Molecular & Biomedical Sciences

Thesis-based M.S. and Ph.D. Programs

Students come to Molecular & Biomedical Sciences from various backgrounds with undergraduate majors in the life sciences, chemistry, and others. Preparation should include courses in biochemistry, chemistry, mathematics, and physics substantially equivalent to that required of undergraduate students at this institution whose major is Biochemistry, Molecular & Cellular Biology, or Microbiology.

Admission to these programs are generally achieved through meritorious completion of undergraduate work in the biochemical and microbiological sciences or related disciplines. Students with backgrounds in chemistry, mathematics, physics or biology are encouraged to apply, but should expect to undertake a program of study that includes subject matter and content that is substantially equivalent to that required of undergraduates majoring in Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, and Microbiology at this institution.

Applicant Qualifications

• For our thesis-based MS and PhD programs, successful applicants typically possess the following credentials:
  Importantly, we are looking for students with documented research experience that is relevant to Molecular & Biomedical Sciences. 
• For GPA, 2.9 (out of 4.0) is the lowest acceptable for funding (TA), though most of our admitted students have much higher GPAs.  Of course, we prioritize applicants with higher GPAs.
• We look for clear info within the application or essay which of the Molecular & Biomedical Sciences faculty’s research programs interest the applicant (and why).  For more information about the faculty in our department and their research interests visit our Faculty webpage.  We can only admit students who are genuinely interested in the research being done by at least one or two of the professors within our department. 
• Previous teaching experiences, such as an undergraduate TA, is certainly a plus though not required.  But we do look for evidence of teaching, tutoring, and/or presentation skills in order to determine if a student could be a good TA.
• We, of course, look for relevant coursework in the undergraduate transcript.  You can see the undergraduate curricula at this website to see a list of courses taken by students in the three undergraduate majors (Microbiology, Biochemistry, or Molecular & Cellular Biology).  Incoming graduate students do not need all those courses in order to be considering for admission, but typically they will have many of those core courses done. 
• Most of our admitted students have GRE scores of at least roughly 50th percentile or higher in all 3 areas (V + Q + A), though there is some range (not official) and many are much higher than 50th.  Please note:  the GRE is no longer required but is still recommended.  In particular for students whose records are less than comprehensive and stellar in any of the areas evaluated (coursework, grades, research experience, teaching experience, recommendation letters, etc), taking and submitting scores from the general GRE (V, Q, A) remains strongly recommended.