Graduate Admissions
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Doctorate Degree
Application Deadline
- January 15th (US & international)
- The application review process will begin following the deadline.
Entrance Examinations
- Foreign students must submit English language proficiency exam scores. For detailed info on accepted exams, or if a waiver may apply, click here.
- The GRE is not required.
Prerequisite
- Baccalaureate degree in applicable field of study or equivalent.
- Master's degree is preferred, but not absolutely required.
Typical Acceptance Criteria
- Minimum GPA 3.0 (undergraduate cumulative GPA).
Find a Willing Adviser
Applicants will not be admitted unless they have a faculty member in our department who is willing to serve as their advisor. It is necessary for applicants to contact their desired advisor before applying to our program. Applicants that have not previously consulted with a faculty member before applying to our program will not be considered.
It’s very important that an applicant’s research interests align with those of a faculty member in our department. We recommend looking at the research our faculty are conducting and identifying one or more that best fits your interests. Contact them, introduce yourself, and ask them if they would be interested in taking on a graduate student. Here’s a link to our faculty directory. The individual faculty profiles list their research interests, and some profiles also include a link to their lab website, which will provide more in-depth information.
Requirements for Degree
Credit Hours (54 minimum):
- 36 coursework hours
- 18 dissertation hours (Bio 799R)
Required Courses
- Bio 503: Research Orientation
- Bio 691R: Graduate Seminar (2 credits)
- No 100-400 level courses can apply toward doctorate degree.
- All coursework credit hours must be completed at BYU or at some other accredited PhD-granting university. A maximum of 9 credit hours can be transferred from a PhD-granting university. Credit from institutions other than BYU must be approved by the Advisory Committee, the Graduate Coordinator, and Graduate Studies.
- The residency requirement for PhD students is two full-time consecutive semesters (at least 6 credit hours per semester).
- The minimum registration requirement is 6 credit hours per academic year. Students not meeting that requirement will be dropped from the graduate program.
- One semester of teaching experience in the department is required for all PhD students.
- Standard university dissertation or journal format must be used for dissertation.
Examinations
- Qualifying Examination
- Defense of Research
- Oral Defense of Dissertation
Masters Degree
Application Deadline
- January 15 (US & international).
- The application review process will begin following the deadline.
Entrance Examinations
- Foreign students must submit English language proficiency exam scores. For detailed info on accepted exams, or if a waiver may apply, click here.
- The GRE is not required.
Prerequisite
- Baccalaureate degree in applicable field of study or equivalent.
Typical Acceptance Criteria
- Minimum GPA 3.0 (undergraduate cumulative GPA)
Find a Willing Adviser
Applicants will not be admitted unless they have a faculty member in our department who is willing to serve as their advisor. It is necessary for applicants to contact their desired advisor before applying to our program. Applicants that have not previously consulted with a faculty member before applying to our program will not be considered.
It’s very important that an applicant’s research interests align with those of a faculty member in our department. We recommend looking at the research our faculty are conducting and identifying one or more that best fits your interests. Contact them, introduce yourself, and ask them if they would be interested in taking on a graduate student. Here’s a link to our faculty directory. The individual faculty profiles list their research interests, and some profiles also include a link to their lab website, which will provide more in-depth information.
Requirements for Degree
Credit Hours (30 minimum):
- 24 coursework hours
- 6 thesis hours (Bio 699R)
Required Courses
- Bio 503: Research Orientation
- Bio 691R: Graduate Seminar (1 credit)
- No more than 9 hours of 300 or 400 level course credits can apply toward master's degree.
- No more than 9 credit hours can be transferred from another university.
- The residency requirement for master's students is two full-time consecutive semesters (at least 6 credit hours per semester).
- The minimum registration requirement is 6 credit hours per academic year. Students not meeting that requirement will be dropped from the graduate program.
- Standard university thesis or journal format must be used for thesis.
Examinations
- Comprehensive Oral Examination
- Defense of Research
- Oral Defense of Thesis