Admissions

Application Requirements

In addition to the Graduate School requirements, applicants must have evidence of a strong academic record in the biological sciences.

In your application you will be requested to address each of the following:

  • The degree you are seeking (Comprehensive study-based MS, Thesis-based MS, or PhD).
  • An explanation of how obtaining a graduate degree in our program fits your career goals.
  • A description of the qualities you possess that will contribute to your success.
  • A description of any relevant experiences you have had. If you have had research experience, it is important to include a letter of recommendation from your research adviser. (Particularly important for Thesis-based MS and PhD applicants)
  • A list of the areas of research in the department that interest you. (Particularly important for Thesis-based MS and PhD applicants)
  • The Department of Microbiological Sciences at North Dakota State University is committed to fostering a welcoming and dynamic learning environment that prepares students for academic and professional success. Graduate education benefits from a wide range of perspectives, experiences, and problem-solving approaches. Please provide a statement describing any experiences, challenges, or perspectives that have shaped your journey and how they will contribute to your graduate studies and the broader learning community.

Note to Reference Letter Writers

Please indicate how you know and how well you know the applicant. Be specific about the applicant’s relevant academic skills, research skills, and personal traits, using illustrative examples whenever possible. Please put into perspective how the applicant compares to other students you have interacted with.

Admission Standards

Applicants are evaluated in each of five dimensions that are expected to impact performance as a graduate student:

  1. Academic preparation
    1. Prior courses/degrees
    2. Communication
    3. English Proficiency - if applicable
  2. Scholarly Potential
    1. Motivation for graduate study
    2. Prior Experience
  3. Socio-Emotional Competencies
    1. Self-Appraisal
    2. Long term Goals/Accomplishments
  4. Alignment with Program
    1. Alignment with Faculty research
    2. Alignment with program training

Admission Process

Sponsored Admissions: A faculty mentor is identified before application for admission to one of our graduate programs. The faculty mentor requests a review of the application. No application deadline for consideration.

General Admissions: Applicants will indicate a faculty mentor they are interested in working with (prior contact with a faculty mentor is recommended but not required) OR applicants can indicate they are interested in a self-funded, non-thesis master's degree. General Admissions are only considered for starting the Fall Semester, and applications must be completed and submitted by January 15th. Decisions are made in March.

More details are available below, and FAQ's can be found here.

Types of Admission

1. The sponsored admission process begins when a graduate faculty member recruits a student for a graduate assistantship in their research program. Recruitment can occur at any time, depending on the availability of the assistantship.

2. The application and selection process for graduate assistantships will vary by graduate faculty member.

3. A prospective student selected for a graduate assistantship must then apply for admission to one of our graduate programs (Thesis-based MS or PhD). The application can be submitted at any time, but it must be sponsored by a graduate faculty member. Sponsorship simply requires that the graduate faculty member inform the Graduate Programs Coordinator that they intend to provide a graduate assistantship and mentor the student if they are admitted.

4. Applications will be reviewed using a holistic rubric incorporating the admission standards listed above.

5. Students will be notified of their acceptance/nonacceptance once the review process is complete.

6. Admitted students can matriculate on a date agreed upon by their faculty mentor and the Graduate School.

7. Accepted students can begin their program on a date agreed upon with their faculty mentor.

1. Applications for general admission to a graduate program must be submitted by January 15th.

2. Applicants do not need to contact graduate faculty before submitting their application. However, applicants to the thesis-based MS and PhD programs are strongly encouraged to familiarize themselves with research programs in the department.

3. Applications will have an initial review by February 15.

4. If a faculty member indicates they are interested in an application based on the initial review, the application is reviewed using a holistic rubric incorporating the admission standards listed above. Each application will be reviewed by two faculty.

4. Interviews will be conducted with a selection of high-ranking applicants. Interviews are conducted by faculty members interested in mentoring the applicant.

6. Applicants will be notified of their acceptance/nonacceptance before April 15.

7. Admitted students will matriculate in the fall semester.

Financial Assistance

Students must first apply to the Graduate School and be accepted to one of our programs before they are eligible to receive an assistantship. Research assistantships are available to students enrolled in the thesis-based MS and PhD programs. Teaching assistantships are available to students enrolled in comprehensive study-based MS, thesis-based MS, and PhD programs. Research and teaching assistantships are limited, contingent upon the availability of funds, and awarded competitively

Frequently Asked Questions

Please see this link for current assistantship openings.

