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Overview and
Philosophy The Biology Graduate degree
programs, both Master’s and Ph.D., emphasize individualized training of
graduate students. The broad research interests of the faculty have
resulted in the graduate program’s avoiding the general tendency toward
uniformity and specialization in favor of helping the student excel in
his/her chosen research direction. Thus, there is no required set of
core courses but rather a course plan that is tailor-made for the
student. This plan is allowed to evolve as the interests of the student
and direction of the research change. The focus of the student’s
advisory committee is to help the student establish a research direction and
to achieve a level of research productivity that propels the student toward
the goal of becoming a leading scientist. By the time the student earns
his/her degree, (s)he should have made an impact in
the research field. The Doctoral
Program: Most students enroll
directly in the Ph.D. program, bypassing the Master’s degree. For
those seeking a career as independent investigators, this is the best
path. The Doctoral program prepares students to become leading
researchers who determine their own research direction. Typically, this
program requires a 5- to 6-year commitment, although students have earned the
degree in as little as 3.5 years. It all depends on the rate of
progress of the research. The Master’s
Program: This program usually
serves students who are looking for research experience leading to a variety
of careers such as: working in a technical capacity, teaching, government
positions, business administration, etc. If a student in this program
decides to go into a research career, it is quite easy to switch to a
Doctoral program. Likewise, a student in the Doctoral program may
switch to a Master’s program. The availability of a
Master’s program is another example of the flexibility of the Biology
Graduate Program. How to Apply…. Applications are made through
the Graduate
School. See deadlines below….
Choose a potential advisor: The truth is
that your thesis advisor is the person who will have, by far, the greatest
influence on your professional development. It is critical that you
choose wisely. Research success and your advisor’s close guidance
will be the most important factors in launching your research career.
Go through the web pages of
our faculty. Read the recent papers of those you are interested
in. Contact them and, if possible, go and visit them. Talk to
their current and former students. Talk to them about their research
goals and see how you would fit into these goals. Ask about financial
support. Your application will be judged based on: o
Grades in courses taken, but mindful of the difficulty of the
courses taken o
GRE scores o Letters of reference. Make sure that you get letters from faculty who know you. o Your personal statement. With this statement you reveal your attitude toward science and research. The way you express yourself can help us guide you in the right direction. Basic
Requirements 1.
Bachelor’s Degree 2.
GPA ≥ 3.0 3.
GRE scores including a subject test…institution code: 5814;
department code: 0203 4.
3 letters of reference from a professional or academic Facts
and Deadlines 1.
Final acceptance is contingent on a faculty member agreeing to be
your thesis advisor.
Preferred deadline: January 7
(for Fall admission) September 1 (for Spring) Final Deadline: February 1
(for Fall) October 1 (for Spring) For foreign students the
Spring admission deadline is June 1. …exceptions may be
granted Financial
Support As a rule, all students receive support:
This is
not a job. It is a period of training. Thus the money is enough to live
on so you can focus your efforts on your research.
…..to contact the Graduate Director, Prof. Marco Colombini: colombini@umd.edu |
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