Application
Students who have completed work for a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution may apply for admission to either the M.S. or Ph.D. program.
Students must :
(1) file an application form, which U. S. citizens or U. S. Permanent Residents may do on-line at http://www.admissions.ilstu.edu/apply/, and
(2) arrange for official transcripts and scores from the General Test of the Graduate Record Examination to be sent to the Office of Admissions and Records, Hovey Hall, Illinois State University, Normal, IL 61790-2200.
International Students must also:
(1) International students may request that an application form be sent to them by post or obtain a down-loadable application form at the following URL: http://www.admissions.ilstu.edu/apply/.
(2) Arrange for their TOEFL scores to be sent to the Office of Admissions and Records
(3) International applicants will generally be considered only for fall (August) admission.
In addition to the materials requested by the Office of Admissions and Records, the School also requires that both domestic and international applicants send the following directly to the Director of Graduate Studies, at the address given below:
(1) a copy of your curriculum vitae (i.e., résumé)
(2) a statement of academic and professional goals
(3) three letters of recommendation
(4) a Graduate Teaching Assistantship (TA) application form, if you wish to apply for a TA (please note that most of our graduate students are supported by TAs).
The first, a copy of your vita, should include any information that will help the School in assessing your potential as a student in our graduate program. It should include a summary of your educational background; previous employment or positions related to science; current status; research activities, including publications; and any other relevant information, such as memberships in professional societies and any honors and awards you have received.
The second required item is a one- or two-page statement of goals. When applying for either the M.S. or Ph.D. program, please include a statement of academic and professional goals, which should identify the general area of research in which you are interested and the faculty member(s) with whom you have corresponded with regard to serving as your possible thesis or dissertation director. In addition, please describe your plans after completing graduate school.
The application for a Graduate Teaching Assistantship may be obtained by clicking on 'Application for Graduate Assistantships/Graduate Trustees' Tuition Waiver' at http://www.grad.ilstu.edu/financial
Obtaining more information . ---As you prepare your statement, please consult other parts of the School's homepage to learn more about each faculty member's research program. You can access individual faculty member's homepages by clicking here or on 'Faculty' on the School's homepage; faculty members' names are listed under their research area.
As part of the application process for the M.S. and Ph.D. program, we encourage you to contact via e-mail, telephone, or letter those faculty members who are conducting research in areas of interest to you. By doing so, you will learn more about specific lines of research being pursued in each faculty member's laboratory. We also encourage you to arrange a visit to our campus, which will allow you to meet with faculty and graduate students to learn more about research opportunities in the School.
Financial support . ---Most graduate students in the School are supported by teaching or research assistantships, which include a stipend and a tuition waiver. When you fill out the application form you may apply for a teaching assistantship. Research assistantships are arranged through the faculty member directing your thesis or dissertation.
Deadlines .---To receive full consideration for admission and financial assistance, please submit all of your required application materials to the Office of Admissions and the School of Biological Sciences by January 30th for fall (August) admission and October 1st for spring (January) admission. However, applications received after these dates will still be considered. International applicants will generally be considered only for fall admission.
If you need assistance in completing the documents, or if you have questions about the application procedure or our program, contact the School or any faculty member in the School of Biological Sciences. Thank you for your interest in our graduate programs.
Director of Graduate Studies
School of Biological Sciences
Illinois State University
Normal, IL 61790-4120
Telephone: (309) 438-3664
FAX: (309) 438-3722
For additional information,
Contact: Ms. Cheryl Hickey
Secretary to the Biology Graduate Program Director
e-mail: cawinch@mail.bio.ilstu.edu
Graduate Application Web Site: