Prospective Graduate Students
Thank you for your interest in the graduate programs in the School of Life Sciences (SoLS) at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. UNLV is a dynamic institution in a dynamic city in the beautiful American Southwest and we believe our graduate programs reflects our setting. The SoLS currently supports over sixty graduate students spread among more than thirty SoLS faculty members. We offer both Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in biology with concentrations in Cell and Molecular Biology, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Integrative Physiology, Microbiology, and Urban Horticulture.
Doctor of Philosophy
The SoLS offers a Ph.D. in Cell and Molecular Biology, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Integrative Physiology, Microbiology, and Urban Horticulture. This degree is research intensive and is designed to prepare students for careers in academia. Students complete a minimum of 60 credit hours from a list of core and approved courses within their section. In addition, students are typically a Teaching Assistant (TA) for at least one semester. It is expected that students will first-author at least one peer-reviewed journal article.
Master of Science (thesis option)
The SoLS offers as M.S. in Cell and Molecular Biology, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Integrative Physiology, Microbiology, and Urban Horticulture. This degree is less research intensive than the Ph.D. and is designed to prepare students for a diverse set of science-related careers. Students complete a minimum of 30 credit hours from a list of core and approved courses within their section. In addition, students are typically a Teaching Assistant (TA) for at least one semester.
Admissions
Applications for fall admission that are completed by January 15 will be given priority for state-funded graduate assistantships; however, we will continue to review applications that are completed up until May 15 (for U.S. citizens) or April 15(for international students). Students should carefully follow the instructions on how to submit a complete application package. Admission is based on a combination of criteria that may differ from one semester to another, however, most successful applicants have a minimum of a 3.0 undergraduate grade point average (junior and senior years) and score in the upper 50th percentile on all sections of the GRE. Decisions on fall applicants who meet the January 15th target date will be made by March 1.
Applications for spring admission should be received by November 15 (for U.S. citizens) or October 1 (for international students).
Please note that applicants typically choose one or more possible research advisors as part of the application so applicants are encouraged to look through the faculty web pages to identify possible mentors.
Financial support
We make an effort to support all Ph.D. students for at least five years at $16,000 plus tuition and benefits (calculated for 12 months) and all M.S. students for at least two years at $13,334 plus tuition and benefits (calculated for 12 months) through teaching assistantships and/or research assistantships. Higher stipends are available to selected applicants through Nevada Stars Fellowships and extramurally-funded research assistantships.
Quick Links
Application Checklist:
Application Form: