Admissions FAQ

Please view the criteria for application fee waiver to see if you qualify: https://www.gmu.edu/admissions-aid/fee-waivers. Scroll down to the bottom of the webpage. The SSB department does not offer fee waivers.

You may request permission to apply to the PhD programs for spring admission by contacting the Program Director. Decisions are made on a case-by-case basis. Deadlines would be one month ahead of the published MS application deadline for spring semester. Spring applicants are not considered for department funding.

Yes. The School of Systems Biology considers applications after the published deadlines however applicants are not considered for possible department funding. Candidates whose application file becomes complete too late for the term may request to be considered for admission in the following academic year. No additional application or fee is required. Applicants are able to request a change of term by email to the College of Science Graduate Admissions office. Candidate must specify specific fall or spring term (up to one calendar year) to cosgrad@gmu.edu.

For the Bioinformatics & Computational Biology programs:

• A bachelor’s degree in biology, computer science, biotechnology or related science
• Undergraduate coursework or experience in higher-level programming languages such as JAVA, C++, R or Perl
• Integral calculus and one additional advanced level math course, such as multivariable/vector calculus, linear algebra, differential equations, probability/statistics, or discrete math
• It is recommended that applicants have strength in one or more of the following areas: Molecular biology, Biochemistry or Organic Chemistry.

For the M.S. Biology or Ph.D. Biosciences programs:

• A college degree in biology or one of the life sciences such as microbiology, biochemistry, biomedical sciences, or environmental science.

Those who have a degree in an unrelated field may be admitted provisionally and be required to take additional undergraduate courses to build a background needed for successful graduate study. This would include coursework in cell biology, genetics, microorganisms, molecular biology, and biochemistry with associated labs. Alternatively, you may decide to take undergraduate courses as a non-degree student at Mason or at a local community college. These prerequisite courses would not be transferable to the graduate degree programs.

Financial support is highly competitive. PhD programs may nominate one qualified applicant each fall semester for a Presidential Award scholarship. Applications for the doctoral program must be complete by the published deadline to be considered for funding. Department funding is not normally available for MS or Certificate candidates.

A limited number of Graduate Teaching Assistantships carrying a tuition waiver and a stipend are available each year for students with biology backgrounds. Visit undergraduate Biology Department at https://science.gmu.edu/academics/departments-units/biology/biology-graduate-programs/graduate-teaching-assistantships to apply.

Additional student funding information is available through Mason’s Financial Aid office at https://www2.gmu.edu/financial-aid. Students who qualify are encouraged to apply for Graduate Inclusion and Access Scholarship through Provost office at https://provost.gmu.edu/academics-and-research/graduate-education/awards-and-grants.

No, but faculty support for your application is often a key deciding factor in the application process, so be sure to name the faculty you would like to work with on a research topic in your goals statement. Check the Faculty Research listings for more information.

If you are a part-time student (less than 9 credits per semester), your time to complete the degree will vary according to the number of credit hours you are able to take each semester. A full-time student in the MS program should finish in two to three years. Completing the MS program in one year is highly unlikely. A full-time PhD student with a previous MS degree in a related field should plan on three to four years, and a student with no previous M.S. degree should plan on five to six years to complete the PhD degree.

A GRE score is not required to apply to School of System Biology graduate programs.