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Admissions

Contact

Please contact Erica Diffenderfer if you have any questions about the AEC graduate program or the admissions process.

Requirements

Minimum requirements for admission to this program include the following:

  • A recognized baccalaureate, graduate, or professional degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution or a comparable degree from an international institution
  • 3.0 upper-division undergraduate grade point average
  • GRE scores which are acceptable to the program – Applicants who present a combined GRE score of 300 or higher will be most competitive for admission

Exceptions to these requirements are subject to recommendation by the department and approval by the associate dean of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences and the dean of the Graduate School.

Please also see the UF Graduate School’s admissions requirements in the Graduate Catalog, as applicants must meet the requirements of both the academic unit and the Graduate School to be admitted for graduate study.

Non-US and Puerto Rican applicants: Please refer to the UF international student admission requirements on the International Admissions website. 

 

Application Details

The following items must be completed to be considered for admission:

  • Application Form
  • $30 non-refundable Application Fee payment (credit card payments require an additional $7 processing fee)
  • Official GRE Test Scores – UF Institution code: 5812
  • Official transcripts from all post-secondary institutions previously attended sent to the UF Office of Admissions, PO Box 114000 (201 Criser Hall), Gainesville, FL 32611-4000
  • Three letters of recommendation: This part of the application is automated in the online application and will require contact information for your references. If they are not able to submit the forms electronically through the online application, please have your recommenders send their letters through email to Erica Diffenderfer or by mail to Erica Diffenderfer, PO Box 112060, Gainesville, FL 32611-2060.
  • Statement of Purpose/Letter of Intent: This part of the application is also automated in the online application. In this statement, describe how your background and professional interests align with the AEC mission. Clearly articulate how the experience in our graduate program would position you for future personal and/or professional success. This statement should summarize your professional goals, career objectives, and motivation for graduate work in AEC. Please also include information about your specific research interests, indicating preferences for potential AEC faculty advisors.
  • Résumé or curriculum vitae: The online application provides the option to upload additional files as needed. Please upload a current résumé or curriculum vitae in this section of the online application.
  • Assistantship/fellowship application: Any applicant interested in a departmental assistantship/fellowship must have their complete application packet–assistantship/fellowship application and essay–sent to Erica Diffenderfer. The application can be found here. With regard to the essay, applicants should include information about work-related experience and skills which would be relevant to performing teaching, research, or extension assistantship responsibilities and how these expereinces and skills can contribute to the AEC department's programs and mission. Please note this essay is separate from the Statement of Purpose. More funding resources can be found here. 

Application Deadlines

Summer or Fall admission: February 1* (first review) | March 1 (final deadline)

Spring admission: September 1* (first review) | October 1 (final deadline)

*If you are interested in departmental assistantship/fellowship funding, your application materials should be submitted by the first application review date to be most competitive for available funds.

 

Prospective Student Campus Visits

We expect prospective students to contact potential AEC faculty advisors prior to and during the admissions process. Campus visits provide applicants an opportunity to meet with department faculty and current graduate students face to face, as well as give applicants a chance to explore the University of Florida campus. If you are unable to visit our department in person, please note that a virtual visit (using video conferencing software like Zoom) can be arranged and is encouraged. We offer visits for prospective graduate students by appointment only, so if you are interested in setting up an in-person visit or a virtual visit, please contact Erica Diffenderfer. If you cannot visit in person or virtually, we ask that you reach out to our faculty members through email or by phone. Contact information can be found in our online directory.

FAQs

  • Where can I find more information about the GRE?

    The GRE website has helpful information, including test site locations and dates as well as details about how to register.

  • Is the GRE required?

    If you have already graduated with a graduate or professional degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution, the GRE is not required. Applicants are reviewed holistically in our department, and the GRE is recommended because it provides several additional data points for admission decisions and advisor selection. If you want to be considered for departmental assistantship/fellowship funding, the GRE is highly recommended since the number of fellowships and assistantships are limited.

  • How early should I submit my application and application materials?

    Please note that certain application materials, like transcripts and test scores, can take anywhere from 24 hours to a few weeks to link to your UF graduate application. Please provide ample time for this to occur before the application deadline.

  • What is the admission timeline for the AEC graduate program?

    Applications submitted by the first review deadline will be reviewed by the Graduate Committee a few weeks after the deadline. Additionally, applications submitted by the final review deadline will be reviewed a few weeks after that deadline. Applicants will be notified of their admission decisions as soon as the decisions are finalized. Please note that decisions for departmental assistantship/fellowship funding are released separately from admission decisions and funding decisions are typically released at some point after the final review deadline.

  • What is taken into consideration when admission decisions are made?

    In addition to an applicant meeting the admission requirements listed on this webpage, a faculty member must agree to serve as an advisor for the applicant. Prospective students are expected to reach out to potential AEC faculty advisors prior to and during the admissions process. Please note that there may be instances when current faculty advising loads prevent accommodating additional students in a particular specialization.

  • What is the cost for tuition?

    Tuition and fee information for on-campus students can be found here. Students interested in the online master’s program should see the information here.