Future Students

There are two different graduate programs within the School of Natural Resources, each having its own requirements, forms and deadlines. Please choose from:

• Geography
• Natural Resource Sciences

We encourage you to consult the list of SNR faculty members associated with this web page and identify research areas of interest to you. If you are interested in our program, please contact an SNR faculty member whose interests you share and discuss with them the possibility of working within our program. Download our Graduate Programs in Natural Resource Sciences Brochure or Degree Programs in Geography Brochure.

• Master of Science Degree
• Doctorate of Philosophy Degree

You should discuss our entrance requirements with an SNR faculty member who has expressed an interest in serving as your advisor. We also recommend that you discuss funding possibilities and research options at this time.

Applying to the Program

Once you have contacted an SNR faculty member regarding your interest in a graduate program and have a commitment from the faculty member(s) to consider serving as your advisor, please send a message (via mail or e-mail) to SNR Graduate Program; 102 Hardin Hall; University of Nebraska-Lincoln; Lincoln, NE 68583-0921 or call 402-472-5355 or email to snrgradprogram@unl.edu. This message should indicate the name of the faculty member who has agreed to consider serving as your advisor. Failure to do so may affect the processing of your application.

Acceptance into the program will be determined after you have filed an application for admission to graduate studies. The appropriate application materials can be acquired via the web at http://www.unl.edu/gradstudies/ or will be sent to you after the School has received notification from you regarding a potential advisor.

Application deadline

The School of Natural Resources has a rolling deadline.  Generally, applications should be completed at least 1 month (earlier is better) before the start of the semester in which admission is being sought to allow enough processing time. 

The School of Natural Resources also has a very limited number of funded assistantships available.  These assistantships are funded for 2 years (M.S.) or 3 years (Ph.D.) starting in the fall semester.  Applicants are automatically considered for these assistantships if all materials (including having an advisor) have been submitted by January 31 or the last business day in January and the applicant applies for fall semester admission. 

• Master of Arts Degree
• Doctor of Philosophy Degree

The graduate program in Geography , one of the first established west of the Mississippi River, is now more than a century old. We offer students considerable flexibility in designing programs tailored to their individual interests and career goals. Particularly strong programs exist in: (1) Geographic Information Science, capitalizing on the strengths and facilities of the Center for Advanced Land Management Information Technologies (CALMIT); (2) Historical and Human Geography, whose foci include historical settlement, land use, environmental perception, Native American studies, Great Plains studies, modern population and settlement patterns, and political behavior; (3) Natural Resources, where graduate students can pursue interdisciplinary studies in conservation biology, water resources, natural hazards, climatology and related areas in conjunction with faculty of the School of Natural Re-sources; and, (4) Community and Regional Planning, a cross-disciplinary PhD combining strengths of the Faculty of Geography and the faculty of Community and Regional Planning. For additional details, please download the brochure on Degree Programs in Geography or visit the Geography Graduate Program web site.