General Information

Request Information

Admissions Information

Admissions Requirements

Deadlines

Domestic and International Students: The application period for Fall and Summer '22 admissions is closed. Applications will re-open from November 1st, 2022 to February 15th, 2023 for Fall and Summer '23 admissions. The Master's Advisory committee endeavors to make all admissions decisions by the middle of March. At this time, our program does not have a Spring admission.

Global Microcampus Experience Students: The application for the MS in Cellular and Molecular Medicine is now open for Spring 2023. Application deadline is Tuesday November 8th, 2022 for Spring 2023 enrollment

Prerequisites

A bachelor's degree from an accredited university is a prerequisite for entering the MS program. A student may apply to the MS program prior to receiving his/her bachelor's degree, but must have received the degree prior to starting the program.  

• While it is expected that the applicant's undergraduate major normally be in the natural sciences, students with degrees in other fields who have sufficient coursework in the natural sciences will be considered.

Application Requirements

Listed below are items that are required to complete this application for admission:

1. Personal Statement (up to 500 words) - Explain your motivation for pursuing graduate school, including your career goals after completion of the degree.  Explain why the CMM MS Program is a good match for you – specifically, explain what you expect to gain from and contribute to the program.  You may address any weaknesses and/or challenges, and how these were overcome, within the personal statement.
2. Skills Statement (up to 200 words) - Describe the relevant skills, experiences, and/or accomplishments that demonstrate your readiness and potential for this graduate program.
3. CV/resume - upload a copy of your curriculum vitae/resume in PDF format.
4. The Department of Cellular & Molecular Medicine requires each applicant to have a minimum of 3 letters of recommendation submitted on their behalf. 
   • Ideally, these letters should be written by professors, research or professional supervisors that can speak about your academic and research ability.
5. International applicants will be considered for admission.  All applicants must meet the requirements of the Graduate College concerning proficiency in the English language. Information on English proficiency tests at the University of Arizona can be found at at the UA Admissions site.

Standardized Test Scores

Test scores for the GRE, the MCAT, or the DAT are optional and are not required for admissions.  Applicants may choose to upload test results if they desire.

 

Standardized Tests

For Information about English Proficiency Requirements, please visit: https://grad.arizona.edu/admissions/requirements/international-applicants#english-proficiency

 

Funding Opportunities

The CMM MS Program does not provide financial aid; teaching and research assistantships are not available for this program and students are responsible for all expenses related to completion of their degree requirements. However, you may contact the Office of Financial Aid for more information about available financial aid resources or assistance (https://financialaid.arizona.edu/graduate-students).

Additionally, the Graduate College has Graduate Access Fellowships (https://grad.arizona.edu/gaf/) to which interested students may apply.  Please visit their website for more information.

 

Admissions Deadlines

Domestic Applicants:

• Fall: February 15
• Summer: February 15

International Applicants:

• Fall: February 15
• Summer: February 15

Global Campus Experience Students at Amrita University ONLY:

• Spring 2023 deadline: November 17th, 2022
• The application for Spring 2023 is currently open

 

International Conditional Admission

International applicants will not be considered for conditional admission by this program.

Other Information

The GRE Institution Code for The University of Arizona is 4832

ETS Major Field Code(s) for this program: School Code: 4832; Dept. Code 0203

Completion Requirements

Minimum Credit Units

30 

Core Coursework Requirements

Minumum credits: 30

Core coursework for Domestic or International Students

Anatomical or Cell & Molecular Emphasis: 4 units total

• CMM 501 - Human Gross Anatomy (Summer; 4 units) 

This option is strongly recommended for students interested in pursuing a medical degree or those who wish to gain knowledge in human anatomy.

OR any combination of the following:

• CMM 518 - Fundamental Genetic Mechanisms: from Molecules to Genomes (3 units, Fall, in-person)
• CMM 520 – Clinical Cancer Genetics (2 units, Spring, in-person)
• CMM 533 – Molecular Medicine (1 unit, Fall, 7W1, online)
• CMM 534 – Genomic Medicine (1 unit, Spring, online)
• CMM 535 – Genetic Medicine (1 unit, Fall, 7W2, online)
• CMM 537 - Immunology Basics (1 unit, Spring 7W1, online)
• CMM 550 - Inflammation and Immune Pathology (1 unit, Spring 7W2, online)

*This option is recommended for students who desire a training emphasis in the cell and molecular underpinnings of health and disease.

*Note: students could complete both options - one as a requirement and the other as an elective.

Histology: 3 units total

• CMM 510 - Human Histology:  An Introduction to Pathology (3 units, Summer Pre-session and Fall

• CMM 547 - (Histology Basics - 1 unit, online)

* As of Fall, '22, these 2 one-unit courses will no longer be taught, but they will count towards the requirement:

CMM 548 - (Histology of the Digestive and Respiratory Systems-1 unit, online)*

CMM 549 - (Histology of the Urogenital and Endocrine Systems - 1 unit, online)*

*Note: students can take either CMM 510 or CMM 547, 548, and 549, but not all of the courses for credit. It is OK to take both CMM 547 AND CMM 510 though.

Microscopy: 1 unit total 

** As of Spring 2022, the requirement for microscopy is switching from ‘3 units’ to ‘at least 1 unit’… Students interested in research are encouraged to take CMM 565.

