Prospective Graduate Student Resources

Application and Admission

The Department of Plant Sciences strongly encourages prospective applicants to converse with faculty and/or affiliate faculty to secure a possible partnership before completing the application. Applications are evaluated by the Department of Plant Sciences in accordance with NDSU Graduate School submission deadlines and admission requirements:
Applications must be completed by May 1 for fall admission, October 1 for spring admission, and March 1 for summer admission
Admission requirements listed in the Graduate Catalog apply to Cereal Science, Horticulture, and Plant Science Programs

Department of Plant Sciences graduate program applicants are only accepted when a faculty advisor is identified. We strongly encourage applicants to inquire about position availability prior to application submission and to list the faculty member who has an interest in your application within the application form. A list of research projects and teams associated with them can be found here.

Faculty select Graduate Research Assistants (GRAs) on a competitive basis relying on several factors including previous academic and research experiences, research compatibility, availability of funding, and perceived student interest and ability.

Click here to be taken to our NDSU Graduate School application information.

Graduate Study Funding

Cereal Science, Horticulture and Urban Agriculture, and Plant Sciences graduate students must have proof of funding to support their graduate research. This funding generally comes from:
NDSU faculty-obtained grants (process explained above)
Scholarship programs from applicant’s home country (international students)
Non-governmental organizations (NGO)
the applicant’s employer (this funding includes tuition, fees, and the cost of graduate research)

Some applicants join our programs as part-time students. Proof of funding must be provided for these applicants. NDSU faculty funding is not available to those enrolling part-time.

Graduate Assistantship Policy

The Graduate Catalog offers a comprehensive explanation of eligibility for assistantships, expectations of both advisor and GRA during the assistantship, and termination of the assistantship.

Further, it is Department of Plant Sciences policy that students with a faculty-provided graduate research assistantship are not employed outside of the department. The 20-hour-weekly positions offered in the department are considered full-time.