Master’s Degree Admissions

The M.S. in Wildlife Forensic Sciences & Conservation is housed in UF’s department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation and managed by UF’s College of Medicine and the Department of Pathology, Immunology, and Laboratory Medicine via the William R. Maples Center for Forensic Medicine. Upon successful completion of this program, students will receive a diploma stating:

• Master of Science in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation with a concentration in Wildlife Forensic Sciences and Conservation

Note: Students are expected to maintain a 3.0 GPA in the program

Requirements

Minimum Requirements for All Applicants (Domestic and International)

1. A baccalaureate degree in any subject from an accredited institution with an upper-division GPA of 3.0 or better (Prior coursework in biology, health and/or animal sciences is preferred)
   OR
   A DVM or VMD degree from a regionally accredited institution or its international equivalent
   OR
   Students currently enrolled in a DVM or VMD degree program from a regionally accredited institution or its international equivalent
2. Three recommendation letters by academic or professional contacts speaking of the applicant’s experience and expertise
3. Statement of purpose

Domestic applicants: please submit official transcripts from all colleges and institutions attended to the UF Office of Admissions. If unable to submit electronically, please mail to:

University of Florida
Office of Admissions
201 Criser Hall – PO Box 114000
Gainesville, FL 32611-4000

Additional Requirements for International Applicants

• For a person whose native language is not English or for an applicant who graduated with a bachelor’s degree from a non-English speaking country, minimum TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) scores are 550 for the paper-based, 213 for the computer-based, or 80 for the internet-based exams.

  • Non-English speaking countries are those which are not included in the Graduate School’s list of English speaking countries.
  • Other Graduate Council-approved English language skills tests may be substituted for the TOEFL, including IELTS and MELAB.

  For more information on the necessary scores for English language skills tests, please visit this website.

• Original, official transcript/mark sheet and diploma/degree certificates from prior institutions.
  • Documents must be in the native language from each university or college attended. If the native language for the documents is not English, a certified, literal (exact) translation is required.
  • Please mail these documents to:

University of Florida
Maples Center for Forensic Medicine
Attn: Dr. Jason Byrd
4800 SW 35th Drive
Gainesville FL – 32608

• • If you would like this document returned to you, please include a return shipping label and return packaging with it.
  • Please download this checklist PDF to include with your package.

Transfer of Credits

A maximum of 9 transfer credits are allowed to count toward a M.S. degree. These courses must be graduate level (5000-7999) and earned with a grade of B or better. The course(s) cannot have been taken longer than seven years from the term you begin as a M.S. student.

To have credits reviewed for transfer from another university, please email masters@dce.ufl.edu the following information:

• The name of your previous institution
• The course name/number from your previous institution
• The term/year the course was completed
• The course in our program for which you think the credits will satisfy
• A copy of your transcripts (unofficial is fine), or a notification that we already have them on file
• A syllabus for the course that you would like to transfer

We will forward the request to the Department, who will then make a decision.