About PhD Program,
Biology is the most diverse of all the disciplines in the natural sciences. Consequently, the allied fields to which the various subdisciplines in Biology share natural affinities differ. For example, molecular biology makes connections with physical chemistry, biomechanics with engineering and physics, and ecology and evolutionary biology with statistics, mathematics, geology, and atmospheric sciences. The goal of the Biology Doctoral Program is to train young scientists who:
- excel at research and teaching in their own subdisciplines;
- demonstrate competence in fields allied to their subdisciplines; and
- display a breadth of knowledge in Biology as a whole.
PhD Program Degree Eligibility with GPA,
Duke does not have a cut-off point for UGPA when considering applicants. The Biology Graduate Admissions Committee will examine how your academic background, including the courses you have taken previously and your performance in those courses, and not your GPA or the institutions at which you have previously studied, have prepared you for graduate study. To see the average GPA of previous applicants, see the Duke Graduate School GPA statistics.
- Preparatory courses as defined by your initial advisory committee (typically 1 to 3 courses, sometimes more)
- Up to 3 graduate tutorials with different faculty in the Department of Biology
- Establish a minor
- Serve as a teaching assistant for 2 semesters
- Preliminary Exam (research proposal and oral defense)
- Dissertation and seminar
- Final Defense
PhD Funding Coverage,
We commit to supporting our graduate students through their sixth year, as long as they are considered to be making progress towards their degree.
The Biology department, in conjunction with The Graduate School and external funding entities, will support you at or above the standard departmental stipend level and cover your tuition and fees for six years.
Stipend
For the first academic year of grad school, we offer fellowships to our incoming students, requiring no service. These pay a stipend of $25,245 for the first year (9 months/year). An additional Summer fellowship, requiring no service, is provided for the first two years. Full tuition, student health fees, the transcript fee, and payment of the annual premium for the Duke Health Insurance Plan are also covered by the department, together with the Grad School.
Support for the second and subsequent years will most likely be in the form of a Teaching Assistantship (TA) for each academic year, or in some cases, a Research Assistantship offered by a faculty member. The TA funding will require the student to serve as an assistant in one course per semester. When serving as a TA, the student will receive a 9-month salary ($25,245 for the 22-23 year). Tuition and fees will also be covered. Summer funding for the 3rd and subsequent years will depend on Research Assistantships provided by your advisor or from external fellowships. Starting in fall 2022, all Duke Ph.D. students will receive a 12-month stipend(link opens in a new window/tab) during their first five years of study.
Tuition and Fees
If you receive a departmental Teaching or Research Assistantship, your full tuition, student health fees, the transcript fee, and payment of the annual premium for the Duke Health Insurance Plan are covered by the department, together with the Graduate School.
Teaching Requirement
Note that, as part of their academic requirements, all Ph.D. students in the Biology department are expected to teach for two semesters. This teaching requirement must be met during your graduate studies.
Application Requirement,
Statement of Purpose
research experience
letters of recommendation
GRE
Application Deadline,
Nov 30, 2024
Application Fee,
The nonrefundable application fee is $95. For more information regarding the application fee,
