BCB Ph.D. Admissions

Admission Requirements for BCB Ph.D.:

The PhD in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology admits students on a competitive basis. Preference is given to applicants with strong credentials and appropriate undergraduate and/or professional preparation. You are welcome to contact individual faculty members prior to applying for admission, but all applicants will generally be considered by the Admissions Committee in two cycles. Applications for Fall semester must be received by January 1 and are considered in January with offers made by the first week of February. Applications for Spring semester must be received by September 1, and are considered in September, with offers made by mid-October. Applications received outside the normal application window may be considered once on-time applicants have been reviewed and decisioned, if there is a space available in the program. Review of late applications is not guaranteed.

• A baccalaureate degree from a recognized institution. Admission requirements for Bioinformatics track will include an adequate preparation in chemistry, biology, mathematics (preferably statistics), and computer science. Strong candidates may be allowed to make up deficiencies in some area at the discretion of the Bioinformatics admissions subcommittee.
• Evidence of scholarly and creative activity, including publication list; awards; results in national or international contests related to information technology, and the like. This can be included in a resume or curriculum vitae
• A Grade Point Average of (or equivalent to) at least 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale)

• Excellent GRE scores. The GRE can be waived if one of the following conditions are met:

  • Applicant obtained, or will complete prior to enrollment, a MS degree from an accredited US institution, with a GPA of 3.2 or higher, in a STEM major related to Bioinformatics and Genomics.

  • Applicant obtained, or will complete prior to enrollment, a BS degree from an accredited US institution, with a GPA of 3.4 or higher, in a STEM major related to Bioinformatics and Genomics.

• *Please note: a waiver of the GRE requirement does not constitute an offer of admission into the program.

Three letters of reference from professionals working in the applicant’s field of interest that addresses the applicant’s previous experience and potential to do research.

Personal statement. Please include answers to the following questions:

1. What area(s) of research in Bioinformatics and Genomics are you most interested in? Which faculty members in the department would you most like to work with in order to further pursue these areas? Please discuss at least 3 different faculty, but no more than five.
2. Why have you chosen to apply to this particular program? What are your career goals, and how will a degree from this program help you achieve those goals?
3. What kind of prior experience do you have that you feel has prepared you for graduate-level research? If you have done research as an undergraduate, please tell us about the questions you were aiming to answer, your role in the research project, and what the outcome was. If you have not done research as an undergraduate, tell us instead about other projects or work efforts that you led, and what you did to accomplish the project goals.
4. What kind of technical skills do you have that are most relevant to the Ph.D. program in Bioinformatics and Genomics?
5. What would you describe as your biggest personal strengths? How do you feel these strengths will increase your chance of success in a Ph.D. program?

***For International Applicants***

An English language proficiency score (TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo) is required if the previous degree was from a country where English is not the common language.

Deadlines:

Program contact:
Dr. Jessica Schlueter, Program director.