General Information

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Admissions Information

Admissions Requirements

Applicants must complete at least a baccalaureate degree or its equivalent prior to enrollment in the Program.  Examples of undergraduate majors that normally constitute satisfactory preparation for graduate work in Neuroscience include but are not limited to: Biochemistry, Biology, Chemistry, Neurobiology, Neuroscience and Psychology.

The Genetics GIDP program does not have absolute criteria for GPA or GRE scores, characteristics of a strong application will generally include:

• GPA of 3.5 or higher
• GRE scores are optional.
• 2 strong letters of recommendation from college professors, one of whom served as advisor for an independent research study; international students should provide at least one letter from a scientist who works in or is known well the U.S. system
• A strong personal statement indicating basis for interest in genetic graduate study in neuroscience, relevant background, and career goals.
• A Curricum Vitae or Resume.

The Graduate Admissions Committee evaluates the entire admissions file. Deficiencies in one or two of the areas described above should not discourage interested applicants from applying.

 All required documents *must be* uploaded electronically; no paper copies will be accepted during the application process.

 

Standardized Tests

The following is a summary of all materials that should be prepared submitted online prior to the application deadline (December 1 for PhD) in order to complete your application:

• Graduate College Application for Genetics: https://apply.grad.arizona.edu/ 
• Scores from the General Test of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) are currently optional
• Scanned copies of transcripts from each college or university attended
• A Personal Statement (see below)
• Two (2) letters of recommendation (follow the instruction on the Graduate College application)
• International students must submit TOEFL scores 

It is recommended that you keep a hard-copy of all online forms, in case there are technical problems with online transmission.

If you are admitted, you will be required to submit 1 copy of your transcripts to:

Cora Varas-Nelson

Genetics GIDP

1548 E. Drachman St.

Tucson, AZ 85721-047

University of Arizona

Tucson, AZ 8572-0476

 

Problems submitting your application should be addressed to Cora Varas-Nelson, Program Coordinator, at cora@email.arizona.edu (520) 626-1452.

Personal Statement:

Your personal statement should be between 1000-1500 words long, and might include a discussion of your long-range goals; your reasons for pursuing an advanced degree; your interest in our program; information on your prior research experience or teaching (if any); and topics in genetics that are of particular interest to you and that might serve as the focus of your graduate program.

Letters of recommendation

All applicants must submit three letters of recommendation. These letters should be current or former advisors or instructors, and may address your previous research or laboratory experience, your academic qualification, your scientific potential, and your motivation for graduate work.

Required test(s):

If you have taken the Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Scores from the advanced examinations (e.g. biology, chemistry, physics, psychology) may also be included in the application, but are not required.

International students are required to submit scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).  Minimum TOEFL: a score of 550 (paper based) or 79 (iBT) or higher.

 

Funding Opportunities

Financial Aid

The current funding package for masters students depends of the sources of funds of their faculty major advisor.

the Genetics GIDP Program makes every effort to provide financial support to our students throughout their academic careers.

 

Admissions Deadlines

Domestic Applicants:

• Fall: December 1

International Applicants:

• Fall: December 1

 

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: 4832

Completion Requirements

Minimum Credit Units

32 

Core Coursework Requirements

Coursework. The Genetics GIDP requires 32 units of coursework, including

1. CMM 518 Fundamental Genetic Mechanisms (3 credits, fall semester)
2. Four (4) semesters of GENE 670 Recent Advances in Genetics (2 credits, fall and spring semester). This is the Genetics graduate seminar.
3. And, at least 15 additional coursework credits from the student's specific area of interest, as agreed upon by the student’s advisor or the Genetics Curriculum Committee, the Chair, or the Vice-Chair of the GIDP.

Required Coursework. At noted above, the Genetics Program has one required genetics course CMM 518 Fundamental Genetic Mechanisms. This three-credit course help in the fall semester covers a broad range of topics in science of heredity and genetics of DNA and chromosome transactions. Students learn to analyze and evaluate the primary literature, to solve complex problems in genetics, and to present oral communications of and to prepare written reports of old and new concepts in genetics.

Seminar. Students must attend and participate in the graduate seminar course GENE 670 Advances in Genetics for a minimum of four semesters. In this course, students learn to present their own work and the work of others to a broad audience of faculty and students on a regular basis. Students are also required to present in annual retreats of the Program, in the form of an oral presentation or a poster presentation.

Thesis units. 6 units of GENE 910 MS thesis credit.

Elective courses. Students chose from a wide range of genetics and other courses to fulfill their curricular needs. Program maintains a roster of potential elective courses in genetics, genomics and bioinformatics, and biochemistry on the Program website (https://genetics.arizona.edu/prospective-students/degree-requirements).

Course                 Description                                            Units

CMM 518              Core requirement for Genetics GIDP     3 Units

GENE 670             Advances in Genetics, seminar             8 Units

GENE 910             Thesis                                                    6 Units

                              Elective courses                                    15 Units

 

Elective Coursework

Elective Courses. Decided upon by student and Program ≥15 Elective courses. Students chose from a wide range of genetics and other courses to fulfill their curricular needs. Program maintains a roster of potential elective courses in genetics, genomics and bioinformatics, and biochemistry on the Program website (https://genetics.arizona.edu/prospective-students/degree-requirements).

Other courses. The inclusion of a new course offered by the University on one of the lists can be done by your advisor by contacting the Genetics Curriculum Committee, the Chair, or the Vice-Chair of the GIDP.

 

Additional Requirements

Grade requirements. The Graduate College expects students to maintain an overall grade-point average of at least 3.0 (B). One semester < 3.0 and the student is on probation. Two semesters < 3.0 and the Graduate College will remove the student from the program. The Genetics Program has a more stringent requirement that students must not have more than two (2) grades of C in their coursework. Failure to achieve such a record can result in dismissal from the Program. In this case, the Program asks the Graduate College to remove the student.

 

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	100%
Med. Time-to-degree (years)	n/a
Department-level Information
Enrollment Percent Male	n/a
Enrollment Percent Female	n/a
Enrollment Percent International	n/a
Enrollment Percent URM	n/a

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