Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry- Biochemistry

Research in this department covers basic questions that include how the immune response in mammals is regulated, how the maturation of retroviruses occurs, and what is the role of metal ions in the etiology of Alzheimer's disease. In addition, research with direct clinical applications is being carried out such as the development of anticancer agents and the design of inhibitors of retroviral maturation. A wide range of techniques is applied by a number of groups to study the structure and function of proteins, carbohydrates, and nucleic acids. These studies utilize technologically sophisticated techniques such as NMR spectroscopy, electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, electrospray mass spectrometry, and X-ray crystallography, to more traditional organic chemistry and physical chemistry approaches.

The Graduate School recommends applicants have at least a 3.0 GPA or B average when applying.
For transcripts from schools abroad, the UMBC Graduate School will accept official WES (World Education Services) ICAP Course-by-Course evaluations but note that these evaluations are not required.

Students who are unable to meet the minimum GPA standards may still be admitted to graduate study by demonstrating outstanding performance on one or more of the graduate aptitude tests or by providing letters of recommendation from evaluators who can speak to the applicant's performance as a student or in a professional capacity.

Standards for admission to a doctoral program are generally higher than those for admission to a master's program. The terms of this admission are based on specific recommendations made by the applicant's department in conjunction with the Graduate School.
minimum TOEFL score of 80
TOEFL Essentials test is 8.5. Our ETS institution code is 5835.
The IELTS minimum is a total score of 6.5 for students wishing to study at UMBC.