Doctor of Philosophy in Biochemistry and Cell Biology

The Biochemistry & Cell Biology graduate program faculty members are committed to training and mentoring graduate students to reach their full potential as scientists. We seek to facilitate students progression towards fulfilling and exciting careers in academia, industry, or government, and to develop their skills as future leaders in science and society.

Our program builds a strong foundation in modern biochemistry and cell biology, while developing critical thought and independence to ensure competitive preparation for a future research career. Formal course work is developed through consultation between the student and an advisory committee of faculty members. Faculty have research expertise in diverse areas including biochemistry, biophysics and structural biology, cancer biology, cell and developmental biology, computational biology, genetics, microbiology, neurobiology, plant biology, signal transduction, and synthetic and systems biology. Entering students conduct three research rotations before selecting a thesis advisor in the second semester.

Official Transcripts: All offers of admission are contingent on receipt of the official transcript or transcripts of all previous college or university work (including previous graduate study). Official transcripts should be sent directly to the BioSciences Department (address below) by the institution or institutions attended. An unofficial transcript may be uploaded to the online application for preliminary evaluation, but once an applicant is selected for an interview, the official transcript must be submitted. A final transcript, covering work in progress at the time of application and any later work, must be furnished to the Department as soon as possible (if not submitted as part of the original application).

Recommendation Letters: Recommendations should be requested from four persons (preferably professors in the applicant's major field) who know the personal and scholastic qualities of the applicant. Letters should be submitted online through the application software. Applicants can send requests to recommendation writers directly through the application. If the online option is not selected, hard-copy forms for recommendation letters can be requested at bioc-gradapps.rice.edu. Hard-copy letters should be mailed by the writers directly to the BioSciences Department. Applications will not be reviewed until at least three recommendations are received.

Personal Statement
A personal statement is required for all applications. Personal statements can be uploaded directly to the online application in PDF format. The personal statement should include a brief description of the applicant's intended plan of study or the particular sub-division of the major field in which the applicant would like to specialize. The statement should also include discussions of any scholarly research, writing, or similar research completed or in progress. Applicants should include in the statement any other information that may be helpful in evaluating the application. If applicable, applicants should briefly describe any additional factors that they would like to have the admissions committee consider in evaluating the application (e.g. personal background, work experience, leadership roles).

GRE: Applicants should have their scores on the aptitude portion of the Graduate Record Examination sent directly to the BioSciences Department by Educational Testing Service (ETS). Subject-matter test scores are preferred, but not required. Tests should be scheduled at least six weeks before the application deadline. The ETS institutional Code is 6609, the department code is 0202.

In general, applicants should have at least a 3.0(B) grade point average (or the equivalent) in their undergraduate work. Some departments at Rice University require scores on the aptitude portion of the GRE (Graduate Record Exam) or the GMAT (Graduate Management Admissions Test) as an appropriate advanced test, these should be sent directly to the admitting department. Applicants whose native language is not English must take the TOEFL test and should score at least 90 on the iBT (internet-based) TOEFL, at least 600 on the paper-based TOEFL or score 250 on the computer-based TOEFL. For students who choose to take the IELTS in lieu of TOEFL, the minimum score is 7. All offers of admission are contingent on receipt of the official transcript or transcripts of all previous college or university work (including previous graduate study). Official transcripts should be sent directly to the BioSciences Department (address below) by the institution or institutions attended.