How to Apply

[Note: Only citizens or nationals of the United States are eligible for fellowships, according to USDA guidelines.]

Additional information about the Department of Biology and our faculty, nine of which (Drs. Brewer, Hoeksema, Holland, Jackson, Lago, Ochs, Reed, Stratton, & Threlkeld) are participants in the USDA Graduate Training Program in Forest Restoration Ecology, can be found at the Department of Biology website: http://olemiss.edu/depts/biology/ Applicants are encouraged to browse the department website, read about the expertise of the nine participating faculty, and to contact one or more faculty to express an interest in working with them. At this time, we are especially seeking applicants that share research interests with Drs. Jackson, Lago, Ochs, Reed, or Threlkeld, in order to complement the research interests of students already enrolled in the program.

We are seeking applicants able to begin graduate study in January 2009, although applicants for August 2009 will be considered if positions are still available in February 2009. The application process has two steps, both of which should be completed before October 1, 2008 (for January 2009 admission) or February 1, 2009 (for August 2009 admission):

  • First, an online application to the University of Mississippi Graduate School should be completed. The online application can be found here. Be sure to follow all instructions on the website in detail, including making arrangements for official GRE scores and transcripts to be sent directly to the UM Graduate School.
  • Second, please send directly to the Department of Biology (at the address listed below) the following materials:
    • Copies of undergraduate transcripts and GRE scores (photocopies are OK)
    • Statement of Interest: A typewritten statement of your research interests and career goals, including a description of your interest in pursuing a career in forest ecosystem restoration ecology and management, and your interest in being considered for a USDA Graduate Fellowship in Forest Restoration Ecology. In addition, the statement should express your preference for working on one or more groups of organisms and/or ecological processes in the collaborative forest restoration experiment, corresponding to the research interests that you share with one or more of the faculty listed above, and should explicitly mention those faculty members in your statement. Ideally, this statement will reflect specific research ideas that you have already discussed with one or more potential faculty mentors.
    • Three letters of recommendation (these should be sent directly from the recommenders)

If you are not offered a USDA Graduate Fellowship, it may still be possible for you to join the forest restoration ecology program under the financial support of a teaching assistantship. If you are interested in this option, please include a separate letter stating your interest in this option.

Address to which the latter materials should be sent:

Attn: USDA Graduate Program in Forest Restoration
Department of Biology
214 Shoemaker Hall
University of Mississippi
University, MS 38677

Please address questions about the program to Dr. Jason Hoeksema: hoeksema at olemiss.edu, 662-915-1275.