Graduate Admissions - Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences

Program Advising Contacts

Amanda Ray
Academic Advisor for Graduate Programs
979.862.6470 | amanda.ray@tamu.edu

Dr. Georgianne Moore
Associate Department Head for Graduate Programs
979.845.3765 | gwmoore@tamu.edu

Application Deadlines

International: February 1 for Fall, August 15 for Spring
Domestic: June 1 for Fall, September 15 for Spring

The most important step in the admissions process for any WFSC degree program is to identify a faculty member who is willing to serve as a faculty advisor/committee chair. A faculty member must agree to serve as a faculty advisor/committee chair before a student may be accepted. If the applicant cannot secure a faculty advisor, the application will be rejected, regardless of qualifications, unless the applicant requests to defer the application to the following semester/year.

It is the applicant’s responsibility to find a faculty advisor. A student’s choice of advisor is made largely on the basis of mutual professional interests developed through contacts and informal discussions. It is, therefore, best if the prospective student makes contact with potential faculty advisors before applying to the program. When first contacting a potential advisor please include, in email, a copy of your CV, transcripts and GRE scores.

The admissions process is ongoing. Applicants will be informed as soon as a decision is made by their faculty advisor to process their admission. Once admission is processed, the applicant will be contacted by the department for official admission. The earlier an application is received and a faculty member agrees to work with an applicant, the sooner an admissions decision will be made.

International students should apply early and contact faculty members about admissions as soon as they are interested in the program.

Cost of Tuition and Fees

A tuition estimator is available on the Student Business Services, this is only an estimate; your actual amount may vary.

Application Process

Apply Texas Application
• Online application
• Non-thesis: Select either Wildlife Science, Master of Wildlife Science or Natural Resource Development, Master of Natural Resource Dev
• Distance education: (for non-thesis only) Select yes on question 8 of in Custom Questions for the Institution
• Application fee: Pay by credit card in Apply Texas or mail check or money order to the TAMU Office of Admissions address provided

Applicant Information System (AIS)
After Texas A&M receives your application you will be sent an application acknowledgment letter with your Universal Identification Number (UIN) and instructions on activating your Net ID to gain access to AIS, where you will be required to upload:
• Test scores (institution code 6003)
• Official transcripts from any college/university previously attended (excluding community colleges)
• Resume/CV
• Request 3 letters of recommendation through the electronic Letter of Recommendation (eLOR) system (preferable from professors)
• Departmental datasheet

Requirements

MWS, MNRD & M.S. Requirements: The general qualifications for admission to the Master degree programs are at least a 3.0 GPA and competitive GRE scores (approximately 297). International students must have achieved a TOEFL of at least 550 (paper-based), TOFLC of at least 213 (computer-based), or TOFI of at least 80 (internet-based), and no more than two years old. Three letters of recommendation are required.

Ph.D. Requirements: Applicants for the doctoral program must have a degree with at least a 3.0 GPA and competitive GRE scores (approximately 297). International students must have achieved a TOEFL of at least 550 (paper-based), TOFLC of at least 213 (computer-based), or TOFI of at least 80 (internet-based), and no more than two years old. Three letters of recommendation are required.

Changing from a Master’s to Ph.D.: Successful completion of an M.S., MWS, or MNRD program in WFSC does not imply automatic admission to a doctoral program. After completing 30 hours, a student wishing to continue should notify the advisor and have an evaluation.

Financial Support

Financial support in the form of an assistantship or fellowship is sometimes needed to provide financial security and the resources necessary to successfully complete a graduate program. For these reasons, the department encourages faculty advisors to accept only those students for whom there is sufficient financial support available to guarantee the student will have a quality graduate experience.

Fellowships
Students interested in fellowship programs must apply no later than December 1. A completed application must be on file for faculty to prepare and submit fellowship nominations. Fellowship recipients have until April 15 to make a decision on accepting any fellowship offers unless otherwise noted.

Tuition Waivers

All students are required to pay tuition to Texas A&M during their tenure as a graduate student. This tuition will either be at a resident rate or a much higher non-resident rate, depending on the student’s classification. Texas residents pay the resident rate, while students who are not state residents may be eligible for an out-of-state tuition waiver (i.e., they pay the resident rate) if the minimum requirements are met. Applicants should understand their status relative to tuition classification before agreeing to any funding (or lack of funding). Out-of-state tuition is expensive and can burden an unsupported student, which is one of the reasons the department discourages unsupported admission to the graduate program.

