Graduate Admissions - Department of Ecology and Conservation Biology

Application Process

The first step in applying is to contact graduate program advisor, Amanda Ray, at amanda.ray@tamu.edu. In your email to her, please include the degree you are seeking, your resume/CV, and your research interests. You can also include any faculty members you have reached out to as potential program advisors. Click on each requirement below to find out more information.

Application Deadlines

International: February 1 for Fall, August 1 for Spring
Domestic: February 1 for Summer, May 1 for Fall, September 1 for Spring
For Future Fellowship Candidates: December 1 (fellowship nomination deadline in mid-January)

*Note that ALL application materials must be submitted by the deadline in order for your application to be reviewed for admission in the upcoming semester.

*Note GRE scores are not required for admission into ECCB.

Application Information

Find a Faculty Advisor

Find an ECCB faculty member who is willing to serve as your major professor (i.e., faculty advisor or “chair”). Check several professors’ research interests and read a couple of their papers. Then contact them with your information—research/professional interests, educational and work or research experience, goals CV, plus your GPA, and unofficial transcripts, if you have these already.

Your admission application will not be reviewed until a faculty member has agreed to serve as your advisor, and if you are applying for the M.S. thesis or Ph.D. programs, until you and your future advisor have some arrangements or plans for funding your graduate studies and research.
Review the list of our faculty and their research areas

Fill out the Texas A&M Application

Apply for admission using the Texas A&M University Graduate CAS Centralized Application Service (CAStm).

Applicants are limited to one application per entry term. For information regarding specific programs and scholarships, visit http://ogaps.tamu.edu/Prospective-Students.

U.S. applicants: For details on these steps, see the Office of Admissions application process.
International applicants: For details on these steps, see the Office of Admissions international application process.

For more information on Graduate Studies at Texas A&M, click here.

Statement of Purpose and Curriculum Vitae

Applicants are required to submit a Statement of Purpose and a Curriculum Vitae (CV) through GradCAS. Please click here to view our guidelines on writing your statement of purpose.

Letters of Recommendation

Three (3) letters of recommendation must be submitted in Grad CAS. These should preferably be from professors or those who are familiar with your academic background and potential.

Official Transcripts

Official transcripts are required from each senior-level, post-secondary institution attended. Electronic versions of your transcript sent from your previous institution(s) are preferred.
If the institution cannot use this format and you have attended an American or Canadian college or university, one official transcript is required. Please ask each registrar to enclose one copy of your transcript in a sealed, signed envelope addressed to you. Place the signed, sealed envelope with the seal unbroken and the registrar’s signature intact inside a second envelope and send it to the following address:

(U.S. Postal Service)
Graduate Admissions Processing
Office of Admissions
Texas A&M University
P.O. Box 40001
College Station, TX 77842-4001
admissions@tamu.edu

If the transcripts or mark-sheets are from a university outside the United States, they are to be signed by the registrar, controller of examinations, or president of the university issuing the document. Official records are to be in the language of instruction, accompanied by official translations in English, if necessary. Translations sent directly from the institution attended or from a recognized translator are considered official.
International applicants: Submit official diplomas, with official translations, if those are not part of your transcript.

Admissions Requirements

A minimum 3.0 GPA.

TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) score of at least 550 (paper-based test) or 80 (internet-based test). (Required only for international students; see “Required Documents” on the international graduate how to apply page for details.)

Admission decisions may also be influenced by consideration of research experiences (for M.S. and Ph.D. applicants) or professional training (for MNRD applicants) and achievements beyond undergraduate study that demonstrate potential for success in a graduate program.

Admissions Decisions

You will learn whether you have been admitted via letters to you from the Texas A&M University Office of Admissions and the Department of Ecology and Conservation Biology.

Tuition and Fees

To learn more about the cost of study at Texas A&M, explore the Student Business Services website.

Financial Support

Check out the ECCB Financial Support page for more information on graduate student funding.

Writing an Effective Statement of Purpose

The statement of purpose is a critical component of your graduate school application used to evaluate your potential to succeed in graduate school. Generally, it should include the following three components.

1: Describe your interests and motivations

Be brief! This section gives you an opportunity to articulate the reasons why this program fits your interests and goals.

2: Summarize previous academic milestones

a) Describe any relevant research-related activities or other projects you have worked on that demonstrates your skills and preparedness for graduate school. Please include any details, such as project title, program, leaders, partners, etc. to help the readers evaluate the impact of your participation and specify your role in those activities.

b) If you have produced any scholarly products in the course of your academic work, such as journal articles, research reports, or theses, these should be highlighted as evidence of scholarly work.

c) Describe any relevant work experience, especially if similar to what you wish to study in graduate school. You can also indicate how your previous experiences helped you focus your graduate studies.

3: Elaborate on your academic interests

a) In as specific of terms as possible, describe what you would like to study in graduate school. This conveys your understanding of current research themes in your discipline. This can be done in many ways to showcase your knowledge of critical problems or significant questions that are relevant to ecology and conservation biology.

b) If you have already identified a professor to serve as your primary advisor (or co-advisors), please mention them explicitly. Any information about particular projects that you will be part of in the course of your studies and associated faculty mentors will inform the readers of your intended scope of work.

For your consideration…

Professors are the people who read these statements. Your writing style should be for a professional audience that is well-versed in the technical terminology appropriate to faculty across all programs in ecology and conservation biology. Demonstrate, through direct evidence, your potential for success as a graduate student.

ECCB is committed to enhancing diversity within our programs and the broader profession. We encourage applications from individuals who identify with historically under-represented groups in academia; students who have experienced, and worked to overcome, educational or economic disadvantage and/or have personal or family circumstances that may complicate their continued progress in research careers; and first-generation college students. If there is something important that happened to you that affected you academically, state it. Write it affirmatively, showing your perseverance despite obstacles.

Organize your statement well, but be precise, ideally within 1-2 single-spaced pages. End your statement in a positive manner, indicating your excitement and readiness for the challenges ahead of you.

Contact Us

Faegen Lee
Academic Advisor II
(979) 862-4215

fdlee@tamu.edu
WFES 116
Ann Pool
Senior Academic Advisor
979-845-0122

annpool@tamu.edu
WFES 122
Amanda Ray
Graduate Advisor - Advisor IV
(979) 862-6470

amanda.ray@tamu.edu
WFES 120

Application Process

Application Deadlines

Application Information

Writing an Effective Statement of Purpose

Contact Us

Faegen Lee

Ann Pool

Amanda Ray