McGill.CA / Neotropical Environment Option

Application

Before you apply to the NEO program

  • Choosing a graduate program can be one of the most important decisions you will make. It is important to find the right fit based on your research interests. Take time to research and evaluate your options. Read about McGill professors research on their websites of participating departments, as well as researchers at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI).
  • Once you choose to apply to the NEO program, you will need two supervisors: one is your “main research supervisor” and the other a “co-supervisor”. Your main research supervisor must be a NEO member from the faculty members listed here.
  • If you are interested in working with a McGill professor who is not on the list, then talk to that professor about whether they might want to join NEO.
  • Your co-supervisor should be “local”, within the Neotropical country of interest. Co-supervisors can be from across the Neotropics, although our main partner Institution is the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) in Panama. STRI researchers work across the Neotropics.
     

Now I am ready to apply

Students must apply directly to the department they wish to enter. For details on the application procedure, please visit the website of the department you wish to enter:

NEO candidates must apply through Slate and choose the McGill/STRI Neotropical Env as a concentration and then fill out the NEO application form. Please provide all the required information.

Candidates to the NEO option will be considered by NEO's coordination committee, who will consider background, academic performance, availability of a supervisor and research interests. The committee consists of the Director (Brian Leung), two STRI scientists (Owen McMillan and Mark E. Torchin) and two McGill professors (Margaret Kalacska and Frederic Guichard).

Students who are accepted into the NEO option will be expected to show basic proficiency in Spanish (or Portuguese for students planning to work in Brazil).

Those who do not meet this basic proficiency will be required to complete an intensive Spanish (or Portuguese) course (HISP-218 or equivalent) prior to commencing research in Panama.
 

Useful tips to apply to NEO

  • Contact the professor(s) with research interest similar to yours.
  • Only the accredited professors listed on the NEO web site can accept students in the option.
  • Apply ONLY in the host Department of that professor.
  • Fill the NEO application form and send it to patricia.lianos [at] mcgill.ca (subject: NEO%20Program) (Patricia Lianos).
  • If you are an international student, please apply early. Have your departmental acceptance done by your supervisors as soon as possible. Immigration procedures to obtain your documents to study in Canada may take up to 6 months. START EARLY!
  • To be considered for financial assistance, your application must be completed by the deadline set by McGill University (see Funding).
     

NEO fee

In addition, students enrolled in the NEO program will pay a one-time off campus NEO Program Fee of $919.56 STRI also directly charges a fee during the NEO core courses at the rate of $30USD/day (subsidized for NEO students from the regular STRI rate of $60USD/day) for room and board. The fee is attached to the course BIOL640 Tropical Biology and Conservation (3 credits).

For further information on making a payment consult the Student Accounts website

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