How to Apply

The BMCDB Graduate Group is designed for students who wish to pursue a PhD in biochemistry, molecular, cellular and developmental biology. Prospective applicants should have an interest in studying fundamental biological problems at the organismal, cellular, and molecular levels. It is a respected program that prides itself in rigor, interdisciplinary training and a high degree of faculty-student interaction. As a BMCDB Graduate Group student, you will make scholarly contributions to the field and after completing the program, be prepared and competitive for the diverse opportunities in a career in life sciences. 

Apply to the Ph.D. in Biochemistry, Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology

How do I begin?

The Biochemistry, Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology Graduate Group is a large umbrella program that spans 35 departments and multiple colleges. Research in the group reflects traditional disciplinary strengths in biochemistry, molecular biology, cell and developmental biology, as well as interdisciplinary approaches that combine biology, genetics, chemistry, physics, engineering, math and/or computational approaches.

What interests you? Fascination with a particular topic may occur in the classroom, a childhood experience, an assigned project, and inspirational seminar or Professor. You may be subject-, technology- or career-driven to attend graduate school. The most important decision you will make is in the selection of your potential mentor.

The BMCDB Graduate Group offers you the opportunity to rotate through 4 different labs in your first year to ‘try out’ potential advisors, mentoring styles, and labs. Finding a good match is made easier because of the large number of faculty within our group. You will have access to over 150 faculty members.

  • Explore the BMCDB faculty webpage, to see the scope of research conducted in the group.
  • Get to know the research of the faculty. For faculty that interest you, read one or two of their papers on the topic that you find interesting. Which of the faculty best fits with your interests and career goals?
  • Think about questions you would ask the faculty that intrigue you. What is their mentoring philosophy? What is the culture of their lab? The possible career options ahead? These are questions you can ask directly once you have interacted with them.
  • Contact the professor. Most professors like to hear from enthusiastic students who are interested in their field of study! But also be aware that faculty tend to be very busy, so be direct and concise with your communications. If you choose to email them, it should be professional, simple, and honest, and convey your passion and ideals. It should also be pragmatic – what can you contribute to the research program of the faculty member?
  • Introduce yourself. State why you are interested in their lab. Highlight areas of overlap between the science in the faculty member’s lab and research you are conducting or interested in. Mention papers you have read and what you found interesting about them. Conclude by asking if they are currently taking students and by saying that you would like to discuss the possibility of working in their lab by telephone, skype etc. What next? Some Faculty members may take a long time to reply due to multiple commitments. Follow up with another email after a week elapses.

Prerequisite Coursework

The following prerequisite courses are recommended for students applying for graduate study in BMCDB, as students who are admitted into our program have generally taken these courses. 

The recommendations for prerequisites are flexible! Our students come from institutions all over the world, and we understand that your undergraduate program of study may not have permitted you to complete every single one of these courses. However, students requiring more than two courses to remedy a deficiency in these recommendations will not generally be admitted to the Ph.D. 

  • Biology: One year of General Biology or equivalent content
  • Biochemistry: Introductory Biochemistry, two quarters or four semester hours or equivalent content, with laboratory
  • Chemistry: One year General Chemistry or equivalent content, with laboratory
  • Organic Chemistry: Two quarters or one semester or equivalent content, with laboratory
  • Physics: One year General Physics or equivalent content, with laboratory
  • Statistics: One course of Introduction to Statistics or equivalent content

Components of the Application

Your application will not be considered complete until BMCDB receives all of the following items. The Admissions Committee starts reviewing applications immediately after the December 1st application deadline. It is to your benefit if all items are received by the deadline or as close to the deadline as possible.

  • Application Fee
  • The application fee may be paid by credit card or e-check. The appropriate fee must be paid before the application will be considered complete, and a fee must be paid for each application submitted.

    Domestic Ph.D. applicants selected for participation in the CBS Equity Program are eligible for a single application fee fellowship. The college fully funds this program. Fee fellowship applications must be submitted at least 5 days prior to the application deadline for the graduate program of interest. 

