Our first-year Program in Biomedical Sciences (PiBS) offers students a common foundation in biomedical sciences. Students do not commit to one of our eight biomedical science programs or laboratories until after completing a minimum of three lab rotations. This option allows students time to explore their interests before committing to a dissertation laboratory.
The following graduate programs accept students from our first year PiBS program:
- Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
- Cancer Biology
- Cellular Physiology & Molecular Biophysics
- Human Genetics & Genomics
- Microbiology & Immunology
- Molecular & Cellular Pharmacology
- Molecular Cell & Developmental Biology
- Neuroscience
Microbiology & Immunology Admissions Procedures
As a student interested in Microbiology and Immunology (MIC), you have two routes to admission: general admission to the PIBS umbrella program or direct admission to MIC.
As an applicant to the PiBS umbrella program, you can indicate Microbiology and Immunology as your primary interest. This will ensure that the scoring of your application involves representatives of the MIC program. As a student who is admitted through PIBS, you may rotate across all programs, or you may choose to focus your rotations in MIC member laboratories. At the end of year one, you would join the MIC program.
The direct admission option is intended for students who have already decided that they want to pursue a PhD in Microbiology and Immunology and who want to expedite their progression. MIC can adjust the first-year curriculum requirements to accelerate their training based on a student’s background and interests. In order to get admitted through this process, applicants must identify a mentor ahead of time who agrees to take the student into their lab once accepted. In this case, the student would not rotate through different labs and would start PhD dissertation research right away. While this is the most streamlined process towards your PhD, it is critical that the mentor / mentee pairing is in place and sound. In order for this admission option to apply, the MIC program does require substantial prior mentor / mentee interactions in research settings, including that the student has done research in the mentor’s lab or has otherwise substantially collaborated with the mentors in research projects, and a firm commitment from the proposed mentor.
As a direct admit candidate you need to contact the program so that we can answer any questions you may have and track your application in the admissions process. Please send an email to our program coordinator Jeanie Martin, M.S. and program director, Dr. Zhibin Chen.