PhD in Biology Admission Salary, Jobs, Colleges, Eligibility, Programme, Duration, 2024-25

PHD BIOLOGY

The PhD in Biology is a research degree requiring graduate-level coursework, completion of the dissertation, and two semesters of participation in the teaching (usually as a teaching fellow in laboratory or discussion sections of the lecture courses led by Biology faculty). For most students, obtaining this degree typically involves five or more years of full-time study. A summary of Biology PhD candidate expectations by year can be found here. Full details can be found in the Graduate Program Guide.

The Biology Department guarantees support for five years for all the PhD students, contingent on satisfactory performance in the program.

Boston University is one of the 8 universities selected to participate in the AAU PhD Education Initiative, and Biology is one of the 6 BU departments participating. The Initiative’s objective is to make the full range of the PhD career pathways visible, valued, and viable for all students.

Coursework Requirements:

Students must complete 64 credits with the minimum grade point average of 3.0; at least 32 of these credits must be accrued from the lecture, laboratory, or seminar courses. Candidates with prior graduate work may be able to transfer course credits. See the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GRS) Transfer of the Credits policy for more details.

• 2 semesters of Progress in Research Seminars (2 credits each):

Cell and Molecular Biology: BI 583 & BI 584

Ecology, Behavior, Evolution and Marine Biology: BI 579 & BI 580

Neurobiology: NE 500 & NE 501

• 1-semester grant-writing course (2 credits):

Cell and Molecular Biology: BI 581

Ecology, Behavior, Evolution and Marine Biology: BI 671

Neurobiology: BI 581

1-semester pedagogy course (1 credit): All Biology PhD students take BI 697 1 quantitative course (3–4 credits): from a list of recommended courses.

Additional courses vary by specific track below:

Cell and Molecular Biology

• GRS BI 791/GRS BI 792 Graduate Rotation Credits (2 credits each or 4 credits total)
• GRS BI 753 Advanced Molecular Biology (4 credits)
• GRS MB 721 Graduates Biochemistry (4 credits)
• GRS BI 735 Advanced Cell Biology (4 credits)
• Two electives (8 credits, 500-level and above), see the Graduate Program Guide for The recommendations
• Research credits (remaining credits)

Ecology, Behavior, Evolution and Marine Biology

Six electives (24 credits, 500-level and above), see the Graduate Program Guide for  the recommendations

Research credits (remaining credits)

Ecology, Behavior, Evolution and Marine Biology PhD candidate coursework is highly variable. Students, in consultation with advisors, develop a plan of the coursework and research. Students are required to take a minimum of 32 credits of coursework. The remainder of the credits should be the research.

Neurobiology

GRS BI 791/GRS BI 792 Graduate Rotation Credits (2 credits each or 4 credits total)

GRS BI 755 Cellular and Systems Neuroscience (4 credits)

GRS BI 756 Systems and Behavioral Neuroscience or the GRS BI 741 Neural Systems: Functional Circuit Analysis (4 credits)

Learning Outcomes:

Demonstrate academic mastery in one of three areas of Biology: Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Marine Biology; Neurobiology; or Cellular and Molecular Biology.

Attain research expertise, including grant writing experiences, and complete original research that advances a specific field of the study within one of three broad subject areas represented in the department: Ecology, Behavior, Evolution and Marine Biology; Neurobiology; or Cellular and Molecular Biology.

Attain teaching experience and expertise in one of three broad areas of Biology: Ecology, Behavior, Evolution and Marine Biology; Neurobiology; or Cellular and Molecular Biology.

Attain the skills and qualifications needed for employment in the academic, government or private sector position related to the life sciences.

Qualifying Examination:

The qualifying examination must be completed no later than six semesters after the matriculation. In most graduate curricula in the department, this consists of the research proposal—often in the form of the grant application—which the student submits to their committee and subsequently defends in an oral presentation. In the Cell and Molecular Biology and Ecology, Behavior, Evolution and Marine Biology curricula, this is preceded by a comprehensive written examination testing the Candidate's general background from coursework.

Teaching Requirement:

The department requires a minimum of two semesters of teaching as part of the Doctor of Philosophy program. During the first semester of teaching, students are required to enroll in our first-year seminar course, GRS BI 697 A Bridge to Knowledge. The course provides guidance and training on the pedagogy and other aspects of graduate school.

