How Does BBS Work?
BBS is the gateway to a Ph.D. in the biological and biomedical sciences at Yale. Rather than applying to and entering a Ph.D. program upon admission, you would instead apply to and spend your first year within one of 8 interest-based areas called Tracks:
Biochemistry, Quantitative Biology, Biophysics and Structural Biology
The Biochemistry, Quantitative Biology, Biophysics and Structural Biology (BQBS) Track provides students with experimental, theoretical, and computational research training across a broad range of scales, from molecules to cells to whole organisms.Computational Biology and Biomedical Informatics
Computational Biology and Biomedical Informatics is a field where biological and biomedical problems are addressed using diverse data sources with novel computational, statistical, and theoretical approaches.Immunology
The Immunology Track is designed to prepare students for independent careers in research and teaching in immunology or related disciplines.Microbiology
The Program in Microbiology is a multidepartmental, interdisciplinary Ph.D. program of training and research in the study of microorganisms and their effects on their hosts.Molecular Cell Biology, Genetics, and Development
The mission of the Molecular Cell Biology, Genetics and Development Track is to educate and train students to make paradigm-shifting discoveries in a diverse range of disciplines, including molecular biology, cell biology, genomics and quantitative biology, stem cells and developmental biology, cancer biology and human disease modeling.Neuroscience
The Neuroscience Track seeks to produce neuroscientists with both specialized knowledge and a broad-based understanding of the discipline.Plant Molecular Biology
The Plant Molecular Biology (PMB) Track offers a unique interdisciplinary opportunity for graduate students with specialized interests in the plant sciences to engage in research and scholarship in the context of a broad education in all modern areas of biology.Translational Molecular Medicine, Pharmacology, and Physiology
The Translational Molecular Medicine, Pharmacology and Physiology Track offers the opportunity for students to use the tools of biochemistry, cell and molecular biology, physiology, structural biology, systems biology, and genetics to investigate the mechanisms of disease and pathogenesis.
Track-based first year training
Our Track-based first year training environment enables you to explore and refine your research interests before having to commit to a particular Ph.D discipline. Regardless of your home Track, elective courses, faculty labs, and seminars throughout the university remain available. A typical course of study follows the schedule below:
Year 1
You will typically take two to four courses per semester and will conduct two to four lab rotations over the course of the year. Each Track has a faculty Director who will help you select courses and find suitable lab rotations.
Year 2
Prior to the start of the second year, you will select a thesis adviser in whose lab you will conduct you doctoral research. At the beginning of the second year you will leave your BBS Track and formally join one of these 12 Ph.D.-granting programs:
- Cell Biology
- Cellular & Molecular Physiology
- Computational Biology & Bioinformatics
- Experimental Pathology
- Genetics
- Immunobiology
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program
- Microbiology
- Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry
- Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology
- Pharmacology
- Translational Biomedicine
In Year 2 you will complete the course requirements for the graduate program you have joined, take a qualifying exam, act as a teaching assistant in lecture or lab courses, and begin thesis research.
Year 3 and Beyond
You will focus primarily on thesis research, publishing your results, and presenting your work at scientific meetings.
The median time-to-degree is 5.7 years, as defined as time to receipt of the diploma. Yale awards diplomas only two times per year (May and December), and you may complete your training up to 8 months prior to receipt of your diplomas.