To apply, submit the following items directly to Dr. William T. Peterjohn, 53 Campus Drive, Room 3139 Life Sciences Building, Dept. of Biology, P.O. Box 6057, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506-6057:

1. Personal Research Statement: A one page description of any past research activities or experiences, and your future research interests. This Graduate Committee uses this statement to ensure that the applicant is a good match for the graduate programs offered in the Department of Biology.

2. Three Reference Letters: These letters should be written by individuals at a college/university who are in a position to judge your potential as a graduate student.

To complete the application process, send the following items to Office of Admissions and Records, University & Hough Streets, West Virginia University,  P. O. Box 6009, Morgantown, WV 26506-6009:

3. Complete Application Forms (Major code 1436). These forms can be downloaded in PDF format. 

4. Official General GRE Test scores (Verbal, Quantitative, and Analytical).  Our institutional code for ETS is 5904.

5. Official undergraduate (and graduate) transcripts

6. Official TOEFl scores (for international students only).  Our institutional code for ETS is 5904.

You can complete parts of this application online. 

Be aware, it is your responsibility to make sure all parts of the application are sent to the correct address.

For international students, we also like to see a TOEFL score > 250 for the computer-based exam which is roughly equivalent to > 600-603 for the paper-based test, and roughly equivalent to >100 for the internet-based test.

Admitted regular graduate students are offered a financial support package, which ordinarily lasts for 3 years for MS students and 5 years for Ph.D. students. Most graduate students are supported by a teaching assistantship for nine months. Presently, the stipend for MS students is $10,600 for 9 months. For Ph.D. students, the stipend ranges from $15,100 to $17,100 for teaching assistantships. Fellowships are also available through the University for particularly promising Ph.D. students, with some of these targeted for minorities and women. The 3-year university Swiger Fellowship for Ph.D. students pays up to $20,000 for 12 months and is awarded on a competitive basis. Biology graduate students are given full waivers of tuition and the abatement of some fees. Summer stipends are contingent upon grant support from the student's major professor. Most students receive such support, ranging from $2000 - $4,000, each summer.

Most graduate students at WVU live in private apartments. You can search off-campus apartment availability online. There are also several University owned apartment complexes for both single and married students.

Campus maps are available online. The Department of Biology is located in the Life Sciences Building.

For more information, please contact: