Quantitative Biology Graduate Track

Quantitative biology applies modeling and analysis tools from mathematics, statistics, computer science and physics to study the workings of life, with the aim of developing predictive models that both can inform and be informed by empirical studies. Quantitative biologists seek commonalities in the principles that govern biological processes at a variety of scales of organization, from molecules and cells to organisms, populations, and ecological communities.

Scientists studying QBio address fundamental questions about the natural world, such as: How do physical forces govern the functioning of cellular machines like chromosomes and the cytoskeleton? How do organisms propel themselves through fluid media? How does the nervous system integrate sensory inputs to coordinate muscle action and navigate its environment? How does variation in the genome map to variation in organismal phenotype? How are ecological communities structured by interactions among individuals and populations? As a graduate student in Quantitative Biology (QBio) at Carolina, you will be at the forefront of interdisciplinary biological research. Quantitative biology continues to be in growing demand not only within academia, but also in public and private sector institutions conducting research in biotechnology, health, agriculture, and environmental sciences.

Training Goals

The goal of the Quantitative Biology graduate program is to prepare the next generation of PhD scientists who will probe biological processes with a knowledge base that transcends the boundaries of traditional disciplines such as biology, mathematics, computer science and physics.

At present, most scientists work in only one of these areas and rely upon collaborations with colleagues in the other area to complement their own expertise. We seek to train scientists who can not only critically analyze results from these different fields, but themselves work comfortably, and simultaneously, in multiple areas. From an engineering/physics perspective, a particular phenomenon may reflect the operation of chemical, electrical and/or mechanical processes. On the organismal scale, a phenomenon may reflect the operation of macro- and micro-organisms, climate and geography. What research at these different scales and in different systems share in common is an important role for quantitative modeling and data analysis.

Core training components are rigorous, but are combined with programmatic flexibility to accommodate the training goals of students with diverse backgrounds and interests. An explicit aim of the program is to bring students with physical, computational, and mathematical undergraduate backgrounds to the life sciences as well as to provide students from life-sciences undergraduate backgrounds with a broader and deeper quantitative skill set. The Quantitative Biology graduate program fosters extensive interactions among students and faculty through an emphasis on research.

The NIH-funded “Big Data To Knowledge” (BD2K) training grant at UNC may be of interest to students in the Quantative Biology program. BD2K supports students from a variety of units in the College of Arts and Sciences working on applications of Big Data to the Biomedical Sciences. BD2K trainees pursue a PhD in their respective disciplinary domain while simultaneously engaging in supplemental training through a blend of didactic, experiential, team science approaches.

Research Areas

Examples of the kinds of questions students in this program may address include:

Mechanics and Dynamics:

At the molecular scale, how do the mechanical properties of biological macromolecules, macromolecular complexes and ensembles (chromosomes, membranes and structures) and cellular surfaces influence their function? What are the mechanical forces that underlie the motion of macromolecules and their complexes and ensembles within cells? What promotes motion of individual cells? How are such forces generated and controlled? At the larger scale, how do the mechanical properties of tissues and organs influence organismal performance and function? How is sensory input used by organisms for locomotory control and maneuvering? How are nutrients effectively transported throughout circulatory systems?

Patterns and Collective Phenomena:

How are spatial and temporal patterns determined within cells and among cells in a group? What are the bases for numerical specification in biological systems? How does collective behavior arise in aggregates? What is an effective /efficient way of describing such behaviors and their regulation? What are the roles of thermal and athermal sources of fluctuations in these situations? At the organismal level, how does collective behavior emerge from a group of individuals? How does organism behavior interact with the physical environment to determine the patterns of diversity we see today and expect tomorrow?

Transport, Signaling and Communication:

At the cellular scale, how does information flow within cellular compartments, between compartments, within and among macromolecules and their ensembles and structures, and among cells? What are the relative roles of diffusion vs. active transport and of chemical signaling vs. mechanical linkage? What are the roles of mechanochemical signaling networks in motility, patterning and behavior? How is robustness built into the design of such networks? At the larger scale, how do organisms effectively transmit information between individuals using light, sound, and chemicals? What are the physical processes that allow for the efficient capture of prey or avoidance of predators? How do organisms use chemical and mechanical cues to find suitable habitats and mates?

