Preparatory Work

Undergraduate and/or post-graduate coursework in chemistry, physics, biology, calculus, and soil science is required for admission to the Soils and Biogeochemistry Graduate Group. Applicants admitted without these prerequisites must complete the necessary courses to satisfy their deficiencies during their first year of study.

Admissions Requirements

Admission to the Soils & Biogeochemistry Graduate Group is based on:

• Academic background and at least a 3.0/4.0 grade point average.
• Your preparation and performance in courses that constitute basic preparation for advanced study in soil science. These include chemistry, physics, biology, calculus, and soil science or agronomy courses.
• Three letters of recommendation.
• TOEFL scores for applicants whose primary language is not English. A score of 550 for the paper test or a score of 80 for the Internet-based test is the minimum accepted by the group. For IELTS, the minimum band score required for admission is 7 on a 9-point scale.
• Identification of one or more members of the group willing to serve as a Major Professor.

The final decision on admission is the responsibility of the Dean of Graduate Studies upon recommendation of the Soils & Biogeochemistry Graduate Group. Detailed information may be obtained on the Graduate Studies home page.

Deadlines

The priority deadline to submit your application for admission is January 15.
This is also the application deadline for internal fellowships.

The general deadline to submit your application for admission is May 1.

Submitting your application

• Submit an online application for admission to the Soils & Biogeochemistry graduate program.
• For more information contact the Graduate Group Advisor by phone at (530) 752-1669, or by email at lawrgradadvising@ucdavis.edu.

Additional Guidelines for Application

1.  Report TOEFL scores electronically directly to the institution.

Institutional code: 4834
Department codes for Soils and Biogeochemistry: 73 (TOEFL)

2.  Transcript Submission: UC Davis requires academic records from each college-level institution you have attended.  You will be instructed to upload scanned copies of your transcripts after you have submitted your online application.  For more details visit https://gradstudies.ucdavis.edu/submit-transcripts

3.  All letters of recommendation must be submitted electronically by the referee, through the on-line application. The on-line application will automatically notify the referee and provide instructions on how to submit his/her letter.