Admissions & Application Process
When are applications available?
Applications for the following Fall admission are generally opened around mid-October and due January 1st. Please see the Graduate School website for more information: https://gradschool.umbc.edu/.
The Applied Molecular Biology (AMB) Master’s program has a preferred deadline of March 1st, with applications accepted on a rolling basis until the program is full. Students may still apply to the AMB program after March 1st.
When will my application be reviewed?
The Graduate Committee begins meeting at the end of January/early February. Applications will not be reviewed until all required documents are uploaded.
The Applied Molecular Biology Master’s program reviews applications on a rolling basis.
Are GREs Required?
GRE scores are waived for all students. Students may submit their GRE scores if they wish.
What are the average GRE scores for accepted applicants?
The averages of our current students are:
Verbal: 157
Quantitative: 158
Analytical: 4.0
What is the TOEFL code for UMBC?
UMBC TOEFL code is 5835.
What is the GRE code for UMBC?
UMBC GRE code is 5835.
Are TOEFLs or IELTS required for international students?
Yes, TOEFL or IELTS scores are required for international students.
What are the recommended TOEFL or IELTS scores?
Our programs generally require a TOEFL score of at least 80 and an IELTS score of at least 6.5.
Does the Department of Biological Sciences admit students in the Spring semester?
No. Our programs admit only in the Fall semester.
Do I need a Master’s degree to apply to the Ph.D. programs?
No, a Master’s degree is not required to apply for any of our Ph.D. programs. In fact, many students can work towards a Master’s degree while pursing their Ph.D. We call this a “Master’s along the way.”
Non-degree students do need to apply and be accepted by the department in order to take courses. Submitting an application does not automatically allow a student to enroll in a graduate-level course.
Do I need to find a lab or research mentor before applying?
No! It does help to have a research focus in mind, but it is not required to have a mentor when applying. All students complete rotations in 2-3 labs before finding a mentor.
Being a graduation student is a full-time job. Students should expect to work about 40 hours a week on their course work, research, and teaching/research assistant duties.