Multiscale Processes:

A fundamental question in all areas of the biological sciences is how to connect multiple scales. For example, how do changes in cellular level processes affect the performance and fitness of an organism and how do these changes feed back to the cellular level? How do locomotion and dispersal ability affect population dynamics? How does the connectivity in the brain and the nervous system affect animal behavior? How does the small-scale structure of the capillaries and lymphatic system affect circulation throughout the body?

Degree Requirements

The following are the Ph.D. degree requirements for students in the Quantitative Biology (QBio) graduate program in the Department of Biology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. These supplement the requirements detailed in the Graduate School Handbook (http://handbook.unc.edu/) and the Guide to Theses and Dissertations (http://gradschool.unc.edu/etdguide/).

The Department of Biology offers a Ph.D. degree. It also offers two masters degrees: a Master of Science degree requiring independent research and a thesis, and a Master of Arts degree requiring a written library report. However, the Master’s degree programs only admit students on an individual basis in the following cases: 1. A request is initiated by a prospective student’s graduate advisor; and 2. A current student in the Ph.D. degree program requests to move to a Master’s degree program.

Students generally apply for admission to QBio and the UNC Graduate School directly through the Department of Biology. Students may also elect to join QBio after being admitted through the Biological and Biomedical Science Program (BBSP) and completing the first year requirements of that program.

It is your responsibility to stay in touch with your major adviser and graduate dissertation committee. Likewise, you are ultimately responsible for seeing that you comply with the regulations of the Department of Biology and the UNC Graduate School. Failure to comply may result in losing your financial support or in being dismissed from the program. You also need to keep the Graduate Student Services Manager and the Director of Graduate Students informed of committee meetings and qualifying exams as soon as they are scheduled with your committee.

A. COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

Students will receive training in the application of quantitative methods to various disciplines of biological research through a course of study determined by the student, their graduate advisor, and the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS). Courses should be selected in reference to the student’s choice of Oral Examination topics (see section D below) and anticipated thesis research. At the beginning of the first year the student will meet in an orientation meeting with the DGS and their major advisor(s) and discuss classes that the student should take and program requirements.

During the first two years, students must complete a minimum of 13 credit hours of coursework including: a minimum of six credit hours in lecture courses at the 400 level or above, one graduate seminar or journal club course, and six credit hours of BIOL 994: Doctoral Research and Dissertation.

Students with an interest in Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology are strongly encouraged to enroll in BIOL 891: Seminar in Biology each fall semester of their first two years.

Students must continue to register for 994 in subsequent Fall and Spring semesters until the degree is completed.

For a Master’s degree, a minimum of 30 hours of graduate credit is required with at least 18 credits in courses in their field of study. At least three hours of these courses must take the form of research and completion of the thesis (MS, BIOL 993) or library report (MA, BIOL 992). Out of the 30 hours, 21 must be taken in residence (please see Residence Credit Requirements for more information).

B. GRADUATE ADVISOR:

Most Qbio students will select a graduate advisor before beginning graduate school. For students doing rotations in several labs, however, the advisor may not be selected until after rotations are complete. Generally, students choose an advisor by the end of their first year in graduate school. To change advisors or add a co-advisor, students must submit written request with justification to the Director of Graduate Studies for approval. In all cases, at least one advisor must be a regular member of the UNC Biology graduate faculty.

C. GRADUATE ADVISORY COMMITTEE & COMMITTEE CHAIR:

The trainee must form a graduate dissertation committee to oversee and guide their research by the end of the third semester, and preferably by the beginning of that semester. This process is normally done in consultation with the student’s advisor(s).

For Ph.D. students, the committee must have at least five members, and for Masters students, the committee must consist of at least three members. A majority must be regular members of the UNC Biology graduate faculty (i.e. the Professors, Associate Professors, and Assistant Professors of Biology, as well as a few additional UNC faculty who have been specially appointed by the Department; if you are unsure of the status of a prospective committee member, then consult the Graduate Student Services Manager). Additional committee members must be qualified to conduct the doctoral examinations and advise the student on their dissertation research. Active UNC faculty require no special approval, while others are subject to approval (pending review of their curriculum vitae) by the Director of Graduate Studies and Graduate School. Once each individual has agreed to serve, the list of the proposed members is submitted to the Graduate Student Services Manager for approval by the Director of Graduate Studies.

