Graduate Programs

We welcome students from around the world! Biology is an extremely broad and rapidly changing discipline.  To provide more specialized graduate student training Biology faculty co-founded 4 life science interdisciplinary graduate programs in Molecular & Cellular Biology, Neuroscience & Behavior, Organismic & Evolutionary Biology, and Plant Biology.

Mariamar Gutierrez Ramirez

Mariamar Gutierrez Ramirez from Prof. Alex Gerson's group cherishing field research

Biology Faculty in the 4 Graduate Programs

All of our PhD students are fully supported on either Research or Teaching Assistantships. If you are interested in doing graduate research at UMass click on the links to see Biology faculty research areas and which Biology faculty are associated with the respective graduate programs you are interested in. Many Biology faculty participate in more than 1 program.

Biology Faculty Research Areas Biology Faculty Research Areas Faculty in the Molecular & Cellular Biology Graduate Program Faculty in the Molecular & Cellular Biology Graduate Program Faculty in the Neurosciences & Behavior Graduate Program Faculty in the Neurosciences & Behavior Graduate Program Faculty in the Organismic & Evolutionary Biology Graduate Program Faculty in the Organismic & Evolutionary Biology Graduate Program Faculty in the Plant Biology Graduate Program Faculty in the Plant Biology Graduate Program

Learn more about our 4 graduate programs and their respective application processes

Molecular and Cellular Biology (MCB) Program
Amoebas

Molecular and Cellular Biology (MCB) Program

Neuroscience and Behavior (NSB) Program
Stem cell mechanobiology studies in the Sun lab

Neuroscience and Behavior (NSB) Program

Organismic and Evolutionary Biology (OEB) Program
Pink-sided Junco - Stager Lab

Organismic and Evolutionary Biology (OEB) Program

Plant Biology (PB) Program
Evolution and Ecology - Image credit: Bartlett Lab

Plant Biology (PB) Program