    Learn about the fee fellowships available to domestic Ph.D. applicants here
  • Letters of Recommendation
  • Three letters of recommendation must be submitted electronically through the online application. Hard copy or emailed PDF is not permitted.

    • Seek your letter writers out early. Give your letter writer at least 6 weeks' notice (i.e., no later than mid-October) and follow up 3, 2, and 1 week before the deadline. Your writers should be academically familiar with you and should be able to speak to your ability to complete a Ph.D. Cultivate a relationship with potential references early in your career.

      Aim to have all of your letters written by scientists willing to write strong letters; failing that, at least two of them should be. Ask him/her if they need pointers for the letter, i.e., dates you interacted, quarter and year of the class you took, and your grade. For your internship advisor, you may include the specific dates you worked, duties, and accomplishments.

  • Transcripts
  • UC Davis requires academic records from each college-level institution you have attended. This includes community colleges you attended prior to, or during, your undergraduate studies. 

    Unofficial transcripts are completely fine to submit as part of your application; applicants who accept an offer of admission to the Ph.D. must provide official transcripts before the start of fall classes. For more details, see UC Davis Graduate Studies' admissions website. 
  • GRE Scores
  • As of May 2022, GRE test scores are not required to apply for the BMCDB Graduate Group.
  • English Language Test Requirements for International Students
  • TOEFL (minimum score 80), IELTS (minimum score 7.0), or Duolingo (minimum 115) scores are required for international students. Applicants with lower scores will not be offered admission under any circumstances; there are no exceptions. 

    Our institution code is 4834, and no program code is required for BMCDB. UC Davis Graduate Studies is registered to receive IELTS Academic scores using the IELTS Results Service E-Delivery, so please send your scores to University of California, Davis Graduate Studies.

    BMCDB does not require higher minimum test scores than the standard set by UC Davis Graduate Studies. We encourage that you read their guidelines carefully, as they answer many frequently asked questions, including exemption eligibility for students who attended English-language institutions. 
     
  • Personal History and Statement of Purpose

  • Each section of your SOP and personal history should be seamlessly interconnected to form a continuous narrative. Invest a significant amount of time writing each, developing it through several iterations. Ask your professors for feedback on your writing. Some elements of the SOP may overlap with the personal history; for example, both may include obstacles to academic progress such as illness, working full-time, etc.

    Two important pieces of advice: (i) Be honest: do not try to reinvent yourself or inflate the importance of your accomplishments. (ii) Be specific: avoid platitudes and give examples. Show how you have turned a negative into a positive or how it now becomes a driving force for you to be a scientist.

    Drafting your Statement of Purpose

    This allows you to tell the Admissions Committee directly, why you should be admitted to the program. It should be concise (500-1000 words; max 4000 characters), informative and well-organized, and present yourself as someone who can successfully complete the graduate program. Give yourself ample time to write your SOP. The Admissions committee can easily spot hurried and poorly thought out writing and this will have a negative effect on your evaluation. Secondly, your statement should be specific to BMCDB. Generic letters used to apply to multiple institutions where faculty or school names are simply interchanged can be detected. There are several online resources available to help you, but here are few tips:

    • Be clear on why are you applying to the BMCDB Graduate Group
    • Provide a context for your personal motivation, i.e., state how you became interested in a particular topic and why you wish to pursue this question in the BMCDB Graduate Group. Being concise but descriptive is a difficult endeavor, but word economy matters. 
       
    • Describe your past academic and research experiences
    • State succinctly the importance of the research question, the specific objective of your project, your general approach, and the significance of your results. Cross-reference your SOP with your CV; for example, you might refer in the statement to experiences that are listed more comprehensively in your vita, or you can use your vita to brainstorm experiences to write about in the statement. Emphasize things that illustrate how you're good at one of your skills, how you handled a setback, etc. 
       
