The University of Texas at Austin is among the world’s leading research universities, with top-ranked graduate programs across a wide range of disciplines relevant to the molecular biosciences. We offer a welcoming community and full financing for full-time Ph.D. students in our scientific disciplines.
Students in the three Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Ph.D. programs have access to over 130 research faculty affiliated with the College of Natural Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Cockrell School of Engineering and Dell Medical School.
ILS graduate programs provide common and specialized coursework, multiple lab rotations, a nurturing community, individualized advising and professional skills training during the first academic year. This establishes a solid foundation for carrying out cutting-edge research in later years.
Each program provides advanced training in specific disciplines aimed at preparing the next generation of scientific leaders.
Undergraduate researchers considering graduate school are invited to learn more about the UT Austin experience by applying to participate in the Summer Undergraduate Program for Experiential Research (SUPER) and our other offerings.
Interdisciplinary Life Sciences
Our graduate programs provide a highly interactive, supportive environment with excellent opportunities to participate in cutting-edge biological and biomedical research. We offer a uniquely broad and multidisciplinary graduate education, bringing together faculty from numerous academic departments. These dynamic programs unite over 130 members of the UT faculty with interests in aspects of biochemistry, cell or molecular biology or microbiology, and with whom students may pursue their doctoral research.
Our philosophy is to broadly and flexibly train students in preparation for diverse careers in biological/biomedical research in academia, industry or government, university teaching, public policy and other scholarly pursuits. Financial support is provided to students for the duration of their graduate education.
Key programs are overseen by the Department of Molecular Biosciences’ Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Graduate Programs.
Each flexible program of study is designed to provide excellent training and research opportunities individually tailored to each student's needs.
Microbiology
The Microbiology graduate program stresses solving fundamental problems of biology through molecular, biochemical and immunological approaches.
The program encompasses the study of cell and molecular biology, genetics, physiology, and biochemistry of microorganisms and cells of higher organisms. Research opportunities span a wide range of topics, including but not limited to: understanding microorganisms and their interactions with their hosts in order to solve health problems associated with microorganisms; and using the ease of manipulation for some microorganisms to understand important, fundamental biological problems common to most organisms.
Cell and Molecular Biology
The Cell and Molecular Biology graduate program stresses solving fundamental problems of biology through cellular and molecular approaches. This graduate program offers training in seven different research tracks:
- Bioinformatics & Computational Biology
- Cell & Developmental Biology
- Chemical Biology & Drug Discovery
- Molecular Genetics
- Neurobiology
- Biomolecular Structure and Function
- Plant Molecular Biology
Each track offer specialized courses and training for participating graduate students.
Explore Cell and Molecular BiologY at UT
Biochemistry
Biochemistry offers a focused program of study aimed toward elucidating the chemical, physical and molecular underpinnings of life, the molecular basis of human diseases and the development of biotechnology. Current emphasis includes the areas of systems and synthetic biology, biophysics and molecular dynamics, enzymology and host-pathogen interactions. Biochemists at UT Austin use state-of-the-art chemical, physical and computational tools and approaches to obtain a fundamental understanding of the molecular processes that underlie life, sustain and improve the natural environment and promote the development of more effective treatments for human diseases.
Graduate Education at UT
In addition to the programs above, UT Austin offers graduate programs in other areas of biological science, such as Neuroscience, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Plant Biology. There are also interdisciplinary portfolio programs in topics such as Computational Medicine and Nanoscience & Nanotechnology.