistance needs. GTAs carry tuition fee waivers, and in 2009/10 the stipend was a total of $5134 per semester during the nine-month academic year. This includes money to be used for medical insurance which is not provided directly by the department. (For further graduate school expenses, consult the MSU fee schedules as provided in the Graduate Catalog) Graduate Research Assistantships (GRAs) are research project-specific and are awarded by individual faculty as funds are available. GRA stipends are comparable to those of GTAs but often cover the calendar year. Some fee waivers may be available with GRAs depending upon funding sources.