Entomology (Graduate Program)

For information regarding the UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM, click here.  

Program Overview

Entomology at LSU was established in 1889 with the appointment of I.H.A. Morgan as an entomologist in the Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station. Everett Oertel’s History of Entomology in Louisiana traces the history and development of entomology at LSU until 1976. The Department of Entomology was founded in 1964; L. Dale Newsom served as the first department head.

The department is responsible for all research, teaching, and extension related to entomology at LSU. Faculty members hold joint appointments with the university and the LSU Agricultural Center. The department’s mission is threefold:

• to conduct basic and applied research leading to the development of new understanding of insect biology and of environmentally sound pest management technology
• to train students for careers with universities, industry, or government
• to provide entomological information and education to the general public

Administration

Admission

Applications and supporting materials for all graduate study must be submitted through the online application site for the LSU Graduate School. Official transcripts, official test scores, and other materials that come from third-party sources must be mailed to: Graduate Student Services, 114 West David Boyd Hall, Baton Rouge, LA 70803. These paper documents are stored electronically and departments have access to all materials submitted by and/or on behalf of a student applying to graduate study.

Inquiries for admission may be made to the department head, graduate advisor, or any faculty member. Successful applicants must meet the Graduate School requirements for admission. A 3.0 GPA and a minimum score of 300 (combined verbal and quantitative) on the GRE are required for a graduate research assistantship or fellowship. The department also requires three letters of recommendation and a statement of interest in entomology from each applicant.

Financial Assistance

A limited number of departmental assistantships and fellowships are available on a competitive basis. Departmental assistantships are valued at $17,000 for MS students and $18,000 for PhD students and include a waiver of nonresident tuition. For more information about financial assistance, contact the department head.

Graduate Faculty

(check current faculty listings by department here)

A. Lelania Bourgeois (3F) • Bee Biology
Christopher E. Carlton (M) • Insect systematics and biodiversity; Director, Louisiana State Arthropod Museum
Robert Danka (3F) • Bee biology
Jeffrey Davis (M) • Biology and management of insects of soybean
Rodrigo Diaz (6A) • Biological control of invasive insects and weeds
Lane D. Foil (M) • Physiological aspects of arthropod disease transmission and physical injury in livestock
Richard A. Goyer (EM) • Forest entomology
Michael Grodowitz (3F) • Biological control of invasive plants
Abner Hammond (EM) • Chemical ecology
Kristen B. Healy (6A) • Medical entomology
Gregg Henderson (M) • Natural history and control of urban insects, special emphasis on social insect behavior
Fangneng Huang (M) • Biology and management of corn and small grains insects
Claudia Husseneder (M) • Molecular biology of Formosan subterranean termites, microbial gut flora
Seth J. Johnson (EM) • Population dynamics, parasite and predator ecology, insect migration
B. Rogers Leonard (M) • IPM of cotton insects
James A. Ottea (M) • Insect biochemistry, toxicology, and genetics
Jorge E. Peña (3P) • Tropical fruit tree pest mangement
Dorothy Prowell (EM) • Insect-plant interactions, conservation, molecular systematics
T. Eugene Reagan (M) • Sugarcane insect ecology and pest management, imported fire ant ecology
Dennis Ring (3F) • Biology and control of termites 
Timothy D. Schowalter (M) • Insect ecology, forest entomology
Tara Smith (M) • Sweet potato pest management
Richard N. Story (EM) • Biology and management of insect pests of horticultural crops
Michael J. Stout (M) • IPM of rice insects, host-plant resistance
Daniel Robert Swale (6A) • Insect physiology, neurobiology
Yu Cheng Zhu (3F) • Molecular biology and toxicology 

Programs

• Entomology, Ph.D.

• Entomology, M.S.