• Application Review
• Notice of Acceptance
• Choosing an Advisor
• Selecting a Minor
• Assistantships
  

 
Application Review

Completed graduate student applications are reviewed by the Department of Entomology's Graduate Recruitment Committee (composed of 5 faculty members). This review process normally requires 2 weeks. Each committee member acts separately on the documentation, and the action is summarized and forwarded to the department head for his consideration.

The Entomology Department will let students know unofficial recommendations for acceptance or denial as soon as the department review is complete. Department recommendations for either acceptance or denial are then sent to the Graduate School for the final official decision. You can check the status of your application to the Graduate School by CLICKING HERE.

Timeline for application review

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Notice of Acceptance

After review of the application by the Graduate Student Affairs Committee, the department head will notify the applicant of approval or denial. The name, interests, and qualifications of approved applicants will be circulated among all department faculty members to provide an opportunity for an advisor to be matched with a prospective student (if this has not already happened).

Due to limitations in space and funds, students will be accepted into the graduate program only after a major advisor and appropriate financial support is identified. Applicants are given 45 days after approval to make these arrangements.

If no faculty member can be identified to assume such responsibility, acceptance will be denied. If the student does find a faculty member and financial support, he/she will be notified by the Dean of the Graduate School of final acceptance.

Students are admitted for a specific semester or summer session, and are given full or provisional status.

• To be considered for admission in full graduate standing, an applicant must have a baccalaureate degree from a college or university recognized as standard by a regional or general accrediting agency and must have at least a "B" (3.0) average in the undergraduate major or in the latest graduate degree program.
   
• Provisional admission may be granted to applicants with bachelor's degrees from accredited institutions but who lack undergraduate work that is considered essential for graduate study in a major field. Course work, without graduate credit, will be required to make up such deficiencies before admission to full status can be granted.
   
  • Full graduate standing is granted when the deficiencies responsible for the provisional status are corrected provided that the student has maintained a satisfactory academic record (3.0 Grade Point Average) on all course work taken in a graduate classification. A change from provisional status to full graduate standing is effected only upon the recommendation of the department in which the student is seeking the degree.
     
  • Students with bachelor's degrees from accredited institutions whose scholastic records are below the standards for admission to full graduate standing may be admitted provisionally when unavoidable, extenuating circumstances affected their undergraduate averages or when progressive improvement in their undergraduate work warrants provisional admission. Students admitted provisionally under these circumstances will have their status changed to full graduate standing after completion of nine or more graduate credit hours following admission provided the student has maintained a GPA of at least 3.0.
     
• A graduate student is not eligible for appointment to an assistantship or fellowship while on provisional status.

Any change in the admission date must be requested in writing and approved by the Department of Entomology and The Graduate School.

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Choosing an Advisor

The most important decision a graduate student makes is choosing an advisor. This mentor will have a dramatic influence on the student's ability to become a professional entomologist and to find future employment.

Keeping his/her own interests in mind, the student should consult the list of departmental faculty for individuals with similar interests (Faculty Research Areas). The student then should contact the faculty member(s) either by e-mail, phone, or in writing. If the faculty member(s) expresses interest, arrangements usually are made for a meeting. If the student has any difficulty finding an advisor, he/she should contact the department head at (919) 515-2746.

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Selecting a Minor

A minor is not required by the Graduate School or the Department of Entomology, but is an option up to the student and his/her advisory committee. Requirements for a minor are defined by each department. Interested students may contact the Graduate Administrator of the appropriate departmental office for details.

Typically 3-4 courses are required and a member of the minor department must be on the advisory committee. Minors commonly selected by Entomology students include Botany, Biochemistry, Biomathematics, Crop Science, Genetics, Horticultural Science, Plant Pathology, Statistics, and Environmental & Molecular Toxicology. Students should contact these departments to obtain information on specific requirements for a minor in that discipline. This information is needed in preparing your Plan of Work.

Another option is to declare an Interdisciplinary minor, the details of which are defined by students and their committees, but which usually include one or more courses from the department of the student's minor representative as well as at least one course from another department.

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Assistantships

The availability of graduate teaching and research assistantships varies from year to year. Consideration for assistance will be given only after the student's application has been approved by the Graduate Student Recruitment Committee. Click HERE for additional information about sources of financial aid available in the department and elsewhere on campus.

IMPORTANT! Out-of-state tuition is provided to students on assistantships as well, but students who are U.S. Citizens or Permanent Residents are expected to qualify for North Carolina residency. This process has to be started within the first 10 days of class. If this requirement is not met, students may be responsible for tuition bills between $5,000 and $8,000 per semester.

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