Biology - PhD

Welcome to the web pages of the Biology Graduate Program at the University of Kentucky! Here you will find information on the nature of our program and the training options we provide. Graduate school is often the most challenging and simultaneously rewarding time in your life, and our program seeks to provide that sort of experience for you. We offer graduate training across the breadth of Biology and a variety of specific training options in all levels of biological organization. We will lead you into a rigorous set of research and teaching experiences that will prepare you for an array of successful academic, public and private-sector careers in the life sciences. We offer three degree options, Ph.D, M.S. plan A (with thesis) and M.S. Plan B (non-thesis), all of which involve a blend of coursework, individual research projects, and multiple forums for interacting with other scientists. 

The Ph.D. is the main graduate degree program in Biology. It provides the training necessary for a student to become an independent professional scholar in the life sciences with the skills to carry out their own original research and to educate others. Student growth is an emphasis of the program. Offers to enter the Ph.D. program are based on the applicant's potential as a scientist and educator. New students arrive and are expected to begin doing research immediately.