Department of
Entomology

Graduate Studies

The Department of Entomology offers many courses and seminars dealing with a broad range of entomological topics. Furthermore, the interdisciplinary nature of faculty interests creates a diverse set of research topics, ranging from neuroethology to biological control and everything in between. If it has something to do with an insect, chances are someone at the University of Illinois is studying it! You may also want to view the courses taught by Department of Entomology faculty.

The over 30 faculty and affiliates in the department offer a very broad range of topics for study. Emeritus faculty continue to be an integral part of the intellectual atmosphere of the department, and our association with the Illinois Natural History Survey makes our department one of the most challenging and diverse in the country.

Degree Requirements

For a Master's Degree

A graduate student must complete the following requirements in order to graduate with a master's degree as his/her highest degree from the Department of Entomology at the University of Illinois:

  1. Fulfill the prescriptions made following the prescription examination.
  2. Pass with a grade of A or B four of the following courses:
    • Classification and Evolution of Insects (IB 468)
    • Genomic Analysis of Insects (IB 504)
    • Insect Physiology (IB 427)
    • Insect Ecology (IB 444)
    • Fundamentals of Insect Pest Management (IB 482)
    A grade of C or below in one or more of these courses requires remedial work.
  3. The Department of Entomology sponsors its own colloquium series (generally on Monday at 4 PM) and it is required that our graduate students sign up for 1 hour credit as IB 526B every semester and attend all departmental colloquia. Only if a student has a conflict at the time of the colloqium, can they be allowed to miss it for that semester only.
  4. Submit a thesis prepared on original research performed with the supervision of a faculty member of the graduate program in entomology.
  5. Pass the final examination on the thesis material and successfully deposit the thesis with the Graduate College.
  6. Complete 32 credit hours of coursework including the core courses, thesis research (Ent. 599) and electives. At least 12 hours must be in the major field (Entomology). No more than 12 hours of thesis credit (Ent. 599) may be included in the 32-hour program. At least 16 hours must be from courses meeting at the Urbana-Champaign campus, or other courses approved for residence credit by the Graduate College. Courses taken as credit/no credit may not be included in the 32 hours of credit.
  7. Complete all requirements for the degree within five calendar years after initial registration in the Graduate College.
  8. Maintain a 3.0 grade point average, which is the GPA required for degree certification.

For a Ph.D. Degree

A graduate student must complete the following requirements in order to graduate with a Ph.D. degree as his/her highest degree from the Department of Entomology at the University of Illinois:

  1. Fulfill the prescriptions made following the prescription examination.
  2. Pass with a grade of A or B all five of the following courses:
    • Classification and Evolution of Insects (IB 468)
    • Genomic Analysis of Insects (IB 504)
    • Insect Physiology (IB 427)
    • Insect Ecology (IB 444)
    • Fundamentals of Insect Pest Management (IB 482)
    A grade of C or below in one or more of these courses requires remedial work.
  3. Statistics Course(s)--Ph.D. students are required to take four-credit hours of Statistics. Approved courses are offered by many different campus units. The departmental office maintains an informal list of approved courses. A student should consult with GSAC to ensure that a new course or a course not on the list is acceptable.
  4. The Department of Entomology sponsors its own colloquium series (generally on Monday at 4 PM) and it is required that our graduate students sign up for 1 hour credit as IB 526B every semester and attend all departmental colloquia. Only if a student has a conflict at the time of the colloqium, can they be allowed to miss it for that semester only.
  5. Obtain a grade of "satisfactory" in at least three semesters of Seminar in Entomology (IB 526) (the Entomology Colloquium does not count towards this requirement). Each semester, one IB 526 "advanced topics" seminar (or equivalent advanced topics course approved by the Head or GSAC) will be offered by the department in one of the five core areas (ecology, genomics, physiology, systematics, IPM) or in toxicology or behavior. In order to count towards fulfilling this requirement, each of the three IB 526 "advanced topics" seminars must be in a different subject area.
  6. If the candidate has entered the graduate program without a Master's degree, he or she must complete, defend and deposit a Master's thesis before taking preliminary examinations.
  7. Pass the Preliminary Examination.
  8. Complete at least 96 hours of graduate credit. A student entering with a master's degree is given credit for 32 hours irrespective of the University or Department where this degree was earned. At least 64 of the hours, including thesis credit, must be courses meeting on the Urbana-Champaign campus or at other locations approved by the Graduate College for residence credit.
  9. Submit a dissertation prepared on original research performed under the supervision of a faculty member or affiliate member of the Department of Entomology as advisor.
  10. Present a seminar to the department on the completed research project.
  11. Pass the Final Examination on the dissertation material and successfully deposit the dissertation with the Graduate College.
  12. Fulfill at least two semesters of teaching assistantships while a graduate student here (this is a new requirement as of Spring 2018).
  13. Complete all requirements for this degree within seven calendar years, which includes the two years applied toward the Master's degree, after initial registration in the Graduate College, except in two cases. A candidate for the doctorate who has received a master's degree elsewhere must complete all requirements for the degree within six years after initial registration in the doctoral program on this campus. A student whose program of study has been significantly interrupted after receiving a master's degree from the University of Illinois and who later returns to work for the doctorate will have six years from the date of return to complete degree requirements.
  14. Maintain a 3.0 grade point average, which is the GPA required for degree certification.

Courses

View all courses taught by Department of Entomology faculty.