The graduate program assistant, Patsy Pittman, is available at all times to answer any questions concerning requirements of the ecology programs. Periodically, students are sent memos via email providing them with vital information (i.e. - deadlines, assistantships, forms to file with the Graduation Office, impediments to file, etc.). This information is provided to keep the student abreast of all current happenings with his/her file. It is the responsibility of the student to keep himself or herself apprised of all current graduation requirements for any of the Ecology degree programs. Forms for each program are available in the program office or in the Graduation Office of the Graduate Studies Research Center.

Please note that three core courses are required for the Ph.D. program: ECOL 8000 (Topics in Modern Ecology), ECOL 8310 (Population Ecology), and ECOL 8322 (Ecosystem Concepts). Students may also take additional course work in organismal and community ecology. The program is deliberately designed to be flexible to complement the student's background and emphasize his or her career objectives in ecology. Major emphasis is on course work related to dissertation research, but students are expected to develop a broad background in environmental science. A wide array of relevant courses are offered by the Odum School of Ecology and other departments (especially botany, entomology, forest resources, genetics, geology, microbiology, and statistics). The student is assisted by an advisory committee and must produce a dissertation which is an original contribution to ecological science.

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Important Information from the Graduate School
The UGA Graduate School web site is located at http://www.uga.edu/gradschool/
Below are links and information about pages containing especially important information:

Academic Regulations and Procedures
This page contains information about: use of credit, cumulative graduate average, application of credit by transfer, extension and correspondence, resident credit in graduate centers, application for graduation, late filing of graduation forms, final registration requirement, graduation ceremonies, awarding doctoral degrees-university faculty, probation and dismissal, appeals, student education records, academic honesty and research with human participants.

Graduate Enrollment Policy
This page contains information about minimum enrollment,leave of absence, monitoring and compliance, program exemption, course load, course numbers, class attendance, withdrawal from courses, course deletions, change in grades, name and address changes, grade reporting system, enrollment in graduate courses - law/honors/undergraduates and irregular students.

Requirements for Doctoral Degrees
This has information about advisory committees, programs of study, doctoral preiliminary comprehensive examinations, admission to candidacy, dissertations and theses and graduation process.

Financial Assistance: Travel Funding
This page includes information about doctoral student travel grants from OVPR, Graduate School travel funding, relevant criteria for applying for travel funding and important deadlines.

Graduate School Forms and Publications
This page includes:
Forms for Doctoral Degree - application for admission to candidacy, advisory committee for doctoral candidates, preliminary doctoral program of study, final doctoral program of study, approval form for doctoral dissertation and final oral examination and electronic thesis and dissertation submission approval form.
Forms for Graduation - application for graduation, late filing for graduation, graduation change form and doctoral graduation ceremony information form.
Additional Forms - request for change of degree objective, recommended change in program of study, request for transfer credit, request for leave of absence, application waiver for out-of-state tuition, summer assistantship and committment form.
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Advisory Committee
The Advisory Committee will consist of the chairman and four faculty members. The chairman and two other member of the committee must be members of the Graduate Faculty. The major professor must be a member of the Odum School of Ecology faculty (adjunct members may serve), and must be working in the student’s study area. If co-major professors are appointed, a sixth member must be added with the majority being Graduate Faculty.
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Dissertation Approval and Defense
The ecology program office must notify the Graduate School at least two weeks prior to the defense. It is the responsibility of the student to notify the ecology program office of the date, time, location and title for the dissertation oral defense. The Graduate School and Odum School of Ecology will announce the time and place of the dissertation defense to the University community. You must notify Anisa Jimenez in order to secure publicity for your defense.

An official hardbound copy of the dissertation on 100% cotton paper is required for the Odum library before the approval form will be forwarded to the Graduate Office.
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Dr. John Gittleman, Dean - ecohead@uga.edu
Dr. James Porter, Associate Dean - jporter@uga.edu
Dr. Dorset Trapnell, Assistant Dean - dorset@uga.edu
Dr. Ron Carroll, Graduate Coordinator - rcarroll@uga.edu
Dr. Jim Richardson, Undergraduate Coordinator - jamesir@uga.edu
For questions or comments about this site email: anisaj@uga.edu