UMass Boston

Applicants must meet general graduate admission requirements in addition to the following program-specific requirements:

• Submission of the graduate admissions application form
• A distinguished undergraduate transcript; competitive students generally have at least a 3.0 overall GPA, although lower grades can be acceptable
• A bachelor's degree, or its equivalent, from a 4-year college or university of recognized standing
• Official transcripts of all graduate and undergraduate work. Transcripts must be sent directly through the GradCAS application. An official final transcript showing that the bachelor's degree has been awarded and the date of degree conferral can also be emailed to gadocs@umb.edu.
• Three letters of recommendation
• Submissions of scores from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) Combined Aptitude Test

Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL official test score) is required for international applicants. For more information regarding minimal TOEFL scores, visit Graduate Admissions.

The stated interests of a prospective student must coincide to an acceptable degree with the faculty specialties represented in the program. The Biology Graduate Committee, in conjunction with the director of Graduate Programs in Biology, is responsible for reviewing applications and for recommending candidates to the dean of graduate studies.

Deadlines: January 1 (priority deadline for funding consideration) and April 1 (final) for fall; October 1 (priority deadline) or November 1 (final deadline) for spring

Application Fee: The nonrefundable application fee is $75. UMass Boston alumni and current students that plan to complete degree requirements prior to graduate enrollment can submit the application without paying the application fee.

Program Cost Information: Bursar's website

Program Requirements - Environmental Biology & Molecular, Cellular, and Organismal Biology (MCOB) Tracks

Complete 60 credits from 13 courses including one required core course, three additional core courses, four electives, four semesters of current literature, and 32 credits of research.

Doctoral candidacy: Students must pass written and oral qualifying examinations before undertaking research at the doctoral level.
Dissertation: Candidates must compose and defend a dissertation based on original research.
Teaching: Students are required to participate in the teaching program as teaching assistants for at least two semesters.
Departmental presentation: Candidates must present a seminar of their research nine to twelve months after admission to candidacy.

GPA: Students must maintain a GPA of 3.0 throughout the program.
Minimum grade: No more than one course with a grade of C may be applied toward the program.
Residency: No more than six credits from another graduate program may be applied toward the program.
Statute of limitations: Eight years.

Graduate Program Director Linda Huang
Linda.Huang [at] umb.edu
(617) 287-6674

Alexa MacPherson
Alexa.MacPherson [at] umb.edu
(617) 287-6603