I’m so glad that you asked. The graduate school admissions process differs greatly from the undergraduate admissions process, so no worries if it is confusing to you right now. I’m hoping that this page will demystify the process and terminology. I presented much of this information in special session for UVM undergraduates. That presentation can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jul1MOc2HOU.

First, what IS graduate school? Well, in the ecological sciences, it’s an umbrella term that captures a variety of program types that lead post-undergraduate degrees. Typically, those programs lead to either Master of Science (MS) or Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees.

MS versus Ph.D. programs. MS and Ph.D. programs differ in a couple of important ways. First, a Ph.D. program is (typically) longer (4-6 years) than a MS program (2-3 years). Second, the Ph.D. often comes with more creative license and responsibility than the MS. In my research group, this means that Ph.D. students are expected to develop some of their own research questions and studies and handle some administrative work (e.g., hiring assistants, submitting IACUC protocols), while MS students may already have core research topics outlined for them and will have more support in learning the ropes of developing a research project. Some Ph.D. programs or research groups suggest (or even require) that Ph.D. applicants already have a MS degree.

Types of programs. First, what type of graduate program are you interested in? There are several different types of graduate programs. They operate differently, and this is one source of confusion. I’ll summarize three general types below that we often see in the ecological sciences, but even more program types might exist.

1. Course- or project-based degrees (typically MS only): Course- or project-based graduate degrees allow students to develop new skills in areas of interest. These programs, as the name implies, typically focus on coursework and do not have a research component or thesis/dissertation. One example is the GIS Master’s degree offered by Penn State, where students can take online courses to expand their GIS skills: https://www.worldcampus.psu.edu/degrees-and-certificates/geographic-information-systems-gis-masters/overview. Another example is Colorado State University’s Plan C MS degree, which consists mainly of online coursework and targets natural resources professionals who are looking to expand their training and to bring new skills back to the workplace. https://catalog.colostate.edu/general-catalog/colleges/natural-resources/fish-wildlife-conservation-biology/plan-c-mfwcb/.
2. Professional science degrees (typically MS only): Professional science programs (“PSMs”) often combine coursework and workplace-specific skills to train students for non-research professions. These programs do not typically have a research component or thesis/dissertation. For example, Colorado State University’s PSM in Zoo, Aquarium, and Animal Shelter Management gives students the skills and hands-on experience they would need to excel in various animal care industries: https://www.biology.colostate.edu/psm-in-zoo-aquarium-and-animal-shelter-management/. The University of Wisconsin – Stout has a PSM in Conservation Biology https://www.uwstout.edu/programs/psm-conservation-biology.
3. Research-based graduate programs (both MS and Ph.D.): Research-based graduate programs are perhaps the most common type of graduate program in the ecological sciences. In this type of program, students conduct research, write a thesis (for MS) or dissertation (for Ph.D.), and complete coursework requirements. The program that I am a part of at the University of Vermont’s Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources is one such program: https://www.uvm.edu/rsenr/graduate_programs.

So you’re interested in pursuing a research-based graduate degree? If so, read on.

The rest of this article focuses on details about research-based graduate programs because that is the type of program that I am affiliated with at UVM. We’ll cover a few points that folks commonly as questions about:

• How does funding work?
• What is a TA versus an RA?
• How do I find positions?
• How do I apply?
• Should I reach out to faculty I’m interested in working with? How?
• What advice do you have?

How does funding work? Did you know that most research-based degrees in ecology are funded, meaning that you may be paid a basic living stipend and/or tuition and/or health insurance? When I was an undergraduate student, I didn’t know this! The fact that many graduate programs are funded made graduate school possible for me.

In many research-based programs, students are funded by extramural grant funds. Here’s what that means. PIs (Principal Investigators, or faculty researchers) write research proposals that describe new research that they’d like to conduct. In that proposal, the PI will include a budget. In the budget, we include everything we think we’d need to complete the proposed work successfully: supplies and equipment, but also personnel. We can include graduate student stipend, health insurance, and tuition for graduate students as part of this budget, as well as travel for the student to complete field work or attend scientific conferences. If the proposal is selected for funding (often only a 10-25% chance), the PI can then advertise a funded position to bring on a graduate student to conduct the research.

The great news about this model is that many graduate students on funded projects do not need to take out loans during their graduate degrees. The unfortunate news is that with this funding model, it is essentially impossible for many PIs (myself included) to accept a graduate student without having a grant recently awarded. At the University of Vermont, MS students make about ~$32,000 per year. To bring on a MS student for two years, that means I need to have received a grant for at least $94,000 (beyond the stipend, we also must cover 36 credits of tuition and the student’s health insurance). Wow, expensive, right? To make matters more complicated, most universities collect a percentage (called the “indirect”, “overhead”, or “F&A rate”) of each grant awarded to put towards the immense costs of keeping the university running (e.g., operating and maintaining buildings and grounds, supporting administrative services, etc.). At UVM, the indirect rate varies from 15-56%, meaning that instead of $83,000 to support a MS student for two years, I really need somewhere between $100,000 and $130,000 to be able to advertise a MS position (and more like $180-250K for a 4-year Ph.D. position). For this reason, I cannot accept students unless I have recently received a grant or the student has received a grant themselves (e.g., NSF GRFP).

What is a TA versus an RA?

A teaching assistantship (TA) and a research assistantship (RA) are two different ways of funding a graduate student. They are sometimes combined. When teaching, part or all of the graduate stipend and tuition costs are covered by the university in exchange for your teaching services. This can save grant funds and can allow a PI to create a full funding package for a student when grant funds aren't available to cover an entire graduate degree. TAing can also offer valuable experience to students who have an interest in learning more about teaching. Teaching, however, does take time (between 10-20 hours weekly at UVM, depending on your appointment) and can therefore reduce the total amount of time that you have to work on your research project. I strive to have MS students teach in no more than 1 semester and Ph.D. students teach in no more than two semesters for this reason. Be a bit cautious of projects funded solely on TAships - they often do not come with funding for summer months and can also mean that you need to add a semester or year to your graduation timeline. I suggest asking lots of questions to the PI and to other graduate students if considering a heavy teaching load during graduate school.

I'll be adding more to this section - please check back soon!