Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences
Montana State University
334 Leon Johnson Hall
P.O. Box 173120
Bozeman, MT 59717-3120
406-994-7060 Email: lresinfo@montana.edu
Home Page: http://landresources.montana.edu
Graduate student research projects are related to the diverse interests of LRES faculty members. The department conducts research projects in land rehabilitation, restoration ecology for land and streams, watershed science, hydrology, biogeochemistry, land-atmosphere exchange, plant and soil ecology, environmental microbiology, cropping systems and sustainability, environmental risk assessment, integrated pest and weed management, and insect behavior and ecology.
Department Head
Dr. Robert Peterson
334 Leon Johnson Hall
406-994-7060 Email: bpeterson@montana.edu
Student Services Coordinator
334 Leon Johnson Hall
406-994-3090 Email: lresinfo@montana.edu
Admission
Students seeking admission to graduate status in the Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences must hold a B.S. or M.S. degree, have a record of high scholarship in areas closely related to land resources and environmental sciences, and show significant promise for success in a graduate program. They are expected to present evidence of college-level training and mastery in biology, chemistry, and mathematics sufficient to provide a good background for further study at the advanced level. Students with deficiencies may be required to take background courses to make up for these deficiencies before or after being approved for acceptance. All applications are evaluated by a departmental review committee and the Department Head for final recommendation to The Graduate School. Successful applicants are accepted into both the Department and The Graduate School. A GPA of 3.0 for the last two years, three letters of recommendation (must be from persons other than the potential advisor or committee members), and a letter of application (personal statement) describing the applicant’s research interests and career goals in pursuing graduate training are minimum requirements for acceptance to the LRES graduate program.
An appropriate faculty mentor must agree to serve as the student's major adviser as a condition of admission.
International Applicants
For international applicants, a TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) score of 550 for the paper-based test and 80 for the internet-based test is required for international students whose first language is not English. For IELTS scores, a minimum score of 6.5 is required; for Duolingo, a minimum score of 120 is required. English proficiency exam scores are not required if English is the first official language of the applicant’s country of citizenship or if the applicant has received an undergraduate or graduate degree from an institution in the United States. These scores must be submitted directly from the testing agency to MSU. For transcripts that do not show grades and GPA on a 4.00 scale, it’s helpful to provide a document with grade translations.
Graduate Assistantships
Assistantship awards are dependent on the availability of funding. In general, assistantships are awarded through a faculty adviser. If financial aid is unavailable, you must have your own financial resources. Other financial assistance is granted on a competitive basis, with prior academic performance serving as a major criterion
Final Application Deadlines
U.S. and Canada
- Fall - July 1
- Spring - December 1
- Summer - April 1
International
- Fall - May 1
- Spring - October 1
- Summer - February 1
Departmental Facilities
LRES faculty members conduct cutting-edge investigations in state-of-the-art laboratory facilities, the modern Plant Growth Center, and the many outstanding and diverse natural laboratories within and beyond the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. We utilize public and private lands across the state and region as well as the MSU Agricultural Experiment Station facilities. Our faculty participates in and collaborates with many centers and institutes within and outside MSU. LRES faculty advisers work with national and international scientific collaborators and are internationally recognized for their research and instructional excellence.
Environmental Sciences Analytical Laboratory
The department boasts a modern shared analytical facility that houses many state-of-the-art instruments for soil, water, air, and plant analyses. The facility supports faculty and graduate student research programs and provides outstanding, hands-on experiences and instruction with diverse analytical measurement techniques.
Spatial Sciences Center
LRES faculty and staff are key members of the MSU Spatial Sciences Center. The Global Positioning System (GPS) Laboratory provides GPS base station data to determine accurate location coordinates for field mapping projects. The Remote Sensing Laboratory offers a state-of-the-art facility with extensive ability to analyze digital and analog imagery. Equipment and support for both laboratories facilitate teaching, cooperative research, and land resource inventory and management activities.