Overview
Michigan State University was founded in 1855 as a pioneer land-grant institution and has expanded to include more than 200 undergraduate programs and graduate work in the seventy-five departments and schools of its fourteen colleges. The East Lansing campus covers 2,100 acres, and an additional 3,163 acres are devoted to experimental farms. MSU has many diverse facilities, including a rapidly growing library system currently holding more than 3 million volumes in the Main Library and fifteen specialized branches; the Biotechnology Research Center; the Abrams Planetarium, containing a 150-seat sky theater; the MSU Museum, housing special exhibits as well as research collections; the Kresge Art Center, housing the Kresge Art Museum; the Wharton Center for Performing Arts, a cultural facility with two theaters: the 2,500-seat Great Hall and the 600-seat Festival Stage; the Center for International Programs, serving as a center for international activity; and athletic facilities such as the Spartan Stadium, Munn Ice Arena, Forest Akers golf courses, and IM Sports Circle, which contains a sports gym, two swimming pools, a sauna, and steam and weight rooms.

The Community
Located on a large peninsula bounded in part by three of the five Great Lakes, East Lansing provides easy access to idyllic scenery and a variety of outdoor activities. Michigan State University is East Lansing's major business, but the adjacent city of Lansing is the state capital and a manufacturing center. Local grade and high schools are among the best in the nation. Their proximity to MSU provides numerous cultural and educational opportunities for children apart from University functions.

Enrollment at MSU for the 2002 spring semester included 31,600 undergraduates, 6,110 graduate students, and 1,338 professional students. Of these, 2,720 were international students.

Programs of study and degree requirements
The Department of Zoology offers programs leading to both the Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees granted through the College of Natural Science. Advanced training in various subdisciplines is designed to prepare students for careers in teaching and research. Courses, seminars, and research programs are available in animal behavior, cellular and developmental biology, ecology, endocrinology, evolution, genetics, neuroscience, physiology, protozoology, toxicology, invertebrate zoology, and vertebrate zoology, including ornithology and mammalogy. Thirty-eight full-time faculty members provide expertise in these areas. Individual graduate programs are planned in consultation with the major professor and guidance committee chosen by the student. Although the M.S. degree is occasionally granted without a thesis, the usual emphasis of the M.S. and Ph.D. programs is on a thesis based on original research. At least 30 semester credits, including 8 credits of research, are required for the M.S. degree. A minimum of 6 credits in advanced courses, with 24 credits of research and one year of residence, is required for the Ph.D. degree. The course work, thesis, and final oral examination can usually be completed in two years for the M.S. program and four years for the Ph.D. program.

Facilities & Resources
Teaching and research facilities are located in the Natural Science Building, Giltner Hall, Michigan State University (MSU) Museum, Life Science Building, and Plant Biology Laboratory. In addition to having the usual research facilities, the University has specialized units that reflect the diverse interests of the faculty. Facilities are available for research on animal life at the level of molecules, through cells and organs, to populations of organisms. Also available are several field research stations located in Michigan. The largest of these, the W. K. Kellogg Biological Station, has 2,250 acres of forests, farmlands, wetlands, lakes, and streams for limnological and ecological research. MSU also has excellent computer facilities. Faculty members and graduate students also regularly utilize field sites elsewhere in the United States and abroad.

Expenses and Aid
In 2005-–06, fees and tuition per semester for an average course load (6 credits) were $2895 for Michigan residents and $4420 for out-of-state students.

Financial Aid: The principal form of financial aid available in the Department of Zoology is the graduate assistantship, for which teaching constitutes the largest number of assignments. Research assistantships are available with faculty members on funded research projects. Students on graduate assistantships automatically receive in-state tuition privileges, a 9-credit tuition waiver, and single-person health coverage paid for by the University. The average monthly stipend was $1902 on a nine-month basis. In addition, a number of College and University fellowships, which offer stipends of more than $22,200 are available. These are awarded on a competitive basis.

