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Graduate Secretary CMB Program 2240A Biomedical Physical Sciences Michigan State University East Lansing, MI 48824-4320 Phone: (517) 353-8916 Fax: (517) 432-8813 Email: cmb@msu.edu

Contents: -Deadlines -Application Information -Application Submission -Application Standards -Transfer of Graduate Credit -Graduate Record Exam -Interviews and Visits -Financial Assistance

Applications are usually accepted only for Fall Semester, which starts in the third or fourth week of August. Full consideration for admissions and fellowships will be given to applications completed by January 5. We will contine to accept applications until all available positions have been filled.

A completed application consists of the following:

1. University Application Form
2. Statement of Purpose
3. Three Letters of Recommendation
4. Undergraduate/Graduate Transcripts
5. GRE Scores (General test required. Subject test suggested.)
   -CMB Institution Code for GRE is 1465, CMB Department Code is 0206
6. TOEFL scores for International Students
   -CMB Institution Code for TOEFL is 1465, CMB Department Code is 74

Please complete a University On-Line Application Form. If you do not have access to the internet you may obtain paper applications by contacting the CMB Program Office.

It is not necessary to use our forms for letters of recommendation if the writers prefer some other method of preparing their recommendations. Letters of recommendation must be signed and sealed in envelopes if being sent by the applicant.

About four weeks after each application file is started, it will be reviewed and the applicant will be notified of any missing items.

All application materials and check or money order for the application fee should be mailed to:

Michigan State University Cell and Molecular Biology Program 2240A Biomedical Physical Sciences East Lansing, MI 48824-4320

We will copy your application and forward the needed material to the Admissions Office. Sending materials to other offices or to particular individuals or officials will delay preparation of your application file. With regard to the "Statement of Purpose", we are particularly interested in

1. independent undergraduate research projects in which you've participated (as opposed to laboratory classes)
2. your M.S. thesis project description (if applicable)
3. any graduate courses you may have taken while an undergraduate
4. the specific area(s) of Cell and Molecular Biology that most interest you

We will notify you as to our decision as soon as possible, usually by April 15. Since the number of new students that can be admitted each Fall is strictly limited, we must proceed sequentially and can extend invitations to join our program to only a limited number of students at any one time. We will move as quickly as possible, but the timing of the procedure is not entirely under our control and we cannot guarantee dates of notification.

The CMB program does not establish minimum cut-off values on any indices. Rather, we attempt to select those person with the most promise for superior achievement. The following serve only as general guidelines:

1. A bachelor's degree from a recognized college or university
2. A grade-point average of 3.2 or better during the last two full years of undergraduate study
3. A major in the sciences OR at least 18 credit hours in areas specifically relating to cell and molecular biology
4. Favorable evaluations of the applicant by at least three former instructors, preferable in the applicant's undergraduate major. Letters of evaluation from faculty members who have directly supervised any research experience are extremely important.
5. Satisfactory scores on the Graduate Record Examination, and the TOEFL exam for International Students

Applicants are admitted to the program only if judged to be qualified to complete the doctoral degree. Applicants planning to complete only the master's program are not considered at this time.

University regulations permit transfer credits from other accredited institutions toward the doctoral degree. Credit transfer is evaluated by the student's guidance committee and is subject to the approval of the program director and the dean. Within these limitations, graduate student credit earned elsewhere can either be transferred for credit or used to waive program requirements.

This examination is given only on selected dates and at selected places. If you have any questions about the scheduled times and places, write to:

Education Testing Service Box 855 Princeton, NJ 08540 OR 1947 Center Street Berkeley, CA 94704

or check with the appropriate office at your university or college. NOTE: we will not consider your application without GRE scores. The April test date is too late for our deadline.

In general, we do not use personal interviews as part of the selection process. However, some individuals strongly being considered are invited to interview during the review process.

All students accepted into our doctoral program are awarded half-time graduate assistantships from the program or department for the first academic year of study. Currently, this assistantship is $21,060/year plus a waiver for registration fees and up to 22 credits per year of tuition, and individual health coverage. Graduate assistantships in subsequent years of training will be provided by the student's research mentor.

University Application Application Fee Statement of Purpose	3 Letters of Recommendation (Sealed letters may be included with your original application or may be sent separately by referees). All Transcripts GRE Scores for verbal, quantitative, and analytical writing TOEFL Scores (for International Applicants)
All materials should be sent to the Graduate Secretary at the address given at the top of this page .