Graduate School Application Process

Application Deadline

Students should apply and submit all required materials and scores by the deadlines below. Late applications will be considered but may not be eligible for funding depending on whether all funding has been allocated by time of receipt.

• Fall Semester - December 5
• Spring Semester - July 15

Application Materials

The following materials are required to complete the application process:

• Transcripts

  Official transcripts from each college or university previously attended must be sent directly from your institution to UF Admissions.

  • International students must send transcripts/diploma certificates in both the original and English languages.
  • Regardless of prior degree, the ABE Department will review all non-ABET accredited program student transcripts before entrance into an ABE engineering degree program.
    • Students who do not meet the minimum requirements will be admitted into the ABE graduate program in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. Upon admission students may discuss additional coursework required for the ABE engineering program with their faculty advisor.
• Letters of Recommendation

  Your application will require three letters of recommendation. This part of the application is automated in the online application and will require contact information for your references.

  If one of your recommenders is not able to submit their letter electronically through the application, please have them email your letter to to Daphne Flournoy dflournoy@ufl.edu.

• Statement of Purpose/Letter of Intent/Supporting Documentation

  This document is a vital part of your application package and will provide you an opportunity to provide a compelling narrative of why you wish to join our program. In this statement, describe how your background, your proposed area of study and professional interest align with the ABE Mission. Clearly articulate how the experience in our graduate program would position you for future personal and/or professional success. It should summarize your professional goals, career objectives, and motivation for graduate work in Agricultural and Biological Engineering. (This part of the application is also automated in the online application.) Click here to view the ABE mission statement.

• Grad Applicant Info Form

  Applicants must also complete this Grad Applicant Info Form. Note that all questions must be answered within the space provided. Incomplete documents will not be accepted and will delay the applicant review process. 

• Résumé or Curriculum Vitae

  The online application provides the option to upload additional files as needed. Please upload a current résumé in this section of the application.

Send to:
UF Office of Admissions
PO Box 114000, 201 Criser Hall
Gainesville, FL 32611-4000

• Do not send printed materials, official transcripts or scores to the ABE department! Upload all unofficial documents to the UF Admission application. Remember to send OFFICIAL scores and transcripts directly from your institution and ETS directly to UF Admissions.
• You may upload copies of transcripts, score sheets and a CV for preliminary review by the ABE department.

• ABE Faculty Support

  Any graduate-level applicant applying to the ABE program is required to have faculty support directly from an Agricultural and Biological Engineering faculty member. You may view a list of our current faculty and their areas of specialization at https://abe.ufl.edu/people/faculty/. Students are encouraged to reach out to faculty members to discuss research opportunities, funding, and overall support for their admissions.

Funding

Assistantships are awarded on a competitive basis, when available, to students wishing to pursue a degree with research thesis or dissertation. All qualified applicants are considered for the limited graduate funding available.

UF Assistantships for the fall semester are often awarded at the beginning of the calendar year.

NOTE: If you are eligible for a government scholarship or funding from an outside source please contact Daphne Flournoy at dflournoy@ufl.edu so that information can be noted on your file. If there is a deadline for you to receive an admission decision in order to receive those funds it is important that you alert us to that date.

General Requirements

Minimum requirements for direct admission to this program:

Master's Degree

• 3.0 grade point average (GPA) in undergraduate course work

Ph.D. Degree

• 3.0 upper-division undergraduate GPA
• 3.25 graduate GPA

Exceptions to these requirements are subject to recommendation by the department and approval by the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering's associate dean or College of Agricultural and Life Sciences’ associate dean and the Dean of the Graduate School.

International students whose native tongue is not English and who have not studied for at least one year in a U.S. college or university must submit a minimum score of 213 on the computer-based, 550 on the paper-based or 80 for the internet-based Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Use the UF Institution Code: 5812.

Conditional admission may be offered by the departmental graduate committee to students who do not satisfy the admission criteria including the cases of a deficiency in either the TOEFL or GPA requirement. A conditionally-admitted student must meet the conditions set forth in his/her admission letter in order that subsequent registration may be allowed. Admission will not be approved until all test scores are received by the University of Florida.

Application Resources

The UF Career Connections Center has prepared materials that may assist you in preparing your application packet:

• CV Guide
• Preparing for Graduate School
• Personal Statement Guide
• Sample CV

• Master's Degree
  • Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering - Master of Engineering and Master of Science
    • Bachelor of Science in Agricultural and Biological Engineering, or related engineering specialty, from an undergraduate program accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET).
    • If a student does not have an undergraduate degree that has an ABET equivalency, it will be necessary for the student to complete these requirements through articulation, see Appendix A of the Engineering Graduate Student Manual for more information.
  • College of Agricultural and Life Sciences - Master of Science
    
    • Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Operations Management from an undergraduate program recognized by the EOPD-206 Committee of American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers or equivalent, see Appendix B of the CALS Graduate Student Manual for EOPD-206 requirements.
    • In addition, students must have a working knowledge of one or more computer languages. Students who are lacking the necessary working knowledge of a computer language will be required to take sufficient courses to attain the required proficiency.
    • If a student does not have the EOPD-206 recognized undergraduate Agricultural Operations Management degree or equivalent, he/she must complete the EOPD-206 equivalent requirements through articulation.
• Ph.D. Degree
  • Ph.D. in Agricultural and Biological Engineering
    • Bachelor of Science in Agricultural and Biological Engineering or related engineering discipline from an ABET accredited undergraduate program or its equivalent.
    • Master's degree in Agricultural and Biological Engineering or related engineering field or in other physical or life sciences, in most cases.
    • Highly qualified students will be allowed to pursue an engineering Ph.D. directly after the completion of the B.S. degree.
  • Ph.D. program in Agricultural Operations Management
    • Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Operations Management or related P-206 recognized management discipline.
    • Master's degree in AOM or related management discipline.
  • Applied Science Ph.D. program
    • Bachelor of Science in a basic science field
    • Master's degree in a science or engineering field with courses including analytic geometry, calculus, differential equations
    • 8 credits of general physics
    • 8 credits of general chemistry, or equivalent
    • If these requirements are not already met, students must articulate to meet them.
• Combination Degree Program

  Our department offers a combined bachelor's and master's degree program, which allows qualified students to earn both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree with a savings of one semester. Qualified students can begin their master’s program while a senior and count up to 12 hours of graduate courses for both bachelor’s and master’s degree requirements. Please check the undergraduate catalog for qualifications and details.

  To qualify, the following requirements must be met:

  • Senior status (4EG)
  • Minimum upper-division GPA of 3.3
  • Completion of pre-engineering coursework and 20 credit hours of the College of Engineering and ABE department core

  For more information, visit our combination degree webpage.

Contact Us

Dr. Greg Kiker
Graduate Coordinator
291 Frazier Rogers Hall
352-294-6749
gkiker@ufl.edu

Daphne Flournoy
Academic Adviser
116 Frazier Rogers Hall
352-294-6709
dflournoy@ufl.edu

Application Resources

• Graduate Admission Information from the Office of Admissions