Primate Behavior

How To Apply

New students are normally accepted for entry in the fall of our academic year (mid-September). Applications for priority admission and assistantships are due February 1, however applications are reviewed after this deadline.

Admission to the MS program is a two-step process:

You must meet the general requirements for admission into the School of Graduate Studies and Research. This includes an bachelors degree from an accredited institution, a minimum GPA of 3.0.

Additionally, applicants for admission to the Primate Behavior program must meet the following qualifications:

• Students must hold an undergraduate degree in anthropology, psychology, or biology. Before admission, program faculty will evaluate the academic course work and experience of all applicants for admission and will recommend remedial course work if, in their judgment, there are deficiencies in pre-baccalaureate work which need to be overcome before entrance into the program. Admission to the program and continuation in it may be conditional on the applicant's satisfactory completion of remedial courses. Such courses will not count toward the program credit requirement, but in some cases they may be taken after admission to the program.
• International students for whom English is a second language must provide TOEFL scores to demonstrate English proficiency.
• Students must arrange for a graduate faculty advisor in the program to serve as their committee chair.

A complete application to the Primate Behavior program will include:

• CWU School of Graduate Studies and Research Application (including $75 application fee; waivers are available).
• Recommendation letters: Please provide three letters of recommendation from individuals qualified to evaluate your potential for graduate study. At least one letter should be from a faculty member at your previous institution (unless you have been out of school for 3 or more years). Other appropriate recommenders might include those who supervised your research or those who supervised your work in professional settings such as zoos, museums, or laboratories. 
• Statement of Purpose: The statement of purpose should clearly convey your research interests and professional goals and provides us with an opportunity to assess your writing and reasoning abilities. In this statement, please address each of the following points:
  • Specifically indicate what is appealing to you about the Primate Behavior MS program and what you hope to gain from participating in the program.
  • How will your past research, academic, or professional experience contribute to your success in this program?
  • Please indicate 2-4 program faculty members you would like to work with and why you think they would be appropriate mentors for your educational goals.
  • Even the most carefully planned research project may require troubleshooting, and students may need to switch study sites, study species, or pivot their research question. Please describe a challenge you’ve encountered and the steps you took to generate a solution.
  • Primates today face various anthropogenic pressures and live in a variety of free-range and captive settings. What is your position on the presence and use of primates in captive settings compared to more naturalistic field settings?
  • If you applied for a graduate assistantship at Central, please describe skills you might bring to this job with respect to teaching, research, and educational outreach.

*Please note that GRE scores are no longer an admission requirement for the Primate Behavior Program.

Coming Fall 2026 - Masters of Applied Science (MAS) in Primate Behavior that includes online coursework and internship/project as the culminating experience. For more information contact PB Director (April.Binder@cwu.edu).