Joint Doctoral Program in Cell and Molecular Biology with San Diego State University

Program Description

San Diego State University (SDSU) offers a Cell and Molecular Biology (CMB) doctoral program in collaboration with UC San Diego's School of Biological Sciences. This Joint Doctoral Program (JDP) involves research training under the supervision of participating SDSU faculty from SDSU's Department of Biology. The faculty research interests address a wide range of biological questions and reflect the interdisciplinary nature of modern biology.

Students in this program register at SDSU and conduct research in SDSU faculty labs. The Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Biology is awarded jointly by the Regents of the University of California and the Trustees of the California State University.

Students in this program are required to spend one year enrolled at UCSD. During this year, students take School of Biological Sciences graduate courses while continuing their research at SDSU.

For full program information, visit SDSU's website.

Admission Information

Applicants interested in this program must apply to both SDSU and UCSD. Fall 2026 applications for both will open on October 1, 2025, with a deadline of December 1, 2025 for the SDSU application and December 15, 2025 for the UCSD application.

Applicants must submit all materials to both campuses by December 15, 2025, including:

• Statement of Purpose (SOP)
• Transcripts
  
  • UCSD accepts unofficial transcripts (Official transcripts required only for admitted students)
  • SDSU requires official transcripts by December 15, 2025
• CV/Resume
• 3 Letters of Recommendation (LORs)
• TOEFL/IELTS/DET Scores (International applicants only)
  • UCSD accepts self-reported scores (Official scores required only for admitted students)
  • SDSU requires official scores to apply

Applicants must pay SDSU's application fee. UCSD's application fee and international credential evaluation requirement will be waived.

For more information, visit SDSU's Admissions Information website.

Contact

For all questions, please contact SDSU's Biology Joint Doctoral Program Administrator at biojtdoc@mail.sdsu.edu.