Ph.D. Program in Biology

The Department of Biology welcomes applications from individuals with strong undergraduate records and a desire to pursue further training in the life sciences. The program is administered by the CUNY Graduate Center, which also awards the Ph.D. degree.

CUNY Biology Ph.D. website

REQUIREMENTS
To enter the program, applicants must be accepted by one of the Biology Subprograms, which include Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology; Ecology, Evolution and Behavior; Neuroscience; and Plant Sciences. Admission is competitive, and only the strongest, most qualified students are admitted. Those admitted typically have outstanding undergraduate records in the sciences, highly positive letters of recommendations, and good GRE scores. Once a student is admitted to the program, specific requirements will depend on the chosen subprogram. All subprograms, however, require 60 credits (30 may be transferred for a previous Master's degree), a First Examination that is taken after one year, a Second Examination concerning, the thesis proposal, and a final Defense of Thesis. For Additional subprogram requirements, please see the Handbook for the Doctoral Program in Biology.

All doctoral students must take the first exam in 1 of the four areas of the program. Exams from previous years are available through the Biology Program Office at the Graduate Center. As they are made available to us, we will also post them here as PDF downloadable files. To date, we have 3 of the exams in the Ecology Evolutionand Behavior program available.

• 1988 exam
• 1997 exam
• 1998 exam
• 2000 exam

APPLICATION
The Ph.D. Program in Biology is administered through the Graduate School and University Center of the City University of New York (CUNY). Beginning in Fall 2008, students will be based at the Graduate Center for their first year and at individual college campuses thereafter. Currently, approximately 25 students are assigned to the City College campus. Applications are obtained from and returned to the CUNY Graduate School at this address:

Office of Admissions
The Graduate School and University Center
365 Fifth Avenue
New York, New York 10016-4039

Please note that sending your application directly to City College will only slow down the progress of your application.

COURSES
A wide variety of doctoralcourses are offered through many of the senior colleges of the City University of New York, including City College. Students may take courses at any of these campuses. A list of courses may be viewed by examining the Handbook for the Doctoral Program in Biology. Courses are also available at Columbia University and New York University through a consortial arrangement.

RESEARCH
Central to any doctoral program is the opportunity to do research in an area of interest. We have a nucleus of faculty working in three Biology subprograms: Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology; Ecology, Evolution and Behavior; and Neuroscience. Many research opportunities are offered by our faculty. In addition to working with faculty in the Biology Department at City College, some Ph.D. students from our campus work with mentors in the Sophie Davis Medical School and at the American Museum of Natural History.To get a better idea as to specific research areas that are available, please refer to our Faculty Bios.

FUNDING
Beginning with those admitted in Fall 2008, doctoral students will receive financial support for five full years of study. The package includes a full tuition waiver, health insurance coverage, and a $24,000/year stipend. For more information, click here.

Qualified minority graduate students may also be eligible to participate in the MARC/RISE program. The program offers a competitive support package, including tuition, health insurance and stipend (approximately $26,000 per year).