ucla biology phd program

Doctoral Program

The doctoral program prepares students to excel in research, academia, industry, and governmental / non-governmental organizations. Students have access to seminars and courses on a wide range of topics in evolutionary biology, ecology, and animal behavior, as well as biomathematics, theoretical modeling, and statistics. Students enter the program and begin working with a provisional faculty advisor. After completing a common set of course requirements during their first year, doctoral students focus on their research in one of our specializations.

Incoming doctoral students receive five-year support packages that typically include a combination of support in the form of fellowships, graduate student researcher appointments, and teaching assistantships. Many of our continuing students are successful at earning competitive campus and extramural graduate fellowships. Please visit the Graduate Support page for a list of funding sources.

For questions about the doctoral program and application process, please contact the EEB Graduate Student Services Office via email at [email protected] .

Steps to Apply:

The application deadline for Fall 2025 admission is December 1 st, 2024 . All application materials, including letters of recommendations and transcripts are due by this date.

First complete and submit the UCLA Online Graduate School Application by the December 1st deadline. You will be asked to create an account, and we strongly recommend writing down your password. Select the Fall 2025 admission term, and Biology PhD. For the Academic Program (or Biology Academic Division) select the PhD – Biology .
You will need the following information to complete the online application:
Brief description of your research interests (50 characters max, including spaces).
Prospective Faculty Advisor(s) and brief rationale. Select up to two faculty in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (300 words max).
How did you become interested in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology?
What work or academic experiences prompted you to apply for a graduate degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology?
In what area of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology do you plan to specialize?
What are your career goals?

Our department in particular is looking for applicants with knowledge and creativity in their research area of interest, strong communication skills, resiliency in the face of setbacks, capacity for planning, organization, and teamwork, and high standards of ethics and integrity. We encourage applicants to share examples that highlight strengths in these areas.

Are there educational, personal, cultural, economic, or social experiences, not described in your Statement of Purpose, that have shaped your academic journey? If so, how? Have any of these experiences provided unique perspective(s) that you would contribute to your program, field or profession?
Describe challenge(s) or barriers that you have faced in your pursuit of higher education. What motivated you to persist, and how did you overcome them? What is the evidence of your persistence, progress or success?
How have your life experiences and educational background informed your understanding of the barriers facing groups that are underrepresented in higher education?
How have you been actively engaged (e.g., through participation, employment, service, teaching or other activities) in programs or activities focused on increasing participation by groups that have been historically underrepresented in higher education?
How do you intend to engage in scholarly discourse, research, teaching, creative efforts, and/or community engagement during your graduate program that have the potential to advance diversity and equal opportunity in higher education?
How do you see yourself contributing to diversity in your profession after you earn your advanced degree at UCLA?
Statement of Purpose: This is a mandatory university-wide prompt for all graduate programs. Feel free to upload the statement used for the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Supplementary Essay. (1500 word limit)
Names and email addresses of three recommenders. Specific instructions concerning letters of recommendation are described in the online application. Note that recommender should be given enough time to upload letters by the December 1 st deadline.
Copy of unofficial transcripts for uploading.
Awards and other Distinctions. Any academic awards, prizes, honors, fellowships or other distinctions that you have received.
Pertinent work experience. Paid or volunteer positions, such as research internships, that you feel are relevant.
Any publications, or manuscripts submitted for publication, on which you are an author.
ONE official, sealed copy of your academic transcripts. Electronic transcripts are preferred and you should instruct your institution’s registrar’s office to send them to the EEB Graduate Student Services Office at [email protected] . If sending physical transcripts, please have the registrar’s office of your institution send transcripts here:

EEB Graduate Student Services Office Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology 610 Charles E. Young Drive East University of California Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA 90095-7246

International applicants should review the UCLA Requirements for International Applicants .

Please note GRE scores are no longer considered during the application review process. You may see a place for them on the general application, but do not have an official score report sent to our department.

The Ecology and Evolutionary Biology PhD Program is one of 18 Graduate Programs in the biosciences .

Recommendations
Notifications
My Favorites

Favorites, recommendations, and notifications are only available for UCLA Graduate Students at this time.

Access features exclusively for UCLA students and staff.

As a student, you can:

Add funding awards to your favorites list
Get notified of upcoming deadlines and events
Receive personalized recommendations for funding awards

We're Sorry

You've signed in with a UCLA undergraduate student account.

UCLA Graduate Programs

A person wearing a white lab coat, goggles, and gloves works in a lab behind a glass wall with biochemistry equations written on it

Graduate Program: Biochemistry, Molecular and Structural Biology

UCLA's Graduate Program in Biochemistry, Molecular and Structural Biology offers the following degree(s):

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Masters available on Doctoral track

Admission Requirements
Program Statistics

With questions not answered here or on the program’s site (above), please contact the program directly.

