Admissions

To be considered for admission to the graduate program in Biochemistry & Biophysics, students must apply to the Biological & Biomedical Sciences Program (BBSP). This is a new program for entering into biological & biomedical graduate studies and it will act as a common portal by which students interested in any of 12 participating graduate programs, including Biochemistry & Biophysics, begin their graduate studies at UNC. BBSP students will have the freedom to choose coursework and rotations from any of the participating programs. At the end of the first year, students will select a thesis advisor and join the advisor's department, where you will remain until you graduate with a PhD. Although your first year is in BBSP, you are still be able to track directly into the courses offered by our department or sample courses from other programs. We are excited about the flexibility this new program offers to students during their first year and for more information, we encourage you to visit the BBSP website.

The application process for Fall 2008 admission will be done entirely through this new mechanism and we can no longer consider applications for the Biochemistry & Biophysics program. If you are interested in this graduate program, you must apply and enter thru BBSP.

Applicants can start applying on September 7, 2007 for Fall 2008 admission. The final application deadline is March 15, 2008; however, applications start being reviewed in late December and all interview slots are usually filled by February 15. In addition, applicants wishing to be considered for Graduate School Fellowships must submit their applications by January 1, 2008.

Applications should be made ONLINE using the graduate school application. We encourage you to review the directions outlined in the How to Apply section of the BBSP portal and use the link to the application provided on that page.

Scores from the aptitude portion of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) are required, and applicants are encouraged to take advanced examinations in either the biological or chemical sciences. Applicants should also have received strong undergraduate training in the biological or chemical sciences.

The undergraduate curriculum should include two semesters each of general and organic chemistry, physics, calculus, and at least one semester each of biology and biochemistry. Although not required, completion of a physical chemistry course is desirable. Limited course deficiencies can be made up during the Summer prior to entrance, or during the first year of graduate study.

Admission is highly competitive. Successful applicants have typically achieved a combined score of at least 1200 on the verbal and quantitative sections of the GRE, and have earned a 3.0 or better grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) during the latter half of undergraduate study. Most have been engaged in research during their college years. For full details on admissions requirements, please visit the BBSP site.

BBSP awards an annual stipend to each student. Tuition, fees and health insurance are also provided. The stipend is uniform throughout the biomedical sciences at UNC and is reviewed annually in comparison with competitive institutions and the cost of living in Chapel Hill. The stipend for term 2008-2009 is $25,000.