Washington State University at Vancouver

What you'll study

Doctoral candidates pursue original, faculty-supervised research within the areas represented by WSU Vancouver graduate faculty. The academic group emphasizes interdisciplinary and collaborative projects that span biological and environmental sciences. Students work in state-of-the-art facilities and participate in research and teaching activities tied to their mentor's laboratory.

Entry requirements

• Applicants must secure a faculty mentor on the Vancouver campus before applying; review faculty research pages and contact potential mentors directly.
• After a mentor invitation, notify the Natural Sciences Graduate Programs Coordinator with your name, contact information, target degree program and the faculty mentor's name.
• Complete the online graduate school application. Select WSU Pullman when prompted for program location and explicitly name your intended Vancouver faculty mentor in your statement of purpose to ensure routing to Vancouver (Environmental and Natural Resource Sciences applicants should select Vancouver Campus as their designation).
• Required application materials: three letters of recommendation (submitted electronically), transcripts (official electronic transcripts from U.S. institutions can be routed to grad.sch.transcript@wsu.edu; unofficial copies may be used during review), a statement of purpose identifying the target faculty mentor, and a current CV or resume.
• International applicants must submit TOEFL scores sent directly from ETS using Institutional Code 4705.
• To accelerate review, applicants may email or mail PDF copies of application materials to the Natural Sciences Graduate Programs Coordinator at the Vancouver mailing address provided by the program.

Career prospects

Graduates engage in research, teaching and applied roles that leverage regional networks; the programme highlights access to opportunities at medical, environmental, research and teaching institutions throughout the Pacific Northwest. Career paths commonly include academic research and teaching, positions in environmental and medical research organizations, and roles within regional scientific collaborations.

Scholarships & funding angle (general)

WSU Vancouver offers robust financial support for Ph.D. students, including multiyear stipends that combine teaching and research assistantships and full tuition waivers. These funding arrangements are intended to support doctoral research and participation in the campus's collaborative scientific environment.