The Quantitative and Chemical Biology program is a Ph.D. track, multidisciplinary umbrella program introducing elements of biology to students who wish to pursue a doctoral degree at the interface of the chemical, physical, and biological sciences. The curriculum prepares students for research careers in any area of biomedical research. Many students choose to work in interdisciplinary fields such as chemical biology, structural biology, imaging sciences, molecular and cellular biophysics, or systems biology. Participating programs and departments include Biochemistry, Biological Sciences, Cancer Biology, Cell & Developmental Biology, Chemical & Physical Biology, Chemistry, Human Genetics, Mathematics, Microbe-Host Interactions, Molecular Pathology & Immunology, Molecular Physiology & Biophysics, Neuroscience, Pharmacology, Biomedical Engineering, and Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering.
- Applicants typically have undergraduate degrees in quantitative fields such as physics, computer science, engineering, mathematics, and chemistry.
- Previous didactic training in the biological sciences is not required for entry into the QCB program.
- The QCB program has eliminated the GRE as a required component of the application.
- Students with strong biology backgrounds should consider the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program (IGP) in Biological and Biomedical Sciences.
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Applications for Fall 2026 will open August 1, 2025.
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There are many reasons why a graduate school application may not result in an interview or an offer. Here I discuss some of those reasons.
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