Housing/Living Expenses: Room and partial board in Owen Graduate Center cost $2876 per semester for a single room. University Apartments leases one-bedroom units for $650 per month. Health services are available through University facilities during the term of enrollment.

How to Apply
All application materials are due by January 1. Students should submit all application materials to the Department of Zoology. Zoology department application forms can be downloaded from http://www.zoology.msu.edu/academics/admissions.htm, and University (Office of Admissions and Scholarships) forms can be downloaded from http://www.msu.edu/user/gradschl/apply.htm. Students should send all of the following materials to the Department of Zoology: the University application form and application fee, the Department of Zoology application form, three letters of recommendation, a statement of academic goals, official transcripts, and scores from the General Test of the Graduate Record Examinations (scores from relevant advanced GRE tests are desirable but not essential). Applicants must have the equivalent of a bachelor's degree in zoology or biology and an acceptable academic record. The department is committed to equal opportunity.

Surinder K. Aggarwal, Professor; Ph.D., Panjab (India), 1964. Cellular and developmental biology as applied to cancer chemotherapy; pharmacology and toxicology. (E-mail: aggarwal@msu.edu)

James Atkinson, Professor; Ph.D., Emory, 1969. Behavior, development, and evolution of mollusks; history and philosophy of biology. (E-mail: atkinso9@msu.edu)

R. Neal Band, Professor; Ph.D., Berkeley, 1958. Protozoology/cell biology; molecular basis of virulence in pathogenic protozoa; evolution within primitive protozoa. (E-mail: band@msu.edu)

Stephen C Bromley, Professor; Ph.D., Princeton, 1965. Neural and endocrine factors in amphibian limb regeneration. (E-mail: sbromley@msu.edu)

Thomas M. Burton, Professor; Ph.D., Cornell, 1973. Basic ecology, conservation biology, and restoration of wetland and stream ecosystems; effects of pollutants on wetland and stream organisms, especially invertebrates, fish, and amphibians. (E-mail: burtont@msu.edu)

Ben Cathey, Professor; Ph.D., Michigan State, 1973. Effects of nontoxic doses of insecticides on the earthworm. (E-mail: cathey@msu.edu)

Lynwood Clemens, Professor; Ph.D., Berkeley, 1966. Endocrinology and animal behavior. (E-mail: clemens@msu.edu)

Jeffrey K. Conner, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Cornell, 1987. Evolutionary ecology; ecological genetics. (E-mail: conner@kbs.msu.edu)

Fred C. Dyer, Professor; Ph.D., Princeton, 1984. Animal behavior; orientation; learning, communication, and foraging among honeybees. (E-mail: fcdyer@msu.edu)

Heather L. Eisthen, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Indiana, 1992. Evolution and development of vertebrate nervous systems; evolution and function of the olfactory system; amphibian behavior. (E-mail: eisthen@msu.edu)

Sarah H. Elsea, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Vanderbilt, 1994. Molecular and biochemical bases of human genetic disease, including developmental neurologic disorders; genetic dissection of chromosomal deletion syndromes. (E-mail: elsea@msu.edu)

Thomas Getty, Professor; Ph.D., Michigan, 1980. Behavioral ecology; perception and information in social and ecological interactions; foraging behavior of seed-eating birds. (E-mail: getty@msu.edu)

John P. Giesy, Professor; Ph.D., Michigan State, 1974. Environmental toxicology and chemistry; fisheries and wildlife toxicology. (E-mail: jgiesy@aol.com)

Michael Gottfried, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Kansas, 1991. Biology and paleontology of living and fossil sharks. (E-mail: gottfrie@msu.edu)

Katherine L. Gross, Professor; Ph.D., Michigan State, 1980. Plant population and community ecology. (E-mail: kgross@kbs.msu.edu)

Michael S. Grotewiel, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Vanderbilt, 1995. Molecular bases for learning and memory; genetics of behavior; Drosophila neurobiology; neuroscience. (E-mail: grotewie@msu.edu)

Donald Hall, Professor; Ph.D., Michigan, 1962. Competition, predation, and community studies of freshwater fish; experimental studies of the foraging behavior of fish; aquatic invertebrate population ecology; Great Lakes ecology and limnology.

