Doctor of Philosophy - Biological Sciences

Plan Description

The School of Life Sciences (SoLS) offers a Ph.D. program in Cell and Molecular Biology, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Integrative Physiology, Microbiology and Quantitative Biology and Bioinformatics. This degree is research intensive and is designed to prepare students for careers in academia, government, or industry. Students complete a minimum of 60 credits (post-BS subplans) or 30 credits (post-MS subplan) 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.​ 

For more information about your program, including your graduate program handbook and learning outcomes please visit the Degree Directory.

Plan Admission Requirements

​Application Deadlines

Applications available on the UNLV Graduate College website.

All domestic and international applicants must review and follow the Graduate College Admission and Registration Requirements.

(a) Graduate College Admission Requirements

1. Completed application in the Application Portal and non-refundable application fee. 
2. Bachelor’s Degree – You must hold a four-year baccalaureate from a regionally accredited institution or an approved equivalent.
   1. Post-Master’s tracks and Advanced Certificates require a regionally accredited Master’s degree.
3. Grade Point Average – You must have a minimum overall grade point average of 2.75 (4.00=A) for the bachelor’s degree or a minimum 3.00 (4.00=A) for the last two years (60 semester hours). 
4. All applicants are required to submit an unofficial transcript from each postsecondary institution attended, showing all degrees and coursework, the dates awarded, and grades received. Official transcripts required upon admission.
   1. Credentials not in English must be accompanied by an English translation certified as true by a university official, an official representative of a United States embassy or consulate, the United States Information Service, the United States Education Foundation, or an approved professional translating service. Notarized copies of originals or translations are not considered official.

(b) Department Admission Requirements

Applications for fall admission that are completed by the posted deadline will be given priority for state-funded graduate assistantships. Admission is based on a combination of criteria that may differ from one year to another, however, most successful applicants have a minimum of a 3.0 undergraduate grade point average (last two years of undergraduate work). Students interested in enrolling in the Quantitative Biology and Bioinformatics (Subplan 5) must have taken two semester-long biology classes prior to admission. Decisions for fall applicants will be made by April 1 if not sooner.

Applications are not considered complete unless they contain:

1. Three Letters of Recommendation from individuals familiar with the applicant’s academic record and potential for advanced study in the biological sciences.
2. A two-page personal statement describing a summary of research interests, reason(s) for wishing to earn an advanced degree, motivation for attending UNLV, possible faculty mentors, and an explanation of any non-traditional grades (other than letter grades A-D & F) earned during your degree(s).
3. A CV or resume that includes all post-secondary education with dates of attendance, research experiences with dates and names of the principal investigators, research-related work experiences with dates and names of supervisors, publications, research presentations, honors/awards, and service/outreach activities.

Students are accepted into a degree program as described in the Graduate Catalog. The faculty and corresponding sub-disciplines and sub-plans within the described programs are subject to change at any time.

Plan Requirements

See Subplan Requirements below.

Subplan 1: Post-Bachelor’s – Cellular and Molecular Biology
Subplan 2: Post-Bachelor’s – Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Subplan 3: Post-Bachelor’s – Integrative Physiology
Subplan 4: Post-Bachelor’s – Microbiology
Subplan 5: Post-Bachelor’s – Quantitative Biology and Bioinformatics
Subplan 6: Post-Master’s

Subplan 1 Requirements: Post-Bachelor’s - Cellular and Molecular Biology

Total Credits Required: 60

Subplan 2 Requirements: Post-Bachelor’s - Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Total Credits Required: 60

Subplan 3 Requirements: Post-Bachelor’s - Integrative Physiology

Total Credits Required: 60

Subplan 4 Requirements: Post-Bachelor’s - Microbiology

Total Credits Required: 60

Subplan 5 Requirements: Post Bachelor’s - Quantitative Biology and Bioinformatics

Total Credits Required: 60

Subplan 6 Requirements: Post-Master’s

Total Credits Required: 30 

Plan Graduation Requirements

 The student must submit and successfully defend their dissertation by the posted deadline. The defense must be advertised and is open to the public.

After the dissertation defense, the student must electronically submit a properly formatted pdf copy of their dissertation to the Graduate College for format check. Once the dissertation format has been approved by the Graduate College, the student will submit the approved electronic version to ProQuest. Deadlines for dissertation defenses, format check submissions, and the final ProQuest submission can be found here. 

Students may apply for graduation up to two semesters prior to completing their degree requirements. All required forms must be submitted to the graduate college via the Grad Rebel Gateway.