One member must be designated as chair of the student’s thesis committee by the beginning of the first thesis committee meeting. Selection of the chair shall be a collaborative choice between the student, the advisor, and the other members of the committee. The chair must be a regular member of the UNC Biology graduate faculty and not be the student’s research advisor, co-advisor, or spouse of the (co-)advisor. The chair will lead the meetings of the thesis committee and, at the conclusion of each meeting, synthesize committee members’ views on the student’s performance and progress into a summary to be verbally communicated to the student. The chair will also be responsible for completion of the Doctoral Exam Report Form. These are the sole and entire responsibilities of the chair. Of the countless responsibilities that do not fall on the chair, only three will be listed here. First, serving as chair does not convey greater responsibility for scientific oversight of the student’s dissertation research; this is the responsibility of the research advisor. Second, aside from conducting committee meetings in a professional manner, serving as chair does not convey greater responsibility for mediating any interpersonal conflict. Third, the chair is not responsible for establishing the time and place of committee meetings, or ensuring that committee meetings are held at required intervals; these are the responsibility of the student.

It is recognized that research projects may go in unanticipated directions as they develop. Therefore, it is permissible to make changes to the composition of their committee. This is done by submitting a written request, with justification, to the Director of Graduate Studies and, upon approval, submitting a revised form the Graduate School.

The student is responsible for establishing the time and place of all committee meetings and exams, and ensuring that these occur at the times required by the QBio program and the Graduate School.

D. COMPREHENSIVE WRITTEN EXAMINATION:

Ph.D. students will take a comprehensive written examination before the end of their second year. This exam will determine whether the student has a sufficient mastery of the general knowledge required to complete their dissertation successfully and a deep enough understanding of the broader discipline. The comprehensive written exam should be separated in time from the feasibility meeting. Students must be registered for their advisor’s 994 section in the semester when the exam is taken.

In preparation for the written exam, it is recommended that the student hold a committee meeting near the beginning of their second year to work out the plans for the exam. At this meeting, the student will, in conjunction with their committee, identify four areas of desired proficiency, with at least one from the biological and one from the methodological categories (Table 1). Other proficiencies can be included if they are determined to be appropriate by the committee. The selected areas will serve as a focus for questions to be written by the appropriate committee members. The format of the questions, duration of the exam, and the materials to be used for preparation will be set by the committee at this meeting. Committee members will submit questions to the committee chair for distribution to the student. The student will then return their answers in the time period designated by the committee for evaluation by the committee. The committee may set up a meeting with the student for discussion, clarification, and evaluation of the results of the written exam.

In order to pass the exam, a majority of the committee must pass the student. The committee may also pass with stipulations for additional coursework or other actions to make up deficiencies. The committee chair will notify the student with the results and any recommendations. If the student fails an exam once, they are allowed to retake the exam at a later date. If the student fails a second time, they are dismissed from the program and the UNC Graduate School.

For the MA and MS degrees, the comprehensive exam requirement will consist of a written exam with some differences in format from the Ph.D. exam. For this exam, each member of the graduate dissertation committee will submit to the committee chair one or more questions designed to be answered within a two-hour period per committee member. The full examination must be undertaken and completed within a two-day period. Each question will be graded by at least two members of the committee. Passing of the exam is contingent upon approval of two-thirds of the entire committee. Successful completion of the comprehensive written Ph.D exam fulfills this requirement for the MS and MA degrees. This exam cannot be taken until all courses are complete or until the final courses are in progress. Students must be registered for their advisor’s 992 (MA) or 993 (MS) section in the semester when the exam is taken.

