Advisor
Applicants must have an advisor prior to be admitted into the ESGP. The advisor must be an ESGP faculty member. The faculty member must contact the ESGP office and confirm that they have accepted the applicant as an advisee. Applicants will want to inquire if the faculty member has funding for a Graduate Research Associate (GRA) position.
Non-ESGP Advisor or Committee Member
A student can have a non-ESGP faculty member on his or her Advisory Committee but cannot have a non-ESGP faculty as an advisor. However, if the student really wants a person who is not currently an ESGP faculty member to be the advisor, that faculty member could send a request to our Graduate Studies Committee to join the ESGP faculty.
Application Deadlines and University Fellowships
To be nominated for a University Fellowship you must have a complete application uploaded into the Admissions system by the November 30 for international applicants and December 15 for domestic applicants. Your application will not be presented to the Graduate Studies Committee until it is complete. If you qualify, you will be nominated for a fellowship and your file will be sent to the Graduate School for evaluation by the Fellowship Committee. If you are awarded a University Fellowship, you will be notified by the Graduate School.
Graduate Teaching Associate (GTA) Positions/Financial Support
The Environmental Science Graduate Program (ESGP) has agreements with four different colleges to provide a specified number of teaching assistants in the fields of biology, natural resources, chemistry, and engineering. We review all applications and assign some of our stronger students to the TA positions on a competitive basis. If you are one of the students chosen for these teaching assistant positions, all arrangements will be made for you through the ESGP office. If you are admitted to the ESGP but do not receive an appointment as a teaching assistant, you are, of course, free to try to find employment on your own. The first place to contact would be the department of your ESGP advisor. We can help you identify those departments that would be the most likely match with your background and perhaps give you the name of a person to contact in that department. However, we will not know which students have been selected for teaching assistant positions until March or April.
Test of Spoken English
Before an international student can be offered a TA position, they must pass the Test of Spoken English. This test is offered both at OSU and internationally by ETS. Information about this test can be found at the Ohio State University ESL website.
For more information, you can contact the staff at the Spoken English Program at OSU at (614) 292-5005.
GRE Scores
Our graduate studies committee looks for a minimum GRE of around 311 on the GRE general test. However, all materials in your application will be evaluated by the Graduate Studies Committee (GSC), and a decision will be made based on the total package which you submit.
Do you accept students each term?
Generally, students are only accepted for Autumn Semester. Our orientation is held in autumn, and the ESGP financial support is only available in Autumn, and usually the support is for the entire school year.
Housing Options
You may apply for university housing by checking the appropriate box on the front of your application form. Ohio State has a Housing Office that handles applications for housing, and the information you need to apply will be sent to you by their office if you check the box. For students who would like to live off campus, we have an Off-Campus Student Office. There are all types and prices of apartments available in Columbus, and generally the cost of an apartment is less than in other cities of the same size. Many of our students are able to afford an apartment without having a room mate to share expenses.
Cost of Living
The cost of living in the Columbus area is lower than many comparably sized cities. You can compare cost of living at money.com's web site.
Difference between Environmental Science & Environmental Engineering
The Environmental Engineering program is within the Department of Civil. Environmental and Geodetic Engineering. Students in that program are expected to have a background in engineering and be strong in math. They take primarily engineering courses for their graduate program. Environmental Science is an interdisciplinary graduate program. Students in that program are expected to have taken at least one course in calculus, physics, biology, and chemistry. In their graduate program, they take core courses from each of the following 3 areas: (1) engineering and physical science, (2) biological sciences, (3) social science and policy. Then, the student and his or her advisor design a program that supports the student's research interests; the graduate courses may be taken from any of about 25 different departments at Ohio State.
Faculty from 25 different departments belongs to the Environmental Science Graduate faculty also. Most members of the Environmental Engineering faculty are also on the Environmental Science Graduate faculty.
How long does it take to complete my degree?
MS degrees usually take 2-3 years, whereas PhDs typically take 4-6 years. See the timeline below for the major requirements of an MS and PhD program.
