The graduate program in Entomology at Montana State University leads to a Master of Science degree. Students in the program are required to take formal course work and conduct independent research guided by the student's advisory committee. Each student, during the course of their graduate program, will also have the opportunity to participate in activities outside their degree program that will benefit them academically and professionally. Such activities include participating in teaching, outreach and international programs, and attending and presenting research results at professional meetings. Each student is strongly encouraged to take advantage of these opportunities. A student's individual program can be designed, with approval of the graduate advisor and graduate committee, to suit the student's individual interests and career goals.<br><br>The entomology faculty at MSU conduct research in a variety of disciplines, including behavioral ecology, biodiversity studies, biological control of insects and weeds, biosystematics, chemical ecology, ecology, integrated pest management, pollination ecology, risk assessment, stored-product entomology, insect protein, thermal biology, molecular biology and cultural entomology. Entomological research at MSU includes some of the most important pests in the western U.S., including alfalfa weevil, aphids, cutworms, grasshoppers, Hessian fly, lygus bugs, wheat-stem sawfly, wireworms and others. Beneficial insects under study include various biological control agents and pollinators. Most faculty conduct both applied and basic research.