    • Discuss your current research interests
    • Describe how your classwork and research experience, especially the latter, converge to make you an ideal candidate for your field of study in BMCDB. Some students wish to continue in the same research vein, while others may wish to try new fields or approaches. 

      We strongly suggest that you identify multiple faculty members you would like to work with; as a graduate student, you will have a network of mentors, so this should be reflected in your writing. It is unlikely that your interests and expertise map 100% perfectly to one of our faculty members, but it is very likely that many faculty have a research interest you share with them, or expertise in a particular skill you want to learn. 

    • Map out your potential career plan
    • Where do you see yourself as a researcher in the next 5 – 10 years? There should be a logical flow from your past and current experiences to how the expertise within BMCDB and UC Davis would permit you to continue your development as a scientist. 
    Drafting Your Personal History and Diversity Statement

    This should provide the reader with a clear perspective of the circumstances that shaped you, how it is interconnected with your academic pursuits, and how it prepares you for success in the BMCDB Graduate Group. It is a chance for self-introspection: what are the specific driving forces or the single transformative event that propelled you to this point, where pursuing graduate studies in the BMCDB Graduate Group is the next logical step in your development as a scientist. More information on this statement can be found on the Office of Graduate Studies website. 

    The personal history section can be used to:

    • Fill in the gaps about inconsistencies in your application, such as low grades.
    • Highlight how you were able to persevere and excel academically in spite of any economic or social challenges you have faced.
    • Give examples of leadership, service, teaching and tutoring during your academic career.
    • List any successes you achieved and what you learned from them.
  • Curriculum Vitae/Resume
  • Please upload your current curriculum vitae or resume when prompted to do so by the online application.

Reviewing Your Application

The BMCDB Admissions Committee is comprised of several small groups of faculty and students; these groups evaluate your application in the first two weeks of December. 

If there are gaps in your academic preparation, or you have concerns about the commitment required for a Ph.D., it may be wise to apply for a Master’s program and use that as a launch pad for a Ph.D. later. If you have questions, please email BMCDB Admissions Chair Sean Collins. 

The Admissions Committee considers the following, using a standardized holistic rubric, when assessing your application:

  • Academic Preparation and Communication Skills
  • We adhere to UC Davis Graduate Studies' minimum requirement of a 3.0 undergraduate GPA, but exceptions may be granted by Graduate Studies if extenuating circumstances affected your overall GPA; if we recommend you for admission, we will write a statement of support advocating that an exception be granted, but the circumstances affecting your grades should be discussed in your Personal History. Good grades in upper-division courses and subjects related to BMCDB are more important than those in other subjects. Moreover, any training, workshops, or activities you've taken that would your aid academic preparation for the Ph.D. should be addressed. 

    We will consider the overall trajectory of your grades; for example, if your undergraduate grades improved over time and your low GPA is due to a combination of early and non-STEM courses, or if your undergraduate grades were poor but you thrived in a M.S. program, the group evaluating your application will take that into consideration. In exceptional cases, lower grades and scores may be offset with extensive research experience, especially if significant time has elapsed since your undergraduate degree and you have ample evidence of your scholarly preparedness (e.g., from statements, letters, and your CV). Still, research experience is not an automatic substitute for poor grades. The BMCDB program of study is broad and rigorous, and a successful application will demonstrate that you'll be able to thrive in that environment.

    Your communication skills will primarily be demonstrated by your written statements and interviews. When you consult with your letter writers, consider asking them to mention your communication skills, e.g., presentations at lab meetings you've made, written materials for your peers or supervisees you've developed, etc. 
  • Scholarly Potential
  • We are seeking clear, well-presented evidence of your enthusiasm for and commitment to research. This is where your choice of letter writers becomes crucial. You should select writers who are familiar with your strengths and capabilities, can give detailed and specific examples of your contributions to lab meetings, your workplace, the classroom, etc., and will advocate for you as a candidate, e.g., by reasonably and compellingly explaining any gaps in your academic record. Scholarly potential is most often assessed using your personal statements, CV, and reference letters. 