Biochemistry, Molecular and Structural Biology Graduate Program at UCLA 4009 Young Hall Box 951569 Los Angeles, CA 90095-1569

Visit the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department’s faculty roster

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

Visit the registrar's site for the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department’s course descriptions

(310) 825-3150 Fax: (310) 267-0204

[email protected]

MAJOR CODE: BIOCHEMISTRY, MOLECULAR AND STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY

The Molecular Biology Interdepartmental Doctoral Program (MBIDP) is a vibrant interdisciplinary graduate program committed to training PhD candidates to become the next generation of scientific leaders. Since 1967, the MBIDP has provided training to over 400 Ph.D. students. Our approach to graduate education has been successful as assessed by the placement of students and their impressive professional trajectory. Many of our alumni have become faculty at top academic institutions, founded major biotech companies, and are scientific leaders all over the US and abroad. A large part of this success stems from the focus and dedicated commitment of the MBIDP faculty towards the students, its interdisciplinary nature, adaptability, and vision.

The program provides cutting-edge education and hands-on training in Molecular Regulatory Mechanisms that are shared across organisms and are common within a broad range of disciplines. The philosophy of the program stands on the concept that depth within a specialty and interdisciplinary breadth are critical to shape the minds of the future generations of scientific leaders and develop independent thinkers . Depth is provided through four “intellectual hubs,” our home areas shown below.

These home areas are four of the ten home areas that form the Graduate Program in Biosciences (GPB) at UCLA and constitute the intellectual home of pre-doctoral trainees throughout their time in the program, fostering creativity and channeling curiosity through literature analysis and intellectual integration into their specific fields. Applications are welcome by December 1st.

I invite you to learn more about our home areas, our faculty and students! Feel free to contact us if you have questions.

Hilary Coller, Ph.D . Chair, Molecular Biology IDP

* From the UCLA Graduate Division website, please apply to the home area that you are interested in by choosing “Bioscience- (Home Area Name)”.

Admissions questions? Check out our FAQ page h ere . You can also Contact us!

Our Partners:

COMMENTS

Biology | UCLA Graduate Programs">Biology | UCLA Graduate Programs
Graduate Program: Biology DEGREES. UCLA's Graduate Program in Biology offers the following degree(s):
UCLA Graduate Programs in Bioscience (GPB)">UCLA Graduate Programs in Bioscience (GPB)
Home Areas are designed to unite students and faculty in cohesive groups organized by research focus, while also allowing first-year students to rotate in laboratories outside the Home Area... Biochemistry, Biophysics & Structural Biology. Bioinformatics. Cell & Developmental Biology. Gene Regulation, Epigenomics & Transcriptomics.
PhD Programs in Bioscience | UCLA Medical School">PhD Programs in Bioscience | UCLA Medical School
UCLA offers PhD training in 17 bioscience fields, organized into 12 interdepartmental home areas for graduate students. Discover the support, mentorship, and opportunities that await you at UCLA to empower your journey toward groundbreaking innovations.
Doctoral Program – Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology">Doctoral Program – Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Students have access to seminars and courses on a wide range of topics in evolutionary biology, ecology, and animal behavior, as well as biomathematics, theoretical modeling, and statistics. Students enter the program and begin working with a provisional faculty advisor.
Bioscience Programs | UCLA Graduate Programs">Bioscience Programs | UCLA Graduate Programs
Graduate Programs in Bioscience is a consortium of 10 home areas and their affiliated Ph.D. programs, organized to provide the best possible research training and professional development for graduate students pursuing Ph.D.s in the life and biomedical sciences.
Biology | UCLA Graduate Programs">Biochemistry, Molecular and Structural Biology | UCLA Graduate ...
Biochemistry, Molecular and Structural Biology (BMSB) graduate program at UCLA offers a long-standing tradition of excellence in research and PhD student...
Cell & Developmental Biology – UCLA Graduate Programs in Bioscience (GPB)">Cell & Developmental Biology – UCLA Graduate Programs in...
The Cell & Developmental Biology (CDB) Home Area has developed a training program designed to create the next generation of leaders in this dynamic field. The strengths of CDB at UCLA are broad and deep, covering a wide array of the most fundamental questions in biology.
Application Procedure – UCLA Graduate Programs in Bioscience (GPB)">Application Procedure – UCLA Graduate Programs in Bioscience...
Graduate Programs in Bioscience is a consortium of Ph.D. programs organized into Home Areas that draw together faculty and students with shared research interests from across campus departments. Home Areas are the application review, admission, and primary training units for graduate study.
Admissions Overview – UCLA Graduate Programs in Bioscience (GPB)">Admissions Overview – UCLA Graduate Programs in Bioscience (GPB)
We welcome applications from qualified applicants seeking the challenges and rewards of graduate training in biosciences. Applications for Fall 2024 are now closed. Please consider applying for Fall 2025 in September of 2024.
Program Overview – Molecular Biology Institute">Program Overview – Molecular Biology Institute
The Molecular Biology Interdepartmental Doctoral Program (MBIDP) is a vibrant interdisciplinary graduate program committed to training PhD candidates to become the next generation of scientific leaders. Since 1967, the MBIDP has provided training to over 400 Ph.D. students.

Interesting links