The M.S. degree is not a prerequisite for admission to the Ph.D. program. A nonthesis option, offered for students whose career plans require graduate training without research experience, requires 36 hours of course work. A nonthesis M.N.S. degree is available for high school teachers and others who desire broad training in the natural sciences at the graduate level. Prospective graduate students must submit GRE scores, including both the aptitude and advanced portions. A minimum combined verbal-quantitative score of 1100 is required.
All graduate assistants pay resident fees.
Outstanding Ph.D. applicants can apply for Board of Regents' Graduate Fellowships . These research fellowships may be renewed for up to four years, with renewal subject to annual review. Fellowships carry no teaching responsibilities and include complete tuition waiver. Application forms for fellowships, available through the departmental graduate adviser, must be completed by February 15. LSU is also ideally situated for field studies of subtropical and tropical faunas.