Thank you for your interest in the graduate program in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Miami.

Our program has undergone a major expansion with the arrival of our new chairman, Dr. Murray Deutscher, and the addition of 10 new members to the existing faculty. This expands the research opportunities in biochemistry and molecular biology that are available to graduate students enrolled in the program. We feel that our department provides an excellent opportunity of training for your future career in scientific research.

Our faculty places a very high priority on graduate training. We strive to recruit the most capable students and to motivate them to develop independent research skills that will make them competitive with students trained anywhere in the world. Research and graduate training are supported by the University of Miami, the State of Florida and research grants. Our research facilities are located on the first 5 floors of the Gautier Building (see picture on homepage) at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Medical Center where research is supported with grants in excess of 100 million dollars, placing us in the top 15% of all medical schools in the United States. 

Students accepted into the Ph.D. program receive a full tuition scholarship and cost-of-living stipend of $25,000 per year (beginning with academic year 2008/2009). A separate application for financial support is not necessary.

A full course load consists of 9 to 13 credits during each of the first three semesters, after which all students take a written comprehensive exam based mainly on the content of the courses taught. Following this, each student chooses a mentor, a dissertation project, and a thesis committee derived from faculty at the University of Miami. Please read "Policies and Procedures" for more detailed information!

Requirements for Admission: Students applying for graduate study leading to a Ph.D. degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology should have a bachelor's degree in natural science, or should have a strong background in science, particularly chemistry. They are expected to have completed two semesters of general chemistry, two semesters of organic chemistry with laboratory work and two semesters of physical chemistry. Two semesters of physics, mathematics through calculus, and least two semesters of biology or microbiology are also required. Students should have achieved at least a "B" average in undergraduate courses and must have taken the general sections of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). A combined score of 1200 (Quantitative and Verbal) is normally acceptable for entry into the Ph.D. program. Applicants with a bachelor's degree in biochemistry or foreign students with equivalent training may be admitted with advanced graduate standing. 

If you have decided to apply to our program, you need to log into the official application site of the Office of Graduate Studies at the University of Miami School of Medicine. It gives you the option to pay your application fee by credit card. Supplementary documentation, e.g., transcripts and letters of reference, can be sent either to the Office of Graduate Studies (address on the website) or directly to our department (see address below). You may want to look at the publications of previous and current students in our program before you make a decision.

Important!  On the online application form you are asked to name 3 departments for your graduate studies and to rank them by your preference. Please know that if you choose Biochemistry as choice number 2 or 3, we will not even see your application until the first-ranked department has made a decision. By that time we have usually filled out class and cannot accept you. Thus, if you are primarily interested in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, please indicate this as your first choice. You do not have to fill out the other choices.

Please understand that we are only able to admit a small fraction of the students who apply each year. A minimum TOEFL score of 600 is required by the graduate school for those students whose native language is not English.

Note: Due to the increasing numbers of applications to Universities in the United States with altered and/or forged documents, we ask all our applicants to sign, and/or indicate that they agree with, the following statement:

I have examined the transcripts and other documents that I submitted with my application and found them to be correct and unaltered. I understand that the University of Miami will verify these transcripts and documents, and if found to be incorrect or altered or forged, that any acceptance will be withdrawn, and if I have already enrolled in the program, that I will be immediately dismissed."

If you have any questions or requests, please do not hesitate to contact us.