An undergraduate background equivalent to a major in the sciences or engineering is required. The applicant should have basic competence in biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics. Students with inadequate preparation in any of these fields may be admitted on a conditional basis until such deficiencies have been rectified.

Students usually enter the program in Autumn quarter, but exceptions are possible. Applications for Autumn quarter admission must be completed by the end of the preceding winter quarter (mid-March). Most decisions on admissions are made between January and April. The deadline for application completion for University Fellowship consideration is January 15 for domestic applicants, November 28 for international applicants. Graduate Teaching Assistantships are usually allocated by late April, depending on budgetary factors. In general, TA's can't be given to first-year international students, due to language barriers.

The Graduate application process begins when an application is submitted to the Graduate Area of The Ohio State University Admissions Office. The Admissions Office, guided by policies established by the Graduate School, collects applications and supporting documents, establishes a file, and forwards copies of the application materials to the ESGP office. The Graduate Studies Committee of the ESGP evaluates applications and makes admissions decisions. If the ESGP recommends admission, the applicant's financial documents and proof of English proficiency (for foreign students only) are then reviewed. The Admissions Office then issues formal notification of the decision to the applicant. Formal admissions to the ESGP can only be made once the student has an advisor.

Application requirements:

A minimum GPA of 3.0 in undergraduate and prior graduate work is required; students with lower GPAs may be considered at the discretion of the Graduate Studies Committee and the Graduate School.

The Graduate Record Exam (GRE) is required of all applicants. The typical standard for admission is a combined score of 1200 on the verbal and quantitative sections. An advanced subject test in the student's area is recommended, but not required.

International students must demonstrate proficiency in written English by submitting a score of no less than 550 when taking the paper based test or 213 when taking the computerized test on the TOEFL or 80 on the Michigan test. International students will also be required to pass a test of spoken English to qualify for teaching assistantships. Generally speaking, the program cannot give teaching to international students their first year, due to language difficulties. It is recommended that international students investigate other means of support for their first year, and English language courses taken during that year, to allow students to possible qualify for teaching assistantship support in subsequent years.

Applicants are required to identify an Environmental Science faculty member who is willing to serve as that student's advisor before final acceptance into the program. A list of the current faculty can be found at our Faculty page. Faculty members are notified about student applicants, but it is appropriate and often necessary for applicants to contact potential advisors prior to or while being considered for admission. No student is admitted to the program without an advisor.

To facilitate placement in the program, a Statement of Purpose should be sent along with your application.

To apply to the ESGP, Contact the Admissions Office:

Admissions Office
Graduate Area
The Ohio State University
1800 Cannon Drive
Columbus Ohio 43210-1200
Phone: (614) 292-3980
Fax: (614) 292-4818

Ask for "The Graduate School Admissions Instructions" and indicate if you are a "domestic" (U.S. citizen or holder of the status of permanent resident, refugee, or political asylee) or a "foreign" student, and

Read "The Graduate School Admissions Instructions" carefully. It contains a description of each of the application materials needed by Graduate School and the ESGP.

Submit to the Admissions Office:

A completed Graduate School international or domestic Admission Application form On-line Applications, (Please note, beginning Winter Quarter 2005, applications will only be available online at http://www.gradapply.osu.edu. If you absolutely cannot use the electronic application because of lack of internet or credit card, please contact Graduate Admissions at international.grad@osu.edu or domestic.grad@osu.edu.)

A $50 application fee for foreign students or $40 application fee for domestic students

Original copies of transcripts or record of marks for each post-secondary school attended, (include English translations of each of these documents if they are in any other language),

One or more Affidavit of Support for International Graduate Students forms and all required supporting financial documents (foreign students only),

GRE or GMAT scores (required for all applicants), and

TOEFL or MELAB scores (required for foreign students only).

Submit to the ESGP:

Environmental Science Graduate Program
246 Agricultural Engineering Bldg
590 Woody Hayes Dr
Columbus, OH 43210 USA
Phone: (614) 292-9762
Fax: (614) 292-9448
E-mail: enviro@osu.edu

A Statement of Purpose and three letters of recommendation on letterhead.

Original copies of transcripts for each post-secondary school attended (include English translations of each of these documents if they are in any other language).

The Graduate Studies Committee of the ESGP will ONLY review your application when ALL necessary application materials have been received.

Contact the Admissions Office (614/292-3980) if you have any questions about the application or admission process. An admissions counselor will also be happy to check the status of your application for you.

More information about the Graduate School and graduate programs is contained in the Graduate School Bulletin.

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