Grad Student Resources

MS to PhD Change Guidelines

Application

Students pursuing an MS Degree in the Biology & Wildlife Department and who wish to apply for the PhD program should submit electronic copies of the following items to the Graduate Coordinator:

  • Statement of interest
  • Copy of the MS proposal and any other evidence of progress as an MS student that the student wishes to submit, including publications, conference abstracts, successful grant proposals, etc.
  • Current curriculum vitae (CV)
  • Letter of support from the advisor

These items, as well as the current UAF GPA and information from the original MS application, will be made available to faculty reviewers on the Biology & Wildlife restricted graduate admissions website.  Faculty reviews of the completed application will be requested from members of the student's graduate advisory committee and from two faculty members not serving on the committee.

If the student is accepted to the PhD program, the student should submit a degree change form from the Graduate School website, signed by the major advisor and committee, to the Biology and Wildlife office.  The form ("Change of Graduate Major or Degree Program") is available at http://wwwluaf.edu/gradsch/forms/.

Student statement of interest

The statement of interest should include:

  • The student's career goals
  • The rationale for the change from the MS to the PhD program
  • A summary of research progress to date
  • A brief characterization of the research to be pursued as a PhD student
  • An account of the differences between the proposed PhD research project and the current MS research
Advisor letter of support

In the letter of support, the advisor should address:

  • The suitability of the student for the PhD program
  • The suitability of the proposed research project
  • The expected PhD graduation date
  • The expected means of financial support for both the student's living expenses and the research
Faculty reviews

Reviewers are encouraged to consider the application for change to the PhD in the context of new graduate applications to the program.  Reviews need not be lengthy.