Graduate Programs

The Department of Crop, Soil, and Environmental Sciences offers advanced degrees in different areas of specialization.

Areas of Study: Crop sciences, soil sciences, and environmental sciences. Areas of specialization within these concentrations include plant breeding and genetics, biotechnology, water quality, environmental science, crop physiology, crop production, weed science, pesticide residue, seed technology, soil chemistry, soil classification, soil fertility, soil microbiology, and soil physics.

Primary Areas of Faculty Research: Environmental, soil, and water science (bioremediation, soil and water quality, microbial ecology, nutrient management, natural resource management using GIS); plant sciences (plant breeding and genetics, plant biotechnology, plant physiology, weed science), and agronomic production science.

The Master Degree in Crop, Soil, and Environmental is a two-year thesis program in which students learn to conduct scientific studies. It requires 24 hours of course work and six hours of thesis with concentration in Crop Science, Weed Science, or Soil Science

The Ph.D. degree in Crop, Soil, and Environmental Science offers specialization in Crop Physiology, Crop Production, Plant Breeding and Genetics, Biotechnology, Weed Science, Seed Technology, Soil Physics, Soil Chemistry, Soil Microbiology, Soil Fertility, Soil Classification, Pesticide Residues, or Environmental Science.

Advanced Degrees

Master of Science (M.S.) in Crop, Soil, and Environmental Sciences

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Crop, Soil, and Environmental Sciences

Graduate Coordinator

Tabatha Gonzalez

Phone: 479-575-8649

Email: tabathag@uark.edu

Graduate School Requirements

*Applicants with lower than the required GPA may be admitted conditionally into the M.S. degree program. Conditionally accepted students must achieve a GPA of at least 3.0 for the first 12 hours of graduate coursework to achieve regular student status.

Admission Requirements

Applicants for graduate studies must meet entry requirements of the Graduate School and the Department of Crop, Soil, and Environmental Sciences.

Crop, Soil, and Environmental Sciences M.S. and Ph.D. Requirements

A conferred baccalaureate degree. Students who have not completed their baccalaureate degree at the time of application must have a 3.0 cumulative GPA on the last 60.0 credit hours of attempted coursework. Upon admission, students will be required to submit official transcripts with degree confirmation for enrollment privileges. Students who have a degree at the time of application must have a 3.0 cumulative GPA on the last 60.0 credit hours of attempted coursework from a regionally accredited institution of higher education.
A conferred post-baccalaureate degree, master’s degree or doctoral degree (excluding professional degrees) from a regionally accredited institution.
Suitable preparation in Crop, Soil, and Environmental Sciences or related areas

International Students English Proficiency Scores

English Proficiency Test	Score	Website
PTE-A Pearson Test of English-Academic	58	PTE Academic
TOEFL Internet-Based	79	TOEFL iBT
Institutional TOEFL¹	550	TOEFL ITP
IELTS (Academic)²	6.5	IELTS
iTEP	3.9	iTEP
C1 Advanced CAE (Cambridge Assessment English)	176	C1 Advanced
Duolingo	110	Duolingo
ACT English Subscore*	19	ACT website
Completion of English Composition I and II with grades of A, B, or C from a regionally accredited U.S. university or country where English is the native language.*

Note:
- The Institutional TOEFL test is only accepted when taken through University of Arkansas' Testing Services.
- The IELTS General Training exam is not accepted.
- More information found here [Link]

A statement of purpose letter that describes who you are, your professional career goals, the reasons why you want to study for a Crop, Soil, and Environmental Sciences graduate degree and the area(s) of Crop, Soil, and Environmental Sciences you wish to study
Three letters of reference

How to Apply

Complete and submit an application for graduate studies (M.S. or Ph.D.). Submit your application and the documents required by the Graduate School (transcripts, TOEFL, etc.).

The application will also require you to include:

Statement of Purpose
Graduate Assistantship Application Form (if applicable)
The contact information for the reference letters

*The Graduate School will send instructions for three letters of recommendations to be submitted online.

Applications received will be considered for admission based on departmental requirements and the availability of positions and funding.

The Review Process

The Graduate School will review applications to determine qualifications based on the Graduate School requirements. Applications are then forwarded to the Department of Crop, Soil, and Environmental Sciences for review by the Graduate Program Coordinator, Department Head, and Faculty to determine acceptance based on departmental requirements.