Table 1. Example areas of proficiency for the written comprehensive examination:

Organismal Biology

Biomechanics
Computational neurobiology
Geometric morphology
Mathematical physiology
Developmental biology
Behavioral neuroscience

Super-organismal Biology

Evolutionary genetics
Mathematical ecology
Phylogenetics
Theoretical evolutionary biology

Sub-organismal Biology

Circadian biology
Functional genomics
Mathematical cell biology
QBio molecular biology
Genetics
Regulatory network modeling
Systems biology

METHODOLOGICAL PROFICIENCIES

Bayesian models
Discreet time models
Dynamical systems
Finite element modeling
Game theory
Bioinformatics
Image analysis and microscopy
Network analysis
Numerical analysis/Scientific computing
Differential equations
Statistics

Note that these are examples and not intended to constrain the areas of proficiency for the written examination; the final set of categories must be approved by the committee prior to the exam.

E. FEASIBILITY MEETING & ORAL EXAMINATION:

For Ph.D students, the oral exam will be held in the context of a committee meeting in which the student will lay out their plans for the research for the completion of their dissertation work. This should be done during their third year. Students must be registered for their advisor’s 994 section in the semester when the exam is taken. Before this meeting the student will prepare a feasibility proposal written as a short grant proposal which consists of a project summary (limited to one single-spaced page), and a project description of up to eight single spaced pages (including figures and tables, but excluding the list of references cited). It should describe the research in enough detail for the committee to help with planning and to determine the likely success of the research plan.

The graduate dissertation committee must receive the research proposal at least one week in advance of the feasibility meeting. The format of the meeting is that the student will make a formal presentation of the research proposal followed by an in-depth discussion with the committee. At the conclusion of the meeting, a majority of the committee must approve of the oral defense of the feasibility proposal in order for the student to pass the oral exam and a separate vote will be taken to determine if the feasibility proposal is acceptable. The committee can pass the student for the oral exam while still requiring improvements on the feasibility proposal.

F. ADMISSION TO CANDIDACY:

To be admitted to candidacy, the student must have passed the written comprehensive examination, the oral examination, and have an acceptable feasibility proposal. Admission to candidacy is a requirement for certain awards and fellowships, so it is recommended that students strive to achieve it as soon as they are prepared to do so.

G. ANNUAL COMMITTEE MEETINGS & PROGRESS REPORTS:

Students are expected to meet annually with their graduate dissertation committee. The purpose of these meetings, which are in addition to those required for examinations, is for the committee to evaluate, and help facilitate, the student’s progress toward completion of the degree. A majority of the committee must be present for each meeting. In advance of the meeting, the student should provide each committee member with a written progress report. A progress report is typically 2-3 pages and will describe any research results obtained since the last meeting, courses completed, papers submitted, meetings attended, grants received, etc. Following the meeting, committee members who deem that the student is making satisfactory progress sign an Annual Committee Report Form, which the student submits to the Manager of Graduate Student Services. If a majority does not sign, this is brought to the attention of the Director of Graduate Studies. Exceptions to annual committee meeting requirements can only be granted by the Director of Graduate Studies.

It is the student’s responsibility to inform the Manager of Graduate Student Services when any of the above exams and meetings are to take place, making sure the appropriate forms are available for committee members to sign, and submit the signed forms.

H. PRE-DEFENSE COMMITTEE MEETING:

Before scheduling the final thesis defense, the student must meet with the graduate dissertation committee to provide a preview of the completed thesis. A majority of the committee must agree that the student is ready to defend (and sign the Pre-Defense Committee Meeting form) before the final thesis defense can be officially scheduled.

I. SUBMISSION OF THESIS OR DISSERTATION & FINAL THESIS DEFENSE:

In the semester of graduation, a student who has prepared an M.S. thesis, M.A. report, or Ph.D. dissertation will present a final defense, which is an oral exam consisting of a public seminar on the research, followed by a discussion of the work and their thesis/dissertation with the student’s graduate dissertation committee. The completed thesis or dissertation should be sent to the committee at least two weeks in advance of the scheduled defense. All committee members are expected to attend the defense (either in person or by remote participation). For both Master’s and Ph.D. students passing of the final exam and approval of the thesis is by an absolute majority vote of all members of the dissertation committee. The dissertation advisor is responsible for verifying that changes to the thesis/dissertation suggested by the committee have been made and then the committee chair can sign off on the approval form. After final approval (and ensuring the formatting matches the Graduate School guidelines), the thesis/dissertation must be submitted to the Graduate School for final processing.The defense must be completed before the Graduate School deadline within the semester that the student aims to graduate.

