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Program Requirements: Distance Ph.D.
Distance Ph.D. students are required to complete the same academic markers as on-campus Ph.D. students with some alternatives provided to allow for remote coursework and research.
To maintain enrollment and graduate, the following are expected:
- Successful completion of a minimum of 60 credits beyond the M.S. degree with a minimum GPA of 3.0
- Each student will communicate with their faculty mentor/major professor and academic advisor to determine how many credits to register for each semester
- The estimated timeline to completion is 4-6 years for a full-time student, or 7-8 years for a part-time student
- Completion of all Ph.D Student Example Plans of Study (adjustments to course requirements can be made at the discretion of the student’s major professor and graduate committee)
- Successful completion of written and oral qualifying exams
- Completion of original research documented by publications in peer-reviewed journals and in a dissertation submitted and approved by the faculty and the graduate school
- Virtual attendance at the weekly departmental seminar synchronously or asynchronously
- Virtual attendance of a journal colloquy each semester to keep students informed of the latest progress in the subject areas of interest to their disciplines
- Assist their mentors in teaching for two semesters
- Ability and willingness to communicate through multiple means on a frequent basis with your Ph.D. mentor or other collaborators
- Students must meet with their committees at least once per year
- Successful completion of a minimum of 60 credits beyond the M.S. degree with a minimum GPA of 3.0
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Faculty Mentors
View our list of faculty at https://microcell.ufl.edu/research/
- Each professor will determine if they have a project available for a distance PhD student. Not all professors will have relevant research projects for this program.
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Admissions Requirements
1) B.S. degree
- Minimum 3.0 GPA
- Preferably with an emphasis on microbiology and/or cell biology
2) M.S. degree, of at least 30 credits, in the life sciences
- Minimum 3.0 GPA
- Preferably with an emphasis on microbiology and/or cell biology
3) Strong preference given to applicants with significant quantitative skills in computational biology, programming, and/or statistics
- Minimum 3.0 GPA
- Preferably with an emphasis on microbiology and/or cell biology
- Evidence of such training or skills should be included with the application
4) Preference given to candidates with the following pre-requisite courses (or their equivalent in courses from other institutions) or demonstrated work experience:
- Python Programming
- R Programming
- Bioinformatics
- The Microbiome
- Artificial Intelligence
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Application Materials
1) Application fee of $30
2) Unofficial transcripts from each school you have attended
3) CV or resume
4) Three letters of recommendation (LOR)
- We suggest that candidates request LOR from professional/academic mentors or colleagues that can comment on their academic/research experiences
5) Personal statement: Answer the following three prompts in a word document and upload to the application
- Describe your research experience, career goals and area of research interest (limit 500 words)
- How have you demonstrated success in a remote work or school environment? (limit 300 words)
- Which research labs in our department interest you most and why? (limit 300 words)
6) International Applicants must submit official evidence of English language proficiency
7) Information Request Page
- Fill out the Distance Ph.D. Information Request Form and attach it to your application
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How to Apply
Go to : https://www.applyweb.com/uflgrad/index.ftl
Complete each section of the application (notes on how to choose the correct program can be found below)
- Application Information
- Location of Intended Program: Distance Education
- Program of Study
- Select College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
- Microbiology and Cell Science, Degree Name – Doctor of Philosophy
- choose application term
- Concentration: Microbial and Cellular Data Science
- Program Specialization: leave this blank
- Department Contact Name: leave this blank
- Application Information
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Cost and Financial Aid
Tuition and Fees
- $484.48 per credit (in-state)
- $635.75 per credit (out-of-state)
Stipends
- Stipends are not available from the department. A PI may choose to provide stipend support for extraordinary candidates.
Financial Aid
- Many employers offer tuition benefits or reimbursements available.
- The department and PIs will be seeking sources of external support for these admitted students but there are no guarantees, particularly during the early phases of this program.
- This program is eligible for the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP).
Please contact jlee9@ufl.edu if you have any questions regarding the application process or deadline.