How To Apply

Before applying

It is important to contact members of our faculty with whom you are interested in studying. Before an applicant is accepted into one of our graduate programs, a faculty member must indicate their willingness to accept the student. Thus, personal contact with potential faculty advisors is essential. To find research interests and contact information for faculty, you can visit their faculty profile page. You should also talk to them about the kind(s) of financial support they may have available.

Find a faculty advisor

It is important that you identify a potential faculty advisor, as this will greatly increase your chance of admission to our graduate programs. Although all applications are made available to faculty advisors for review, a graduate student will not be admitted unless he or she has identified a faculty advisor. Once a faculty advisor has requested review of a prospective student, the application is then evaluated on the applicant’s potential for success in graduate school only at the request of a faculty advisor. The admissions process involves consideration of our program’s ability to accommodate students.

Application deadlines

• Fall deadline: January 15
• Spring deadline: October 15

 

What makes a successful applicant?

Successful applicants usually have a bachelor’s degree in biological science or other science discipline with at least an overall ‘B’ average and a minimum number of courses in biology and supporting fields (6 in biology, 4 in chemistry, 2 in physics, and 2 in mathematics). In addition to the applicant’s grades and coursework, we consider:

• relevant experience (e.g. through internships, volunteer, or paid work),
• statement of interest,
• GRE scores are not required,
• letters of recommendation, and

We expect applicants for the M.S. degree to have a least a 3.0 GPA. For Ph.D. applicants, we look for a GPA of at least 3.2.