If interested in applying to work with Remsen, then here's what you need to know before you go any further:

Over the last 28 years, only about 1 in 9 applicants has been admitted. For Fall 2008, I may be accepting 1 new student.

I sponsor Ph.D. and M.S. students.

When we accept students, we also offer them financial support, either as a Teaching Assistant or Curatorial Assistant; these stipends are currently $15,250 (although this may seem lower than in many programs, the cost of living in Baton Rouge is one of the lowest in any metropolitan areas in the USA).

I place two restrictions on students' research projects: (1) they must be focused on tropical birds, and (2) they must involve collecting and use of specimens to some extent. Other than that, I do not expect students to apply with, or arrive with, formal research plans; instead, I prefer that new students not commit to a specific research plan until the end of their first year, when they will have been exposed to many new ideas and realities.

Those with tropical field experience or experience in collecting specimens have an advantage. Applicants lacking a strong background in bird natural history are at a great disadvantage.

Although I don't put much emphasis on GRE scores, the Graduate School and the Dept. of Biological Sciences do. Required minimum GRE (math + verbal) for your application to make it past the Graduate School is 1100. Foreign students should be fluent in English, preferably in Academic English.  TOEFL, SAT scores must be submitted with the application form. For non-English-first speakers, more emphasis is put on the TOEFL score than the GRE Verbal score. Those with GPAs lower than 3.0 will also have a difficult time being admitted to the Dept. of Biological Sciences.

If interested primarily in molecular phylogenetics of birds, then you should contact my colleague Dr. Fred Sheldon. If interested primarily in molecular population genetics of birds, then contact my colleague Dr. Robb Brumfield. Both also work with tropical birds. Also, Dr. Phil Stouffer, LSU School of Renewable Natural Resources, is a prominent tropical bird ecologist who sponsors M.S. and Ph.D. students; he and his students interact frequently with LSUMNS.

If still interested, see:

Synopsis of Graduate Program in Ornithology

and Current Graduate Students

and for details on LSU application procedure, including online application:

Graduate School, LSU

and for details on Dept. Biological Sciences graduate admissions:

Dept. Biological Sciences Graduate Programs

DEADLINES: although we have no hard deadlines, please get your application completed by late December. Review of applications begins in early January, although decisions are not usually made until at least mid-February.

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