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INTERESTED IN MORE INFORMATION BEFORE APPLYING? Fill out and return the background and interest form.
ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
All applicants must have an undergraduate degree or masters degree in any biological science from an accredited institution. In addition, the Department of Infectious Diseases is actively recruiting veterinarians who would like to pursue a research career in infectious diseases.
Eligible foreign students must have a degree equivalent to an American bachelor's degree requiring a minimum of four years of training or they may additionally have a masters degree. The Graduate School reviews foreign transcripts for eligibility into graduate programs at the University of Georgia.
DEADLINES
Applications received by December 15 will be given full assistantship consideration by the Graduate Committee. Applicants that are recruited directly into specific laboratories must follow the Graduate School deadlines to apply. Typically we only accept applications for the Fall semester.
APPLICATION TO THE DOCTORAL PROGRAM
I. Initiate the application process at the Graduate school.
This process begins by creating an account on their site here. In addition, the Graduate School requires:
- Completed application form. The code for Infectious Diseases is 450A for PhD applicants and the major indicated should be Infectious Diseases.
- Payment of an application fee.
- Official transcripts from all institutions of higher education attended.
- Official GRE scores with correct UGA code (UGA code is 5813). There is no requirement for a subject GRE.
- The names of three referees in the fields on page three of the application along with their e-mail addresses. You should request letters from people who can speak to your academic accomplishments and your readiness to undertake graduate study. Each of the references named will receive a link to access a secure page where their recommendation can be submitted online.
- International applicants will also need TOEFL scores and additional requirements that can be found on the Grad School International Supplements page.
II. Provide additional materials directly to the Department of Infectious Diseases.
To complete the application three additional items should be supplied directly to the Department of Infectious Diseases.
The background and interest form. Download the form, open it in a program such as Adobe Acrobat Reader, fill out the form and save it.
Curriculum vitae. List education, research, work, and extracurricular experiences, and any awards or honors received.
Statement of Purpose. Your two-page statement of purpose should address the following:
- The educational experiences that have contributed to your desire to pursue graduate study in infectious diseases
- The strengths and reasons for any perceived weaknesses in your records as a prospective graduate student
- A description of scientific research or work related experiences relevant to your role as a potential graduate student
- Your career goals and the general area of infectious diseases research in which you hope to work
Save each file with your last name as part of the file name. Send these three items to Department of Infectious Diseases either as e-mail attachments to gradasst@uga.edu, or via regular mail to Graduate Coordinator, Department of Infectious Diseases, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602
APPLICATION TO THE MASTERS PROGRAM
To apply for the MS program in Infectious Diseases, applicants should follow the steps indicated above for doctoral students except that the UGA code for the MS degree is 872.
A supplemental application is necessary for the applicants to the masters program in infectious diseases. The MS program is a College-wide Masters in Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences. The supplemental application can be found here. Applicants must indicate Infectious Diseases as the first choice in the "Areas of Interest" to ensure that the application will be directed to the Department of Infectious Diseases.
WHAT HAPPENS TO YOUR APPLICATION?
The graduate committee of the department of Infectious Diseases reviews completed applications once a year beginning in January. This means that for full consideration of admission with Departmental or Graduate School assistantships into our graduate program, applications must be completed by December 15. Admission criteria will be based on the complete application package from each student including test scores (GRE/TOEFL), transcripts, letter of intent (personal statement) and letters of recommendation. All applications are evaluated, ranked and nominated for assistantships. At each step of this process, applicants will receive electronic confirmation of the progress of their application to Infectious Diseases. Admission offers are mailed the last week in March or first week in April.
Applications from students who are being recruited to specific laboratories should be completed as indicated above but do not have to follow the December 15 deadline as they are not competing for funding. These applications do not have to go through the ranking process by the graduate committee. In this case, the faculty mentor who is recruiting the student should send an email to the Graduate Coordinator indicating their financial commitment to the student. Once the student has completed the application, the Graduate Coordinator can recommend the student's admission to the Graduate School. Deadlines for these students should follow the Graduate School's as listed in their web site here.
FUNDING SOURCES
Applicants who have access to independent stipend funding throughout their stay in graduate school from federal, state, industry or private foundations should make it clear in their personal statement when applying to the graduate program in Infectious Diseases. Assistantships include a stipend as well as a tuition waiver for graduate registration. The majority of the graduate students in the Department of Infectious Diseases receive funding from the following sources:
Graduate School Assistantships
The deadline for applications is December 15 and may be extended to
January if the applicant has already started the application
process. Students must be nominated by the Graduate Coordinator. This
is a University-wide competition and therefore, funding is very
competitive.
Graduate Recruitment Opportunities (GRO) Assistantships
These assistantships are designed to attract students from
traditionally underrepresented minorities. If applicants qualify for
this type of assistantship, they should indicate so in their statement
of purpose to the Department so they can be nominated. The
qualifications required to compete for this type of funding can be
found at the Graduate School website.
CVM Assistantships for Veterinarians
Only veterinarians who have graduated from accredited Colleges of Veterinary Medicine are eligible for these assistantships.
Departmental Assistantships
The deadline for applications is December 15. Students who are nominated
but are not selected for Graduate School assistantships, automatically
compete for these funds.
Faculty Contracts and Grants
Applications from these students are subjected to the regular Graduate
School deadlines described in the web site. Students must obtain
written notification from their prospective major professor indicating
their funding commitment to the applicant.
Regardless of the funding source, students who have any of the above mentioned assistantships will receive stipends as well as a tuition waiver from UGA. To be eligible for the tuition waiver, the assistantship must be 1/3 time or more.
Students who will not require assistantship funding for the duration of their graduate training must make it clear in their application. Departmental funding for assistantships is limited and often qualified applicants cannot be admitted into the program for lack of funding. Outside funding sources for graduate students include but are not limited to federal, state or private foundations. These students are not entitled to receive a tuition waiver from the University. External funding sources will not guarantee the admission of a student into the program.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
If you have any questions about opportunities in our graduate program, please feel free to contact the Graduate Coordinator, Dr. David Peterson or the Assistant Graduate Coordinator.
Graduate Coordinator
Dr. David Peterson
Email: dspete@uga.edu
Phone: 706-542-5242
Fax: 706-542-5771
Assistant Graduate Coordinator
Email: gradasst@uga.edu
Phone: 706-542-3473