Departmental Assistantships

A limited number of students are selected by the department each semester for the few state-funded assistantships. Selections for these assistantships are primarily based on fulfilling teaching responsibilities of the department, and not based strictly on graduate students’ financial needs. Teaching assistants (GATs) normally are selected by the professor teaching the course in question. All students who will serve as GATs must fulfill all requirements of the TAMU Teaching Assistant Training and Evaluation Program (TATEP). Additionally, foreign students must score at least an 80 on the English Language Proficiency Exam (ELPE) before they can be considered for a GAT position. A few non-teaching graduate assistantships (GANTs) and research assistantships (GARs) also are assigned to support departmental needs. Departmental assistantships can typically support only a small fraction (<10%) of departmental students, so these assistantships should not be viewed as a likely source of funding for most students’ programs.

Teaching Assistantships

Graduate Assistants – Teaching (GATs) are chosen by the faculty member teaching the course each semester. If you are interested in being a position please contact the faculty member teaching the course and fill out the TA application.

Research Assistantships

The vast majority of departmental students are supported by Graduate Assistants – Research (GARs) provided by a research grant and contract funds secured by the student’s advisor. Individual faculty members are in complete control of their grant and contract funds, and make all decisions as to who is employed with these funds. Incoming students should understand this type of funding is likely to be the only type available to support their program, so the student should get a clear statement of funding intentions from their advisor(s) before they enter the graduate program.

Health Insurance

State-mandated health insurance is provided for state-supported graduate students (and their families) who meet certain qualifications. The student must be employed as a GAT, GANT, or GAR for at least 4.5 months of the fiscal year and at 50% full-time equivalent (FTE) to qualify. In general, fellowship recipients do not qualify for this coverage, although other types of limited coverage may be available. Students should be familiar with their insurance status before agreeing to any type of financial support.

International Students

Admitted students who are not on Texas A&M funding or who have not submitted official letters of scholarship from an agency in good standing with Texas A&M University are asked to submit an advance deposit of $2,000 (U.S.) or $1,000 if the student is transferring from a college or university in the U.S. The estimated cost for international students (tuition, fees, books, supplies, transportation, room and board, and living expenses) for the nine-month academic year is approximately $14,574 (U.S.). There is no guarantee students who are self-supported will receive a TAMU or extramural assistantship, regardless of academic success.

Retention

All graduate students must maintain a 3.0 GPA. If a student falls below a 3.0, the student will have one probationary semester to achieve a 3.0 or risk dismissal from the graduate program the following semester.

English Language Proficiency

All international graduate students whose native language is not English must meet minimum English proficiency standards. To achieve admission, international graduate students must attain English proficiency verification. To become eligible to teach in a Graduate Assistant-Teaching position, the State of Texas Education Code (Section 51-917) requires that international graduate students attain English proficiency certification. Citizens of certain English speaking countries are exempt from the verification requirement.

English Proficiency Verification can be attained using the following:
• a TOEFL score of at least 80 on TOEFL iBT (550 paper-based), or
• an IELTS score of at least 6.0, or
• a GRE Verbal Reasoning score of at least 146 (400 on the old scale), or
• a GMAT Verbal score of at least 22, or
• a PTE Academic score of at least 53, or

Acquiring alternative verification during the admission process from the Office of Graduate and Professional Studies via a departmental request. An international graduate student holding a master’s degree, or completing all years of a bachelor’s degree or higher, from an accredited institution located in the U.S. qualifies for alternative verification. Scores from TOEFL, IELTS and PTE examinations administered more than two years before submission of the admissions application are not eligible for use in attaining English proficiency verification.

Certification for International Graduate Students Serving in Teaching Positions
To become eligible to hold a teaching position at Texas A&M University, international graduate students must attain English proficiency certification either before or after enrollment.

Eligibility levels for international graduate students serving in teaching positions
• Level 1: Students eligible for teaching assignments
• Level 2: Students conditionally eligible for teaching assignments for one semester only, but must simultaneously participate in Center for Teaching Excellence English Language Proficiency (CTE-ELP) instruction and achieve a certifying score on the oral section of the ELPE by the end of the semester.
• Level 3: Students not eligible for teaching assignments. Students should participate in spoken language training (such as those offered by CTE-ELP or other independent English language instruction providers) to assist them in meeting English language proficiency requirements.

	Global Standardized Tests			Locally Administered (on Texas A&M campus) Exam
Level #	TOEFL speaking section	IELTS speaking section	PTE speaking section	ELPE oral exam
1	26-30	>=8.0	>=85	>=80
2	23-25	7.0-7.5	75-84	>=75
3	<23	<7.0	<75	<75

Useful Links

Office of Graduate and Professional Studies
International Student Services