Application Process

How to Apply

Applications are due June 15th (earlier submissions are welcome) of the academic year the qualifying exam takes place (or approx 2 semesters before). It is Graduate Division policy that students are admitted to the DE before taking their QE. Students are advised to notify both the graduate affairs officer (GSAO) of the home department and the DE program coordinator (ccb_de_advising@berkeley.edu) of their intent to apply as early as possible.

Applications will be accepted after the June 15th due date, however, those who apply by June 15th and are planning to participate in our “Introduction to Programming for Bioinformatics” bootcamp taking place August 5-9, 2024, will be eligible for need-based discounts. The bootcamp is highly recommended for those without programming experience to prepare for the Doctoral Seminar. Typically a student’s PI will cover this cost, but if that is not the case, DE students should contact ccb_de_advising@berkeley.edu to discuss options.

Please use ccb_de_advising@berkeley.edu for all CCB DE related inquiries and updates.

To apply to the DE in Computational and Genomic Biology, the following materials must be submitted to the DE advisors via the application form linked below. Please have your list of proposed courses ready before starting the online application.

CCB DE Application Form

The items listed below should be combined into one pdf and uploaded into the online application linked above:

  1. Letter of support from the student’s faculty advisor, which includes PI approval for student to participate in the DE and a concise research summary
  2. One page letter of intent summarizing the student’s background in computational and genomic biology, and outlining short- and long-term training and research goals in the field
  3. Most recent copy of graduate transcript(s)
  4. The student’s curriculum vitae (optional!)

Please note that review may take up to one month.