Graduate

The mission of the graduate program in the Department of Entomology is to provide students with an excellent and individualized education in preparation for careers in academia, government, teaching and industry. Effective student mentoring is essential to this mission. We outline the values that inform our mentoring policies and goals in our Statement of Expectations for Graduate Student Mentoring.

UMD's unique location near Washington, D.C., enables us to offer research opportunities with neighboring institutions, including the:

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• Smithsonian Institution (National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, National Zoo)
• U.S. Department of Agriculture
• U.S. Geological Survey Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
• National Institutes of Health
• Environmental Protection Agency
• National Park Service
• Walter Reed Research Institute​

In 2013, the University of Maryland joined the Big 10 athletic conference and, by extension, the Big Ten Academic Alliance. The alliance, which includes all Big 10 institutions and the University of Chicago, is one of the broadest, deepest, and most effective academic networks in the country, offering a wide array of cross-campus, collaborative projects. Learn more about the membership and its many benefits.

In addition to being a vibrant hub of STEM and policy, the D.C. area's rich and diverse culture makes it a lively, friendly and accessible community for students to thrive. Our campus is "inside the beltway," just minutes from the heart of the Nation's capital, with convenient access to museums, galleries, theaters, music venues, and restaurants. ​​Tucked between the Appalachian Mountains and the Chesapeake Bay, you will have easy access to a tremendous diversity of natural habitats that provide opportunities for outdoor recreation, including mountains, forests, piedmont, coastal plains, estuaries, and beaches.

About half of our M.S. and Ph.D. graduates enter academic positions and the other half find positions with government research or regulatory agencies. Employment opportunities for Entomology graduates exist in industry, academia, federal, state and local governments, and in international and national spheres.​

• Tenure-track Positions at U.S. Institutions: Texas A&M University, Oregon State University, Florida State University, Cornell University, University of Connecticut, North Carolina State University, Rutgers University, University of Delaware, University of Illinois, University of Minnesota, and many other institutions. Within this group, several are or have been department chairs or in positions of higher administration (including president) at their institutions.

• Positions with U.S. & International Agencies: USDA Agricultural Research Service and Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service; US Environmental Protection Agency, Food & Drug Administration, and Dept. of Defense; National Institutes of Health; Maryland Cooperative Extension, Purdue Extension, and Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station; MD Dept. of Agriculture and CA Dept. of Food & Agriculture; and the New South Wales (Australia) Department of Primary Industries.

• Curatorial & Other Museum Positions: American Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History, National Museum of Natural Science (Taiwan), and Museum of Comparative Zoology (Harvard University).

• Private Industry: Pest management services, agricultural production, pesticide industry research divisions, and private consultancy in agriculture, landscape, and structural pest management. Several of these graduates own their own businesses.

• Armed Forces Faculty & Administrative Positions: U.S. Air Force and Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. One graduate was appointed to a position that required approval by the Secretary of the Air Force, the U.S. Senate, and the White House.

• Faculty & Research Positions at International Institutions: Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Universidad Autonoma del Estado de Hidalgo (Mexico), Universidad de Costa Rica, Mahidol University (Thailand), University of Natal (South Africa), Chungbuk National University (Korea), National Institute of Agricultural Science and Technology (Korea), National Chung Hsing University (Taiwan), and Université de Neuchâtel (Switzerland).