DUKE UNIVERSITY GRADUATE SCHOOL
Program Description
The program provides a unified curriculum of study in genetics and genomics leading to the Ph.D. Areas of specialization include population and evolutionary genetics, microbial and viral genetics, human and mammalian genetics, developmental genetics, epigenomics, and plant genetics. This is an interdisciplinary program with faculty drawn from several departments (Biochemistry, Biology, Cell Biology, Chemistry, Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Immunology, Neurobiology, Pathology and Pharmacology and Cancer Biology) as well as from the Institute of Molecular Physiology.
Application Information
Application Terms Available
Fall
Application Deadline
December 1
Graduate School Application Requirements
See the Application Instructions page for important details about each Graduate School requirement.
Verification of Application Data
The data you enter in the online application, including the contents of all attachments, is subject to verification. It is your responsibility to ensure that all the information provided in the application is accurate.
Per Graduate School policy, the graduate admissions staff is required to verify the application credentials of any student who receives and accepts an admission offer. This verification process includes contacting educational institutions to verify degrees earned. U.S. degrees are verified by the National Student Clearinghouse. Chinese degrees are verified by the Chinese Academic Degrees and Graduate Education Development Center (CDGDC). Degrees from countries outside of the U.S. and China are verified by a third-party vendor, Re Vera Services. U.S. and Chinese degrees that cannot be verified through the National Student Clearinghouse or the CDGDC will also be verified by Re Vera. Incoming students will not be charged for these degree verification services.
Duke University reserves the right to withdraw an offer of admission or to terminate enrollment if there is any discrepancy between the submitted application data and the subsequently verified data.
You are required to notify The Graduate School immediately and in writing of any new charge, violation, or suspension filed against you after application submission but prior to enrollment. Your failure to do so may be grounds to deny or withdraw your admission or to dismiss you after enrollment.
Required Documents and Information
- Transcripts
- Letters of recommendation
- Statement of purpose
- Resume
- GRE scores
- English language proficiency test scores (if English is not your first language)
- GPA
- Supplemental application requirements
Important Reminders
- Take required standardized tests early to ensure that official scores arrive by the application deadline.
- We support ONLY PDF file formats for uploads. Uploaded documents may contain no more than 75 pages. We support files as large as 5 GB, but please be advised that larger files will take longer to upload from your internet connection and may stall if you are on a wireless connection or one that cannot sustain a connection for the necessary period of time.
- Be sure that your full name, as given on your application, appears on all documents submitted on your behalf (e.g., GRE scores, letters of recommendation). Please call our attention to variations of your name that might appear on submitted materials.
- Submit all application materials electronically. Do not send materials by mail unless we ask that you do so.
- To prevent application processing delays, do not send required application materials to the department to which you are applying, unless the department specifically requests that you do so.
- Do not submit extra or unnecessary documents, such as secondary-school records, awards/certificates/commendations that are not strictly academic credentials as stated in our requirements, or letters of recommendation beyond the required three. Excessive amounts of unnecessary information can actually hurt your chances of admission.
- The graduate admissions office does not alter submitted applications. If you would like to add an updated CV listing new awards, appointments, or publications, you can do so from your applicant portal. Log in and use the upload materials button beneath your Application Checklist to upload a .docx, .pdf, or .jpg file. To add a more recent transcript, please email a .pdf copy of the document to grad-admissions-center@duke.edu. Any new documents will be appended to your application, and will not replace any existing documents.
- Applicants holding Ph.D. degrees or their equivalent are generally not eligible for admission to Duke University for a second Ph.D. The dean of The Graduate School will consider exceptions only if the department or program demonstrates that the proposed field of study is unrelated to the field of the first Ph.D., and that the educational experience afforded by the proposed doctoral field is essential for the applicant’s long-term research objectives. Please note that applicants who have not yet had the opportunity to benefit from a doctoral education will be prioritized in the admissions and financial aid process.
- Transcripts: Unofficial transcripts required with application submission; official transcripts required upon admission
- Letters of Recommendation: 3 Required
- Statement of Purpose: Required
- Résumé: Required
- GRE Scores: GRE General (Optional for 2022)
- English Language Exam: TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo English Test required* for applicants whose first language is not English
*test waiver may apply for some applicants - GPA: Undergraduate GPA calculated on 4.0 scale required
Department-Specific Application Requirements (submitted through online application)
Writing Sample
None required
Additional Components
Optional Video Essay: How would a Duke PhD training experience help you achieve your academic and professional goals? Max video length 2 minutes; record externally and provide URL in application.