Doctor of Philosophy in Ecology

PhD-Ecology students are trained to become independent scholars with the skills and depth of disciplinary understanding to lead their own research programs. The major emphasis is on dissertation research, with foundation knowledge provided by coursework in ecology and related disciplines. There are three core courses required for the PhD-Ecology program: ECOL 8000 (Topics in Modern Ecology), ECOL 8310 (Population Ecology), and ECOL 8322 (Ecosystem Concepts). Students may also take additional course work in organismal and community ecology. The program is deliberately designed to be flexible to complement the student's background and emphasize their career objectives in ecology. Major emphasis is on course work related to dissertation research, but students are expected to develop a broad background in ecology and allied disciplines, such as evolutionary biology. A wide array of relevant courses is offered by the Odum School and other departments (especially plant biology, entomology, forest resources, genetics, geology, microbiology, and statistics).

Two official transcripts from each institution of higher education attended are required. The documents must have official seals of certification of the appropriate school official or office (photocopies are not acceptable). If the original language of the record is not English, a certified translation in English must be attached to the original.

For International Applicants from countries whose primary language is not English, a copy of TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) OR IELTS (International English Language Testing System) test scores are also required. Test scores must be submitted directly from the testing agency. TOEFL scores can be submitted directly from ETS by using the institutional code of 5813, no departmental code is required. UGA requires at least a 550 on the paper test or 80 on the IBT (Internet-based TOEFL test) with a min. of 20 on the speaking & writing or 6.5 on the IELTS (w/no less than 6.0 on any subscore).

Please upload your CV (as a PDF) when prompted by the online application. Your CV should include, for example, your educational background, research experiences, posters and talks presented at scientific conferences, publications in scientific journals, and manuscripts that are in preparation or in review.

Please disregard the guidance provided on the online application regarding the Statement of Purpose those instructions emphasize your past experiences, but those will be presented in your CV. Instead, we are more interested in having you articulate your future. The Statement of Purpose (one page, single-spaced) carries great weight in the admissions decisions and should identify your educational, research and career objectives, specify your general area(s) of interest, articulate the fundamental concepts that underlie those interests, and outline potential research problems and approaches. Your statement should be well-organized and concise, and demonstrate your knowledge of, and ability to articulate, important problems in your discipline. Portions of this statement should read like a succinct research proposal. Please list 1-3 potential major professors at the end of your Statement of Purpose.

Three letters of recommendation must be submitted using the online system as part of your application. You must provide a valid e-mail address for each recommender.

We do have not specific course requirements for admission to any of our graduate programs. We do however expect an applicant to be prepared for advanced study in ecology. This can be conveyed in multiple ways: e.g., coursework in ecology and allied disciplines, work experience, and past or ongoing ecological research experiences (e.g., via a published research paper(s), presentation(s) at a conference, a senior thesis, or participation in an REU program). Your application (via your CV and Statement of Purpose) should clearly convey your preparedness for graduate study and research. The Graduate School requires that you hold a bachelor's degree (UGA Double Dawgs are an exception ), or foreign equivalent, from an accredited institution with a GPA of at least 3.0 (although this can be waived under exceptional situations with justification) at the time you matriculate into our program.