J. OTHER REQUIREMENTS:

The Department of Biology believes strongly in the value of teaching, and therefore requires each student to serve as a teaching assistant (TA) in a course in the Biology Department for at least one semester.

Students must be registered during the semesters in which exams are taken. Residence credit of four full semesters is required for a Ph.D. degree and two full semesters for a Master’s degree. Please see Residence Credit Requirements for more information.

To maintain eligibility to continue in The Graduate School, a student must not receive a grade of F or F*, or receive a grade of L in nine or more credit hours. The degree time limit for PhD students is 8 years from the date of registration and 5 years for a Master’s student.

If degree requirements change following admission, the student may choose to follow either the rules in effect upon admission or any subsequent set of rules in effect prior to reaching candidacy.

Faculty and students are strongly encouraged to follow these recommended deadlines. If a student is in danger of falling behind these deadlines, then the student must petition the Director of Graduate Studies for a deferral (which may or may not be granted). Any such petition must be submitted in writing (including email) in the first two weeks of the semester indicated in the timeline. Students who are behind the deadline (including annual committee meetings) will be lower in priority for TA-ships (relative to students in the Biology graduate program who have met the required timeline, but not relative to other students, e.g. those from outside Biology).

Timeline of Requirements for Doctoral Students (Direct Admit)

ACTIVITY	DEADLINE
Orientation Meeting	Beginning of 1st semester
Course Requirements	Minimum of 13 credit hours during 1st 2 years
Form Graduate Committee	Before end of 3rd semester (fall semester of 2nd year)
Written Exam	Before end of 2nd year
Oral Exam	Before end of 3rd year
Feasibility Meeting	Before end of 3rd year
Annual Committee Meetings	Once a year after qualifying exams are completed
Pre-Defense Meeting	Before scheduling defense (~1 semester before defense)
Dissertation Defense	Recommended by end of 5th year

Timeline of Requirements for Doctoral Students (via BBSP)

ACTIVITY	DEADLINE
Orientation Meeting	Summer after joining lab
Course Requirements	Minimum of 13 credit hours during 1st 2 years at UNC
Form Graduate Committee	Before end of 3rd semester (fall semester of 2nd year)
Written Exam	Before the end of 2nd year
Oral Exam	Before end of 3rd year
Feasibility Meeting	Before end of 3rd year
Annual Committee Meetings	Once a year after qualifying exams are completed
Pre-Defense Meeting	Before scheduling defense (~1 semester before defense)
Dissertation Defense	Recommended by end of 5th year

ACTIVITY	DEADLINE
Orientation Meeting	Beginning of 1st semester
Form Graduate Committee	Before end of 1st summer (before beginning of 2nd year)
Written Exam*	Before end of 2nd year
Thesis Defense	Recommended by end of 2nd year
Graduation	Upon successful completion of thesis defense

*30 course credit hours must be completed or in the process of completion at the time the written exam is taken. This could mean your written exam and thesis defense are in the same semester, or in your final semester, you will only be registered for 993.

Financial Support

Quantitative Biology Funding Information

Funding levels for students in the Quantitative Biology (QBio) track currently varies significantly depending upon the major advisor and funding source, so it is important that you discuss this with your advisor (or potential advisor). For minimum levels, as a student in the QBio program at UNC, you will be provided a guaranteed 9-month stipend of $22,000 and support throughout your graduate career as long as you remain in good academic standing. Through a combination of funding during the academic year as well as the summer, we will strive to provide you with at least a minimum annual stipend of $30,000. This minimum will be reviewed yearly to consider increases based on the MIT living wage calculator, representative apartment rents, and input from Biology graduate students. Several sources of stipend support are available.

QBio students are supported by teaching assistantships, research assistantships, or fellowships (described in greater detail below) during the academic year and summer. It is very important that funding packages are discussed in detail during the recruitment process between the prospective advisor and student, and that realistic expectations of funding are shared.

