Director of Graduate Programs
Dr. Harry Daniels
Department of Zoology
Campus Box 7617
NCSU
Raleigh, NC 27695-7617
(919) 515-4589

Please direct inquires to:
Graduate Programs
Department of Zoology
Campus Box 7617
NCSU
Raleigh, NC 27695-7617
(919) 515-6146

Information for Prospective Students

Information on degree requirements can be accessed through our Graduate Program page. The Graduate School Admissions page provides details on admission requirements, application procedures, deadlines and other related topics.

Successful applicants usually have a Bachelor's degree in a biological science with at least an overall B average, at least 6 courses in biology, 4 in Chemistry, 2 in physics, and 2 in mathematics (at least one of calculus). In addition to the applicant's grades and coursework, we look at their experience (e.g., internships, volunteer work, paid work on research projects, etc.), statement of interests, letters of recommendation, and GRE scores. We expect applicants for the M.S. degree to have a GPA of at least 3.0 and a GRE score of at least 1000, calculated as the Verbal score plus the Quantitative score. For PhD applicants we look for a GPA of at least 3.2 and a GRE score of at least 1200.

Admissions Process
Once a student's application is complete, it is circulated to our Admissions Review Committee for evaluation and made available to faculty.To accept an applicant a faculty member must submit a written request to the Zoology Director of Graduate Programs including information on how they will support the student and his or her research activities.

Applicants are not admitted to our program until a faculty member indicates that (s)he wishes to accept them. Thus, personal contact with potential faculty advisors is essential to success. Become familiar with the faculty working in your area(s) of interest (see the Faculty Directory for information on faculty and links to their homepages), and contact those individuals with whom you would potentially like to work to discuss your interests and see if they are looking for a new student.

We only accept MS and PhD students if financial support is available, both for their stipend and for their research activities. The majority of our students are supported on research assistantships funded through research grants secured by the faculty. We also support about 20 teaching assistants in the department each semester. Some of our students are also supported on fellowships, such as NSF or EPA STAR fellowships. When you talk to potential advisors, you should ask about the kind(s) of support they may have available.

If you have other questions about the program, contact Dr. Harry Daniels.