Organismic and Evolutionary Biology

Program | Faculty | Courses

Web site: www.bio.umass.edu/oeb/

The Program in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology (OEB) trains master's and doctoral students whose research interests center on organisms and their functional biology, their ecology, or the evolution and diversification of life. OEB is structured to offer broad, flexible training. Participating faculty are members of the Departments of Anthropology, Biology, Entomology, Geosciences, Mathematics and Statistics, Microbiology, Natural Resources Conservation, Plant and Soil Sciences, Psychology, and Veterinary and Animal Sciences.

Prerequisites of the Program

Applicants must have substantial undergraduate training in the life sciences, with an undergraduate cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0. Applicants must submit Graduate Record Examination scores for both the general test and either the Biology or Geology subject test to the Graduate School. Applicants must contact potential advisers early in the application process because acceptance is contingent upon securing a prospective major adviser prior to admission. Three letters of recommendation are required. Contact the OEB Office, tel. (413) 545-0928, or e-mail: oeb@bio. umass.edu for further information about the program.

General Requirements

General requirements for the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology follow those of the Graduate School. The program requires no foreign language competency. Statistical coursework through multivariate analyses is required. Formal course requirements include graduate level courses in both ecology and evolution. The student's Guidance Committee determines additional coursework. Ph.D. students are required to teach halftime for a minimum of two semesters. Both the M.S. and the Ph.D. require acceptance of a thesis with original research. The Ph.D. also requires that students pass an oral preliminary examination by the end of the second year in residence and defend a doctoral dissertation. Contact the OEB Office for a detailed description of degree requirements.