Overview
Georgetown University was founded in 1789 as a Jesuit educational institution, and about 60 percent of the undergraduate students are Catholic. The University is made up of the College of Arts and Sciences, the Graduate School, the Law Center, and the Schools of Medicine, Nursing and Health Studies, and Business Administration. The total enrollment is approximately 12,000, with most students on the main campus where the Reiss Science Center is located. The Law Center is located near the federal government offices in downtown Washington.

There are approximately 25 graduate students in the Department of Biology and 550 graduate students in the sciences, including the Medical Center. There are a total of 2,800 graduate students in the University.

The Location and Community
The nation’s capital has a population of about 600,000, with about 4 million in the greater metropolitan area. Cultural attractions abound in the form of art, music, museums, and theater, and numerous parks are located throughout the city. The climate is moderate. The Blue Ridge Mountains lie 1 hour by car to the west, Chesapeake Bay is about 1 hour to the east, and the Atlantic Ocean is 3 hours to the east.

Programs of Study and Degree Requirements
The Department of Biology of Georgetown University offers graduate studies leading to a Ph.D. degree; on rare occasions, students are accepted into a program directed toward attaining an M.S. degree. The department represents a wide range of biological disciplines. The aim of the program is to prepare scientists for diverse careers in research and teaching.

During the first two years of study, students take formal course work planned with a faculty adviser. Core courses include ecology and evolutionary biology; molecular, cellular, and developmental biology; biostatistics; and teaching biology. By the end of the first year, students select a thesis adviser and undertake advanced study and research in any of the areas represented by faculty research (listed in the Faculty and Their Research section). In general, departmental research programs fall into the areas of animal behavior; biochemistry; cell, molecular, and developmental biology; ecology and evolutionary biology; immunology; neurobiology; and parasitology. Prospective students should contact individual faculty members concerning research opportunities and topics.

Because Georgetown University is a member of the Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area, the facilities and courses of all the Washington, D.C., area universities are available. In addition, many faculty members have collaborative research arrangements with scientists at organizations such as the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Smithsonian Institution.

Students must complete the general University requirements for examinations and serve as teaching fellows in undergraduate courses.

Facilities & Resources
The Department of Biology occupies approximately 14,000 square feet of teaching and research space in the Reiss Science Center and 2,000 square feet of space devoted to evolutionary biology on Observatory Hill. The department is well equipped with research instrumentation, including shared computing and image analysis equipment, HPLCs, scintillation and gamma counters, high-speed centrifuges and ultracentrifuges, fluorescence and video microscopes, laser-scanning confocal and transmission electron microscopes, electrophysiology facilities, PCR thermal cyclers, DNA sequencing facilities, tissue culture facilities, and a greenhouse. Facilities are available in the Reiss Science Center chemistry department and the adjacent Medical Center campus for peptide sequencing and synthesis, FACS flow cytometry, confocal microscopy, and animal care.

Libraries on the main campus contain more than 117,000 bound volumes in the sciences, receive more than 700 journals, and maintain electronic search and document retrieval systems. In addition, there are extensive holdings in the Medical Center library. These facilities are supplemented by access to the Library of Congress, the National Archives, the National Library of Medicine, the National Agricultural Library, and the libraries of the Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area.

Expenses and Aid
Tuition for Ph.D. candidates is covered by financial aid. Tuition is $34,528.

Financial Aid:
Departmental teaching fellowships covering full tuition and providing a stipend are available to Ph.D. candidates. University fellowships are available on a competitive basis. Several tuition scholarships and research assistantships are also available. Recent students have been successful at obtaining support from national foundations. Tuition and stipend support is not available to M.S. candidates.

Housing/Living Expenses:
Off-campus housing is available within walking distance and throughout the metropolitan area. University-operated bus service provides regular connections to the Washington public bus and subway systems, facilitating transport to a variety of housing options.

How to Apply
Applicants must apply by January 3 to be considered for assistantship or fellowship support and fall semester admission. However, students may apply at any time to begin their studies in June, August, or January. Applicants are strongly encouraged to discuss research opportunities with faculty members prior to applying for admission. Graduate Record Examinations—both the General Test and the Subject Test in biology or in biochemistry, cell and molecular biology—are recommended, and it is suggested that these examinations be taken no later than October of the preceding year. Applicants whose native language is not English and who will not have a degree from an English-speaking institution prior to matriculation are required to take the TOEFL; a TOEFL score of 600 or greater (250 or greater on the computer exam) is preferred, and a score of at least 550 (213 on the computer exam) is required.

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