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).
Selecting and Contacting a Potential Advisor
Graduate school admissions have become an increasingly competitive process. In the Biology Department at BYU, applicants must select at least one advisor they are interested in working with before they apply. Once admitted, students will have the same advisor for the duration of their program, so it’s important that the applicant’s research interests align with their potential advisors’ research and expertise.
No matter which faculty member(s) you would like to work with, here are a few steps you should follow before contacting a potential advisor:
- Read a few papers written by the faculty member with whom you are interested in working. Their faculty profile will include a list of their articles. Does their work interest you? Does their approach to science (e.g., experimental, mathematical, comparative) interest you? Does their area of general interest match that of your own (e.g., Dr. John Doe studies the evolution of genes that support color vision and systematics of insects; or Dr. Jane Doe studies Alzheimer’s genetics; is this something you are interested in?)?
- Spend some time coming up with a few potential research questions that YOU might be interested in pursuing. These do not have to be written in stone, but advisors generally are more interested in students who can show that they have done some independent thinking.
- After you have completed steps 1 and 2, send your potential advisor an email, and include information about who you are, what you are interested in, and why you are considering that person as an advisor. If you have unofficial transcripts, GRE scores, English proficiency scores (for non-English speaking international students) or other (admittedly dubious) measures of academic potential, include those. If you have research interests or a burning passion for the research you would like to do, include those too! Brigham Young University has basic requirements for GPAs that you must meet to be considered as a student.
- Getting an advanced degree in biology is a full-time endeavor. You should treat grad school like you would treat the start-up of your own small business. You get out of it what you put into it. We are seeking students who are absolutely driven by the need to pose and answer scientific questions. The questions you will ask should fill you with passion and drive you to succeed. If you are not committed to becoming a scholar and scientist in this way, then the BYU Biology graduate program may not be for you.
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)
Selecting and Contacting a Potential Advisor
Graduate school admissions have become an increasingly competitive process. In the Biology Department at BYU, applicants must select at least one advisor they are interested in working with before they apply. Once admitted, students will have the same advisor for the duration of their program, so it’s important that the applicant’s research interests align with their potential advisors’ research and expertise.
No matter which faculty member(s) you would like to work with, here are a few steps you should follow before contacting a potential advisor:
- Read a few papers written by the faculty member with whom you are interested in working. Their faculty profile will include a list of their articles. Does their work interest you? Does their approach to science (e.g., experimental, mathematical, comparative) interest you? Does their area of general interest match that of your own (e.g., Dr. John Doe studies the evolution of genes that support color vision and systematics of insects; or Dr. Jane Doe studies Alzheimer’s genetics; is this something you are interested in?)?
- Spend some time coming up with a few potential research questions that YOU might be interested in pursuing. These do not have to be written in stone, but advisors generally are more interested in students who can show that they have done some independent thinking.
- After you have completed steps 1 and 2, send your potential advisor an email, and include information about who you are, what you are interested in, and why you are considering that person as an advisor. If you have unofficial transcripts, GRE scores, English proficiency scores (for non-English speaking international students) or other (admittedly dubious) measures of academic potential, include those. If you have research interests or a burning passion for the research you would like to do, include those too! Brigham Young University has basic requirements for GPAs that you must meet to be considered as a student.
- Getting an advanced degree in biology is a full-time endeavor. You should treat grad school like you would treat the start-up of your own small business. You get out of it what you put into it. We are seeking students who are absolutely driven by the need to pose and answer scientific questions. The questions you will ask should fill you with passion and drive you to succeed. If you are not committed to becoming a scholar and scientist in this way, then the BYU Biology graduate program may not be for you.
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