    Almost all successful applicants have laboratory experience prior to applying to graduate school. Working independently on a discrete research question is ideal. You should be knowledgeable about the research you conducted, the hypothesis tested and the rationale for the approach you took. This is better than simply being familiar with lab techniques. Publications and presentations of your research, especially first-author publications and presentations, are preferred but not required; that is to say, they will enhance your application, but not be a decisive factor in acceptance. If you are currently in the final year of your undergraduate degree, you are strongly encouraged to seek any and all opportunities to present and publish your work.

    It may be the case that your research opportunities were limited, e.g., by personal circumstances or the COVID-19 pandemic; what is most important is that you pursued the experiences available to you. We encourage you to be candid about the limitations you faced - albeit without sacrificing sensitive information that is yours to keep private - and to demonstrate to the committee how you are going to remedy any gaps in knowledge you might have a result of those limitations. We should see that your motivations for pursuing a Ph.D. are grounded in an understanding of what the degree, and the professional endeavors you want to pursue with it, entail. Make your academic and professional goals clear. 
  • Alignment with the Program
  • You should demonstrate that your research interests and expertise align with multiple faculty members, and that your career goals are well-explained and align with the program training we provide. In addition to discussing faculty of interest in your personal statements, you are able to list up to six faculty of interest on your application. We strongly encourage you to fill out all six names! Even if you identify people whose research doesn't overlap too much with yours, but who know some kind of skill or approach you want to learn, that helps us identify prospective faculty for you to meet at recruitment. 

    Given that BMCDB is an interdisciplinary Graduate Group - that is to say, that our faculty are professors in departments across campus, and they can apply to join the Graduate Group and leave when they wish - it may be the case that you are interested in rotating with faculty who are not affiliated with BMCDB. Please feel free to express interest in them on your application, but if half or more of your faculty of interest are not BMCDB affiliates, it might be worthwhile to look at your list and consider the affiliations of the people on it. Faculty in the biomedical sciences at UC Davis are often affiliated with multiple Graduate Groups, and it is in your best interest as much as ours that your graduate program give you the training you're looking for. A faculty member's UC Davis profile should tell you which Graduate Group affiliations they have. 

    Our program trains Ph.D. students for careers in industry as well as academia; indeed, a substantial majority of our students go on to careers in industry. To that end, the College of Biological Science offers a variety of Designated Emphases, which are formal recognitions of specialization on emerging fields or technologies that are interdisciplinary in nature and relevant to more than one doctoral program; the Designated Emphasis in Biotechnology is particularly popular among BMCDB students. The College also offers the FUSE Graduate Academic Certificate, which provides pedagogical training for Ph.D. students interested in pursuing teaching careers at the undergraduate level. Consider the relevance of your academic and professional interests to all of the programs UC Davis and the College of Biological Sciences have to offer. 
  • Contributions to Community
  • We are seeking evidence that you will positively contribute to the Graduate Group by being an engaged member of the BMCDB and larger UC Davis community. To that end, you are encouraged to demonstrate a history (>6 months) of, or significant involvement (e.g. leadership role) in, promoting the equitable exchange of diverse perspectives in science. 

    Have you yourself overcome unique barriers to your participation in research, or in other professional communities you've been a member of? How can you contribute to the social, intellectual, or cultural diversity on campus or in the biomedical sciences? Have you made efforts to advance the participation of others, share their knowledge, and contribute to their community? We want to know about it! 

Degree Pathway Programs for Historically Marginalized Students

The BMCDB Graduate Group welcomes applications from academically strong individuals who are first-generation college students, are underrepresented minorities, are disabled, or belong to socially or economically disadvantaged groups. Students trained through the McNair’s, BUSP, UC LEADS, UC-HBCU Initiatives, or similar programs at your undergraduate institute are especially welcomed: