Admissions, AREC Graduate Programs

Graduate Program Admissions Process

Oregon State University operates on a quarter system, with classes beginning in September, January, and March. Most students find it advantageous to begin their graduate programs at the beginning of the academic year (late September) to coincide with course sequences.

To begin graduate work, a prospective student must be admitted by both OSU Admissions and the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics. Application forms for admission to the Graduate School are available from the Office of Admissions, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331-2106 or they may be obtained online at http://oregonstate.edu/admissions. The phone number is 541-737-4411. For admission to the Graduate Program in Economics, see the Graduate School website.

An applicant must submit to the Office of Admissions a copy of the application form, a nonrefundable $50 application fee, official sealed transcripts from every college or university attended, and a letter indicating the student's objectives and particular fields of interest. GRE scores should be sent to the Admissions Office. After the university receives the student application, a photocopy of the application, transcripts, and a copy of the student's letter stating his/her educational objectives will be sent from the Admissions Office to the Department along with TOEFL scores.

Three reference letters should be sent directly to the Department from the writer to

Susan Capalbo, Head
Agricultural and Resource Economics
Oregon State University
213 Ballard Extension Hall
Corvallis, OR 97331-1601

A student's application cannot be considered for admission until all of these items are provided to the Office of Admissions and to the Department.

The minimum entrance requirements to the Graduate School are as follows:

A four-year baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university.
A combined GPA of 3.00 on the last 90 credit hours of graded undergraduate work plus all work completed thereafter.

Applications from students not meeting these requirements are usually rejected by the Office of Admissions. The Department can appeal the Admission Office's rejection, but usually abides by the decision.

The departmental admissions process is handled by a committee of three faculty members, with the Graduate Committee chair taking the lead. The Department has no specific benchmarks for determining admission of domestic students, but does require that all international students have a TOEFL score of 575 (this is the paper score, which is equivalent to a 230 score on the computer exam) or greater. The committee considers the following four items from the application packet:

Transcripts of previous classwork. Where the student attended school and the GPA are important factors, but the committee looks most closely at grades for classes required as prerequisites for the program. Grades of C or lower in any of these classes reduces the chance of acceptance into the program. Students not having the prerequisite classes are generally informed of this fact and may be required to complete this course work before enrolling in the program.
Statement of Objectives. In reading this letter the committee determines whether the program is a good match for what the student is seeking. If not, the student is encouraged to apply at another school where his or her objectives might better be met.
GRE scores. No minimum standards are set on GRE scores, although experience has shown that students scoring below 600 often struggle in that area of ability. For example, a student scoring 550 on the quantitative portion of the exam usually struggles with the mathematical concepts in theory and econometrics. In those cases, admission to the Ph.D. or M.S. programs is usually not approved unless the student has performed very well in undergraduate calculus, statistics, and economic theory courses.
Letters of Recommendation. Letters carry the greatest weight if written by someone familiar with the Department's graduate program, or by someone with a national reputation in economics or agricultural economics. Letters from immediate supervisors in employment or from professors with whom the student has worked on a research project are also important.

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		Oregon State University operates on a quarter system, with classes beginning in September, January, and March. Most students find it advantageous to begin their graduate programs at the beginning of the academic year (late September) to coincide with course sequences. To begin graduate work, a prospective student must be admitted by both OSU Admissions and the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics. Application forms for admission to the Graduate School are available from the Office of Admissions, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331-2106 or they may be obtained online at http://oregonstate.edu/admissions. The phone number is 541-737-4411. For admission to the Graduate Program in Economics, see the Graduate School website. An applicant must submit to the Office of Admissions a copy of the application form, a nonrefundable $50 application fee, official sealed transcripts from every college or university attended, and a letter indicating the student's objectives and particular fields of interest. GRE scores should be sent to the Admissions Office. After the university receives the student application, a photocopy of the application, transcripts, and a copy of the student's letter stating his/her educational objectives will be sent from the Admissions Office to the Department along with TOEFL scores. Three reference letters should be sent directly to the Department from the writer to Susan Capalbo, Head Agricultural and Resource Economics Oregon State University 213 Ballard Extension Hall Corvallis, OR 97331-1601 A student's application cannot be considered for admission until all of these items are provided to the Office of Admissions and to the Department. The minimum entrance requirements to the Graduate School are as follows: A four-year baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university. A combined GPA of 3.00 on the last 90 credit hours of graded undergraduate work plus all work completed thereafter. Applications from students not meeting these requirements are usually rejected by the Office of Admissions. The Department can appeal the Admission Office's rejection, but usually abides by the decision. The departmental admissions process is handled by a committee of three faculty members, with the Graduate Committee chair taking the lead. The Department has no specific benchmarks for determining admission of domestic students, but does require that all international students have a TOEFL score of 575 (this is the paper score, which is equivalent to a 230 score on the computer exam) or greater. The committee considers the following four items from the application packet: Transcripts of previous classwork. Where the student attended school and the GPA are important factors, but the committee looks most closely at grades for classes required as prerequisites for the program. Grades of C or lower in any of these classes reduces the chance of acceptance into the program. Students not having the prerequisite classes are generally informed of this fact and may be required to complete this course work before enrolling in the program. Statement of Objectives. In reading this letter the committee determines whether the program is a good match for what the student is seeking. If not, the student is encouraged to apply at another school where his or her objectives might better be met. GRE scores. No minimum standards are set on GRE scores, although experience has shown that students scoring below 600 often struggle in that area of ability. For example, a student scoring 550 on the quantitative portion of the exam usually struggles with the mathematical concepts in theory and econometrics. In those cases, admission to the Ph.D. or M.S. programs is usually not approved unless the student has performed very well in undergraduate calculus, statistics, and economic theory courses. Letters of Recommendation. Letters carry the greatest weight if written by someone familiar with the Department's graduate program, or by someone with a national reputation in economics or agricultural economics. Letters from immediate supervisors in employment or from professors with whom the student has worked on a research project are also important.


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