Department of Plant & Microbial Biology
College of Natural Resources
University of California, Berkeley
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Admissions

   
 Undergraduate
 Graduate - Plant Biology
 Graduate - Microbiology
 Graduate - AgChem

Graduate Admission Process

Submit applications for Fall by the preceeding December 1st. The online application must be submitted by December 1, although supporting materials, such as letters of recommendation can arrive later in December. Please email questions to jantz@nature.berkeley.edu.

The Department conducts one admission review per year, for fall semester admission only. The Department's Admissions Committee reviews applications and makes recommendations to the Department's faculty and to UC Berkeley's Graduate Division. The Committee bases recommendations on grades and coursework at the undergraduate and graduate levels, letters of recommendation, standardized examination scores, written statements of academic and professional goals, other documentation of research and academic potential and accomplishment, and on-campus interviews. The Department admits applicants to the program at large, not directly into a research lab. If you do apply, please be available to visit Berkeley in early February. The department pays travel expenses if you get selected for an interview.
UC Berkeley Botanical Garden - spiral aloe, South Africa

Requirements for graduate admission:

  • A basic background in chemistry, physics, mathematics and biology, roughly equivalent to the Department's undergraduate program in genetics and plant biology.
  • Two official transcripts from each college and graduate institution attended.
  • Three letters of recommendation, at least two of which should be written by science faculty. All reviewers should be familiar with the student's scholarly abilities.
  • General Aptitude test scores of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). The Department recommends but does not require the GRE subject test in biology (B24) or biochemistry, cell and molecular biology (B22). Take the exam(s) early enough so that scores will arrive by the end of December. To have the scores sent to the Department, note on the GRE order form the institution code R4833 (UC Berkeley) and the department code 0112 (plant sciences).
  • The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score for applicants who have received undergraduate degrees from institutions where English is not the language of instruction. With few exceptions, UC Berkeley requires a TOEFL score of at least 570 on the paper and pencil test, or 230 on the computer-based test. Take the TOEFL by November. Note on the TOEFL order form the institution code 4833 (UC Berkeley) and the department code 37 (botany).
  • Completed Graduate Application for Admission and Fellowships. Review instructions for applying online (application available Sept. 1) at Information for Prospective Students. Please email to discuss other arrangements if you can't apply online.
  • Mail all supporting documentation to:
    Graduate Admissions
    Department of Plant and Microbial Biology
    Koshland Hall 111C -- Mail Code 3102
    Berkeley, CA 94720-3102

T. Hsieh at microscope


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