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Detailed Information

Program of Study

In addition to a wide range of undergraduate and Master’s degree offerings in the field of agriculture, Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SUIC) also offers students a Ph.D. degree in agricultural sciences. The subject areas that doctoral students can study are as diverse as the graduate faculty in the College of Agricultural Sciences. While many faculty members concentrate their research in the biological sciences, others focus on the social and physical sciences. The biological sciences include animal science, biotechnology, crop science, human nutrition dietetics, food safety, forestry, genetics, genomics, horticulture, soil science, and other related areas. The social sciences include agribusiness economics, agricultural education, forest recreation, and hospitality tourism administration. The physical sciences focus on renewable energy and biofuels.

The Ph.D. degree in agricultural sciences is a research degree that prepares graduates for developing and funding their own research program and for advising graduate and undergraduate students. The program will prepare students for careers in the academic, private, and government sectors. Graduates will be competitive for teaching, research, and extension positions, in addition to industry, state, and federal careers in the food, agriculture, and natural resource industries and agencies both nationally and internationally. Because of required coursework in research and teaching communications and the requirement to assist in at least two courses during their course of study, graduates will be well prepared for teaching, extension, industry, and government careers.

Research Facilities

Research and classes are held in multiple locations: on campus, at the University’s 2,000 acre farm, in the Shawnee National Forest and Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge, and in other surrounding areas. The University’s proximity to the Mississippi and Ohio rivers facilitates the study of agricultural commerce. On campus, SIUC has agriculture, forestry, dietetics, and biotechnology teaching and research laboratories; 2,000 acres of research and teaching farm centers (including beef, dairy, equine, and swine; agronomy; horticulture; tree improvement; and viticulture); Morris Library with 2.2 million volumes and 16,000 current periodicals; an integrated microscopy and graphics center; and the 3,100 acre Touch of Nature Environmental Center.

Financial Aid

Financial aid is largely controlled by the faculty or the College of Agricultural Sciences through grantsmanship. Each graduate student must have a major professor and that faculty member will provide any graduate assistantship stipend. However, there are other graduate assistantships on campus for which our students are competitive.

Cost of Study

In-state graduate tuition is $328 per credit hour in 2009–10. Out-of-state tuition is 2.5 times the in-state tuition rate ($820 per credit hour). Graduate students with at least a 25 percent appointment as a graduate assistant receive a tuition scholarship. Fees vary from $589.03 (1 credit hour) to $1557.50 (12 credit hours). Students with a graduate assistantship receive a 25 percent reduction in the primary care medical fee.

Living and Housing Costs

For married couples, students with families, and single graduate students, the University has 690 efficiency and one-, two-, three-, and four-bedroom apartments that rent for $499 to $720 per month in 2009–10. Residence halls for single graduate students are also available, as are accessible residence hall rooms and apartments for students with disabilities.

Location

Southern Illinois University Carbondale is located near the southern tip of Illinois, near the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers, just a 1-hour drive from Indiana, Kentucky, and Missouri. The campus joins the 280,000 acre Shawnee National Forest and the 44,000 acre Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge. And SIUC is within 30-45 minutes of the 4,000 acre Giant City State Park and the 2,430 acre Ferne Cliffe State Park.

Thompson Lake and Beach is on the SIUC campus, and other large lakes are nearby, including Cedar Lake, Crab Orchard Lake, Devil’s Kitchen Lake, Evergreen Lake, and Little Grassy Lake. The lakes and forested lands offer many outdoor recreational activities, including camping, hiking, fishing, and wildlife, and a rich cultural history. Because southern Illinois is largely rural, forest or farmland is just a short drive awy from the campus. The nearby countryside is abundant with wild flowers and beautiful autumn colors.

Southern Illinois is also home to the Shawnee Hills wine-producing area with a wine trail to several wineries. Additionally, the rolling Shawnee Hills support a vibrant peach and apple industry. The area is rich in agricultural production, with farms producing agronomic and specialty crops and livestock.

The University

Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a comprehensive public university with a variety of general and professional education programs. The University offers bachelor’s and associate degrees, master’s and doctoral degrees, the J.D. degree, and the M.D. degree. The University is fully accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. The Graduate School has an essential role in the development and coordination of graduate instruction and research programs. The Graduate Council has academic responsibility for determining graduate standards, recommending new graduate programs and research centers, and establishing policies to facilitate the research effort.

Applying

Applicants for graduate admission must submit a completed application for admission to the graduate school, a completed departmental application form, four letters of recommendation, official college transcripts from all institutions attended with final degree posted, and a $50 non-refundable application fee. Complete details regarding the application process can be found online at http://coas.siu.edudefault2.asp?active_page_id=1398.