Academic Year Funding:
During the 9-month academic year, you will be funded on either a teaching assistantship, research assistantship, or fellowship. Fellowships usually fund students on a 9-month or annual basis and vary in stipend amounts. Assistantships provide a minimum stipend of $11,000 per semester ($22,000 for the 9-month academic year). If your advisor does not have sufficient grant funding to fund you as a research assistant, then teaching assistantships will be available to you.

Summer Funding:
Our graduate students are funded during the summer and the goal is that they are funded on their advisor’s grants as research assistants. If the advisor does not have grant funding, teaching assistantships are available during both summer sessions. Each session lasts 5 weeks with a 20 hour per week average for teaching one lab or one recitation. Compensation for teaching one lab is $4000 and for teaching one recitation is $3650. We strive to provide our students with sufficient lab or recitation sections to reach $30,000 (two labs, two recitations, or a combination of the two). However, it is greatly encouraged that advisors provide grant funding to bridge any potential gap between summer teaching availability and $30,000.

SPECIFIC FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

TAs help teach undergraduate courses and lead recitations or laboratories. A TA in Biology currently pays $11,000 per semester for a 9-month stipend of $22,000 (plus health insurance, tuition coverage, and student fees). The expected average workload for a TA during the academic semester is 20 hours per week or less.

There are orientation/training sessions sponsored by the Center for Faculty Excellence (CFE) for all new TAs. TAs must also attend a one-hour OSHA session offered by the Biology Department. TAs are evaluated by the course instructor(s) and students enrolled in the course. TAs are expected to receive satisfactory evaluations.

If funding permits, your advisor may be able to support you as a research assistant funded off their grant. Duties vary, but it is generally expected that RAs will work 15-20 hours per week on grant-related work and be paid at a level comparable to a TA. Consult your advisor for details.

Fellowships are often the most desirable form of funding because they typically carry no service requirements. There are two main kinds of fellowships for beginning students. First are those offered by the UNC graduate school (for information, see the funding information page on the UNC graduate school website). Second are those offered by external funding agencies, such as the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program. The Graduate Funding Information Center is a resource that assists current and prospective graduate students in finding appropriate funding sources. Through some of the funding databases, you can set up alerts to notify you when new opportunities are available based on information you provide.

A limited number of fellowships are also available to support continuing students. These fellowships are described in greater detail below. The UNC Graduate School holds an annual competition for a limited number of fellowships aimed at supporting advanced students (i.e., those who have been admitted to candidacy). Most are merit-based. For example, the Graduate School conducts competitions for one-semester Off-Campus Research Dissertation Fellowships and one-year Doctoral Dissertation Completion Fellowships.

For a complete listing of fellowships offered, visit the UNC Graduate School website.

As the departmental budget permits, several awards are offered annually through the Biology Department to help graduate students with research expenses (generally a few hundred dollars per year). The competition for these awards is normally announced in April.

In addition, the UNC Graduate School awards transportation grants. These grants cover travel expenses only and are available for doctoral and masters students presenting research papers at international, national, regional academic conferences or meetings of professional societies. Students may receive this grant only once. Applications are considered throughout the year and must be submitted prior to travel.

For more information, visit the UNC Graduate School website.

PAYROLL AND BENEFITS INFORMATION

Teaching Assistants and Research Assistants are paid monthly for the academic year, usually beginning at the end of August and continuing through mid-May. Those who will be supported as Research Assistants during the summer will continue to be paid monthly, while those who will be supported as Teaching Assistants during the summer are paid at the end of each summer session. Students on University payroll are required to have their paychecks automatically deposited to their bank account by completing a direct deposit authorization form via ConnectCarolina. Students on Graduate School fellowships are generally paid in lump sums at the beginning of the semesters (and/or summer).

As part of your assistantship or fellowship, you will receive an award to cover your full tuition and mandatory student fees. Health insurance is also provided and your monthly premium is covered by your stipend’s funding source. Please see our Graduate Student Resources page for more information on graduate student health insurance. You must remain fully enrolled and maintain good academic standing to qualify for your assistantship and the benefits outlined above.

How to Apply

Overview

Interested in applying to the Biology Graduate Program? The Científico Latino Project provides wonderful resources to assist you when applying to graduate school in STEM.

