Master of Science in Entomology and Insect Science

University of Arizona

The GIDP in Entomology and Insect Science faculty and students integrate knowledge across the biological hierarchy from molecules to landscapes, and address questions that span the most fundamental aspects of biology, e.g., when did the brain originate? or what maintains mutualisms?, to addressing the environmental and health challenges posed by climate change and a rapidly increasing human population. These challenges require innovative entomological research to address conservation of biodiversity, and to mitigate potential increases in negative impacts of invasive species and harm caused by insect pests and insect vectors to crops, structures, and human health. The program thus bridges the gap between basic research, using insects as models to address general biological questions, and applied research affecting humankind more directly. The program graduates students with a particularly wide range of career opportunities.

The Entomology and Insect Science (EIS) program offers interdisciplinary training in the biology of insects for a Master's or Doctoral degree. It includes 35 faculty members representing 9 academic units. We encourage students to develop cross-disciplinary connections and bring together aspects of insect biology in unconventional ways. Our faculty and our students are collegial, collaborative, and highly productive.

The EIS program is flexible in its requirements, allowing students to design, in collaboration with faculty, programs of study tailored to individual interests and needs. We particularly seek out creative, enthusiastic applicants who have multidisciplinary interests, such as insect ecology–plant chemistry or behavioral ecology–neurobiology, pest management–spatial ecology, epidemiology of vector-borne disease–climate science, to name a very few. We encourage students to develop cross-disciplinary connections and bring together aspects of insect biology in unconventional ways.