LOOKING FOR THE ADMISSION APPLICATION?

Application for US Students
Application for International Students

WHERE AND WHEN DO I SEND MY APPLICATION?

The Graduate School considers your eligibility for admission to Oregon State University. Submit the following to the Graduate School no later than February 1 (preferably by January 15):

• A completed application for admission including the application fee
• The statement of objectives (part of the online application)
• Official transcripts from each institution of higher education atended
• TOEFL or IELTS scores (international students only)
  
  Send the above items to:
  Graduate School
  Oregon State University
  300 Kerr Administration Building
  Corvallis, Oregon 97331-2121

Email: graduate.admissions@oregonstate.edu
Phone: 877-648-0088 or 541-737-4881

At the same time, the faculty of the Department of Geosciences determines if OSU eligible students will be accepted into one of the department graduate programs. Submit the following to the Department of Geosciences no later than February 1 (preferably by January 15):

• A photocopy of the completed application
• A photocopy of the statement of objectives
• Photocopies of all transcripts
• Three letters of recommendation or completed reference forms

  Geology Graduate Student Reference Form (Word Format)
  Geography Graduate Student Reference Form (Word Format)

• TOEFL or IELTS scores for international applicants
• GRE scores
  (TOEFL, IELTS and GRE scores can be submitted to OSU electronically once graded. Arrange this at the time you take the tests.)

Remember

All application materials are DUE in the Department of Geosciences office no later than February 1.

 Please  be aware that it can take several weeks for submitted  materials to be processed by the Graduate School before being sent to the department, so if you apply later than January 1, send copies of ALL materials directly to Geosciences.

Send to:
Graduate Admissions Coordinator
Department of Geosciences
Oregon State University
104 Wilkinson Hall
Corvallis, Oregon 97331-5506

Email: geo-info@geo.oregonstate.edu
Phone: 541-737-1201

HOW DOES THE ACCEPTANCE PROCESS WORK?

The Graduate School reviews all applicants to determine if they meet the minimum standards for admission to graduate study at OSU. The minimum standards include a four-year baccalaureate degree and a grade point average of at least 3.00 on the last 90 credits (two years) of coursework.

Department of Geosciences faculty assess the relative merits of qualified applicants before selecting a subset of applicants for acceptance. Graduate admissions are fundamentally different from undergraduate admissions because individual faculty members must agree to be research mentors (major professors) for accepted students. The availability of research mentors is the primary limiting factor in determining the number of students that will be admitted.

Strong academic records are a necessary, but not sufficient, condition for acceptance. Assuming the academic “track record” is acceptable, faculty reviewers examine applications to select those with the best fit for the department’s programs and available mentors. Applicants are encouraged to review the website to understand departmental programs, the roster of faculty, and research directions before applying.

DO I HAVE TO HAVE A DEGREE IN GEOLOGY/GEOGRAPHY TO APPLY?

No. The Department of Geosciences admits exceptionally talented applicants with a variety of academic backgrounds. In most cases, background deficiencies can be eliminated after admission to our programs by completing specified coursework, but without the completion of a BS level geography/geology degree. In some cases, applicants may be able to eliminate deficiencies before arrival at OSU. Applicants to the Geology Program must have completed a geology field camp before arrival, or do so within a year of admission. Applicants to the Geography Program must have completed courses in statistics, natural resources/conservation, cartography, and physical geography before arrival, or complete the equivalent undergraduate courses soon after arrival at Oregon State University.

ARE GRE SCORES REQUIRED?

Yes. GRE scores are required for admission to the Department of Geosciences and are one of the items used in assessing candidates. Although no arbitrary cut-off score is established for admission decisions, high scores are a favorable criterion in review process. A combined score of 1000 is recommended as a minimum.

ARE TOEFL SCORES REQUIRED?

Yes. If you are an international student who graduated in a non-English speaking country, the TOEFL or IELTS score is required. Oregon State University requires you to submit a TOEFL score that is no more than 2 years old at the time of applicant's first term of registration. See the list below for minimum scores for regular admissions.

• Paper TOEFL must be at least 550
• Computer TOEFL must be at least 213
• Internet TOEFL (iBT) must be at least 80
• IELTS must be at least 6.5

Faculty may require substantially higher scores for students they agree to accept.

