Horticulture Graduate Entrance Requirements
Who Should Apply?
If you have a passion to learn more about plants, their growth, their production, or their utilization, then you may be a good candidate for graduate study in Horticulture. Students with undergraduate majors in the plant sciences, including horticulture, crop science, plant pathology, environmental science, genetics, plant physiology, and biochemistry, may be well prepared for graduate work in Horticulture. If your undergraduate degree is not directly related to plants (for example, if you received a degree in business or English), you may still be eligible for our program; you may strengthen your preparation by taking additional courses before applying, or while pursuing your graduate degree. The flexibility of our program allows you to tailor your graduate studies to your individual background and needs.
Undergraduate students who are pursuing studies not related to plant science and who contemplate graduate work in horticulture should take as many courses in the basic physical and biological sciences as possible.
Application Materials
For a complete application for graduate study in Horticulture at WSU, the following are needed:
- On-line completed Application for Admission to the Graduate School, on which the student should indicate horticulture as the major.
- A $50.00 application processing fee payable by Visa and MasterCard. There is no waiver for this fee.
- One complete set of official transcripts of all previously earned credits (to be sent directly to the Graduate School).
- A completed Departmental Information Form, including a statement of purpose (sent directly to the Department of Hort/LA).
- Three letters of recommendation from professors or employers (to be sent directly to the Graduate School).
- Graduate Record Exam (GRE) scores (official copy to be sent directly from the testing agency to University #4705).:
- Foreign applicants, for whom English is not their first language, must also submit TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) scores and meet minimum Graduate School requirements (sent directly from the testing agency to University #4705).
Admission Considerations
The basis of the above data, the Graduate School and the department evaluate the prospective student's qualifications. Recommendations for admission are made provided that:
- The student meets the Graduate School's criteria (see Graduate School Admission);
- The student meets departmental criteria;
- A member of the departmental faculty agrees to serve as that student's major advisor, and
- There is a committed source of funding to support the student (an assistantship or a commitment that the student will be self-supporting).
Departmental criteria generally include a G.P.A. of 3.0 or better, as stipulated by the Graduate School, supportive letters of recommendation, a clear "statement of purpose" by the prospective student, and GRE scores. Within the department, the decision for admission and recommendation to the Graduate School is made by the Graduate Steering Committee, and approved by the department chair. Although the department sends unofficial notice of acceptance, formal notice of acceptance into the graduate program will come from the Graduate School.
English Language Proficiency
Foreign applicants for whom English is not their first language must also submit TOEFL scores, unless they have received a degree from an accredited university in the United States. Successful completion of the English proficiency examination will be required of foreign students before graduate teaching assistantship appointments will be approved by the Graduate School. Special training in "English for Foreign Students" is available through the Intensive American Language Center in the International Programs Office.
Transfer Credits
For information on transfer credits, contact the Graduate School.
Deadlines
Applications are accepted at anytime and are reviewed as they are received. To be assured of consideration for admission to the graduate program in Horticulture or for a graduate assistantship, the following deadlines should be met.
| Desired enrollment | Admission deadline | Assistantship deadline |
| Fall semester | January 10 | January 10 |
| Spring semester | July 1 | July 1 |
How To Apply
To apply visit the Graduate School Admissions web page. Other questions or inquiries may also be sent to:
Academic
Coordinator
Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture
Washington State University
P. O. Box 646414
Pullman, WA 99164-6414 USA
telephone: (509) 335-9504
fax: (509) 335-8690
e-mail: hortla@wsu.edu