Bioeconomy Institute

List of BRT Faculty Affiliates
Student Interest Survey
Graduate Student Forms (including those for Co-Majors, and Home Departments)
Academic Requirements of the ISU Graduate College

Student Background

The Biorenewable Resources and Technology (BRT) graduate program seeks high caliber students. Admission is based on a holistic evaluation of the applicant, with particular attention paid to evidence of high scholastic aptitude and achievement and demonstrated interest and activity in Biorenewable Resources & Technology. Applicants may come from any disciplinary background, but those with undergraduate degrees in the physical and biological sciences and/or engineering are especially encouraged to apply. 

Program of Study

The BRT program offers MS and PhD degrees. In addition, students in other graduate school majors at Iowa State University can opt for a co-major or minor in BRT. The majority of BRT students matriculate as co-majors, and students are strongly encouraged to apply directly to a departmental graduate program at Iowa State University, then upon admission to apply to the BRT as a co-major. Students applying for admission to Iowa State University directly through the BRT program are required, as part of the application process, to provide a letter of support from a BRT faculty affiliate (click here for list) as part of their application packet. This letter should at a minimum indicate the commitment of the faculty member to serve as your major professor. The first step in obtaining such a letter is to begin a conversation with at least one BRT-affiliated faculty member: e-mail works well for initiating these conversations. Please note that applications to the BRT program without a BRT-affiliate letter of support will be denied.

Application Deadlines and Requirements

Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores are required for international students and are encouraged for students from U.S. institutions. Although the program sets no minimum grade-point average (GPA) and no minimum GRE scores, students shall typically be expected to have a GPA of 3.3 or better and GRE scores for verbal, quantitative, and analytical tests at or above the 80th percentile. For international students, the minimum required score on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is 550 (paper-based), 213 (computer-based), or 79 (internet-based).
 
Students who have already been admitted to another graduate program at ISU and wish to co-major in BRT need only submit a Request to Add a Co-Major form, available at www.grad-college.iastate.edu/forms/forms.html.
 
Students not enrolled in the ISU Graduate College must submit the following required application materials directly to the ISU Graduate Admissions Office: a Graduate College Application, transcripts of all college work, official GRE scores, a completed "Student Interest Survey," and three letters of recommendation.
 
There are no formal application deadlines. Rather, applications are accepted throughout the year. However, for priority consideration of financial support and other program opportunities, prospective students are strongly encouraged to submit applications by January 1 for summer and fall, and by September 1 for spring.