Wildlife Ecology and Conservation department

Graduate Program Admission Requirements

To be eligible for applying to the WEC graduate program, prospective students must have:

A recognized baccalaureate degree from an accredited college, university, or higher education institution (see UF Graduate School admissions for details)
A minimum undergraduate (upper division, last 60 credit hours) or graduate GPA of 3.0.

Faculty advisors in WEC who wish to admit applicants with a GPA lower than the UF Graduate School’s minimum requirement of 3.0 will be required to petition the UF Graduate School.

Wildlife Ecology and Conservation (WEC) does not require applicants to have obtained specific undergraduate degrees (e.g., Biology or Wildlife) nor specific coursework to apply because our programs and faculty research span a variety of disciplines. However, STEM BS degrees generally provide the best preparation for research degrees.

The Graduate Record Exam (GRE) is not required.

The Graduate School no longer requires GRE scores, and WEC faculty have adopted a holistic review process to select their graduate students. GRE scores are not considered for admissions decisions, awards of merit, or allocations of resources to graduate students.

English Proficiency for International Students must meet minimum requirements.

For applicants from countries where English is not the ofﬁcial language, a minimum score on one of these English Language Skills tests is required:

Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), a minimum score of 550 (PBT) or 80 (iBT);
International English Language Testing System (IELTS), minimum score of 6;
Documented successful completion of the University of Florida English Language Institute program.

The University of Florida’s TOEFL code is 5812.

Exemptions to these test scores are granted if international applicants have completed one academic year in a degree-seeking program at a recognized/regionally accredited university or college in the United States or a country where English is the official language. Or if they hold an earned equivalent of associate's, bachelor's, master's, or PhD degree from a recognized/regionally accredited college or university in the United States or country where English is the official language.

Admissions Timing

MS (thesis) and PhD students can be admitted to WEC any semester. However, if the nominating faculty member is anticipating nominating you for a departmental award as part of your stipend and tuition (thesis or dissertation only), your application will need to be complete by January of the year that fall semester admittance is anticipated.

If you are just beginning to look for a graduate position, you should contact faculty well before (>9 months) the term you intend to start graduate school. It takes time to develop a rapport with the potential faculty advisor and for them to plan for supporting you if they choose.

Application deadlines:

Fall: July 15

Spring: November 15

Summer: April 1

Thesis MS and PhD students should have their advisors and funding arranged well before these deadlines. Non-thesis MS students need to have a coursework advisor before these deadlines.

WEC will keep your prospective student file active in the Department for one year from the date you pay your $30.00 application fee to the UF Admissions Office.

How the UF application process works

Graduate applications are submitted online. Please read carefully the information provided on the Admission process. Once your application is submitted, 2-3 UF units evaluate your application to the UF Graduate School: (1) the UF Office of Admission, which determines your eligibility for admission to the university and to the Graduate School, and (2) the department you select for your graduate studies program, which determines your eligibility for its graduate program and from which you have secured your graduate advisor. (3) If you are a non-US applicant, the UF International Center also evaluates your application after admission to determine your eligibility for a student visa.

Other useful information

These links will provide useful information to help you prepare for graduate school and navigate the application process smoothly:

Department Contacts: https://wec.ifas.ufl.edu/people/
Educational Testing Service (GMAT, GRE, TOEFL, TSE): https://www.ets.org/
Florida Residency Requirements: http://www.fldoe.org/schools/higher-ed/fl-college-system/academic-student-affairs/residency-for-tuition-purposes.stml
UF International Center: https://internationalcenter.ufl.edu/
UF Graduate School: http://graduateschool.ufl.edu/
UF Graduate Catalog: https://catalog.ufl.edu/graduate/
UF College of Agricultural and Life Sciences: https://cals.ufl.edu/current-students/graduate/
UF Office of Graduate Admissions: https://admissions.ufl.edu/apply/graduate/

If you have additional questions about the admission process for the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation's graduate studies program, please feel free to contact Michael Dial (michael.dial@ufl.edu).