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Graduate Program Overview |
| Overview We seek applicants who show great promise of successful careers in research. Our applicants typically have strong undergraduate records, as well as previous laboratory experience and demonstrated experimental talents. We encourage applications from students in many different undergraduate majors, because the challenges of modern biochemistry demand interdisciplinary skills. However, most applicants have completed undergraduate courses in calculus, general physics, organic chemistry, biochemistry, or an advanced quantitative science such as physical chemistry.
The first year of the graduate program consists of formal lecture courses, three intensive laboratory "rotations" of three months each, and seminar courses in timely topics ranging from protein structure and function, to molecular and cellular biology. Courses emphasize critical thinking, and frequent faculty contact. Students are free to design individual course schedules that focus on macromolecular structure, biochemistry, or molecular, cellular, and developmental biology. In spring of the first year, students choose a thesis advisor and thesis project, and assemble a thesis committee of three to five faculty who will provide advice throughout the period of doctoral work. Thesis research dominates the second and third years, although students often take a few additional courses. The department considers teaching experience to be an essential aspect of graduate education, so all students also serve as teaching assistants in three different courses, each lasting one academic quarter. Thesis research is usually completed, and the thesis written, during the fifth year. A detailed description of our graduate program and curriculum may be found under Graduate Program Guidelines.
The application process is described below. All applicants should take the Graduate Record Examination, including the verbal, quantitative, and analytical aptitude tests, as well as a subject test in either chemistry, biology, or biochemistry. A strong college transcript is helpful, but most important are letters of recommendation from faculty who know you well, or have guided your research. The Admissions Committee will use all of this information, together with invited personal interviews, to admit a class of six to ten students each year, with the final selection occurring in the Spring. The department provides tuition and stipend for all students in good standing throughout their graduate work. The department also encourages you to apply for predoctoral fellowship support from the National Science Foundation, Howard Hughes Medical Insitute (HHMI), or other agencies (see information below).
New students enter the graduate program at the beginning of the Autumn Quarter. The deadline for completion of applications is January 1 of the academic year preceding entrance.
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Applying to the Graduate Program |
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| ATTENTION AUTUMN 2008 APPLICANTS!
While we encourage you to prepare your application materials in advance (drafting/editing your statement of purpose, securing recommenders, taking the GRE, etc.), we request that you WAIT to submit the online application and supplemental application materials until EARLY OCTOBER 2007. The online application is undergoing a major update and we are adding new capabilities to it; the new version will be launched in EARLY OCTOBER 2007. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact kelleyp@u.washington.edu.
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Prerequisites
Certain minimum entrance requirements are set by the University of Washington Graduate School. These include a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university in the United States or an equivalent degree from a foreign institution, receipt of GRE scores, and a minimum grade point average of 3.0 for your most recent 60 graded semester credits or 90 graded quarter credits.
A major in biology, chemistry, or biochemistry fulfills our departmental prerequisites. Students with other majors must have completed two years of chemistry (normally general chemistry and organic chemistry), mathematics through calculus, one year of physics, and at least one year of biology. Strongly recommended courses include biochemistry, genetics, and physical chemistry. In addition to the formal coursework, most of our applicants also have research experience in some scientific discipline (usually biology or chemistry). |
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Graduate Record Examination (GRE)
The Department of Biochemistry requires scores in both the General test and one Subject test (Chemistry, Biology, or Biochemistry). Score reports must be sent directly by the Educational Testing Service to both the Department of Biochemistry and the University of Washington Office of Graduate Admissions.
Our Institution Code is 4854; our Department Code is 0202.
We strongly urge that you take the GRE tests by November to guarantee that we receive the results by our January 1 application deadline. GREs taken in December may delay processing of your application, as we cannot evaluate your application until we have the results of both the General and Subject tests. Applicants who are also applying to medical school may submit MCAT scores instead of the GRE Verbal, Quantitative and Analytical scores, but must still submit a GRE subject test score. Visit the GRE Website for current information. |
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Official Transcripts
You must supply the Department of Biochemistry with a complete set of official transcripts from each undergraduate and graduate institution you attended. If you are offered admission and choose to enroll at the University of Washington, you will need to provide additional official transcripts to the Graduate School Office of Graduate Admissions.
International applicants must provide TWO complete sets of transcripts with degree statements that include the date of graduation and title of the academic degree awarded. The transcripts must be in the original language and accompanied by a certified English translation. International credentials are considered official only if they have been signed in ink by the proper school authority and carry the school seal. All transcripts should be collected and sent by the applicant, one set with the application to the Office of Graduate Admissions and one set to the Department of Biochemistry. If you are submitting applications to two or more departments, please send only one set of official transcripts to the Office of Graduate Admissions and one set to each of the departments. |
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Letters of Recommendation
We require three letters of recommendation from those who can best evaluate your potential for graduate work and original research, as well as your character and special talents. You are welcome to include more than three letters if you wish.
You will be asked to provide names and email addresses of three sources of recommendation as part of the online application process.
