Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Applied Biology

• Securing graduate fellowships from the National Institute of Health (NIH), the National Science Foundation (NSF), Sustainable Water Innovations in Materials – Mentoring, Education, & Research (SWIMMER) and the American Heart Association (AHA) .
• Presenting at international conferences that include Evolution, Society for Developmental Biology, The Allied Genetics Conference and Society for Neuroscience.
• Advancing to successful careers within and beyond academia, including:

• Stockholm University
• Moderna
• Pfizer Pharmaceuticals
• University of Arizona
• Dovetail Biopartners (founder and CEO, Dan Dacey, c/o 2021)
• Sarepta Therapeutics
• SeQure Dx  
• Takeda Pharmaceuticals
• Onco Filtration (founder Abiche Dewilde, c/o 2014)
• Oxford Biomedica Solutions

Colloquium and pizza socials: Our weekly department seminar showcases exciting research from invited external speakers and our own faculty and students. Highlights of the schedule include the Faculty BioBlast, Grad Students on Parade and the Steven Williams Talk Competition. Our invited speakers often stay for pizza after their seminar, which gives students a chance for further discussion and socializing.

Journal clubs: We encourage Applied Biology students to organize Journal Clubs focusing on broad interdisciplinary topics. Attendees include trainees and faculty at all levels, who gather to discuss current literature and dive into new data. Previous iterations of journal clubs have included Biophysics, Immunology and Genomics.

Student leadership: The student-run Biology Graduate Student Society has created a welcoming community of M.S. and Ph.D. students. The BGSS hosts socials, workshops, career panels and professional development events throughout the year to support students throughout their training.

Annual department retreat: Our department gathers every fall to hear each of our graduate students present their work as talks or posters (with some extra fun thrown in).

Collaborative research centers: Our students are active in campus-wide interdisciplinary research centers, including the UMass Movement Research Center (UMOVE), which studies movement-related issues in health and injury rehabilitation, and the Center for Pathogen Research and Training (CPRT), which develops solutions for combating infections caused by pathogenic microorganisms. These centers host additional professional development opportunities for trainees, including research symposia and local outreach.

• Lowell has a vibrant concert and festival scene, with events year-round, including the Summer Music Series, the Town and the City Festival, Greater Lowell PRIDE, the Lowell Folk Festival (the longest-running free folk festival in the country!), Winterfest and the Kinetic Sculpture Race.
• We also have a strong community of artists. Check out the public art walk, Open Studios weekends at the Western Avenue arts collective, the Mill No. 5 shopping district or the Merrimack Repertory Theater.
• As a Gateway City, Lowell is proud of its long tradition of welcoming immigrants and refugees from Southeast Asia, Central America, the Middle East and more. 
• Downtown Lowell has buildings dating back to colonial times and the American Industrial Revolution, which means you could live in the midst of a National Historic Park.
• Lowell connects to the greater metro area via the MBTA Lowell Line Commuter Rail, so you can easily take public transportation into Boston. We are only a 40-minute drive from Boston Logan International Airport.
• Close to many outdoor attractions - less than a one-hour drive to North Shore beaches and Maine, less than two hours to the White Mountains and the New Hampshire Lakes Region.

• Application:
  • Summer 2025-Spring 2026,
  • Summer 2026-Spring 2027
• Application Fee: $50
• Statement of Purpose: Outline goals, experience and achievements (maximum 2 pages).
• Letters of Recommendation: Two (2) for master's, three (3) for doctoral applicants.
• Transcripts: You may apply with unofficial transcripts, but if accepted, official transcripts are required. We do not accept opened, photocopied, emailed PDFs or faxed official transcripts.
• Test Scores: UMass Lowell’s school code is 3911. Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores are only required for the following programs:
  • Master of Science (M.S.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Computer Science,
  • Medical Physics and Radiological Sciences.
  • Some programs will waive the test score requirements under certain conditions.

All materials must be received before your application is reviewed. To add documents before review, log in and select “Program Materials.”

Chemistry and Polymer Science Ph.D. Applicants

All required documents are due to the Office of Graduate Admissions by February 15 for full Fall consideration. Applications received after this date will be reviewed for the next semester.

International Applicants

A transcript evaluation is required for the M.S. in Biological Sciences and Ph.D. in Applied Biology.

International transcripts must indicate completion of a four-year bachelor’s degree (equivalent of an American bachelor's degree) before an application will be processed. The Office of Graduate Admissions reserves the right to have any application credentials evaluated.  Baccalaureate verification may be obtained for a fee from:

• Center for Educational Documentation (CED)
•  Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE)
• World Education Services (WES)

English proficiency is required. If English is not your country’s national language, please submit one of the following scores:

• Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL): 79+
• International English Language Testing System (IELTS): 6.5+
• Duolingo: 115+
• ASC English: Level 6+
• Pearson Test of English (PTE): 53+