Doctor of Philosophy in Integrated Plant and Soil Sciences

The interdepartmental graduate program in Integrated Plant and Soil Sciences offers graduate work leading to the Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees with specialization in Crop Science, Horticultural Science, Forest Science, Plant Biology, and Soil Science. Our faculty belong to the Departments of Forestry, Horticulture, and Plant and Soil Sciences in the College of Agriculture, Food, and Environment. IPSS builds strength in the current graduate M.S. and Ph.D. research areas of Crop Science, Horticulture, Forest Science, Plant Biology, and Soil Science. The integrated program provides a unique opportunity to cultivate and exploit the benefits of an interdisciplinary approach to graduate education and research.The IPSS program provides a dynamic environment that can evolve interdisciplinary credentials, programs, and projects tailored to suit the needs of current and future graduate students in the plant and soil science disciplines, and develop options responsive to developing scientific trends in agricultural science.

CV
The CV should contain: name, address, including email address, schools attended and majors with graduation dates, work experience, research experience, teaching experience, publications and presentations, relevant special training. Limit to 2-pages and omit heading for which there are no entries.
Personal Statement
The personal statement should briefly explain your background, why you want to pursue a doctoral degree, what your research interests are, and what you propose to do in your career in the short (<5 years) and long term.
All applicants are automatically considered for competitive departmental assistantships.
Three letters of recommendation
Three letters of recommendation are required from faculty members or job supervisors familiar with the applicant's teaching, learning, and research abilities. In place of the items on the common form, recommenders can attach a letter and rate the scholarly ability of the applicant in comparison with students in the same field who have approximately the same amount of experience and education: Outstanding (upper 5%), Very Good (upper 10%), Good (upper 25%), Average (upper 50%), or Below Average. Further, please provide your recommendation for admissions to our program: Strongly recommend, Recommend, Recommend with reservations, or No recommendation. Finally, please provide your estimate of the applicant's promise as a graduate student. Give views on such matters as previous accomplishments and training, intellectual independence, capacity for analytical thinking, ability to organize and express ideas clearly, drive and motivation, ability to work with others, and any other information you feel may assist us in evaluating the applicant's potential for graduate work.
The program prefers upload of the letter. The GRE is not required for admission to this program. For the Graduate School, the minimum acceptable TOEFL score is 550 (paper-based) 213 (computer-based), or 79 (internet-based). The minimum IELTS score is 6.5

An overall grade point average of 2.75 on undergraduate work and 3.00 on all graduate work is required by the Graduate School.