2024 MCDB Graduate Admissions

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 Spotlights

 Diversity

The MCDB Department is particularly interested in providing educational opportunities for students from diverse backgrounds and from groups that are underrepresented in the biological sciences, as well as military veterans and students with disabilities. If you would like to talk with a current student about their experiences as an underrepresented student within the program, please contact the MCDB Graduate Program Diversity Advocate who will connect you. Please also check out the resources link for more information.

 Coursework

The MCDB PhD program is designed to provide a solid intellectual foundation that prepares students for pursuing the PhD and for a variety of careers. A rigorous core course series in year 1 includes a Proposal Writing course. The core is complemented by a paired journal club and seminar speaker series that exposes students to a breadth of literature and approaches across the sub disciplines and provides the opportunity for meetings with visiting researchers.

 Location

The campus's character, physical beauty and location near a historic city with a diverse cultural life and commitment to preserving the environment all provide the setting for an academic community known internationally for its excellence and innovation. A member of the Association of American Universities, this vibrant, energetic campus ranks with Harvard, Stanford and UC Berkeley among the leading institutions of higher learning in the U.S. and Canada. Students know it as a friendly, welcoming place where their professors take the time to help them learn. The quality of faculty members testifies to the strength of UCSB's academic programs and the quantity and quality of its research.