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College of Sciences
Department of Biological Sciences

Comparative Biomedical Sciences

The Comparative Biomedical Sciences graduate program is a multidisciplinary graduate program hosted in the College of Veterinary Medicine with faculty who are employing state-of-the-art techniques to address a number of interesting scientific problems in the basic and applied biomedical sciences. The Comparative Biomedical Sciences graduate program confers Master of Science (M.S.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees.

The objectives of the graduate program are

  • To train students to (1) conduct independent research in basic and/or applied biomedical sciences in their area of specialization, (2) have a fundamental and broad-based interdisciplinary knowledge of animal and human health-related biomedical sciences, (3) develop critical thinking, oral and written communication, leadership and team skills, and (4) excel as teachers of biomedical science.
  • To prepare students for competitive careers at academic institutions, government and nonprofit agencies or private industry.

Learn more about the program in Comparative Biomedical Sciences.

View the participating BioSci faculty

Degrees

Graduate students will be enrolled as full-time students. A total of 72 credit hours is required to obtain a Ph.D. degree, with the majority of these credits being derived from dissertation research. See the Graduate School website for specific credit hour and residency requirements.

Students in the program select from one of six concentration areas for their graduate research: cell biology, immunology, infectious diseases, pathology, pharmacology and population medicine.

Admission Requirements

Students are accepted into the Comparative Biomedical Sciences program based on their academic records (GPA) as undergraduates and/or as veterinary or medical students, letters of recommendation, and expression of interest in comparative biomedical research. GRE scores are not required, but students can choose to submit them with their application. Scores will only be used to support an application and will not be used to determine a students admission the program. For the Ph.D. program, special consideration will be given to students who have had research experience (either an M.S. degree or other laboratory experience), especially in a biomedical discipline, or students who are completing strong clinical residency programs. Applications are due December 1st for Fall admission (some exceptions may apply, contact program for details).

To apply, complete the NC State Graduate School online application, and ensure you meet all NC State Graduate School admission requirements. Include with your application:

  • Official transcripts
  • Curriculum vitae (recommended)
  • Expression of interest in comparative biomedical research (personal statement)
  • Letters of recommendation

To be admitted, a student should be a graduate of a major accredited biological science or medical science program. Students lacking appropriate courses may be considered for admission but will be required to make up certain undergraduate deficiencies without graduate credit.

Student Financial Support

Graduate assistantships are available to students in the Comparative Biomedical Sciences Program through the College of Veterinary Medicine, College of Sciences, affiliated departments, graduate training grants and individual faculty members in the Comparative Biomedical Sciences program. Doctoral students are given priority for college-level graduate assistantships.

Core Courses

CBS 565 Fundamentals of Comparative Biomedical Sciences (3 credits)
ST 511 Experimental Statistics for Biological Sciences (3 credits)
CBS 662 Responsible Conduct of Research (1 credit)
CBS 800 Seminar series (1 credit; minimum 3 credits total for doctoral students; minimum 2 credits total for master’s students)