Admission Requirements

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Admission to the Reproductive Sciences Concentration and the Department of Physiology's Graduate Program is contingent upon admission to the Graduate School and the Graduate Programs of the School of Medicine. Applicants must have a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university or must provide evidence that the requirements for the degree will be met before matriculation into the program. A minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale is required. Applicants must have demonstrated excellent performance in course work in inorganic and organic chemistry, mathematics through calculus, physics, and the biological sciences. Applications may be completed and submitted at any time during the year but must be submitted by March 1st for the subsequent Fall starting date. Transfer students or students with advanced graduate training will be considered at any time.  To be considered for financial support, application materials must be submitted before February 15th.

Included with the Graduate School Application Form, all students must submit:

- Departmental Application Form

- Verification of Graduate Record Exam (GRE) scores. One advanced test restricted to scientific area of applicant's choice is preferred.

- A minimum one page personal statement. The statement should include, but not be limited to, information on why you are seeking an advanced degree, why you are interested in the field of reproductive sciences and health, what you hope to achieve in this field by obtaining your doctorate, and your long-term goals.

- Three letters of recommendation from professionals qualified to evaluate academic performance and qualifications for continued study. (Two recommendations must be from undergraduate faculty members).

- TOEFL scores - International students must be proficient in English as documented by satisfactory performance on the standardized TOEFL English proficiency examination.

- Official transcripts from all institutions attended.

- $50.00 application fee (check payable to Wayne State University in U.S. dollars)

- A personal interview or telephone interview may also be required.

The Graduate Program Committee determines eligibility for the Ph.D. program. Decisions are based upon the applicant's academic credentials, technical experience and interview.

Graduation Requirements

Progress Toward Degree: Only full-time students are permitted to enroll in the program and are expected to complete requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy degree in four years.

Credit Hours: A minimum of 90 credits beyond the baccalaureate degree is required for graduation. These credits are distributed as follows: 30 credits of dissertation; a minimum of 12 credits of courses within the Department of Physiology curriculum (major); a minimum of 6 credits in a program outside the major department (minor); a minimum of 42 credits of additional coursework, pre-dissertation research and directed study, 30 credits of which must be at the 7000 level or above and a minimum of 10 credits in the reproductive sciences curriculum.  Recipients of Interdisciplinary Biomedical Sciences (IBS) fellowships must take 14 credits in the IBS curriculum.

Grade Point Average: Students must earn a minimum grade point average of 3.0 in order to graduate from the program.

Advisors/ Advisory Committee: The Departmental Graduate Committee (DGC) assigns a temporary advisor to all new graduate students. The student should select a Research Advisor by the end of the first year of graduate study. Subject to approval by the DGC, the student and Research Advisor select not less than four graduate faculty for membership on the student?s doctoral committee.

Qualifying Examinations: Prior to consideration for admission to candidacy for the doctoral degree, all Ph.D. students are required to pass a written comprehensive examination on course work and an oral qualifying examination. Following admission to candidacy and completion of dissertation research, a defense of the dissertation is required.