Future students: Graduate admissions

• Am I eligible to receive financial support?

  All applicants admitted to Ph.D. are offered full support as graduate teaching assistants. This includes up to ten credits of paid tuition each semester (fall and winter) as well as a bi-weekly paycheck plus 12 months of health, vision and dental insurance coverage. There are no additional forms to complete. International applicants are not required to provide a bank statement or affidavit of support since our letter of offer takes the place of financial documents.

  Master's students are not guaranteed support but may be offered a teaching position in mid-July or early August.

• Credential evaluation service charges a fee. Will the university reimburse me for the fee I paid?

  Yes. The fee paid will be reimbursed during your second semester. Visit the international applicant page for more information. 

• Do you offer admission to your programs every term?

  Admission to both M.S. programs and the Ph.D. occurs in the fall term only. Admission to M.A. occurs in both fall and winter terms.

• Do you require additional documents for international applicants?

  Yes. Applicants must submit transcripts showing four years of study. Those who have a three-year bachelor's must also submit a transcript showing at least one year's completion of master's study.

  All international applicants must request an official course-by-course transcript evaluation for the bachelor's degree by one of the following three credential evaluation services:

  • WES (World Evaluation Services)
  • ECE (Educational Credential Evaluators)
  • SpanTran: TECH (The Evaluation Company)

  An official transcript evaluation may not be forwarded or mailed by the applicant but must be sent directly from the evaluation services office to the Office of Graduate Admissions.

  The university requires all international applicants, whose country's first language is not English, to submit a TOEFL or IELTS English proficiency exam report. A report that is more than two years old upon the application date is not valid. Scores older than two years cannot be reported by the Educational Testing Service (ETS).

• Do you require the general GRE?

  No, the GRE is not required. However, you may submit your scores if you took the exam.

• Do you require submission of official transcripts/ transcript evaluation and score reports for my application to be reviewed?

  No. You may upload unofficial documents for review purposes. If admitted, you are required to provide official documents to the Office of Graduate Admissions.

• How will I know when my application is complete?

  Log on to graduate admissions application to review the checklist of documents received. As the application manager downloads documents, you'll receive a personal message informing you of what is still needed for your application to be complete.

• What are the guidelines for writing my personal statement?

  Submit your personal statement addressing the following points in no more than two pages:

  • Describe your career goals and where you envision yourself in 10 years.
  • Explain how this graduate degree will aid you in attaining your goals.
  • Explain how our program and faculty in the Department of Biological Sciences at Wayne State University specifically fit into your goals. Name two to three biology faculty members whose work interests you and why.
  • Describe what aspects of your background make you uniquely qualified to join our graduate program.

  Note: M.A. applicants may focus on the first two criteria but need not identify faculty members since the program is not research-based.
   

• What are the minimum requirements for admission?

  Though we list minimum requirements, they do not ultimately determine admission. Our Graduate Committee takes into consideration the quality and number of biology courses, research interest, GPA, letters of recommendation and personal statement.

  Admission general requirements

  • Applicants to our programs must have a firm grasp of general biological concepts and a GPA of at least 3.0.
  • Although the university's minimum internet-based TOEFL for international applicants is 79/120, applicants admitted to our program should score 90/120 or better.
  • We accept the IELTS as well. The university minimum is 6.5 and above.
• When are the deadlines for submission of application and supporting documents?

  Application deadlines

  Master of Arts

  M.A. deadlines for fall admission are May 1 for international and June 1 for domestic/Canadian applicants. Deadlines for winter admission are Nov. 1 for international and Dec. 1 for domestic/Canadian applicants.

  Master of Science

  Applicants to either master of science program (biological sciences or molecular biotechnology) must submit all documents for fall admission by Feb. 15. Applications and supporting documents must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. of the deadline date to ensure review. New applications will not be accepted after the deadline.

  Ph.D.

  Applicants are encouraged to upload all supporting documents to their application by Dec. 1 of the year before their desired term of admission. Applications received after Dec. 1 will be reviewed as long as positions are still open.

• When will I know my admission status?

  Our Graduate Committee meets once a week beginning about mid-December to early January to review each application. A decision to admit may not be made immediately. Some applications could be denied early and others placed on hold for further review. Once the Committee assesses the current applicant pool, they will be ready to begin making decisions. Reviews may continue through March and April depending on how soon the programs fill. All applicants receive a notification on the final decision sometime between January and May.

• Where may I submit official documents?

  If admitted to the program, please submit your documents to gradadmissions@wayne.edu or by mail at:

  Office of Graduate Admissions
   Wayne State University
   5057 Woodward Ave., Suite 6000
   Detroit, MI 48202

• Which supporting documents do you require for all applicants?
  • CV/résumé
  • Statement of purpose: A guide to writing your personal statement for M.S. and Ph.D. applicants is included on the online application.
  • Three letters of recommendation for M.S. and Ph.D. applicants: Two letters for M.A. applicants – must be submitted by the writer. Letters uploaded by applicant are not valid.
  • Transcript or transcripts: Four-year bachelor's (plus transcripts from institutions of courses transferred to bachelor's, if applicable).
• Will my application be reviewed if I have not yet paid the application fee?

  Yes, applications containing all supporting documents are reviewed.