Criteria for Admission to the Integrative Biology Ph.D. Program

Application Deadline: December 11th            

The Doctoral Program in Integrative Biology at FAU accepts applications for an annual Fall admission cycle.

Eligible applicants are those:

  • Who have completed a Bachelor of Science degree in biology or a related field.
  • Who meet the minimum University standard for grade point average of 3.0 (scale of 0 to 4) and scores of at least 151 each on the verbal and quantitative sections of the general Graduate Record Examination. Note: successful applicants will normally show strong performance in their undergraduate course work and on the Verbal and Quantitative sections of the general Graduate Record Examination, which exceeds these scores. 
  • In the case of International applicants whose native language is not English, who have scored at least 213 (electronic test), 80 (internet-based test) or 550 (paper-based version) on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Note: Satisfactory TOEFL scores can offset verbal GRE scores below 151 at the discretion of the program’s Admissions Committee.  International students must also demonstrate competency in spoken English.
  • Who have submitted a complete application packet and reference letters by the December 11th deadline for fall admission.

Please note that international applicants who a) originate from countries where English is an official language and is the language of instruction in higher education (click here for a list), b) have at least 60 credit hours or was awarded a degree from a regionally accredited institution within the United States, c) have been consecutively enrolled in a regionally accredited institution in the USA for the past two years as demonstrated by an official transcript (consecutive enrollment as of day of reviewing the application), or d) have received a degree from a United States regionally accredited institution outside the USA (see here for a list of Regional Accrediting Commissions), do not need to submit TOEFL scores. However, a course-by-course transcript evaluation with a GPA equivalent is still required.

Applicants will be assessed based on the above as well as on the strength of the letters of recommendation submitted on their behalf and their personal statement/statement of application.  Please note that the Integrative Biology Ph.D. Program is a competitive program and meeting the above outlined minimum requirements is not a guarantee of admission.

Potential supervisors

The names of faculty members in whose lab the applicant might wish to work should be indicated on the online application. Up to three lab rotations in the first semester will help the new students in finding a home lab. The Admissions Committee and the Associate Program Director will assist the student in identifying potential labs. However, applicants/acceptances must to contact potential faculty directly to identify potential sponsors ahead of and after admission respectively. Please note that the final approval on the student's choice of Ph.D. Supervisor must come from the Program Director.

The Ph.D. supervisor must be a member of the program's graduate faculty and will chair the supervisory and dissertation research committees. Student's pursuing an Integrative Biology concentration must match with a Ph.D. supervisor on the concentration's graduate faculty list. For Ph.D. supervisor selection suggestions, students should refer to the Biology Department website to examine the fields and interests of individual faculty. Integrative Biology core, Neuroscience and Biomedical Science concentration applicants may enter the program prior to identifying a Ph.D. supervisor and participate in laboratory rotations within their first year in the Ph.D. program. Environmental Science and Marine Science and Oceanography applicants must have a Ph.D. supervisor from within FAU prior to applying. 

Students transferring from the FAU Masters to the IB PhD program

If you are currently in a Master’s Program at FAU and want to switch to the Ph.D. program, you will need to apply during a regular admissions cycle. Please consult with your advisor and the Graduate Program Coordinator.

Students applying to the Max Planck IMPRS Program in Brain and Behavior

All applicants to the joint Max Planck-FAU IMPRS Ph.D. Program in Brain and Behavior must also apply to FAU's Integrative Biology-Neuroscience Ph.D. program.  While the Integrative Biology Ph.D. Program admits applicants directly out of bachelors degree programs, successful completion of a master's degree is a pre-requisite of the IMPRS program. 

Additional information for international applicants

All international students whose transcripts are from non-U.S. institutions must have their credentials evaluated course-by-course, including a GPA by an approved professional evaluation service.  A list of approved evaluation agencies can be found here.

On acceptance into the program, all international students wishing to participate in a Teaching Assistantship must successfully pass a Panel Review prior to beginning their teaching assignments. SITA (Seminar for International Teaching Assistants) candidates who do not pass the panel review will be unable to hold a teaching assignment; however, they will not lose financial assistance for the period of time it was offered in the original offer letter. Please see the International Students and Scholars Services website for more information.

Program Administration and Contact information:

Ana Karina Wildman

Graduate Program Coordinator, Integrative Biology

Florida Atlantic University

777 Glades Road, SC 136

Boca Raton, FL 33431

Address queries to wildmana@fau.edu.