The Faculty and Their Research

• Agribusiness Economics
• Ira J. Altman; Ph.D., Missouri. Rural and regional economic development. (ialtman@siu.edu)
• Jeffrey R. Beaulieu; Ph.D., Iowa State. Agricultural marketing. (jbeau@siu.edu)
• Phillip R. Eberle; Ph.D., Iowa State. Finance and management. (eberlep@siu.edu)
• Kim S. Harris; Ph.D., Illinois. Agricultural finance, sales, and management. (ksharris@siu.edu)
• Steven E. Kraft; Ph.D., Cornell. Natural resources economics. (sekraft@siu.edu)
• Wanki Moon; Ph.D., Florida. Food marketing. (wmoon@siu.edu)
• Matthew C. Rendleman; Ph.D., Purdue. Agriculture economics. (mattr@siu.edu)
• Dwight R. Sanders; Ph.D., Illinois. Risk management. (dwights@siu.edu)
• Silvia Secchi; Ph.D., Iowa State. Environmental economics, energy economics, and land resource development. (ssecchi@siu.edu)
• Agricultural Education
• Seburn L. Pense; Ph.D., Oklahoma State. Agricultural education. (sebpense@siu.edu)
• Dexter B. Wakefield; Ph.D., Purdue. Agricultural education and extension. (wakephd@siu.edu)
• Agricultural Systems
• Ruplal Choudhary; Ph.D., Oklahoma State. Bioscience engineering. (choudhry@siu.edu)
• David Shoup; Ph.D., Purdue. Agricultural engineering. (dshoup@siu.edu)
• Dennis Watson; Ph.D., Michigan State. Agricultural engineering technology. (dwatson@siu.edu)
• Animal Science
• Amer A. AbuGhazaleh; Ph.D., South Dakota State. Ruminant nutrition. (aabugha@siu.edu)
• Gary A. Apgar; Ph.D., Virginia Tech. Swine nutrition. (pigguy@siu.edu)
• Rebecca L. Atkinson; Ph.D., Wyoming. Beef forage nutrition. (ratkinsn@siu.edu)
• Karen L. Jones; Ph.D., Texas A&M. Beef cattle molecular genetics. (kljones@siu.edu)
• Sheryl S. King; Ph.D., California, Davis. Equine reproductive physiology. (sking@siu.edu)
• Gary L. Minish; Ph.D., Michigan State. Ruminant nutrition. (minish@siu.edu)
• Todd A. Winters; Ph.D., Wisconsin–Madison. Reproductive physiology, nutrition endocrinology. (tw3a@siu.edu)
• Human Nutrition and Dietetics
• William J. Banz; Ph.D., Tennessee, Knoxville. Nutritional obesity, biochemistry. (banz@siu.edu)
• Jeremy Davis; Ph.D., Iowa State. Human nutrition obesity.
• Sara Long; Ph.D., Southern Illinois Carbondale. Nutrition therapy, education, assessment. (saralong@siu.edu)
• Sharon L. Peterson; Ph.D., Penn State. Community nutrition. (sharonp@siu.edu)
• Field Crop, Horticulture, and Soil Sciences
• Jason P. Bond; Ph.D., LSU. Nematology and plant pathology. (jbond@siu.edu)
• Kenneth L. Diesburg; Ph.D., Iowa State. Turf science and breeding. (diesburg@siu.edu)
• Ahmad M. Fakhoury; Ph.D., Purdue University, Plant pathology. (amfakhou@siu.edu)
• Paul H. Henry; Ph.D., North Carolina State. Ornamental horticulture. (phenry@siu.edu)
• Jorge D. Hernandez; Ph.D., Iowa State. Soil fertility. (suelos@siu.edu)
• Stella Kantartzi; Ph.D., Thessaloniki (Greece). Soybean breeding. (kantart@siu.edu)
• Brian P. Klubek; Ph.D., Utah State. Soil microbiology. (bklubek@siu.edu)
• David A. Lightfoot; Ph.D., Leeds (England). Biotechnology and genetics. (ga4082@siu.edu)
• Khalid Meksem; Ph.D., Cologne (Germany). Plant genetics and genomics. (meksemk@siu.edu)
• Karen L. Midden; M.L.A., Georgia. Landscape design. (kmidden@siu.edu)
• John E. Preece; Ph.D., Minnesota. Horticulture and woody plant propagation. (jpreece@siu.edu)
• Bradley H. Taylor; Ph.D., Ohio State. Fruit crop science. (hbtaylor@siu.edu)
• Alan S. Walters; Ph.D., North Carolina State. Vegetable science. (awalters@siu.edu)
• Bryan G. Young; Professor, Ph.D., Illinois. Weed science. (bgyoung@siu.edu)
• Forestry
• Andrew Carver; Ph.D., Purdue. Agronomy and land use planning. (acarver@siu.edu)
• Mae A. Davenport; Ph.D., Minnesota. Natural resources science and management. (mdaven@siu.edu)
• John W. Groninger; Ph.D., Virginia Tech. Silviculture and urban forestry. (groninge@siu.edu)
• Eric J. Holzmueller; Ph.D., Florida. Forest resource management. (eholzmue@siu.edu)
• Charles M. Ruffner; Ph.D., Penn State. Forest measurements, fire management, historical ecology. (ruffner@siu.edu)
• Jon E. Schoonover; Ph.D., Auburn. Riparian zone management, water chemistry. (jschoon@siu.edu)
• Erin L. Seekamp; Ph.D. Idaho. Forest recreation and park management. (eseekamp@siu.edu)
• Karl W. J. Williard; Ph.D., Pennsylvania State University. Forest hydrology, watershed management. (williard@siu.edu)
• James J. Zaczek; Ph.D., Pennsylvania State University. Forest ecology and resources. (zaczek@siu.edu)
• Hospitality and Tourism
• Sylvia F. Smith; Ph.D., Tennessee, Knoxville. Quality food production. (ssmith8@siu.edu)

Correspondence and Information

Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Dr. John Preece, Director of Graduate Studies
College of Agricultural Sciences
157 Agriculture Building
Carbondale, Illinois 62901
Telephone: 618-453-2505
Fax: 618-453-2505
Email: jpreece@siu.edu