Thank you for your interest into the Joint Doctoral Program in Cell and Molecular Biology at San Diego State University. The Joint Doctoral Program in Cell and Molecular Biology is an innovative program, presented in cooperation with the University of California at San Diego. The program takes advantage of the combined resources of two excellent institutions to offer students significant research opportunities at diverse locations, expanded faculty and course availability, and exposure to San Diego’s thriving biomedical and biotechnology research environment. Our doctoral students receive tuition and financial support.
Qualification for admission into the Doctoral Program includes a baccalaureate degree with a major in Biology or a related field, a GPA of 3.0 for the last 60 semester units of coursework, and a GPA of 3.0 for upper division biological sciences courses. NOTE: The Graduate Records Examination (GRE) has been suspended and is therefore, NOT required. Foreign students are also required to submit TOEFL scores. See below for detailed information.
The Admissions Committee will evaluate potential student applications based on grade point average, TOEFL scores (if applicable), research experience, and letters of recommendation. Selected students will be invited to interview at SDSU with faculty and current Ph.D. students. Selected foreign students will be invited to interview via Zoom.
Below please find detailed step-by-step application instructions. Please read all of the materials regarding the application process thoroughly. If you still have questions, please feel free to contact the Biology Joint Doctoral Administrator at biojtdoc@sdsu.edu
Please note: Even though we offer a Joint Doctoral Ph. D. Program with UC San Diego, you do not need to send your application materials to both SDSU and UC San Diego, only submit materials to SDSU. If you are being considered for the program, your application materials will then be forwarded to UC San Diego for review.
Fall 2025 Deadlines
Submit Cal State Apply Application – December 1
Submit Documents to Graduate Admissions – December 15
Complete Program Application – December 15