Program of Study | Entrance Requirements | Advisory System | Qualifying Exam | Dissertation
Entrance Requirements
Application and Financial Aid
The department admits for the Fall semester only, with the selection process occurring during January/February. Completed application packets are due no later than January 15. Completed application packets received after that date are held for consideration for the following year. A completed packet consists of the application, application fee, a minimum one-page typed Statement of Goals, official transcripts from ALL previously attended institutions, official general GRE scores, three letters of recommendation and, when applicable, official TOEFL scores. All completed application packets, international and domestic, are reviewed by the Admissions Committee during the third week of January. From these completed applications, the committee invites up to 20 students to participate in a Group Interview Day during the first and second week of February. Groups of 5-10 students are scheduled to meet with select faculty and tour the facilities during which time, applicants are given the opportunity to discuss their career goals and research interests. Admissions are selected from these groups. Admission offers are mailed from the Graduate Admissions Office at the end of February. Financial aid is available by the department through a limited number of Graduate Research Assistantships (GRA), which offer a stipend, remission of tuition and health insurance. GRAs are available to qualified full-time students only. Independent of the department, students may secure their own financial support through other sources such as scholarships, personal funds and student loans. GRA offers are mailed under a separate cover directly from the department at the end of February.
Click here for other sources of Financial Aid.
Previous Coursework
Students admitted to the Ph.D. program generally have a strong undergraduate background in the biological sciences, chemistry, mathematics, and general physics. Exceptional applicants lacking prerequisites will be required to correct these diciencies by enrolling in undergraduate level courses aside from the required core curriculum. Students entering the program with prior graduate level coursework may be eligible to waive one or more core courses. This is decided on a case-by-case basis by the Program Director.
Grades and GRE scores
Minimum stadardsfor admission to graduate programs at the Univesity of Maryland, Baltimore are specified in the Graduate School catalog. The Department also requires an undergraudate grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.0 on a scale of 4.0, and grades of A or B in science courses are expected. Applicants must take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Strong preference is given to students with a combined Verbal and Quantitative score of 1200 or better and a total score above 1865
International Students
International students meeting the application, coursework, grade and GRE requirements as stated above and who hold degrees from foreign colleges or universities where English is not the primary language, must pass the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) with a score of 600 or above (230 or above for the new computer based test) as proof of their proficiency in English. A supplementary course in English may be recommended for some students.
International students eligible for admission must comply with all requirements of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service. The Director of the Office of Admissions and Registration has available forms required for obtaining the appropriate visa. Students already studying in the United States who wish to transfer to the University of Maryland, Baltimore must secure the proper documents to otain permission for transfer. A statement regarding international applicants' financial status is required by the Office of Admissions and Registrations.