Frequently Asked Questions

No, the BMS program offers a PhD program only.

No. The BMS program is a full-time research program. Students take coursework in the first year of study, but this coursework is intended to fill any gaps in prior education and lay the groundwork for the research portion of the program.

We expect most students will complete all degree requirements, including coursework and a research project, in about five and a half years.

We admit a small number of international students per year.

The BMS thematic areas describe areas of research conducted by BMS laboratories rather than distinct degree-granting programs. Admitted students may choose to work with any BMS faculty member regardless of research interest, and the eventual diploma granted to graduating students will be under the name "Biomedical Sciences." Faculty in our thematic areas are well-organized and maintain robust programs that include elective courses, journal clubs, seminars, retreats and symposia. These program events help foster collegiality and collaboration among research labs within that area. As a result, the training provided in each thematic area is as rich as that provided by separate degree-granting graduate programs, while inclusion in the BMS umbrella also provides the benefit of a broad biomedical sciences training.

In addition to the BMS program, UCSF also has separate degree-granting programs in Neuroscience and Developmental & Stem Cell Biology that are distinct from BMS. Students with a direct and focused interest in these fields of research may wish to apply to these programs.

There is sometimes confusion between BMS and other UCSF programs due to overlapping research areas and faculty membership. However, BMS is a distinct program that maintains a separate curriculum and separate admission process. If you are unsure which program may be right for you, we encourage you to review the curriculum pages and faculty roster on each program's respective website to help you in your decision-making. A list of all UCSF graduate programs is available at the UCSF Graduate Division's website.

No. You may apply to only one UCSF graduate program in a single academic year. It is therefore important to consider which program suits your interests and apply to only that program. Each graduate program maintains its own admissions procedure.

University of California's minimum requirement for admission is a 3.0 undergrad GPA, but the successful applicant is usually distinguished by a strong undergraduate academic record and prior research experience in university or corporate laboratories.  The GRE is no longer a requirement for admission to the BMS program.  Scores will be accepted, but are completely optional.

No.  We currently only accept scores from the GRE general test and those scores are optional.

You may submit as many as 5 letters. However, only three are required. It is helpful if letters are provided by individuals who can attest to prior research experience or training.

There is a 3000 character limit for the comprehensive research summary, and at most the statement should be 1-2 pages; however there is no word/character limit for the Statement of Purpose though 1-2 pages at most is strongly suggested. In both written statements, please remember that Admissions Committee members have limited time so being concise is a good rule of thumb.

The research experience summary sections should focus on the specific work you are doing/have done in one specific lab/research environment, and the comprehensive research summary would be more of an overview of your experiences and cover the content below. It is okay if there is some overlap between the summaries and the statement. The summaries should indeed be summaries, 500 characters max, bullet points are fine. Please keep your research statement to 2 pages at most.

Comprehensive Research Summary: How have your research experiences shaped your scientific interests and expertise? While you may have detailed each research experience separately on the previous page, this summary should synthesize your experiences, highlighting how they connect or diverge. Consider the ‘big picture’ in your response.

The BMS admissions committee looks at applications holistically. Successful applicants are typically distinguished by their strong academic records and by prior exposure to scientific research. Such research experience might include undergraduate thesis projects, laboratory internships, technician positions or summer research programs in university or corporate laboratories.

BMS students typically go on to academic postdoctoral positions and ultimately faculty positions, but many students choose industry, policy and teaching positions, or become entrepreneurs. Please see BMS: Career Outcomes.

BMS is a full-time research program leading to the PhD degree. Because outside employment is not permitted, all students who are admitted to BMS and who remain in good academic standing will receive an annual stipend plus tuition/fee remission until graduation, regardless of citizenship. Therefore, while teaching is a required part of our curriculum, it is not used as a scholarship mechanism. We do encourage all students to apply for extramural funding, such as the National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship. Please see Funding & Fellowships for more information about how students are funded in BMS.