Admissions

Applications to the Purdue University Interdisciplinary Life Science Ph.D. program (PULSe) should be submitted through the Office of the Vice Provost for Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Scholars and will be considered by the PULSe Admissions Committee, which consists of representatives from all PULSe Training Groups. Please note that entry into PULSe is for the fall semester only.

Application Deadline

Completed applications must be received by December 1st; however, applications will be reviewed beginning in November. A number of qualified applicants living in the United States will be invited to campus to learn more about the program.

Application Requirements

• An electronic application
  • Next, click on Application for Admission and select Create an Account to begin applying to PULSe. Be sure to choose Life Science Interdisciplinary Program as the primary program of interest.
• PULSe application supplement
  • Found within the electronic application.
• Academic Statement of Purpose
  • The academic statement of purpose should contain no more than 500 words. You may wish to discuss your research experience, awards, achievements, and/or scholarly publications.  Additional questions to consider may include the following:
    • What makes you tick, what motivates you?
    • What hurdles have you faced and what does resiliency mean to you?
    • Why do you want to pursue a PhD?
    • What areas of research are you interested in and why?
    • Why are you interested in the PULSe Program?
    • What are your career goals?
• Personal History Statement
  • The personal history statement helps reviewers learn more about you as a while person and as a potential graduate student. This may include relevant details on community service, leadership roles, participation in diverse teams, and significant barriers that you overcame to attend graduate school.
• Three letters of recommendation
  • A letter from your research adviser is strongly recommended as the research experience is of particular importance in showcasing your strengths in the field.
• Transcripts from every institution of higher education attended must be included with your electronic application.
  • If personal identifying information (student identification number or social security number) appear on the document REMOVE THIS INFORMATION from your electronic version or paper copy before scanning your document.
  • If you are admitted and choose to enroll you must submit official transcripts and/or academic documents directly to the Office of Graduate Admissions. Here are some tips for uploading your transcripts into the Education Background section of your application.
• International degree-seeking applicants whose native language is not English are required to submit Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), International English Language Testing System (IELTS), or Duolingo English Test scores.
  • Additional information is provided by the Office of the Vice Provost for Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Scholars regarding TOEFL, IELTS, and Duolingo.
• Select applicants will be interviewed in person or virtually.
• International degree-seeking applicants are required to submit a copy of their earned degrees in both English and their native language.
• C.V. or resume are encouraged, but not required.

Additional Information

• Official test scores (TOEFL, and IELTS) must be sent to institution code 1631; no department code is necessary. Photocopied test scores are NOT accepted.
• While publications are not a requirement for admission to PULSe, if you have publications, be sure to provide a full citation for each one.
• PULSe is a Life Sciences graduate program. Thus, we expect that successful applicants have the necessary background in mathematics, biology, and chemistry including organic chemistry and ideally biochemistry. Certain Training Groups such as Biomolecular Structure and Biophysics and Integrative Neuroscience also suggest that students have a background in basic physics. Exceptions may be made, however, for students who are changing fields, for example, when moving from computer science or engineering into the life sciences. Use your personal statement to explain your reasons for wanting to do interdisciplinary life science research and provide details of your experiences.

Application Status

To check the status of your application visit the the Office of the Vice Provost for Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Scholars Admissions' site and click on Application for Admission.  Please note that you will be required to provide your user pin and password.

Reminder, to receive full consideration a completed application must be received by December 1st.