Stephen K. Hamilton, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Santa Barbara, 1994. Aquatic ecosystem ecology and biogeochemistry; tropical rivers and floodplains; wetlands, streams, and lakes. (E-mail: hamilton@msu.edu)

Richard W. Hill, Professor and Associate Chairperson; Ph.D., Michigan, 1970. Temperature regulation and energetics in birds and mammals, especially neonates; marine sulfur physiology and biogeochemistry. (E-mail: hillr@msu.edu)

Susan Douglas Hill, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Michigan, 1969. Regeneration, especially in annelids; interactions of development, regeneration, and evolution. (E-mail: hillss@msu.edu)

Kay E. Holekamp, Professor; Ph.D., Berkeley, 1983. Animal behavior; behavioral endocrinology; mammalian dispersal; behavioral development; social behavior; behavioral ecology of rodents and African carnivores. (E-mail: holekamp@msu.edu)

Will Kopachik, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Princeton, 1980. Developmental gene expression in amoebae and prostate cells. (E-mail: kopachik@msu.edu)

Richard E. Lenski, Professor; Ph.D., North Carolina, 1982. Ecology, genetics, and evolution of microbial populations; coevolution of hosts and parasites. (E-mail: lenski@msu.edu)

Catherine A. Lindell, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Harvard, 1994. Conservation biology; behavioral ecology; tropical biology. (E-mail: lindellc@msu.edu)

Barbara L. Lundrigan, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Michigan, 1988. Mammalian systematics; patterns of behavioral and morphological evolution. (E-mail: lundriga@msu.edu)

Gary Mittelbach, Professor; Ph.D., Michigan State, 1980. Population and community ecology; aquatic biology; competition and predator-prey interactions in fish. (E-mail: mittelbach@msu.edu)

Patrick M. Muzzall, Professor; Ph.D., New Hampshire, 1978. Parasitology and ichthyology, especially aquatic parasitology. (E-mail: muzzall@msu.edu)

Antonio A. Nunez, Professor; Ph.D., Florida State, 1977. Biological rhythms; hormone and reproductive behaviors. (E-mail: nunez@pilot.msu.edu)

Peggy H. Ostrom, Professor; Ph.D., Newfoundland, 1990. Biogeochemical cycling. (E-mail: ostrom@msu.edu)

Kim Scribner, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Georgia, 1992. Population and behavioral ecology; population genetics; molecular biology; evolution; conservation biology. (E-mail: scribne3@msu.edu)

Laura Smale, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Berkeley, 1987. An evolutionary approach to the neural mediation of circadian rhythms in mammals. (E-mail: smale@msu.edu)

James J. Smith, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Michigan State, 1985. Molecular phylogenetics and evolution; role of differential host plant use in organismal evolution. (E-mail: jimsmith@msu.edu)

Richard J. Snider, Professor; Ph.D., Michigan State, 1972. Systematics of soil and litter arthropods; ecology of arthropods. (E-mail: snider@msu.edu)

R. Jan Stevenson, Professor; Ph.D., Michigan, 1981. Algal ecology; aquatic ecology; environmental science. (E-mail: rjstev@msu.edu)

Donald O. Straney, Professor; Ph.D., Berkeley, 1980. Phylogenetic analysis; patterns of skull and dental evolution in mammals; shape analysis. (E-mail: straney@msu.edu)

Alan J. Tessier, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Pennsylvania, 1981. Population and community ecology of freshwater zooplankton; plankton trophic interactions; population regulation and life history evolution. (E-mail: tessier@msu.edu)

Juli Wade, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Texas, 1992. Hormones and behavior; sex differences in brain and behavior; sexual differentiation. (E-mail: wadej@msu.edu)

Mukta M. Webber, Professor; Ph.D., Queen's at Kingston, 1963. Cell and molecular biology of prostate cancer. (E-mail: mwebber@msu.edu)

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