Application Information

Prospective Graduate Students

We invite you to apply to our graduate programs in Earth and Environmental Sciences. General information about applying to graduate school at MSU can be found here.

The primary considerations in judging applications are strength of applicant’s background in Earth and Environmental Sciences and supporting sciences (mathematics, computational sciences, physics, chemistry, and/or biology) as evidenced by transcript and reference letters, the match between proposed area of study with current department research as expressed in the submitted Statement of Purpose, and other prior relevant experience such as undergraduate and previous graduate research described in the Statement of Purpose and reference letters. We no longer require or consider Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores.

Applicants are encouraged to directly contact faculty in their area(s) of interest prior to applying. Some of the many research opportunities being specifically sought for admission this cycle are listed here.

Application Fee Waivers

Prospective students may also request a FreeApp waiver for application fees to the Ph.D. program from the Big Ten Academic Alliance. A FreeApp waiver application received on or before November 15 receives priority, but submissions after November 15 are considered for support.

Application Deadlines

November 30: Application deadline for PhD applicants to be fully considered for  university and college recruitment fellowships.

Michigan State offers highly attractive recruitment fellowships and awards as inducements to incoming students. If you submit your complete application by this deadline, we will be able to consider you for one of these fellowships.

December 31: Application deadline for standard department admission

Please have all your application materials submitted by this deadline to be considered for support (Research and/or Teaching Assistantships) for the upcoming Fall semester. Initial decisions about allocation of financial support will be made early in January. Late applications may be considered for admission with faculty approval. We encourage you to contact the faculty members with whom you are interested in working before submitting your application.

Application Process

All application materials should be submitted through the graduate school application website.

A Complete MSU application form will require:

1. An Academic Statement of Purpose, which is a focused essay explaining your (1) academic background and relevant preparation, (2) academic and research interests, (3) reasons for applying to our graduate program, and (4) long-term academic and professional goals. Please make sure to describe any relevant academic, research, or professional experiences that have helped shape your research interests and career goals. In addition, it is important to describe how your academic and research interests align with those of potential faculty mentors — you are asked to name at least one and up to three mentors of interest. This statement is intended to help us learn about you professionally, and it should contain ALL four of the elements above.
2. A Personal Statement, which is an essay that describes your experiences, perspectives, motivations, and personal qualities that you would bring to our graduate program. In particular, consider describing (1) your personal background and formative experiences which may include family, educational, cultural, socioeconomic, geographic or professional influences, (2) evidence of resilience and overcoming obstacles with a focus on preparation, response, growth, judgement, and persistence rather than just on the nature of the difficulty or difficulties alone, (3) your significant contributions to an academic community such as mentoring, teaching, collaboration, outreach, inclusion, or service, and/or (4) your values, inspiration, and motivation to reach your academic and professional goals. This statement is intended to help us learn about you personally, and it does NOT need to contain all of the four elements above.
3. Three (3) letters of recommendation.
4. Official transcripts from all previously attended academic institutions. Unofficial transcripts from the Fall semester during which the application is submitted should be e-mailed to the Departmental Graduate Secretary (Rachel Pickell: pickellr@msu.edu) by January 5th.

In addition, international applicants must demonstrate English language proficiency. The exact requirements are described by MSU's Graduate School's English Language Competency policy. At the same link, there is a description of the process for obtaining a waiver of the testing requirements. For international students that cannot obtain a waiver, then it is necessary to complete one of the tests listed on that page to obtain either regular or provisional admission, as described.