Graduation Timeline:

Forms and additional information about the PhD graduation can be found on the GRS website.

9 – 12 months before the proposed graduation date

Dissertation Prospectus and approval form due to Graduate Program Specialist for the departmental review and submission to GRS

The semester prior to your intended graduation cycle

Intent to Graduate Form will be completed online

About 2 months before the  dissertation defense

Meet with the Graduate Program Specialist, Director of Graduate Studies, and Faculty Advisor to review requirements for the defense

Arrange for the Special Service Appointments if committee members are not BU faculty

Send first draft of the dissertation to readers

Once defense date is confirmed with the committee

Reserve room(s) for public seminar and defense

At least three weeks prior to the dissertation defense

Schedule of Final Oral Exam with the Abstract Approval due to GRS. Properly formatted draft of dissertation submitted as PDF to grsrec@bu.edu. At least two weeks prior to the dissertation defense. Send dissertation to all committee members At least one week prior to the dissertation's defense. Send program information to Graduate Program Specialist See the Graduate Program Guide for final dates to submit a dissertation to the ETD. Submit final dissertation to ETD (online submission) Submit signature page to Graduate Program Specialist with the original signatures from readers

PhD Biology: What is it about?

Candidates are eager to learn about the millions of microorganisms surrounding us pursue PhD Biology. It helps to learn about the life from the start. The details of the PhD program in Biology have been described in details below.

• This is a three-year to five-years duration doctorate level program in Biology and other related areas of study.
• The eligibility criteria for admission is to have a master degree in the same area of specialization. A minimum aggregate score of 50% is sufficient from the recognized university for admissions.
• Admissions is done through the entrance examinations and personal interviews. Candidates need to prepare a research proposal stating an outline of the research.
• Some areas of study that the PhD Biology candidate covers during the program are cell and molecular Biology, Ecology, Evolution, And Computational Biology etc.
• Students get to gain information about report writing, research methods, data clean-up and presentation, thesis preparation etc. as the part of the program.

What is the PhD Biology Admission Process?

Most institutes admit Candidates through an entrance examination score and a round of personal interviews. Candidates need to submit the research proposal that states the research objective, methodology, aim, proposal etc. which is used during the interview. A guide to get admitted into the PhD Biology program are as follows.

• Online registration: The registration portal opens up only during the specified date and it is advertised by the institute. The application form and all the documents need to be uploaded through the portal.
• Fill up application form: Fill up the application form with all the basic details like email id, phone number, past educational achievements, job experience, entrance exam score etc. Correctness is needed while filling the form.
• Upload documents: Upload mark sheets and all the other required documents to the portal. Documents must be in the specific format and size as specified by the portal.
• Application fee: Pay a minimal application fee to process the application. Payment can be done using all major online payment methods.
• Examination: If the student passes the eligibility criteria, they can sit for the entrance exam. Download admit cards, prepare for the exams and sit for it. Results are announced in a couple of weeks.
• Personal Interview: If candidates are successful in qualifying the entrance exams, they are invited for a round of personal interviews. They are required to bring their research proposals for the interview.
• Admission: Post the interview round, the list of Applicants who have qualified will be informed. They can then take admitted in the college by paying the small admission fee.

Why Study PhD Biology?

Studying the doctorate level program in any stream requires a lot of effort from the candidate. Reasons to pursue the degree will differ from each individual’s goals and aims. The top reasons why it should be pursued are as below.

• Career options: The career options after earning the degree in PhD Biology is unlimited. One can work as Research Associate, Research Biologist, Environmental Staff Scientist,  and Clinical Lab Scientist, Sr. Microbiologist, Product Manager, Natural Sciences Manager and more. The career choices also differ as per the chosen area of specialization.
• Pay range: For a doctorate candidate, the pay range is high. Job experience and the skill set of the student also come into play with deciding the final pay rate. Pay will also differ from industry to industry. If one is lucky to secure the job in an international organization, the pay will be higher.
• Contribute to Biological advancements: Biologists contribute a lot to humanity in the terms of the work they do. They study viruses, and bacteria in human beings and animals to understand how they spread and how to control them. Their work is also significant to environmental protection.
• Educate future students: Among the plethora of career options available, one can choose to also work as a teacher or professor to college-level candidates. There is no greater work than to educate the next generation of Biologists who will go on to contribute more to the field.