Ph.D. in Microbiology and Cell and Molecular Biology
Our Ph.D. program in Microbiology and Cell and Molecular Biology offers numerous advantages to our to graduate students. Students enrolled in the program will be actively engaging with their peers and mentors to have an environment of innovative research. Our program is designed to promote our students to the highest level in the scientific community and to build a nurturing environment in which graduate students can fully develop and express their intellectual talents, research skills and teaching abilities.
Admissions are made through the OSU Graduate College, using their guidelines, with a final referral to the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics for consideration. We accept applications until January 15 of each year and all admissions are made for the following fall semester. To be considered and ranked for admission, we study applicants' GPAs (undergraduate and/or master's) and recommendation letters (minimum of three). Offers of acceptance are made in April and students must be present to join the graduate program in August.
It is important to know that a student is not required to have a mentor when considering an application. In the first semester, the graduate coordinator, along with the graduate committee members, will determine the classes that students are to enroll in. Students will choose their mentor during their first year of the program. Once an advisor has been chosen, course and research plans are to be decided with the advisor.
Doctorate program participants qualify for financial assistance in the form of a graduate student stipend (graduate research assistant or graduate teaching assistant). Students participating in this program also qualify for a university tuition waiver. Please see tuition and fees for more details.
Program Benefits
The overall goal of the program is to give each student the advantage that they need for a future science career of their choice. To bolster this advantage, the program provides avenues of learning that include a rigorous curriculum designed to provide cutting-edge knowledge in various aspects of microbiology, a strong emphasis on discipline that is directly applied to the real world scenarios after graduation, and a high level of communication in the program that facilitates active mentoring, networking opportunities and access to diverse expertise in the department.
Typical Curriculum Structure for Doctorate Program:
Since a student is not required to have a mentor when entering the doctorate program in the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, a graduate student coordinator will work with students to make sure that their curriculum is appropriate for the individual. Due to this, the curriculum will vary depending on the student. Once an advisor is chosen by the student, the advisor will work with the student for course selections. Students will have the opportunity to choose from the various courses that the department offers in addition to the required Seminar (MICR 5990) and Journal Club (MICR 6120) courses.