How to get into a phd program in biology

The University of Pittsburgh provides excellent health insurance options and tuition waivers. University of Rochester, Ph.

University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA : PhD students receive full funding throughout their studies, including stipend, health and dental benefits. In addition to the annual stipend, support for doctoral students includes tuition and health insurance.

You can also find several external fellowships in the ProFellow database for graduate and doctoral study, including opportunities for funding for dissertation research, fieldwork, language study and summer work experiences.

Be alerted about new fellowship calls for applications, get insider application tips, and learn about fully funded PhD and graduate programs. ProFellow is the go-to source for information on professional and academic fellowships, created by fellows for aspiring fellows. Toggle navigation Log In Sign Up. Log In Sign Up. Pursue a fully funded Ph. Find and win paid, competitive fellowships Be alerted about new fellowship calls for applications, get insider application tips, and learn about fully funded PhD and graduate programs.

Fellowship Tips What is a Fellowship? However, if you feel that your scores will strengthen your application, you are welcome to submit them.

The admissions committee fully recognizes that there are many components to your application and that GRE scores have a limited scope of predictive power in the evaluation of a candidate for their long-term success as a student. Your most recent test scores will be used to determine if you have met the English proficiency requirements.

You cannot combine sections from different test dates and you must meet the minimum score for every section of the test to be considered for admission. The band score of 7. Do I have to submit all of the required documents by the application deadline? All applications must be complete by the deadline; any application materials received after the deadline may not be reviewed by the Department.

Are application fee waivers available? Applicants who would like to request an application fee waiver must follow the fee waiver instructions on the GRS website.

Note that you must be a US citizen or a US permanent resident in order to be eligible to apply for a fee waiver. In exceptional circumstances, applicants who are non-US citizens may be granted a Department fee waiver; please contact the Graduate Program Specialist to inquire.

It is past the application deadline. Can I still apply? Please contact the Graduate Program Specialist to find out if your application can still be submitted. Do you offer spring admission? Are there any pre-requisites or any courses that I should take before applying? What kind of degree s do I need to have? If you are applying for the PhD or MS with research thesis track, prior research experience will also make your application more competitive.

Some BU courses may be available for non-degree students if you would like to take courses before applying. Please contact the Graduate Program Specialist for more information. Admission into the program is competitive and we favor applicants with strong academic records, as well as a demonstrated aptitude for research for those applying for the PhD or the MS with research thesis track. Do I need to contact faculty prior to submitting my application? It is recommended that PhD and MS Research Track applicants contact one or more faculty with whom you might wish to work.

Where can I find more information about the research opportunities that are available to Biology graduate students? Do I need to submit more than one application if I want to be considered for more than one area of interest within Biology? No — you can list more than one area of interest on your application. You do not need to submit multiple applications. Can I schedule a visit to the BU campus? Yes, prospective applicants can contact the Graduate Program Specialist or any faculty member with whom they may wish to work to schedule a time to visit.

How long will it take before I receive a decision on my applications? Admission decisions are usually sent out the week following this visit to campus early March. Selected applicants outside the continental US and internationally may be contacted in early March for Skype Interviews with faculty members and can expect to receive admission decisions in mid-March. Selected applicants will be invited to visit the campus individually, on dates that are convenient for their prospective advisors.

Most prospective students visit during January and February; some may visit in December or March. Admission decisions are sent on a rolling basis, generally after the last applicant seeking entry to a particular lab has visited. Financial Aid What is the cost of attendance? Do you offer financial aid? Tuition and mandatory fees for the current academic year can be found on the GRS website. The Biology Department guarantees support for five years for all PhD students, contingent on satisfactory performance in the program.

This includes tuition, a stipend, and health insurance. You can learn more about the different fellowships that are offered on the GRS website. If interested in these opportunities please indicate this in your application.

Are there Department awards and fellowships available? The Department of Biology offers several competitive awards and fellowships that are available to graduate students. Program Requirements How long does it take to earn a graduate degree in Biology. MS students must complete the degree within 3 years, though most of our students complete this within 2 years.

PhD students must complete the degree within 7 years, though most of our students complete this within years. How many credits can be transferred in towards my degree? Will this shorten the time to degree?

MS students can transfer a maximum of 8 credits from other universities. PhD students can transfer a maximum of 32 credits. Your coursework would be reviewed by faculty to determine what is appropriate to transfer based on the program and what credits you would still need to take moving forward.

More information about the transfer of credit policy can be found online. What classes will I need to take? Course requirement information for MS students can be found here. Course requirement information for PhD students can be found here.

Will I be required to teach? The course provides guidance and training on pedagogy and other aspects of graduate school. MS students are not required to teach but there are sometimes opportunities for MS students to teach if interested. Can I take classes part time? However, we do not offer evening courses, so if you have a full time job and are interested in taking one or two courses, this may not be a good fit for you.

The PhD Program is a full time program.