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Application for Biology Graduate Programs associated with the Whitney R. Harris World Ecology Center

Prospective applicants are encouraged to contact a biology professor before submitting an application. Applicants for Christensen Fund Graduate Fellowships in Plant Conservation will need to secure admission to the Graduate Program of the Department of Biology. The deadline for applications to the graduate program is January 15th for admission in August of the following year.

Applications from International students must be reviewed by the International Student Office before they are reviewed by the Department of Biology. To facilitate the review process, we strongly recommend that applicants send a copy of all application materials to both the International Student Office and to the Department of Biology.

Files will not be released by the International Student Office until the application fee has been paid.

Applicants must submit:

  • completed application and personal data forms
  • three letters of recommendation from faculty members at previously attended colleges or universities, or other people qualified to assess the applicants' capabilities for graduate study
  • transcripts of all post-secondary academic work

Students applying for financial support from the Biology Department must also:

  • complete the TA/RA/Fellowship Application form
  • submit a 1-3 page letter describing their goals for graduate study
  • students wishing to be considered for a Christensen Fund Graduate Fellowship in Plant Conservation or the Whitney R. Harris and Saint Louis Zoo Fellowship in Animal Conservation must also provide a one-two page statement describing how their experience and ambitions match with the aims of this special fellowship program

Although the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is not required for admission, GRE scores (Verbal, Quantitative, and Analytical) are strongly recommended for both the Ph.D. and M.S. programs.

Admission normally requires a minimum grade point average of 3.0 in biology and 3.0 (Ph.D.) or 2.75 (M.S.) overall, as well as an appropriate background for graduate work in biology, including courses in genetics, biochemistry, and evolution. Courses in organic chemistry, college physics, and calculus are expected, and statistics is recommended.

International students whose native language is not English and who have spent less than two of the last three years in an English-speaking country are required to submit:

  • scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) examination or the verbal portion of the GMAT before a decision is made on admission. A student with a total TOEFL score below 500 or a verbal GMAT score below the 30th percentile will not be admitted to the Graduate School. The student must retake the TOEFL examination and score 500 or above to gain admission to the Graduate School.

Review of applications for admission to the graduate program in biology will begin on January 15, for admission in August of the following year. Applications received after January 15 will be considered for the following year.

Please send copies of your full application to: 

Director of Graduate StudiesDepartment of Biology
University of Missouri-St. Louis
1 University Boulevard
St. Louis, Missouri 63121-4499
USA

AND

For International Students:

International Student Admissions
International Student Services
304 Social Sciences Building
1 University Boulevard
University of Missouri-St. Louis
St. Louis, MO 63121USA

For US Citizens:

Graduate Admissions
University of Missouri-St. Louis
1 University Boulevard
St. Louis, MO 63121