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How to Apply
Master of Science - Entomology
The graduate program in Entomology at Montana State University leads to a Master of Science degree. Students in the program are required to take formal course work and conduct independent research guided by the student's advisory committee. Each student, during the course of her/his graduate program, will also have the opportunity to participate in activities outside their degree program that will benefit them academically and professionally. Such activities include participating in teaching and outreach programs, taking part in the entomology seminar series, and attending and presenting research results at professional meetings. Each student is strongly encouraged to take advantage of these opportunities.
A student's individual program can be designed, with approval of the graduate advisor and graduate committee, to suit the student's individual interests and career goals.
The entomology faculty at MSU conduct research in a variety of disciplines, including behavioral ecology, biodiversity studies, biological control of insects and weeds, biosystematics, chemical ecology, ecology, integrated pest management, pollination ecology, risk assessment, stored-product entomology, thermal biology, and veterinary entomology. Pest species addressed by entomological research at MSU include some of the most important pests in the western U.S., including alfalfa weevil, aphids, cutworms, grasshoppers, Hessian fly, lygus bugs, mosquito vectors of West Nile Virus, wheat-stem sawfly, wireworms, and others. Beneficial insects under study include various biological control agents and pollinators. Most faculty conduct both applied and basic research.
The M.S. in Entomology program involves faculty from three departments at Montana State University: Department of Animal and Range Sciences, Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, and Department of Plant Sciences and Plant Pathology. The program is administered through the Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences.
Prospective students are encouraged to contact one of the Entomology faculty.
Entomology Curriculum
A minimum of 20 semester hours of course work and at least 10 thesis credit hours (ENTO 590) are required for this degree. Students deficient in preliminary course work may be required to take additional courses for which they will not receive graduate credit (courses numbered <400). A minimum of 24 credits of course work (including not more than 10 thesis credits) must be taken from Montana State University. Courses taken outside of Entomology must constitute a unified program approved by the student's graduate committee.
| Required courses (must be taken by all M.S. students) |
BIOL 435
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Insect Identification
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4 credits
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ENTO 525
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Insect Morphology
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2 credits
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ENTO 520
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Insect Physiology
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3 credits |
ENTO 590
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Master's Thesis
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10 credits
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STAT 410¹
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Applied Multiple Regression
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3 credits
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STAT 412¹
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Analysis of Variance and Design of Experiments
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3 credits
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Restricted electives (fulfill option in each row)
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LRES 401
or
ENTO 510
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Integrated Pest Management
or
Insect Ecology
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3 credits
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ENTO 514
or
ENTO 516
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Behavioral Ecology
or
Biosystematics
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3 credits
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ENTO 500
or
ENTO 500 + ENTO 405
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Seminar (3 semesters @ 1 credit each - topics variable)
or
Seminar (two semesters @ 1 credit each + Pesticide Use in Agriculture (@ 2 credits)
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3 credits total
4 credits total
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Other entomology elective courses
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ENTO 204
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Insect Biology (this course or approved equivalent is required for most 400-500 level entomology courses at MSU)
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3 credits
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ARNR 410
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Veterinary Entomology
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2 credits
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¹ or approved equivalent courses in statistics; ² recent topics have included biological risk assessment, chemical ecology, insect conservation, and insect thermoregulation
Additional coursework required for the degree program will be determined based on the student's area of specialization.
Thesis Research
All students conduct an independent entomological research problem that will be selected by the student and major professor, and approved by the student's advisory committee. The research problem selected should be one that relates to the general area of study of the major professor. The project should be one that can be completed in a reasonable amount of time, will challenge the problem-solving ability of the graduate student, and make a significant contribution to the existing knowledge in the field of entomology.
Recent thesis topics of students in the program include:
Effects of shelterwood management on flower-visiting insects and their floral resources (Jessica Fultz; advisor: O'Neill)
Effects of volcanic ash on canopy insects in Montserrat (Katie Marske; advisor: Ivie)
The foraging and nesting behavior of four solitary-nesting bee species (Hymenoptera:Megachilidae) in the Gallatin Valley, Montana (Peter Jensen; advisor: O'Neill)
Genetic and behavioral variability in the ovary-feeding nitidulid Brachypterolus pulicarius on Dalmatian and yellow toadflax (Kelly Hering; advisors: Weaver, Nowierski)
Molecular gut analysis of carabid beetles using aphid primers (Sarah Wallace; advisor: Blodgett)
Molecular taxonomy, bionomics, and host specificity of Longitarsus jacobeae (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) (Ken Puliafico; advisor: Littlefield)
Phyllophaga of Hispaniola, Puerto Rico and The Virgin Islands (Sardis Medrano-Cabral; advisor: Ivie)
Potential semiochemicals of wheat induced by oviposition and feeding of the wheat stem sawfly (Gavin Peck; advisors: Weaver, Morrill)
Season and spatial patterns of mortality and sex ratio in the alfalfa leafcutting bee (Ruth O'Neill; advisor: Blodgett)
Thermal biology of the lesser grain borer Rhyzopertha dominica (Tracy Campbell; advisors: O'Neill, Weaver)
Wheat stem sawfly parasitism in varying field size and tillage systems in dryland wheat (Justin Runyon; advisors: Morrill, Weaver)
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