Department of Botany and Plant Pathology

We recommend that prospective graduate students study the list of faculty and their interests, then initiate a dialog with one or more faculty on the possibility of working with them. Finding matches with potential major professors is an important step in the admissions process.

Applications for admission are available by writing to the Office of Admissions or on-line.

You must submit the following application materials at one time to the Graduate School. To assure prompt processing of your application, please follow these instructions carefully.

Collect and mail all of the following materials in one packet to:

Graduate School
Oregon State University
300 Kerr Administration Building
Corvallis, Oregon 97331-2106

1. Original and two copies of the application form. (MAIS applicants must submit an original and five copies of the application form. If applying online the electronic application process will create the necessary duplicate copies.)

2. $60 check or money order in U.S. dollars payable to Oregon State University for the non-refundable application fee. Applying online requires payment by credit card.

3. One official transcript (grade slips and web printable transcripts or reports will not be accepted for use in evaluation) from all previous academic work, undergraduate and graduate. (MAIS applicants must submit five photocopies of all transcripts.) Transcripts showing the last 90 quarter (60 semester) credit hours of graded work of the first baccalaureate degree must be included. All graduate and post baccalaureate transcripts must be included. International applicants must provide a certified English translation of their academic transcripts, as well as in the original language. To be official, transcripts must be issued directly by the school and arrive in our office in an unopened envelope.
   
   
4. Three letters of professional reference addressed to the proposed major department/program. If the applicant has a master's degree a letter from their major professor should be included.  (MAIS applicants must submit three copies of each of their three letters). No special form is required.
   
   
5. BPP also requires a copy of the General Test GRE scores (caution: scores are only valid for 5 years). 
   
   
6. International applicants must provide one (four for MAIS applicants) copy of their TOEFL score. 
   
   
7. International applicants need to send the financial certificate and bank statements.

Applications should be sent by January 1.  Most decisions concerning financial aid are made at this time. However, applications will be received and considered after this date. In the evaluation of applications, major consideration is given to the applicant's undergraduate record, statement of professional objectives, and letters of recommendation. Scores on the General Test of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) are required. A Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score of 550 is required of all applicants whose primary language is not English. (University code is 4586; Department code is 0205)

Prerequisites for admission to the graduate program are a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university, a scholastic average GPA of at least 3.0 (4.0=A), and other background indicating ability to do graduate work.

The Department expects incoming graduate students to have taken courses in biology or botany (3 quarters), physics, higher mathematics (two quarters of calculus, linear algebra, or statistics), chemistry (6 quarters to include general, organic, and biochemistry), and genetics (1 quarter) (click here for more information on this policy).   

Our Graduate Student Handbook is a good resource for information on all aspects of graduate education in the Department of Botany and Plant Pathology.