FAQ’s

The on campus FWCB graduate programs do not recommend students for acceptance without an FWCB faculty member who is willing to support their application.  As such, we strongly recommend interested graduate students to connect and discuss potential positions with FWCB faculty member(s) they want to work with before submitting an application.  Submitting an application without a strong connection with an FWCB faculty member greatly reduces your chances to be recommended for admittance to the FWCB Graduate Program and Graduate Admissions Office.

GRE scores are not required for our department.

When applicants officially apply to the CSU Graduate Admissions Office, official transcripts are required from each college/university attended.  When sending your information to an FWCB faculty member to review, unofficial transcripts are sufficient.

Maybe. The FWCB graduate program is heavily weighted in math and science. Students who do not have adequate math and science skills are typically required to take courses that will provide them with the skill set necessary to be successful in the FWCB graduate program. Students who do not have the necessary math and science background often apply to CSU as a 2nd bachelors student and take foundational math and science courses before they apply to the FWCB graduate program. Undergraduate degree requirements for the online MFWCB program applicants can be found on the CSU online webpage.

Information about the FWCB graduate program may be found on this FAQ page and FWCB Prospective Students page.   Information about the M.F.W.B. Plan C Online program may be found at CSU Online.  If after reviewing these pages you have questions regarding the M.F.W.B. Plan C program, please contact Dr. Gail Dethloff at Gail.Dethloff@colostate.edu.  If you have any questions regarding the M.S. Plan A/B or Ph.D. program, please contact Dr. Dana Winkelman, Chair of the FWCB Graduate Committee, at 970-491-1414 or Dana.Winkelman@colostate.edu.

Yes, the FWCB M.S. Plan A/B and Ph.D. graduate program only accepts graduate students who have an FWCB faculty advisor that has agreed to be their advisor. In order to obtain an FWCB faculty advisor, potential students need to contact FWCB faculty to discuss open positions in their research programs.

The online MFWCB program does not require applicants to have an FWCB faculty member who has agreed to be their advisor.

Yes. Each applicant is reviewed individually. However, because the FWCB graduate program is very competitive, students with less than a 3.0 undergradaute GPA are often required and encouraged to take more undergraduate courses to raise their GPA or graduate level courses to show that they are capable of doing well in graduate level work. (Please note, graduate level work taken without being accepted to the program may or may not be counted towards the FWCB graduate program.)

Yes, international students are encouraged to apply to the FWCB graduate program. We currently have several successful international students in the program.

Financial support for international students comes from a variety of areas. International students have special requirements in order to enter the USA. Please visit the International Program website at http://www.international.colostate.edu.

There are several avenues to receive financial aid including, scholarships, grants, fellowships, loans, etc. Students are strongly encouraged to apply for a number of scholarships available through the Warner College of Natural Resources (WCNR) and Colorado State University (CSU) Financial Aid Office. Information about the WCNR scholarships and CSU financial aid may be found respectively at http://warnercnr.colostate.edu/students/current/financial-aid and http://sfs.colostate.edu/.

Because the FWCB M.S. Plan A/B and Ph.D. graduate programs are rigorous programs, FWCB faculty are committed to funding incoming graduate students prior to acceptance into the FWCB graduate programs (e.g. we do not accept graduate students without funding in place). Throughout the year FWCB faculty write and apply for funding through a variety of sources e.g. NSF, NIH, CDOW, USDA, USGS grants, private industry, fellowships, NGOs, etc. Funding graduate students allows them to focus on their graduate research and studies rather than employment.

FWCB does not offer financial aid for the MFWCB Plan C Online program.

FWCB faculty members advertise on their respective websites for open graduate student positions. You are strongly encouraged to review each faculty member’s website to determine if their research aligns with your career goals. Once you find a faculty member with a research program that fits your goals, please contact that faculty member directly to discuss available graduate student positions.

The review process can take between 2 – 6 weeks.  During the summer months (May – September) FWCB faculty are often in the field conducting research with limited internet access which can delay the process.

No, applicants to the FWCB graduate programs Plan A/B/Ph.D. are required to connect with an FWCB faculty as well.  The FWCB graduate program (Plan A/B/Ph.D) requires an FWCB faculty member who is willing to recommend potential students for acceptance.

Yes, you will need to submit all undergraduate and graduate transcripts to be considered for the FWCB Graduate program. (Please note: FWCB faculty can use unofficial transcripts for their review.  If an FWCB faculty member is recommending you for admittance, CSU requires official transcripts for the Graduate Admissions application.)

If an applicant is recommended by an FWCB Graduate Faculty member to the CSU Graduate School and Graduate Admissions Office for acceptance, the applicant should immediately go to the CSU Graduate Admissions webpage at and complete the Online Application.

The FWCB graduate program requires a minimum of 3 recommendation letters (more may be sent but are not necessary).  Once an applicant has identified 2 or 3 potential advisors and connected with them, they can have their letters of recommendation sent directly to those FWCB faculty members.   We accept recommendations letters via, US mail, e-mail, and fax (970-491-5091).  Letters sent via e-mail must come from the author’s e-mail account (e.g. cannot be forwarded by the applicant). Letters sent via US mail should be sent to:

Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Biology
Colorado State University
1474 Campus Delivery
Fort Collins, CO 80523-1474

Application instructions for applicants to the MFWCB program can be found on the CSU online webpage.  

Residency is determined by the Student’s Financial Services (SFS) Office. For information about how to apply and qualify for Colorado residency, please visit the SFS website at http://sfs.colostate.edu/residency/.

No. Because we accept a nominal number of students to the FWCB Graduate Program, we do not encourage students to complete the CSU Graduate Admissions application and pay the application fee unless you have been notified that the FWCB Graduate Committee is recommending your acceptance to the CSU Graduate Admissions Office and Graduate School.

FWCB faculty requires transcripts (from all universities/colleges attended), personal statement, resume (CV) and a minimum of 3 letters of recommendation.

The FWCB graduate program accepts students throughout the academic year. Because FWCB accepts students throughout the year, we do not have “set” deadlines to apply to the FWCB Graduate program.

Because the FWCB program is very competitive the minimum GPA standard is a 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) combined undergraduate work.

Although CSU and FWCB is an open campus and we welcome students and their family members at any time, the FWCB faculty maintain a busy schedule. If you would like to meet with a faculty member, please contact them directly to schedule an appointment as they maintain their own calendars. Also, please note, FWCB faculty do summer field research and are typically not available during the summer months.