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Statement of Purpose
The personal statement should describe your past research experience, future research interests, and career goals, as well as your motivation and background. Also be sure to include participation and achievements in nonscientific and nonacademic realms (sports, arts, social service, etc.).
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Financial Support
The department offers a stipend of $22,008 for twelve months, a full tuition waiver, and a medical insurance plan that also includes dental and vision coverage. All graduate students are required to pay an "Activities Fee" of approximately $500/year which covers a variety of university-wide student activities such as concerts, lectures, computer laboratories, and use of superb intramural athletic facilities.We also encourage eligible applicants to apply for an independent predoctoral fellowship from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), or other funding agencies listed by the Graduate School Fellowship and Assistanship Division. Independent fellowship support is a high honor for you, and it frees precious departmental funds to support additional students.
NSF
Oak Ridge Associated Universities
P.O. Box 3010
Oak Ridge, TN 37831-3010Email:nsfgrfp@orau.gov
Web Site: http://www.orau.org/nsf/nsffel.htm
Hughes Predoctoral Fellowships
The Fellowship Office
National Research Council
2101 Constitution Avenue
Washington, DC 20418 Email: infofell@nas.edu
Web Site: http://www7.nationalacademies.org/fellowships/ |
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Information for International Applicants
An international student is anyone who is not a US citizen or does not hold a US Permanent Resident Visa (i.e., Green Card or Immigrant). This definition also includes students who hold US visas, such as F-1 students, exchange visitors, or any other non-immigrant classification.Applicants educated abroad must meet the same general requirements as applicants educated in the United States, and must have earned the equivalent of a US undergraduate degree.Fluency in spoken and written English is essential for success in our graduate program. For this reason, international applicants generally must score better than 50% on the Verbal portion of the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) and better than 580 on the TOEFL examination (see below).
The Admissions Committee will not consider any application until the file is complete, and contains:
(1) official transcripts with degree statements;
(2) a statement of purpose;
(3) at least three letters of recommendation;
(4) GRE scores from the aptitude tests (Verbal, Quantitative, Analytical) and a subject test in either Biology, Chemistry, or Biochemistry; and
(5) TOEFL examination scores if required. Since TOEFL and GRE tests are given several times per year, international students should be sure to take examinations early enough so that test results will reach us by our application deadline of January 1. Admission is highly competitive because our program is small, and we have many applicants. The most promising applicants are invited to the University of Washington for a personal interview, although this does not guarantee an offer of admission. We have very limited funds to support students who are not US citizens, so international applicants (except Canadians) who are invited for an interview must travel to the US at their own expense. We will however reimburse the US portion of travel expenses for applicants coming from outside the US for an interview, and we will fully reimburse interview travel expenses for those who matriculate in our program. Once enrolled in the department, international students who do not have independent fellowships or funding are fully supported like all other graduate students. International applicants should also apply for graduate fellowships from their country of citizenship, as independent support can strengthen the case for admission. International applicants may wish to review the Preliminary Evaluation Process (PEP) information at the Office of Graduate Admissions website, but please note: You are welcome to apply regardless of your financial situation, and you will not be required to provide evidence of financial independence if the department offers to fully support your graduate studies.Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
A satisfactory command of the English language is required for admission to the University of Washington Graduate School. All international applicants, permanent residents, immigrants, and transfer students who are not citizens of the United States on the date of admission, and whose native language is not English, must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) unless the student is a citizen of Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, or the United Kingdom. Test scores must be less than two years old and no waivers of this English competency requirement can be granted. See Graduate School Memorandum #8 for the University policy. Once enrolled in the graduate program, those whose native language is not English must also take the Test of Spoken English (TSE) before serving as a teaching assistant. See Graduate School Memorandum #15. |
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Interdepartmental Programs
Many faculty in the Department of Biochemistry participate in one or more of the interdisciplinary graduate programs at the University of Washington that focus on the molecular basis of biological processes. Each program has its own admission policies, prerequisites, and curriculum. Further information can be found at these web sites:
Biomolecular Structure and Design Program
Medical Scientist Training Program
Molecular and Cellular Biology Program
Neurobiology and Behavior Program |
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Submitting an Application
While we encourage you to prepare your application materials in advance (drafting/editing your statement of purpose, securing recommenders, taking the GRE, etc.), we request that you WAIT to submit the online application and supplemental application materials until EARLY OCTOBER 2007. The online application is undergoing a major update and we are adding new capabilities to it; the new version will be launched in EARLY OCTOBER 2007. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact kelleyp@u.washington.edu.
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Additional Information
Our departmental Web site is the only source of information describing faculty research interests and a description of our graduate program (we are no longer printing faculty research brochures). The University of Washington is committed to providing access, equal opportunity and reasonable accommodation in its services, programs, activities, education and employment for individuals with disabilities. To request disability accommodation contact the Disability Services Office at least ten days in advance at: 206-543-6450/V, 206-543-6452/TTY, 206-685-7264 (FAX), or dso@u.washington.edu
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Box 357350