Students can apply directly for admission to the Qbio program or may elect to join Qbio after being admitted through the BBSP after doing rotations during their first year of graduate studies (please see the BBSP website for more information). For direct admissions it is essential that students contact potential faculty advisors prior to applying as applicants will only be considered if a faculty member is willing to advise that student. Potential faculty advisors can also offer advice on the best program to apply to if you are interested in joining their lab and give advice on the application process. Applicants therefore must identify prospective advisors prior to submitting an application and indicate this on the application.

Applications to Qbio will be considered in a comprehensive fashion with performance in classwork, letters of recommendation, GRE scores, statement of purpose and prior research experience all being considered.

The deadline for applications for Fall 2024 admissions is November 28, 2023. Applications will not be accepted after this date. Once applications are received, we evaluate them to determine who we will invite to visit our campus and interview. You must apply online through the UNC graduate college: https://applynow.unc.edu/apply/.

Required Application Materials
The online application must be completed in its entirety and the non-refundable application fee of $95 paid before the application is considered complete.

Applications that are not complete by the deadline will not be reviewed. The following items are needed in the application:

http://gradschool.unc.edu/admissions/instructions.html)

2. A listing of one or more faculty with whom you wish to conduct research

3. A listing of the research area(s) in which you wish to work (via the Area of Interest/Specialization drop-down box within the application)

4. The Graduate College’s required “Statement of Purpose” must consist of an essay (1-3 pages) describing research interests, proposed approaches, and career goals

5. In addition to the required Statement of Purpose, provide an essay (1-3 pages) describing prior research experience and its relationship to research interests and career goals. This should be uploaded as a Supplemental Document

GREs
The GREs are not required for applications to our program but can be included if the applicant desires. Potential reasons for inclusion could be that the student feels they improve their application or their potential faculty advisor at UNC recommends including them. If you include GRE scores, they will be considered as part of a comprehensive review of your complete application (including classwork, research, letters of recommendation, statement of purpose, and prior research experience). Graduate school guidelines are that GRE scores must be no more than 5 years old.

What happens after you apply…
Your application is reviewed by the departmental admissions committee. In January, we decide which applicants will be invited in for on-campus interviews. On occasion, applicants may also be “wait listed” at this point; they may be invited in for an interview later pending decisions made after earlier campus interviews take place. In March and April, final decisions are made and applicants are notified.

Note that applicants are admitted ONLY if a faculty member is willing to advise that student. You must therefore identify prospective advisors prior to submitting an application and indicate this on your application.

You can monitor you application through the online application system.

Other Requirements

1. TOEFL or IELTS, required of all international students (except those from countries where English is the official language, or those who have received a degree from a US university) and cannot be over 2 years old. The Graduate School minimum acceptable score is 90 (TOEFL) or 7 (IELTS).

2. GPA minimum of 3.0 (guideline but again note that scores are considered as part of the entire application and weaknesses in one part of application can be compensated by demonstrated strengths in other aspects).

Contact Information

For Department Information:
Kenlyn Merritt
Biology Graduate Admissions
CB#3280, 202 Coker Hall
University of North Carolina
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3280
kenlyn@email.unc.edu

For Online Application for Admissions
Graduate School
CB#4010, Bynum Hall
University of North Carolina
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-4010

Graduate Program Committees

QBio Graduate Studies Committee Members:

Bloom, Kerry S.

Thad L. Beyle Distinguished Professor
kerry_bloom@unc.edu

Gordon, Kacy

Assistant Professor
kacy.gordon@unc.edu

Hamilton, Matthew

Graduate Student Representative
matt95@email.unc.edu

Hedrick, Tyson L.

Professor
Associate Chair, Space
thedrick@email.unc.edu

Maddox, Paul

Associate Professor
William Burwell Harrison Scholar
pmaddox@unc.edu

Shiau, Celia

Associate Professor
shiauce@unc.edu

Vision, Todd J.

Associate Professor
tjv@bio.unc.edu

Willett, Christopher S.

Research Associate Professor
Director of Graduate Studies
willett4@email.unc.edu

QBio Graduate Admissions Committee Members: