Admissions

Undergraduates
To be considered for admission to Penn State, you must graduate from an accredited secondary school and have completed at least 15 units of preparatory work; four units of English, three units of math (may be satisfied with algebra, plane geometry, and trigonometry), 2 years of foreign language, three units of science and five units of other subjects. One unit generally represents a full year's work in an academic subject taken in grades 9 through 12. You will be evaluated on the basis of your high school records, SAT scores, class rank, and any honors or advanced courses you have taken. For more information on admissions, application, and campus visits, click on this link:

Undergraduate Admissions Office
The Pennsylvania State University
201 Shields Building
University Park, PA 16802
(814) 865-5471

Graduates
You may apply electronically or inquire about the Forest Resources and Wildlife and Fisheries Science graduate programs in the School of Forest Resources by contacting :

Dr. Wayne L. Myers, Assistant Director of Graduate Studies
School of Forest Resources
116 Forest Resources Building
The Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA 16802
Phone: (814) 865-4427
E-mail: wlm@psu.edu

The Assistant Director and the electronic process will supply all necessary application materials and relevant information. Applications should be submitted prior to January 31 for beginning a program in the summer or fall. Many assistantship decisions are made in mid-January; therefore, early application is encouraged and increases the chances of accessing special support funds.

To complete your application for admission to our graduate program, you will need to provide the following:

1. A completed application form from the Graduate School at Penn State.
2. The non-refundable application fee for filing the on-line graduate application is $45, and the non-refundable fee for filing paper applications (both pre-printed and downloadable) is $60.
3. Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores (an original report of scores form is required).
4. The language of instruction at Penn State is English. For international applicants, official TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) scores are required. The minimum acceptable score for the TOEFL is 550 for the paper-based test, 213 for the computer-based test, or a total score of 80 with a 20 on the speaking section for the Internet-based TOEFL (iBT) test. This exam must be taken within 3 years of the application date and official scores must be received from the testing institute (not a copy of the students report of scores). Note, however, that international applicants are exempt from the TOEFL requirement if they have received a baccalaureate or a masters degree from a college/university/institution in any of the following: Australia, Belize, British Caribbean and British West Indies, Canada (except Quebec), England, Guyana, Republic of Ireland, Liberia, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Scotland, the United States, and Wales.
5. Two copies of your official current transcript for all baccalaureate and postbaccalaureate studies. You should have a grade-point average of at least 3.00 for your junior and senior years of undergraduate study.
6. A one-page statement of interest describing your abilities and achievements, specific graduate goals, and career interests.
7. Three letters of reference from persons familiar with your academic qualifications or work experiences.

ADMISSION CRITERIA
Minimum admission requirements for all degrees are an undergraduate cumulative grade point average of 2.75 and junior-senior average of 3.0, based on a 4.0 scale. Because of the diversity of programs in the School, professional preparation may vary considerably. In general, the following are required:

Recipients of baccalaureate degrees from forest science, wildlife and fisheries science, wood products programs and other typical science programs normally will fulfill the course subject area requirements. Students with undergraduate degrees not in these disciplines are invited to apply, but may be admitted on a "provisional" status pending make-up of deficiencies. The faculty member who agrees to serve as adviser of a provisional student will stipulate conditions to be met for transfer from provisional status to a graduate degree program. Final decision on course deficiencies rests with the student's graduate committee. Provisional status will not be used for admitting students who have substandard grades to Ph.D. programs.

The best-qualified applicants are accepted within the limits of available openings in the School of Forest Resources graduate program. Exceptions to the admission criteria may be granted for applicants with special backgrounds, abilities, and interests. However, deficiencies must be fulfilled early in the program. Applicants with a large number of deficiencies may be advised to enroll in a second bachelor's program in Forest Science, Wildlife and Fisheries Science, or Wood Products. Admission to the Ph.D. program requires evidence of research ability; e.g., a master's degree thesis, paper, or equivalent publication and a grade point average of 3.3 or higher in a graduate degree program, exclusive of thesis and special problems. Baccalaureate degree students graduating from an honors program with a required thesis, or who have authored a refereed publication, may be considered for admittance without a master's degree.

IF YOU HAVE READ THE SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS FOR FOREST RESOURCES, THEN YOU MAY BEGIN THE FORMAL APPLICATION PROCESS BY CLICKING THE IMAGE BELOW:

This page last updated: May 1, 2008