Admission to Program
Ecology majors may apply to the B.S./M.S. Double Dawgs program in the fall semester of their junior year. Students who meet the following eligibility requirements specified below should arrange to meet with both the undergraduate advisor Misha Boyd (mlboyd@uga.edu) and the graduate advisor Julie Gunby (gunby@uga.edu) early in the semester to discuss program feasibility and to be advised on coursework.
To be eligible for the Ecology B.S./M.S. Double Dawgs pathway, students must:
- have completed at least 60 credit hours before the start of their junior year
- be on track to complete a minimum of 15 hours of their 3000-level and above Ecology major coursework by the end of their junior year
- have a minimum GPA of 3.2 at the time they apply to the Double Dawgs pathway
Curriculum
Graduate-level courses that may be used to satisfy undergraduate and graduate program requirements.
Any 6000, 7000, or 8000-level ECOL course may be used towards the undergraduate Ecology degree (maximum 12 credit hours). Additionally, students may enroll in the 6000-level option when available for courses from other departments that are currently listed as Major Electives for the Ecology degree (see the UGA Bulletin for complete list).
Additional requirements that are unique to this Double Dawgs program:
While no formal Areas of Emphasis are required, students will work with the undergraduate academic advisor and their prospective graduate advisor to select undergraduate coursework that will prepare them adequately for their graduate thesis work.
Admission to Graduate Program
Applicants to the Double Dawgs M.S. in Ecology must provide the same documentation required by prospective students applying to the graduate program directly, with the exception that one of the three letters of recommendation must come from the prospective faculty advisor in the School of Ecology. The graduate committee will review applications on a rolling basis using the same acceptance criteria as for traditional applicants to the program. Specifically, applicants should have:
- a competitive undergraduate GPA at the time of application
- three letters of recommendation, one of which must be a support letter from the prospective M.S. faculty advisor
- a statement of purpose detailing the proposed research