Admission and Financial Support

Students entering the program will usually have at least two years of college chemistry (including organic chemistry and physical chemistry) and one year each of calculus and physics, in addition to college courses in biology. These should include courses in cell biology, genetics, molecular biology, developmental biology, and/or biochemistry.

Financial Support

Doctoral students are generally accepted into the MCB Program with a commitment of financial support while their research and academic studies progress satisfactorily. Most students entering the MCB program receive one full year of support as division fellows; a few exceptional students might be awarded a University or Dean's Fellowship for their first year. Second year students typically receive support during the academic year as teaching assistants. Occasionally in the first year, and more commonly in the second or third years, students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents and who show exceptional academic promise may be appointed by the MCB executive committee as USPHS trainees. Faculty who accept graduate students into their laboratories under the auspices of the MCB Program are expected to provide both academic year and summer support for their students who have fulfilled the minimum teaching requirement, and who are not receiving support from other sources. This support will include stipends for both academic year and summer; one tuition credit or registration fee per semester as appropriate; and the health services fee.

All students receive the same amount of yearly stipend regardless of its source. The exceptions to this are individually awarded external fellowships (e.g., National Science Foundation) which may pay a different amount from the MCB stipend. Students who are awarded external fellowships are also eligible for a stipend bonus ($150/month). Any student who has passed the Preliminary Examination may request travel funds to attend scientific meetings. To apply for a Travel Award, a short memo should be submitted to the Program Director at least one month prior to travel. The memo should state the destination and the meeting to be attended on the trip, the proposed activities of the student at the meeting (poster presentation, oral presentation, etc.) and why this particular meeting was chosen. Each MCB Graduate Program student who demonstrates satisfactory progress on their thesis research is eligible for $400 travel support per academic year. Students may request the Program Director to have the MCB budget pay their final dissertation fee.

Complete the online application

How to Apply

Students wishing to pursue graduate work in MCB must complete a Brown University application. Materials are available at the Graduate School Website. Results from a recent Graduate Record Examination (within three years) are required. A subject test in GRE Subject Test in biology, biochemistry, or chemistry is highly recommended. October is the latest examination date to allow for results to be available in January.

International students must submit scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) unless they have completed their undergraduate studies in the United States.

Application Checklist

• Application
• Personal Statement
• GRE General Scores
• GRE Subject test scores (recommmended but not required)
• TOEFL Score (International students only)
• Undergraduate Transcript (and others where applicable)
• 3 Letters of Recommendation

All materials related to an application that are not submitted electronically as part of the online application should be mailed to the Graduate School admission office: 47 George St., Box 1867, Brown University, Providence, R.I. 02912.

Application Deadline

All application materials must be submitted by January 5.