ELIGIBILITY TO APPLY
A key strength of the Interfaces of Global Change IGEP is having a membership that is committed to maintaining a vibrant community that integrates across campus. Applicants to the IGC IGEP are expected to have a thorough understanding of the program before they apply. Hence, applications will only be accepted from actively enrolled Ph.D. students who have carefully examined the benefits and commitments of IGC membership. Applicants should actively assess whether the IGC IGEP will be beneficial for their career plans and whether they can meet the expectations of the program. Our interdisciplinary curriculum requires that each IGC Fellow take at least 8 hrs of core coursework and complete a collaborative, student-led capstone project. Program and curriculum requirements are detailed on the IGC Education page here.
Numerous opportunities, described below, are provided to help candidates assess their fit for the program. Applicants must be in good standing with one of our GCC faculty members or with another Virginia Tech faculty mentor conducting global-change related scholarship.
Prior to applying to the IGC IGEP, prospective students are required to attend (at a minimum):
1) A Q&A session with the GCC Director and a group of faculty involved with the IGC IGEP (held late September 2020)
2) A Q&A session with a group of IGC IGEP PhD fellows, and (held late October/early November)
3) A meeting with their mentor and appropriate prospective graduate committee members (e.g., GCC faculty affiliates) to discuss the suitability of the IGC IGEP for the students’ professional goals and plan of study.
**Interested students should send an email to GCC/IGC Coordinator, Jess Zielske (jcoker@vt.edu) to be included in email communications about the Q&A sessions. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, these information sessions will be held via Zoom for the fall 2020 semester.