Applying to the Graduate Program

The Department of Biological Sciences offers two routes for admittance: directly into a faculty member’s lab (M.S. or Ph.D.) or into the graduate program with the intention of conducting up to three lab rotations in the first year (Ph.D. students only). We recommend that prospective students contact faculty members with whom they have similar research interests and discuss potential opportunities for graduate research. View the list of all our graduate faculty in biological sciences, environmental toxicology and microbiology. If you see multiple faculty whose research is of interest to you, do not hesitate to contact them.

When Do I Apply?

The graduate student application deadline is Dec. 1. Students who will be supported through graduate teaching assistantships are admitted only in the fall semester of each academic year and receive a nine-month appointment. Graduate students may also be supported by individual faculty members’ research grants through graduate research assistantships, and these students are accepted into either graduate program in fall or spring semesters. Students are not accepted into the biological sciences or microbiology program unless they have GTA, GRA or fellowship support.

Applications received after the Dec. 1 deadline are unlikely to be reviewed by the Graduate Admissions Committee except under special circumstances. Note that the Online M.S. in Biological Sciences for Science Educators program has different requirements and different admissions criteria.

How Do I Apply?

The following materials are required before an application is considered complete and will be forwarded to the department. To receive consideration for a teaching assistantship, all materials must reach graduate admissions no later than Dec. 1 of each year):

1. Application form (online submission at the admissions page of the Clemson University Graduate School).
2. One unofficial copy of transcripts from every college or university attended. Official transcripts are required upon acceptance. Do not send official transcripts until accepted.
3. Personal statement of no more than two pages. The statement should outline the applicant’s reasons for seeking graduate education, research areas of interest, research experience, long-term career goals that incorporate the importance of a graduate degree and rationale for wanting to work with the particular faculty advisor(s) listed on the application. Students interested in lab rotations should state that they want to enter the rotation program.
4. List of up to three faculty members of interest to you. It is highly recommended that you contact faculty of interest prior to applying. The faculty member listed first would be the students intended advisor. List “rotation” in the first slot if you wish to enter the rotation program and then in the next two spots list faculty with whom you would like to conduct a lab rotation. Students may conduct lab rotations with faculty other than those identified here.
5. Letters of recommendation: Three are required for Ph.D. applicants, two are required for M.S. applicants. These letters should come from people who can talk about your academic skills; experience, interest and potential in research; and your work ethic. None of these letters may come from your prospective advisor at Clemson.
6. TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo English Test scores* (no more than two years old). Because of the strong communication component of graduate degree programs, non-native speakers of English should have a TOEFL score of at least 102 (out of 120) with a speaking score greater than 20, an IELTS score of at least a 7.5 or a Duolingo English Test score of at least 120.
7. GRE: Not required.

* TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo English Test scores are required of all international students except those from countries where English is the official language or those who have received a degree from a U.S. institution. For a list of exempt countries and institutions, visit the Clemson University Graduate School website.

Whom Do I Contact if I Have Questions?

To find out more about these programs, contact graduate coordinators:

• BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES — Chris Parkinson: biolgrad@clemson.edu
• ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY — Peter van den Hurk: entoxgrad@clemson.edu 
• MICROBIOLOGY — Zhicheng Dou: micrograd@clemson.edu
• ONLINE M.S. IN BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES FOR SCIENCE EDUCATORS — Robert Ballard: biologyonline@clemson.edu

What Happens After I Apply?

Once all application materials (items one–six listed above) have been received by the Office of Graduate Admissions by Dec. 1, your file will be made available to the faculty in the Department of Biological Sciences. Individual faculty members will send requests to the Graduate Advisory Committee asking them to review applicants of interest. The GAC for the Department of Biological Sciences is composed of two faculty members representing the graduate program in biological sciences, two representing microbiology, one representing environmental toxicology and the graduate program coordinators for biological sciences and microbiology. These files are then reviewed by the GAC, which will determine whether candidates are competitive for admission into each degree program. Applicants will then be admitted to the appropriate degree program through formal notification of the Office of Graduate Admissions and the applicant by email, often after a formal recruitment weekend. The entire process takes six to eight weeks, and therefore applicants are usually notified of the decision by mid-March of each year.

If you have not received a decision letter by April 1, you may email the appropriate graduate program coordinator to inquire about the status of your application:

• BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES — Chris Parkinson: biolgrad@clemson.edu
• ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY — Peter van den Hurk: entoxgrad@clemson.edu 
• MICROBIOLOGY — Zhicheng Dou: micrograd@clemson.edu
• ONLINE M.S. IN BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES FOR SCIENCE EDUCATORS — Robert Ballard: biologyonline@clemson.edu

Undergraduate Course Requirements

Not meeting the undergraduate degree requirements will usually not affect an applicant’s acceptability for the program; rather, missing requirements will be listed as “undergraduate deficiencies” that will need to be completed as part of the student’s graduate degree program. Which courses will be used to make up these deficiencies is determined by the student and the advisory committee.

The biological sciences program has the following undergraduate course requirements:

• Calculus (one semester).
• Inorganic chemistry (two semesters).
• Physics (one semester).
• Organic chemistry (one semester).
• Genetics (one semester).
• Evolutionary biology (one semester).
• At least one course in the following: cell and molecular biology, physiology and structural biology or ecology and animal behavior.

The microbiology program has the following undergraduate course requirements:

• Calculus (one semester).
• Organic chemistry (two semesters).
• Biochemistry (one semester).
• Molecular/cell biology (one semester).
• General microbiology (one semester).
• Physics (one semester).

The Environmental Toxicology program has the following undergraduate course requirements:

• Chemistry (two semesters).
• Physics (one semester).
• Calculus.
• Organic chemistry with laboratory.
• Appropriate cell biology or ecology courses.