You do not need to contact a faculty member to apply to the General Applicant Pool, however, it is strongly encouraged.

You DO need to contact a faculty member to apply to the Sponsored Admission Track.

There isn’t a dedicated portal for reaching out to faculty—email is the best option. If a faculty member is active on professional social media, you can also engage with their content before reaching out.

Email Tips:

  • Avoid generic emails. Tailor your message to their research.
  • Review their website and recent publications, and mention specific aspects of their work that interest you.
  • Clearly state how you’d like to get involved and ask if they’d be willing to meet virtually to discuss opportunities.

Social Media Tips:

  • If a faculty member is professionally active on platforms like Instagram, Twitter (X), Bluesky, or LinkedIn, follow them.
  • Engage with their posts by liking, sharing, or commenting with thoughtful insights.
  • After a few weeks of engagement, send a message expressing your interest in their work and asking about potential research opportunities.

Following Up:

Faculty receive many emails and messages from prospective students and may not always respond. If you don’t hear back within 7–10 days, send a polite follow-up. If they still don’t respond, consider whether you want to work with someone who isn’t responsive.

(This approach works universally for faculty at any institution.)

Some research advisors give priority or may require a MS prior to acceptance to pursuing a PhD in their research program.

We use a holistic review process to review applications; GPA is just a part of that picture. Please see the standards for admittance for more details. Please note the graduate school does have a requirement of at least a 3.0 GPA for acceptance.

We recommend retaking some of your science courses to increase your GPA and show that you have the ability to do well in upper-level science courses. Some students will earn a masters degree to show progress and earn a higher GPA prior to applying to our program for a PhD.

If your bachelors of arts degree still had you taking entry level science courses in biology, chemistry, and biochemistry and you maintained a GPA above 3.0 we will certainly consider you.

If you have minimal science courses on your transcript but your GPA was above 3.0, we recommend taking 3-4 semesters of introductory science courses in biology, genetics, chemistry, organic chemistry, biochemistry, and microbiology prior to applying so you are prepared for the graduate science course work.

In either of these situations, if you have gained experience in science research through job experience that makes you more competitive with an unconventional degree background.

Currently, our graduate classes are offered during the workday and do not have asynchronous options. The majority of our research support staff are also primarily available during the day. If your job had conventional 9-5 required work hours it would be difficult to complete your graduate degree in our program. If you have the flexibility to take courses within your job work hours, our paper masters option is available, however, this degree option does not have assistantships available.

The short answer is no for our thesis masters and PhD and yes for our paper masters. We typically have paid assistantships with tuition waivers for our thesis masters and PhD students. To fulfill these assistantships, students are required to work 20 hours a week. These 20 hours are outside of the time they spend on their own thesis or dissertation research and their course

work. In other words, our students spend 40-50 hours a week dedicated to the pursuit of their degree, a full-time job in itself. The paper masters is more flexible to earn around working a job

If a student is applying to seek a thesis MS or PhD option prior research experience is strongly recommended but not required. If you have had research experience, it is important to include a letter of recommendation from your research adviser.

MS students may transfer up to a maximum of 10 semester hours of graduate credit from another institution to satisfy course requirements on the PhD Plan of Study. Doctoral students may transfer no more than 12 credits. Credits are transferred at the time the Plan of Study is approved. Transferability of prior course credit is determined by the Mentor/supervisor committee.

Yes, the following requirements for Assistantships as apply to our program:

  • TOEFL 81 (total); 23 (speaking); 21 (writing)
  • IELTS 7.0 (total); 6.0 (speaking); 6.0 (writing)
  • Duolingo 115 (total)

Students with a publishing record are more competitive for acceptance to the PhD program. However, this is not a requirement.

We appreciate recommendation letters that use specific examples that provide evidence for the characteristics (skills and personal traits) that describe the applicant. We also like to read about how the applicant may be able to contribute to our research program or graduate cohort in ways that aren’t obvious from their application materials.

Biology

  • One year of general biology with laboratory
  • At least one course in cellular biology, cellular physiology, animal physiology, or bacterial physiology
  • Genetics/Molecular Biology
  • Microbiology
  • Immunology

Chemistry

  • One year of general chemistry with laboratory
  • Two sequential terms of organic chemistry with a laboratory course
  • Biochemistry

Physics

  • Two sequential terms of physics with a laboratory

Math

  • Statistics
  • Calculus

We do not require the GRE to apply for our program. We don't even review them if they are sent in an application.

Microbiological Sciences