The requirement can be met through these courses:

• CMM 565 - Fundamentals of Light Microscopy and Digital Imaging (3 units)
• CMM 566 - Microscopy Basics for Biomedical Research (1 unit, fall 5W3, spring 5W3)

* As of Spring 2022, these 3  one-unit courses will no longer be taught, but they will count towards the requirement:

• CMM 541 - Bright-Field Microscopy 
• CMM 542 - Fundamentals of Digital Imaging 
• CMM 546 - Fluorescence Microscopy 

Cell Biology: up to 3 units total

Choose one:

• CMM 504 - Cell Biology of Disease (3 units, Summer 5W2, in-person)
• CMM 577 - Principles of Cell Biology (4 units, Fall, in-person) – this course is recommended for advanced students who already possess a background in cell and molecular biology

Scientific Communication: 2 units total

• CMM 603 - The Art of Scientific Communication - 2 units, Spring, in-person   

Thesis - 5 UNITS Total*

• CMM 910 – Thesis - Units may be taken any term; no more than 3 units/term   
• *CMM 909 - Master's Project - These units are only available to students in the Global Campus Experience Project through Amrita University                                                     

Human Disease and Pathology: 4 units total

CHOOSE ONE:

• PATH 515 - Mechanisms of Human Disease - 4 units, Spring, in-person - students interested in taking PATH 515 should complete their Histology series before registration
• CBIO 552 - Cancer Biology - 4 units, Fall, in-person

Electives: 6 Units total:

** Those taking only one unit of microscopy (CMM 566) will need two additional units of elective coursework (at least 8 total units). 

In addition to the Core Courses above, master's students will be required to complete at least 6 additional elective units with a grade of C or higher.  The following courses are recommended, but other courses in the biomedical sciences and medicine may be appropriate and will also be considered:

• CMM 595H "Problems in the Biology of Complex Diseases" - 2 units, Spring, in-person
• BIOS 576A "Biostatistics in Public Health" - 3 credits, Fall, in-person
• CMM 605 "Medical Immunology and Infectious Disease" - 2 units, Spring, in-person

The courses listed above are suggestions. The choice of elective courses will be agreed upon by the student and the student's advisor.  Other courses in the biomedical sciences and medicine may be appropriate and will be considered. The student will be required to receive approval from his or her advisory committee for his/her final selection of courses. Many of our online courses are also excellent choices for elective credit. MS students will be required to complete elective units with a grade of C or higher to remain in good standing. In accordance with the policies of the Graduate College, any student whose cumulative GPA falls below 3.0 will be placed on academic probation for the following semester. If the student's cumulative GPA is still below 3.0 at the end of their probationary semester, he/she will be dismissed from the program. 

Every student is required to complete a substantial research project and to submit a written thesis that documents that research. Both laboratory and non-laboratory projects will be considered. The student's research project will be agreed upon by the student and the student's advisory committee (to be made up of at least three faculty members, at least one of whom must be a member of the Masters Advisory Committee). As a guideline, laboratory based thesis should be in the format of a publishable manuscript for an appropriate journal and non-laboratory based thesis should be in the format of a New England Journal of Medicine review article and be 10,000-20,000 words (not including references).

The CMM Masters Program will consider allowing previous coursework to count toward the degree requirements, up to the extent permitted by the Graduate College. The final decision about transfer credits will be made by the student's advisory committee.

 

Elective Coursework

Electives: 6 Units total:

In addition to the Core Courses above, master's students will be required to complete at least 6 additional elective units with a grade of C or higher.  The following courses are recommended, but other courses in the biomedical sciences and medicine may be appropriate and will also be considered:

• CMM 595H "Problems in the Biology of Complex Diseases" - 2 units, Spring, in-person
• BIOS 576A "Biostatistics in Public Health" - 3 credits, Fall, in-person
• CMM 605 "Medical Immunology and Infectious Disease" - 2 units, Spring, in-person

The courses listed above are suggestions. The choice of elective courses will be agreed upon by the student and the student's advisor.  Other courses in the biomedical sciences and medicine may be appropriate and will be considered. The student will be required to receive approval from his or her advisory committee for his/her final selection of courses. Many of our online courses are also excellent choices for elective credit.

 

Additional Requirements

Thesis (for domestic and international students)

Every CMM-Masters student, regardless of track, is required to complete a substantial research project and submit a written thesis that documents that research. Laboratory, non-laboratory, and hybrid projects will all be considered. A student's research project will be agreed upon by the student and the student's advisory committee (for information on a student’s Advisory committee, see above).

As a guideline, a laboratory-based thesis should be in the format of a publishable manuscript for an appropriate journal. A non-laboratory-based thesis should be in the format of a New England Journal of Medicine review article and be 10,000-20,000 words in length (not including references). A student’s Thesis Committee will guide her/him in the preparation of this document. Per Graduate College policy, the thesis must be archived on the University’s open-access website prior to completion of their degree.

Students who will be working in a laboratory must complete the University’s Online RCR Training. 

Students who will be working with patients or non-anonymized patient data must take the University’s HIPAA Training.

MS Project (Global Campus Experience Students)

Students participating in the Global Campus Experience through Amrita University are required to take CMM 909 as they complete their research project.  More information about this course and these requirements will become available soon.

 

Student Handbook

Please refer to the Graduate Student Handbook for students who are pursuing this program of study.

 

Program StatisticsInformation about these numbers

Program-level Information
Application Acceptance Rate	44.32%
Avg. Time-to-degree (years)	2.22
Department-level Information
Enrollment Percent Male	25.76%
Enrollment Percent Female	74.24%
Enrollment Percent International	1.52%
Enrollment Percent URM	28.79%

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