GRADUATE DEGREES OFFERED: Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy
APPLICATION MATERIALS: If you have not already received application materials from the Admissions Office, they may be secured by writing to:
Admissions Office - Graduate Studies
The Ohio State University
Lincoln Tower, 1800 Cannon Drive
Columbus, OH 43210
ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS: Minimum requirements include: 1) A baccalaureate or professional degree from an accredited college or university; 2) In general, a 2.7 or better cumulative point-hour ratio (based on the A = 4.0 system) for all previous academic work, including graduate work, if any; 3) Prerequisite academic work which gives evidence that the applicant should be able to pursue effectively the graduate program of this department. For Entomology, this minimum background is 40 quarter hours of biology courses, 10 quarter hours of mathematics, and 18 quarter hours of chemistry, including a course in organic, biochemistry, or physical chemistry. (Each semester hour earned equals 1.5 quarter hours); 4) The Graduate Record Examination (GRE), including Verbal, Quantitative, Analytical and the Advanced (Biology) portions; 5) Three letters of recommendation; 6) A statement of purpose for graduate work and brief autobiography that includes scholarly activities or experiences other than formal course work.
Although applications may be reviewed at any time, we encourage applicants in their senior year as undergraduates to apply in January of that year. If successful, they will be admitted provisionally until the Bachelor's degree is actually conferred. Applicants with inadequate preparation or an unacceptable cumulative point-hour ratio may occasionally be admitted as regular or conditional graduate students, at the discretion of the Department Graduate Committee and the Dean of the Graduate School. Students admitted on a conditional basis will follow a program to correct academic deficiencies before being changed to the status of a regular graduate student. Conditional students may not become Teaching Associates or Research Associates under normal circumstances. A student admitted as a conditional student must fulfill the conditions and be recommended for change from conditional to regular no later than the end of the student's third quarter in residence. A conditional student cannot become a candidate for a degree while on conditional status, but all graduate credit hours accumulated in this status may be counted toward a degree.
DEGREE REQUIREMENTS: The requirements for the Master's Degree (Plan A) are as follows: 1) completion of a minimum of 45 hours of graduate credit at this university; 2) required core courses are:
and one from this list -
3) achievement of a cumulative point-hour ratio of at least 3.0 in all courses taken for graduate credit (failure to maintain the 3.0 minimum at any time results in probation); 4) presentation of an approved thesis; 5) successful completion of a comprehensive oral examination; and 6) a departmental seminar on the topic of the student's research.
The Department also offers a Master's degree without a thesis (Plan B) to students who desire specialized graduate study in Entomology for their chosen profession. The Plan B Master's degree is not considered to be adequate preparation for a Ph. D. program, rather it is considered to be preparation for professional practice in Entomology. The reairements for the Plan B Master's degree are as follows: 1) completion of a minimum of 45 hours of graduate credit of which 35 must be graduate credit hours in Entomology with:
2) achievement of a cumulative point-hour ratio of at least 3.0 in all courses taken for graduate credit; 3) successful completion of a comprehensive Master's exam. The student must demonstrate competency in the following areas: a) general entomology (including morphology, physiology, behavior and ecology); b) classification (sight identification to family of adult arthropods and immatures of economic importance; c) their area of professional interest.
The University requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree, in part, as follows: 1) completion of 90 quarter hours of graduate work beyond the Master's degree; 2) a period of concentrated resident study beyond the Master's during three consecutive quarters; 3) successful completion of a written and oral comprehensive candidacy examination; 4) presentation of an acceptable dissertation in the immediate field of investigation.
Additional requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree as set by the Department of Entomology are as follows: 1) Teaching: for all students a minimum of one quarter of Teaching Associate experience, or equivalent, in Entomology or Introductory Biology. Teaching experience gained during work on the M.S. degree will count toward this requirement. The teaching requirement may be waived by the Department Graduate Committee if the student has previous teaching experience at another college or university; 2) Foreign Language Requirement: the advisory committee shall determine if specific training or testing in one or more foreign languages is essential to the student's program of study; 3) Required Courses:
and one from this list -
4) Seminar: A departmental seminar on the subject of the student's research, which must be presented during the quarter in which the student expects to graduate and before the two-hour final oral examination, normally immediately before the examination.
Work at OARDC Wooster and at the Franz Theodore Stone Laboratory is considered on-campus for purposes of satisfying residence requirements.
