How to Apply

Application Timeline: Important Deadlines
Application Materials, Codes, Mailing Address
Important Reminders

Application Timeline

 *Please note: the CONS program only accepts applications once a year for the Fall semester. The CONS program does not have an application cycle for the spring or summer semesters.

U.S. Applicants

  • January 15:  Application due date for fall admission to CONS
  • PPCN applicants should also heed the deadlines established by the Maryland School of Public Policy, as listed on its website.

International Applicants

  • January 15:  Due date for ALL applicants seeking fall admission to submit applications and academic credentials to CONS  
  • PPCN applicants should also heed the deadlines established by the Maryland School of Public Policy, as listed on its website.

CONS will begin to send out admission decisions March 1st. Admitted students are encouraged to inform CONS of their decision to attend as soon as possible, but must inform CONS of their decision no later than April 15th.

NOTE: CONS is interdisciplinary, and students do not have individual advisors. Applicants do NOT identify a particular porfessor with whom they want to work as part of the application process.   

Application Materials

  1. What are your reasons for undertaking graduate study at the University of Maryland, specifically the CONS program?  You may wish to discuss past work related to the CONS program, your plans for a professional career, or how you developed your interest in or knowledge of sustainable development and conservation biology.
  2. What life experiences have you had that you feel have prepared you to pursue a graduate degree at a large, diverse institution such as the University of Maryland in the CONS program?  Among the things you might care to include would be your financial, community, and family background, whether you are the first person in your family to pursue a graduate degree, or any other factors that you feel would contribute to the diversity of our academic community.  You may also wish to give the graduate admissions committee some examples of your determination to pursue your goals, your initiative and ability to develop ideas, and/or your capacity for working through problems independently.
  • Three (3) letters of recommendation. Online submission of recommendations is strongly encouraged.  The electronic submission of your letters streamlines the review and admissions decision process, while sending paper copies of recommendation letters will increase processing and review times for your application. On your Application Supplemental Form (ASF), you will be asked to enter the names and email addresses of your recommenders.  Each recommender will then be sent an email with instructions on how to complete an online recommendation for you.  If you need to submit a paper recommendation, have your recommender mail the letters to the application mailing address listed below. How do I chose my recommenders?
  • Official transcripts from undergraduate and any post-graduate programs
  • GRE General Test results, as reported from ETS (institution code: 5814)
  • Résumé or Curriculum Vitae
  • International academic credentials, evidence of English proficiency, financial certification, and visa documentation (for international applicants only; please see the University's International Education Services website for further details)

We recommend that applicants check on the status of their materials online.  It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure that the Graduate School receives all application components.

Application Codes

  • Applicants to the single-degree M.S. program should submit their online application under the program code CONS.
  • Applicants to the dual-degree M.S./M.P.P. program should submit their online application under the program code PPCN, upon which all application materials will be automatically available for review by both the CONS program and the MPP program.  Decisions for each program are rendered independently; an applicant may be admitted to both, neither, or only one of the two programs and decide which degree(s) to pursue from there.
  • All applicants should submit their GRE General Test scores under institution code 5814, which  will suffice for delivery of scores to all relevant departments viewing your application at the University of Maryland.  If you wish, you may also indica te department code 0299, though this will not affect the status of your application.

Application Mailing Address

University of Maryland CollegePark
Enrollment Services Operations
Application for Graduate Admission
0130 Mitchell Building
College Park, Maryland 20742

Important Reminders

The CONS program does not recieve or process hard copy application materials directly. Please do not email copies of your GRE scores, transcripts, or letters of reccomendation to the CONS Office. These materials must be mailed to the Graduate School (see address above). Application mateirals are then uploaded to the online application system by the Graduate School staff for the CONS program to review. If you have questions about whether your hard copy materials (GRE scores, transcripts, letters of reccomendation) have been recieved and processed, please contact the Graduate School directly: (301) 405-0376. 

There is often a substantial lag time between when the Graduate Schools receives application materials and when they are scanned and posted for the individual graduate programs to review. It is the responsibility of the applicant to manage the process for this lag time. Ensuring that materials such as GRE scores and transcripts are sent to the Graduate School well in advance of the application deadline is critical. 

Please note that the CONS program is an interdisciplinary, non thesis Masters program. Prospective students do NOT have to identify a faculty advisor before applying to the CONS program. 

Contact the CONS Program

Telephone: 301.405.7409
Fax: 301.314.9358
Email: consoffice@umd.edu 

Note: The CONS Office is CLOSED during semester breaks and whenever the university is closed.