Thank you for your interest! The Cell Biology and Physiology Curriculum at UNC-CH and all graduate students in biomedical sciences at UNC-CH matriculate through the Biological & Biomedical Sciences Program (BBSP), an umbrella biomedical sciences program. Students are supported in their first year of BBSP and then choose from a variety of PhD programs including Cell Biology and Physiology. Instead of applying to individual programs or departments at UNC, applicants use a “common application” to apply to the 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 lab and join the PhD program where they will complete their doctoral studies. You can track directly into the courses of the Cell Biology and Physiology program, or you can sample courses from other programs. Your PhD will be in Cell Biology and Physiology or the program or department that you choose during your first year.

Thus, if you are interested in Cell Biology and Physiology at UNC-CH, please enter the BBSP portal, complete your application, and indicate your interest in Cell Biology and Physiology.

BBSP portal

To find out the status of your application, simply log-in to the online admissions application using your own username and password.

The Cell Biology and Physiology Curriculum is committed to graduate training of under-represented minority students, individuals with disabilities, and individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds. Both BBSP and Cell Biology and Physiology have been highly successful in this effort. The effectiveness of UNC BBSP recruitment of under-represented minorities is a real strength of all programs at UNC, with between 15 and 20% of entering students from these disadvantaged groups. UNC has been exceptionally effective in advancing this national priority. Success in URM recruitment and retention has been due to the sustained and fully-funded programs within BBSP and Cell Biology and Physiology. We encourage URM students to contact the Cell Biology and Physiology Curriculum directly with any questions they may have regarding the program or the application process.

UNC PREP (Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program) is specifically designed to equip and encourage students interested in pursuing a PhD in the Biological and Biomedical sciences. Students who have recently completed their Bachelor’s degree will spend one year on the campus of UNC Chapel Hill gaining and strengthening skills needed for entry and success in top-tiered PhD programs. UNC’s Summer of Learning and Research (SOLAR) Program overseen by the BBSP provides a focused effort to identify and prepare talented junior and senior students for graduate research and careers in science. The students engage in 10 weeks of faculty mentored independent summer research and also attendclasses for GRE preparation and professional development. The Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE-REU) Program in Molecular Biosciences at UNC-Chapel Hill provides a similar opportunity for independent summer research with preference given to URM and other students with little or no research experience. In addition to these quality programs, any undergraduate student interested in finding out more about Cell Biology and Physiology labs on an individual level, are strongly encouraged to contact the Cell Biology and Physiology lab/PIs that they are greatly interested in.