Program Overview

Ph.D. in Entomology

The Department of Entomology offers a strong curriculum and provides numerous professional opportunities for its students. This student-centered focus is reflected in the many awards received by the students and in their consistent placement in professional careers.

Department Overview

The Department of Entomology is part of the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources and is involved in research, teaching, and extension arenas. Department faculty are internationally recognized and work in both applied and basic entomology. The department has research sites across Nebraska and collaborative relationships with both domestic and international scientists and educators.

Program Details

• Colleges: College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources, Graduate College
• Degree: Ph.D. in Entomology (resident)
• Application Deadlines:
  • Fall July 1
  • Spring Nov. 1
  • Summer April 1
• Graduate Handbook: Entomology Graduate Handbook
• Entomology Courses: List of Graduate Courses
• Graduate Student Support & Activities:
  • Graduate Student Fellowship and Award Opportunities
  • Bruner Club

How to Apply

Prospective graduate students may contact faculty members to see if they have graduate student openings in their labs. Students in the resident Doctoral program are not admitted to the Entomology Department unless they have a faculty member who agrees to advise and provide assistantship funding to the candidate.

Entomologists' Roles

Entomologists are involved in various fields, including:

• Growing Food working with farmers to manage insect pests and protect crops while simultaneously protecting beneficial insects and the environment.
• Saving Lives finding ways to prevent insects from spreading diseases and helping to discover new medicines and treatments.
• Helping Animals working with zookeepers, ranchers, forest rangers, and veterinarians to help them protect animals from dangerous insects.
• Understanding Nature studying insects in their roles in the environment, such as pollinators, decomposers, parasites, predators, and sources of food for other animals.
• Discovering Species finding new species allows us to better understand insect evolution, biodiversity, and the role of insects in nature.
• Saving our Forests studying insects that harm wild plants and forests and ways to prevent and control them.
• Fighting Crime examining bodies to find insects that may give clues to the time of death, and whether the body has been moved since then.
• Protecting the Quality of Life Entomologists help us keep our homes, schools, hospitals, and recreational areas free of pests.

Research Areas

The department has various research labs, including:

• Agroecosystems Lab
• Arthropod Vectors of Plant Pathogens Lab
• Bee Lab
• Bingham Research Lab
• Civic Entomology Lab
• Plant-Insect Interactions Lab