The cell is the fundamental unit of all life on earth. Cell Biology therefore defines the very center of all efforts to understand all aspects of biology and human disease. Cell Biology seeks to understand a continuum that starts with elucidating the molecular basis of how cells are constructed, how the thousands of cell types accomplish their individual tasks, and finally how these different cells cooperate to form tissues, systems, and organisms.

Cell biologists thus represent a diverse group, conversant in and committed to a wide variety disciplines: from genetics to biochemistry, from immunology to neurobiology, from development to informatics, from genomics to clinical medicine.

Cell biologists must also be clever, ready to develop and apply novel approaches to a limitless range of problems as they emerge. We rarely do the same thing twice.

Welcome to the most central — and the most exciting — field in all of the biological and biomedical sciences. Our website will help to show you why. www.cellbiology.yale.edu

Requirements
Special Admissions Requirements

An undergraduate major in biology, biophysics, molecular biology, or biochemistry is recommended. MCAT scores may be substituted for the GRE General Test; GRE Subject Test recommended.

To enter the Ph.D. program, students apply to an interest-based track, usually the "Molecular Cell Biology, Genetics, and Development (MCGD) " track, in the combined program in Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS) http://info.med.yale.edu/bbs/. See also "Admission Details".

Special Requirements for the Ph.D. Degree

Students are required to take at least 5 graduate level courses. No specific curriculum of courses is required, but CBIO602a (Molecular Cell Biology) is recommended for all students to attain a solid foundation in molecular cell biology. Also recommended is a seminar course, such as CBIO603a (Seminar in Molecular Cell Biology) or CBIO606b (Advanced Seminar Course), where students can develop the skill for critical analysis of research papers. Students design their own curriculum of courses to meet individual interests and needs, in consultation with the director of graduate studies. During the first year, students are also required to participate in three laboratory rotations. In the second year, a committee of faculty members determines whether each student is qualified to continue in the Ph.D. program. There is a written and oral qualifying examination at the end of the fourth term. In order to be admitted to candidacy, students must have met the Graduate School Honors requirement, maintained a high pass average in course work, passed the qualifying examination, and submitted an approved prospectus. The remaining degree requirements include completion of the dissertation project and the writing of the dissertation and its oral defense, the formal submission of copies of the written dissertation to the Graduate School, and the deposit of an additional copy with the department. Laboratory rotations and thesis research may be conducted outside of the department.

An important aspect of graduate training in cell biology is the acquisition of teaching skills through participation in courses appropriate for the student's scientific interests. These opportunities can be drawn from a diverse menu of lecture, laboratory, and seminar courses given at the undergraduate, graduate, and medical school level. Ph.D. students are expected to participate in two terms (or the equivalent) of teaching. Students are not expected to teach during their first year.
Master's Degrees
M.Phil. Requirements for the M.Phil. degree are the same as for admission to candidacy (see above).
M.S. See Graduate School requirements; this degree is normally granted only to students who are withdrawing from the Ph.D. program.
Prospective applicants are encouraged to visit the BBS web page http://info.med.yale.edu/bbs/main.html, Molecular Cell Biology, Genetics, and Development (MCGD) Track. Program materials are available upon request to Dr. Carl Hashimoto, the Director of Graduate Studies, Department of Cell Biology, Yale University, PO Box 208002, New Haven CT 06520-8002.
 Admissions Details
Students interested in joining the Cell Biology program should first apply to the combined graduate program in Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS), and specifically choose the Molecular Cell Biology, Genetics, and Development (MCGD) track within the BBS program on their applications. An undergraduate major in biology, molecular biology, biochemistry, or any related subject is appropriate. Applicants do not need to meet any special requirement for the Cell Biology program other than the requirements for admission to the BBS program. Further information about the BBS program and an application form can be found at http://info.med.yale.edu/bbs/main.html.
Students formally enter the Cell Biology program when they join the lab of a Cell Biology faculty member to carry out their thesis research. This decision usually occurs by the end of the first year of graduate school after the student has rotated through 3 different labs of faculty members in the BBS program.

Careers after University

Training in Cell Biology, as a graduate student, medical student, M.D.-Ph.D. student, or postdoctoral fellow has proved to be a popular and successful career choice.

We currently have 57 postdoctoral fellows, 39 BBS graduate students, and 2 MSTP students working in Cell Biology labs throughout Yale. Gaining a position in one of our laboratories importantly, our department's graduates can be found in influential positions in academia, the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry, law, publishing, and finance. Some examples include:

• Sandra Schmid, Chair, Department of Cell Biology, Scripps Research Institute (Helen Hay Whitney Postdoctoral Fellow)

Department of Cell Biology
333 Cedar Street
PO Box 208002
New Haven, CT 06520-8002
Tel: 203.785.4311
Fax: 203.785.7446

Website of Universities and Colleges that offer Cell Biology