ADVISER SELECTION AND STUDENT ORIENTATION: Each entering student is encouraged to select an advisor (or sponsor) before their arrival. The advisor helps the student select an advisory committee and notifies the Department Graduate Committee of this selection. The advisory committee is composed of the advisor plus two (M. S. programs) or three (Ph. D. programs) additional faculty members and it is expected to function throughout the student's career, conducting the proficiency conference, the candidacy examination (for Ph.D. students) and the thesis or dissertation examination. At least one of the committee members in addition to the advisor must be from the department. If needed, a temporary advisor will be assigned who will help the student select a temporary advisory committee. This committee will assist the student in course selection and other matters until a permanent advisor is selected. The advisory committee will administer an oral proficiency conference during the first quarter in residence. This examination will assist the advisory committee to propose a course of study for the student. The permanent advisor should be selected no later than the end of the student's second quarter in residence, and must be a member of the graduate faculty willing to serve as the student's advisor.
An Orientation Program given each Autumn Quarter assists the new student in choosing a field of specialization within the department and in the selection of a permanent advisor. The Orientation Program is of value in giving the new student an overview of the Department, and is required of all new graduate students, even if they have already selected an advisor. This program includes a visit to The Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center at Wooster.
FACILITIES: The Columbus campus includes classrooms, well-equipped laboratories, a large collection of insects and acarines, and an apiary. There is an excellent library system at Ohio State University, with the majority of its extensive entomological holdings housed in the branch library in the classroom building. The Instructional and Research Computer Center is one of the finest in the country. Facilities at The Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, Wooster, Ohio, include classrooms, well-equipped laboratories, computers, technical library, insectary, glasshouse space, and extensive field plots. Additional plots are available at ten other Branches throughout the State. Excellent opportunities exist for interaction with related agricultural research programs. The Franz Theodore Stone Laboratory at Put-in-Bay operates as a summer biological field station of the University, and offers unusual opportunities in aquatic and field biology. Other field areas in the State are available to graduate students in Entomology.
FINANCING GRADUATE EDUCATION: Graduate students may be employed as Graduate Teaching or Research Associates at the Columbus and Wooster (OARDC) campuses. Students holding appointments in Columbus are usually appointed on a half time basis (20 hrs/week) for 9 months and those at Wooster usually are on annual appointments. In addition to the stipend provided by these appointments, tuition and fees are paid for Graduate Teaching and Research Associates, and for Fellows and Trainees. Information on Fellowships is sent to all students applying for admission to the Graduate Program.
Graduate Associates who are Ph.D. candidates and have entered the program with a M.S. degree will normally not be reappointed beyond 16 quarters, and those who are M.S. candidates will normally not be reappointed beyond 12 quarters. In exceptional cases, support beyond these limits may be obtained by petition to The Graduate Committee.
Foreign-speaking international applicants are cautioned that it is difficult for them to secure financial assistance during their first year of residence. The department does not employ them as Graduate Teaching Associates until they have demonstrated, during their first year here, an ease of communication in spoken and written English, as well as continued academic excellence. Employment applications for Graduate Teaching Associates, after their first year, will be in competition with other eligible applicants. Graduate Research Associateships may occasionally be available for foreign-speaking international students. These employment arrangements are made between the student and individual faculty member in charge of externally funded research projects.
That portion of the Department of Entomology located at The Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, Wooster, employs a variable number of students each summer on its research projects; these students are paid on an hourly basis. Programs at Wooster include all phases of agricultural entomology, economic entomology, insect-plant interactions, insect behavior, ecology, and biological control. Students are normally hired from early June to mid-September, but there is considerable flexibility available. Students interested in such employment should contact the Associate Chairman, Department of Entomology, Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, Wooster, Ohio 44691 (Phone: 330-263-3725) - preferably by March of the year to be employed.
FIELDS OF SPECIALIZATION: Our large graduate faculty offers training and experience in the following fields of specialization: Acarology, Aquatic Entomology, Apiculture, Biological Control, Chemical Ecology, Economic Entomology, Environmental Toxicology, Insect Biochemistry, Insect-plant Interactions, Insect Behavior, Insect Ecology, Insect Genetics, Insect Morphology, Insect Pest Management, Insect Physiology, Insect Tissue Culture, Insect Toxicology, Insect Virology, Insect Vectors, Medical and Veterinary Entomology, Molecular Biology, Soil Ecology, and Systematic Entomology.
GRADUATE FACULTY: The Graduate Faculty in Entomology is based on the Columbus main campus of The Ohio State University, the Wooster campus of the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC), and other locations in the case of adjunct professors. Office locations for faculty members are given in the list below. Faculty in other departments may serve as advisors, subject to the approval of the Graduate Studies Committee.