Welcome Prospective Student!
The Animal Biology Graduate Group has a priority deadline to be considered for university fellowships of January 15th.
Admission to the Ph.D. requires a bachelor's degree or its equivalent from an institution of acceptable standing. An undergraduate major in a biological discipline or equivalent preparation will be considered adequate preparation for admission. The University of California Davis requires an minimum grade average of B (3.0) in upper division coursework or other evidence of comparable scholarship for admission to graduate status. Meeting the minimum requirement does not ensure admission; students who are admitted are selected from among those surpassing the minimum requirements with consideration given to all parts of the application.
Applicants are strongly encouraged to communicate with potential research advisors (major professors) prior to admission to the program. It is essential that prospective students contact faculty in the Animal Biology Graduate Group (https://animalbiology.ucdavis.edu/) whose laboratories are conducting research in areas of Animal Biology that the student wishes to pursue, in order to introduce themselves and inquire about faculty willingness to accept a new student in this degree program. This process of communicating with potential major professors should begin in the Fall, prior to the relevant application deadline. Applicants should take the initiative to inquire about future research directions of laboratories, exchange research ideas with potential major professors, and make every effort to identify viable possibilities. While formal acceptance into a research group cannot occur prior to admission, contacts should be sufficiently developed such that at least tentative identification of a research advisor can be made as soon after the time of admission as possible. No student will be admitted to the grad group without an identified major professor willing to supervise their degree.
Animal Biology Prerequisites
In addition to the requirement for overall academic achievement, applicants to the PhD program must be adequately prepared in the disciplines on which animal biology is based. Applicants should have had, as undergraduates, preparation in upper-division courses in biochemistry, genetics, nutrition, physiology, and integrative animal biology such as animal management. Some deficiencies in these areas may be remedied by enrolling in these courses while in the graduate program, but credits earned will not count toward units required for the graduate degree.
Students whose undergraduate preparation has been in a language other than English must submit scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) administered by the Educational Testing Service. A minimum of 80 on the computer version is required for admission.
Components of a Complete Application for Admission
- Complete and submit the Online Application for Graduate Admission.
- Pay the application fee; this information can be found on the Graduate Studies website.
- Three letters of recommendation must be submitted electronically through the online application. Do not have recommenders send letters in hard copy; all letters need to be submitted online.
- UC Davis requires academic records from each college-level institution you have attended. You will be instructed to upload scanned copies of your transcripts after you have submitted your online application. More information about transcript submission is available online.
- TOEFL scores if applicable.
- GRE scores are NOT required for applying to the Animal Biology Graduate Group
Please note, In many cases the Animal Biology Graduate Group will accept applications after this deadline, but keep in mind that an application received after this deadline will have significantly reduced opportunities for financial assistance. To learn if your situation merits extension of this date, please contact the Animal Biology Graduate Program Coordinator.
Following the receipt of all materials, applications will be evaluated by the admissions committee. Acceptance by the Group assures that a major professor, space, research support, and facilities will be available. Final approval on admissions is made, and communicated by the Dean of Graduate Studies.
NOTE: It takes 24-72 hours from the date/time that an applicant submits his/her application before it shows up in the application system. In addition, we do not receive applications on weekends nor holidays.
In order for your application to be marked complete, all test scores, letters of recommendation & transcripts MUST be received. You can verify this in the Status page of your application.
Funding of Graduate Program
Most graduate programs are funded by a combination of teaching assistantships, research assistantships, and fellowships. Have a conversation with your prospective research faculty advisors to get an understanding of how your graduate program would be funded.
Apply for Animal Science Teaching Assistantships and Readerships by the March 31st priority deadline. Application instructions can be found under the jobs tab by clicking on the Department of Animal Science Teaching Assistant (TA) and Reader link.
Information for International Students
The office of UC Davis Services for international Students and Scholars (SISS) assists international students in their pre-arrival preparation and issues the I-20 or DS 2019 document needed towards obtaining your student visa. They also provide immigration advice, financial information, general advising and counseling and host a variety of cross-cultural activities. If admitted to graduate studies at UC Davis, please go to the SISS website and access the information for newly admitted students.
Services for International Students and Scholars
(530) 752-0864
siss@ucdavis.edu
http://siss.ucdavis.edu/
463 California Avenue, Ste. 3140
University of California One Shields Avenue
Davis, CA 95616
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