IF MY TOEFL SCORE IS JUST UNDER THE MINIMUM AND THE REST OF MY APPLICATION IS COMPLETE, MAY I RECEIVE CONDITIONAL ACCEPTANCE?

No. Our department does not make offers of conditional acceptance to any student, domestic or international. Offers of acceptance are not until mid-Spring. If you are an international student, you must either take or re-take the TOEFL and reach the minimum score. This may necessitate that you resubmit your application the following year during the next admission cycle.

IS THE TEST OF SPOKEN ENGLISH REQUIRED?

If you are an international student who is a non-native English speaker and are applying for a Teaching Assistantship (TA), the Department requires that you have a Test of Spoken English and receive a score of 50 or higher.  Information on the Test of Spoken English (TSE) is available at http://www.ets.org/tse/.

ARE STUDENTS ADMITTED ONLY FOR THE START OF A NEW ACADEMIC YEAR (FALL TERM/SEPTEMBER)?

To maximize the chances of admission with financial assistance, your complete application and supporting materials should reach us by February 1 (but January 15 is better). The allocation of assistantships, the sequence of courses and mentor selection of students are organized around the assumption of a Fall Term start date. Students can be admitted at other times, but most are not.

ON MY APPLICATION, SHOULD I REQUREST A TEACHING OR RESEARCH ASSISTANTSHIP?

Applicants should indicate an interest in both a teaching assistantship and a research assistantship if they are willing to accept either type of award. By limiting themselves to only one type of award, they are reducing the chances of receiving financial assistance. Note that our department has high expectations and guidelines that are expected to be followed by our teaching assistants.

IF I AM ADMITTED WITHOUT AN OFFER OF FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE, IS IT LIKELY THAT I WILL RECEIVE FINANCIAL AID AFTER I BEGIN MY STUDIES?

We make financial commitments to students as funds become available from research grants, state appropriations, contracts and gifts. It is possible that an offer of financial aid will be forthcoming sometime after arrival at OSU. However, we can't guarantee that you will receive funding. Once you arrive at Oregon State and demonstrate that you have the attributes we seek (academic excellence, strong work ethic, intellectual curiosity and the ability to communicate orally and in written English), you will be considered for graduate teaching or graduate research support if funds are available. If you are admitted, but not awarded an assistantship, you should be prepared to be a self-supporting student.

IF I AM A NONRESIDENT AND INTEND TO SELF FINANCE MY GRADUATE STUDIES, HOW CAN I QUALIFY AS A STATE RESIDENT FOR TUITION PAYING PURPOSES?

It is very difficult for nonresidents to qualify as residents for tuition paying purposes. If a person is in Oregon primarily for the purpose of obtaining an education, he/she will be considered a nonresident. It is important to understand this limitation because taking one class anywhere in Oregon within the first year after arrival may be used as evidence that the move to Oregon was for the purpose of obtaining an education. See the OSU catalog for details.

MY TEACHING ASSISTANTSHIP OFFER DID NOT MENTION THE CLASSES(ES) I'M TEACHING. HOW DO I FIND OUT MY ASSIGNMENT?

Prior to the start of each term, the available TA pool, teaching needs and class schedules change on an almost daily basis. As a practical matter, teaching assignments can not be announced at the time of an assistantship offer. Commonly, specifics of assignments are not known until the start of classes.

HOW DO I FIND OUT ABOUT FACULTY/STUDENT RESEARCH ACTIVITY AND INTERESTS?

Many students want to learn about departmental research activities during the application process, and we are committed to helping you find out as much as possible about our graduate program. Under the People section of our website, faculty members pages give snapshots of their vita and some recent publications. Equally valuable is the Student Research section of the website where the titles of student research projects are listed along with the names of the supervisory professors.

WILL THE DEPARMENT PAY FOR ME TO VISIT OSU? HOW DO I ARRANGE A VISIT?

We do invite some students to visit OSU, and sometimes help them pay for the visit, after we have decided on admissions. This happens in early Spring. Students are always welcome to visit campus at any time on their own initiative. We ask the visiting student to contact the faculty members with whom they are likely to work and to arrange a schedule that allows the most contact with those faculty. Once a date is set, please contact Stacey Schulte, our Graduate Admissions Coordinator (stacey.schulte@oregonstate.edu or 541-737-1221) and she will schedule times for you to meet with faculty and current graduate students in the department.