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Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Admissions

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Please consult with the Interdisciplinary Ph.D. discipline coordinators in your area of interest before applying to the program. Discipline coordinators offer valuable program, academic and application information.

Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Requirements

You must meet both the general and the discipline-specific criteria for admission and be recommended for admission by the doctoral faculty review group in at least a primary discipline (some primary disciplines require a co-discipline admission simultaneously). If you are admitted to a primary discipline only, you must choose and activate a co-discipline by the end of the first semester.

  • Undergraduate GPA of at least 2.75
  • Graduate GPA of at least 3.0
  • Three letters of recommendation
  • Statement of purpose
  • Writing sample

Application Deadlines

Interdisciplinary Ph.D. program application deadlines
Discipline Coordinator Notes Application Deadline for Fall Application Deadline for Spring
Biomedical and Health Informatics Dr. An-Lin Cheng Requires a second "supplementary" application through the School of Medicine. April 1 Discipline only admits in Fall
Cell Biology and Biophysics Dr. Jeffrey Price Only Fall admissions Feb. 15 preferred Discipline only admits in Fall
Chemistry Dr. David VanHorn April 15 preferred Oct. 15 preferred
Computer Networking and Communication Systems Dr. Baek-Young Choi Rolling deadlines Rolling deadlines
Computer Science Dr. Yugyung Lee Rolling deadlines Rolling deadlines
Curriculum and Instruction Dr. Candace Schlein Only Fall admissions Feb. 15 Discipline only admits in Fall
Economics Dr. Scott Fullwiler Feb. 1 Oct. 1
Educational Leadership, Policy and Foundations Dr. Eric Camburn Only Fall admissions Feb. 15 Discipline only admits in Fall
Electrical and Computer Engineering Dr. Ahmed Hassan Rolling deadlines Rolling deadlines
Engineering Dr. Ceki Halmen Rolling deadlines Rolling deadlines
English Dr. Anthony Shiu Only Fall admissions Jan. 15 Discipline only admits in Fall
Geosciences Dr. Fengpeng Sun April 30 Nov. 15
History Dr. Matthew Osborn Faculty sponsor required - please contact the Coordinator Jan. 15 Discipline only admits in Fall
Mathematics Dr. Liana Sega April 1 Oct. 15 preferred
Molecular Biology and Biochemistry Dr. Jeffrey Price Only Fall admissions Feb. 15 preferred Discipline only admits in Fall
Music Education Dr. Joseph Parisi Only Fall admissions Feb. 15 Discipline only admits in Fall
Oral and Craniofacial Sciences Dr. Mary Walker Rolling deadlines Rolling deadlines
Pharmaceutical Sciences Dr. Kun Cheng GRE not required, but can be submitted to strengthen application. Feb. 1 Oct. 1
Pharmacology Dr. Gerald Wyckoff GRE not required, but can be submitted to strengthen application. Feb. 1 Oct. 1
Physics Dr. Paul Rulis Rolling deadlines Rolling deadlines
Social Science Consortium Dr. Marc Garcelon Available as a co-discipline only April 1 Oct. 30

Additional deadline information

  1. The deadlines for applications to the Interdisciplinary Ph.D. program vary by discipline. All application materials must be uploaded, and test scores and official transcripts must be received in Admission Offices by the earliest discipline deadline. For example, if one discipline’s deadline is Feb. 1 and the other March 15, then application materials must be received by the Feb. 1 deadline.
  2. The timeline for applicants to expect admission decisions varies by discipline. Most admission decisions are made approximately four to six weeks after the latest deadline. For example, if one discipline deadline is Feb. 1 and the other March 15, an admission decision should be received, approximately, by April 15 to April 30.
  3. Applicants will be notified of admission decisions by mail. Newly admitted international applicants will receive necessary admission documentation by courier service from the International Student Affairs Office.
  4. Admission decisions cannot be provided over the telephone.

Questions?

If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact the School of Graduate Studies at 816-235-1301.