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The UNC School of Medicine has an admissions system entitled the “Biological and Biomedical Sciences Program” or BBSP. Prospective students with interest in the Ph.D. degree in Toxicology must apply for Graduate School admission through the BBSP.

If you wish to pursue the doctoral degree through the Curriculum in Toxicology, we suggest that you take the following steps:

  1. List Toxicology as your first choice in the Research Interest field in the Online Application for Admission to the BBSP. This will ensure that your application will be reviewed by the Admissions Committee with representatives from the Curriculum in Toxicology. Furthermore, we will track your application as it moves through the admissions process because of your interest in the Curriculum.
  2. Contact the Director of Graduate Admissions for the Curriculum, Dr. Edward Bahnson. He can provide further information about the admissions process as well as insight into the academic requirements of the Curriculum in Toxicology.

Finally, we wish to reassure all applicants interested in the Curriculum in Toxicology that the new BBSP admissions mechanism will not prevent them from focusing their efforts on the requirements of our doctoral program, starting from their first year of training at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Students who arrive at their final selection of a training program only at the start of the second year should not experience delays in their progress toward earning the Ph.D. in Toxicology.

Please complete your application by following the instructions provided at the BBSP website.

Pre-Doctoral Studies in Toxicology

Students interested in graduate training in toxicology have received (or expect to receive by the intended enrollment date) the B.A. or the B.S. degree in a scientific discipline. Previous courses in biological sciences (including histology and animal physiology), chemistry (including analytical and organic), and mathematics through calculus, are desirable, although all of these are not absolutely essential. A strong course in general biochemistry and a previously earned M.S. degree accelerates the student’s progress through the training program. Major emphasis has been on the doctoral training program with the first Ph.D. in Toxicology awarded in 1984. As of Fall 2007, 110 Ph.D. and 8 M.S. degrees have been awarded by the UNC-CH Curriculum in Toxicology Graduate Program.

Ph.D. Program

The selection of graduate courses is influenced by the student’s prior academic background. Information on core and elective courses, research activities and seminars, format of doctoral exams and other expectations of the program can be found in Graduate Studies.