• Oregon and Oregon Agriculture
• Crop Science at Oregon State University
• Areas of Specialization
• Housing

• Admission Procedures
• Financial Aid
• Additional Information on the
  Crop Science Graduate Program

• Crop Science Graduate Faculty
• Crop Science Graduate Classes
  Students may select from a wide array of other
  courses in soil science; biochemistry, radiotracers;
  theoretical, quantitative, and molecular genetics;
  statistics; general plant pathology; fungal, bacterial,
  and viral diseases; advanced plant physiology;
  computer science; microbiology; plant taxonomy;
  entomology; and others.

Oregon and Oregon Agriculture

Oregon has a population of 3.14 million and a geographical area of 97,000 square miles. More than half of the state is public land, managed primarily as national forests. The Oregon economy is highly dependent on agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and tourism.

The state has a great diversity in soils, climate, and topography. Elevation ranges from sea level on the Pacific Coast to more than 11,000 feet on Mt. Hood. Precipitation occurs primarily in the winter and averages over 100 inches at some locations near the coast to less than 8 in the eastern Oregon desert. Summers are invariably dry but sufficient irrigation water is available to support a vigorous, diverse agricultural industry.

Because of the wide range in climate, numerous crops are grown. Included are wheat and other cereals, vegetables sold fresh or processed, grass seed and seed of many other crops, berries, wine grapes, tree fruits, hazelnuts, onions, flowerbulbs, nursery stock, potatoes, hay, peppermint, hops, sugar beets, and alfalfa.

Admission Procedures

Admission forms and materials related to other aspects of graduate study are available electronically through the Crop and Soil Science Department (http://cropandsoil.oregonstate.edu/) and Oregon State University (http://oregonstate.edu/admissions/index.php) web sites. The OSU Home Page (http://oregonstate.edu/) also provides useful information about the university and local community.

To be eligible for graduate work in the department, a student must be admitted to the Oregon State University Graduate School. Graduate School admission requires that an applicant must have a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university and a scholastic record and other evidence indicating aptitude for satisfactory graduate work. Rank in class, especially for foreign students, is particularly helpful in evaluating scholastic ability. A minimum grade-point average of 3.0 (where 4.0 = A) is required.

Foreign students must show evidence of competency in English. A score of 550 on the TOEFL test, or equivalent, is required. Students with scores of less than 550 sometimes may be admitted provisionally and required to take more English training soon after arrival.

The applicant must be accepted by the department as part of the admission process. Graduate Students are accepted into the department on the basis of evidence of competence, including GPA and personal recommendations. Any deficiencies in back-ground for a particular specialization must be made up to the satisfaction of the major professor, the Crop Science graduate studies committee, and the student’s advisory committee. Many qualified applicants are not accepted because there may be no vacancies in the particular area of specialization or because of insufficient financial resources to support thesis research. Applicants are advised to investigate possible vacancies in the department before making formal application to the OSU Admissions Office.

Crop Science at Oregon State University

The Department of Crop and Soil Science, Crop Science Unit, offers graduate work leading to the Master of Agriculture, Master of Science, and Doctor of Philosophy degrees with a major in crop science. The M.Ag degree, which is considered terminal, provides for broad training in several fields of agriculture. It does not require a thesis. The M.S. requires completion of not less than 45 term hours, including thesis and graduate-level courses. The M.S. normally requires 2 years. The Ph.D. is granted for proven ability in research and scholarship and generally requires 3 years beyond the M.S. or 4 years beyond the B.S. degree.

Areas of Specialization

Areas of study leading to advanced degrees in Crop Science include cereal breeding and genetics, crop physiology, crop production, forage and pasture management, hop breeding and genetics, new crops, oilseed crop breeding and genetics, potato production, seed physiology, seed production and technology, and weed science.

Graduate students are required to participate in the on-going research program with which their thesis is associated regardless of their funding source. This research is considered an essential part of the training program and an excellent opportunity for the student to apply knowledge gained in the classroom to field or laboratory situations.

Financial Aid

A limited number of graduate research assistantships are periodically available to domestic students through various projects in the department. To apply for an assistantship, a student must complete a departmental application and return it to the department. The student then enters an applicant pool from which appointments are made when a vacancy occurs. Most research assistants work on a part-time basis 12 months per year; all students must contribute to the sponsoring research project. Graduate research assistants do not pay tuition but are charged fees of about $150 per term.

U.S. citizens may qualify for low-interest federal loans. Eligibility for these funds depends on a student’s financial situation. For unmarried students under 25, the parents’ financial situation may also be considered. General information on eligibility rules can be obtained from the OSU Financial Aid Office.

Non-U.S. applicants may wish to seek fellowships from their home country, or from such agencies as USAID, OAS, FAO, Rockefeller Foundation, or Ford Foundation. All foreign students must show evidence of sufficient financial resources to support them through their educational programs as OSU.

Housing

Housing in Corvallis is often limited, especially in the fall. Students are encouraged to contact the OSU Office of Student Housing and Residence Programs for information and to begin making arrangements for housing as soon as their plans for graduate study are definite.

Additional Information on the Crop Science Graduate Program

For additional information concerning the program and application forms, contact:

Department of Crop and Soil Science
107 Crop Science Building
Oregon State University
Corvallis, OR 97331-3002