Basic Qualifications for Admission

Applicants should have maintained at least a 3.0 GPA (on a 4.0 scale) in their undergraduate courses and have completed at least 6 credits in the natural sciences and 6 credits in the social sciences.

Prospective students seeking a Master's degree in sustainable agriculture must already have earned a Bachelor's degree and demonstrate a strong record of achievement in one of the natural, social, or engineering sciences.

Prospective students seeking the PhD must already have earned a Master's degree.  It is also expected that PhD applicants will have completed either a Bachelor's or Master's degree in one of the major program areas offered by the ISU College of Agriculture or its equivalent.

The Application Process

Please note the following key steps in the application process.

  1. Please submit an on-line ISU Graduate College application, with the appropriate fee, to the ISU Office of Admissions.  Official transcripts of all previous academic work must also be submitted to Admissions.

  2. Please submit a completed copy of the GPSA program application to the GPSA Program Office.  The program application may be downloaded in MS Word (.doc) format at http://www.sust.ag.iastate.edu/gpsa/GPSA_application.doc.  

    Please submit this document by e-mail as an attachment to gpsa@iastate.edu.

  3. Please submit a statement of purpose.  The GPSA accepts statements in one of two forms:
    • in Section IV of the program application, or


    • in Section 7 of the on-line Graduate College application.

    In your statement, please describe your reasons for pursuing graduate study, your specific research interests, your background and/or experience related to sustainable agriculture, and any other information that you feel is relevant to your application.

  4. The GPSA requires a score report from the GRE General Test. The minimum required scores are a total of 1000 or higher in the Verbal and Quantitative sections and 3.5 or higher in the Analytical Writing section.  An official score report must be sent from ETS to Iowa State (institution code 6306, department code 0199).  Reported scores must be from a test taken within the past five years.

  5. International students whose native language is not English or who have not completed a university degree in a country where English is the official language must submit a score report from the TOEFL or IELTS.  The minimum required scores for admission are 213 (CBT) or 550 (PBT) or 80 (IBT) for the TOEFL or 6.5 for the IELTS.  An official score report must be sent to the ISU Office of Admissions.

  6. Three letters of recommendation are required and may be submitted in one of two forms:

    • on line - Enter the e-mail addresses of three referees in the on-line Graduate College application.  They will be prompted by the system with instructions for submitting electronic letters.


    • on paper - Individual referees may send letters directly to the GPSA program office or the applicant may collect letters in sealed envelopes and send them to the program office.
New students must be matched with a faculty advisor in order to be admitted.  Upon receipt of your completed application, the GPSA program coordinator will begin seeking a suitable faculty advisor for you.  Please note that admission to the program depends on securing a nomination from an advisor.

To facilitate the identification of a faculty advisor, we urge prospective students to browse our faculty Web directory and review the research interests of GPSA faculty. The directory is located at http://www.sust.ag.iastate.edu/gpsa/faculty.html.

Please identify in your statement or program application any GPSA faculty members whom you consider compatible with your research interests.  We invite prospective students and applicants to make direct contact with faculty to discuss admission prospects; however, you are under no obligation to do so.

Applications must be complete to be considered for admission.  All required documents must be submitted to the GPSA and the ISU Office of Admissions before the GPSA Admissions Committee will review an application.

Application deadlines for our program are
  • 1 February for fall semester admission and
  • 1 June for spring semester admission.
Financial support for the first year of study is typically provided by some combination of GPSA and departmental funds.  In subsequent years, support commonly comes from a student's advisor and/or home department.  GPSA students may qualify for ISU fellowships and grants and awards from organizations external to the university.

News about financial awards is routinely posted at http://www.sust.ag.iastate.edu/gpsa/studentfunding.html.

Questions about the application process and any other admissions-related issue may be directed to
Charles R. Sauer
Program Coordinator
Graduate Program in Sustainable Agriculture
1126L Agronomy Hall
Iowa State University
Ames, Iowa 50011-1010
USA

telephone:  515.294.6518
fax:  515.294.8146
e-mail:  gpsa@iastate.edu
Iowa State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, sex, marital status, disability, or status as a US veteran.

Inquiries about this policy may be made to the Director of Equal Opportunity and Diversity, 3680 Beardshear Hall, telephone 515.294.7612.