Graduate Programs
The PhD programs in the Biological Sciences Division offer a wide opportunity for advanced study and research and are designed to encourage individuality, independence, and excellence in students. The graduate students who work with faculty in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology matriculate through different graduate programs to accommodate the different interests and backgrounds of our students. Many students enter through the closely-affiliated Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics Graduate Program and other programs within the umbrella Molecular Biosciences Graduate Cluster. Other students enter via the Graduate Program in Biophysical Sciences (a unique dual-mentored program for students with strong backgrounds in physical sciences), the Program in Neurobiology, the Department of Chemistry, and other programs.
Students can be selected to participate in the Molecular and Cell Biology and the Biology & Chemistry Training Programs funded by the National Institutes of Health. The MCB Training Grant is among the longest running NIH training grants nationwide.
Students in the Biological Sciences Division perform at least two lab rotations before identifying the lab in which they will pursue their doctoral research: the rotations familiarize students with what it is like to actually work in the labs they are interested in, to help them make an informed decision about which lab they would like to join.
