Graduate Studies in Ornithology at Kansas State University

Brett K. Sandercock is an avian ecologist in the Division of Biology at Kansas State University.  Graduate students in my lab are have been supported by research fellowships from my grants, teaching assistantships from K-State, and external scholarships.  I welcome letters of interest from prospective graduate students at any time.  If you are seeking a graduate program in ornithology, here are ten good reasons why you should consider Kansas State University as a location for your studies and instructions on how to apply.

Ten Reasons to Consider Kansas State University

1. Grassland ecology.  One of the major strengths of the Division of Biology at Kansas State University is our research program in grassland ecology.  Research scientists within the Division have considerable expertise in working with grassland ecosystems, both in North America and abroad.  Studies of grassland ecosystems are particularly timely because declines in population numbers of grassland birds are becoming a serious conservation issue.  The book Grassland Dynamics: Long-Term Ecological Research in Tallgrass Prairie provides an overview of ecological research in the Division of Biology.
2. Konza Prairie and nearby field sites.  A wonderful resource available to students working at Kansas State University is Konza Prairie Biological Station.  Konza Prairie is a 3,400 ha tallgrass prairie reserve that is a 20 min drive south of Manhattan.  It is part of a network of Long-term Ecological Research (LTER) sites funded by the National Science Foundation.  The biological resources of the site are remarkable, it supports good numbers of grassland birds and insects of conservation concern.  The infrastructure is also superb with lab facilities, project vehicles, and funding for undergraduate field assistants.  A considerable amount of background data on weather, habitat sampling and bird surveys is archived on the Konza Prairie LTER website.  Two other nearby sites that could be used for research include the Fort Riley Military Reservation (40,500 ha), and the newly created Tallgrass Prairie National Reserve (4,500 ha).
3. Campus resources.  The Division of Biology is a diverse group of scientists with a wide range of research interests.  On campus, there are a number of people conducting interesting research on vertebrate ecology.  These folks are a great resource to discuss ideas with and could serve on supervisory committees: Jack Cully (wildlife disease, grassland birds), Carolyn Ferguson (evolutionary ecology), Keith Gido (fish ecology), Craig Paukert (fisheries science), Samantha Wisely (wildlife ecology, conservation genetics), and Kimberly With (landscape ecology, grassland birds).  The Division of Biology also houses the Kansas Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, a research partnership supported by the university, Kansas Dept. of Wildlife and Parks and the Biological Resources Division of the US Geological Service.  Other important facilities include the Ecological Genomics Institute, the Stable Isotope Mass Spectrometry Lab, and the Lipidomics Research Center.
4. Seminars and journal clubs.  The Division of Biology has a weekly departmental seminar series on Friday afternoons, and the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology section has a weekly lunchtime seminar series on Thursdays.
5. Quantitative statistics.  My research interests include modeling the demography of plants and animals and I teach a graduate course Biol 823: Demographic Methods that covers mark-recapture statistics and matrix projection models.  Graduate students working in my lab have excellent opportunities to develop skills in these quantitative techniques.  The Department of Statistics at Kansas State is particularly strong in applied statistics and graduate students have the option of including a statistician on their supervisory committee.
6. Natural history.  In Kansas, there are a number of conservation groups with an interest in the natural history of the state.  These groups include the Kansas Ornithological Society, the Central Plains Society of Mammalogists, the Kansas Chapter of The Wildlife Society (KCTWS), Northern Flint Hills Audubon Society, the Konza Environmental Education Program (KEEP),  and the KSU Chapter of the Wildlife Society.  All groups offer regular seminar series, field trips and social activities.  For birders, the avifauna of Kansas is an interesting mix of western and eastern species.  See the Bird Checklist for Kansas () and the recently published Kansas Breeding Bird Atlas.  
7. Outdoor recreation.  Kansas is a great place to live if you are interested in hunting and fishing.  The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks is responsible for wildlife resources in the state.  See photos from recent hunting trips for some lab activities in this area.
8. Guaranteed salary.  The Division of Biology guarantees full financial support for all students that are accepted into the graduate program.  Support is offered through teaching and research assistantships, and the level of support is the same for both foreign and domestic students (ca. $21,000 per year).  If you are accepted for admission into the program, you will receive financial support as long as you are making reasonable progress towards a degree.
9. Modest tuition fees.  Tuition fees for graduate studies are $194 per credit hour for residents and $495 per credit hour for nonresidents.  Live in Kansas for a year and you are considered a resident.  One graduate course is 3 credit hours.  A Master's degree requires 30 hours of study, of which the thesis counts for 6-8 hours.  A student entering the PhD program with a MS will require 60 hours of study, of which the dissertation counts for 30 hours.
10. Low cost of living.  Not only is salary guaranteed by the Division of Biology but your dollar goes a long way in Manhattan.  Shared accommodation at $250-300 per month is easy to find, and groceries are inexpensive.  Manhattan is a college town of ca. 45,000 people with good services and recreational opportunities.  See official websites of the City of Manhattan and the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce.

How to apply

Kansas State University | Division of Biology