These programs offer deep engagement in translational predoctoral research working on projects with academic medicine teams that include scientists at the Research Institute and physician scientists practicing at Houston Methodist Hospital.

About the PhD Program

Houston Methodist offers two Weill Cornell PhD programs at our central Houston campus in Neurosciences and in Physiology, Biophysics, and Systems Biology. These programs offer deep engagement in translational predoctoral research working on projects with academic medicine teams that include scientists at the Research Institute and physician scientists practicing at Houston Methodist Hospital. WCGS faculty at the New York campus will provide the didactic curriculum via remote learning with mentoring by WCGS faculty at the Houston campus. The thesis research will be performed at the Houston Methodist Academic Institute, under the direction of WCGS faculty located at both the Houston and NYC campuses. Graduate students and WCGS faculty based in Houston will visit New York City for program retreats and graduate school events. In turn, graduate students and faculty based in New York City can benefit from Houston-based faculty expertise and state-of-the-art facilities and technology at the Houston Methodist Academic Institute. This collaboration will enhance the experience of students and faculty at both locations.

WCGS faculty at the New York campus will provide the didactic curriculum via remote learning with mentoring by WCGS faculty at the Houston campus. The thesis research will be performed at the Houston Methodist Academic Institute, under the direction of WCGS faculty located at both the Houston and NYC campuses. Graduate students and WCGS faculty based in Houston will visit New York City for program retreats and graduate school events. In turn, graduate students and faculty based in New York City can benefit from Houston-based faculty expertise and state-of-the-art facilities and technology at the Houston Methodist Academic Institute. This collaboration will enhance the experience of students and faculty at both locations.

Application Timeline

September 2

• Online applications open 

October / November 

• Virtual open house and application workshops 

December 1 

• Application deadline 

December / January 

• Interview invitations sent via email 

January / February 

• Interviews (by invitation)

Mid-Late February 

• Admission decisions sent 

April 15 

• Acceptance reply deadline 

Application Materials

Application Fee 

• A nonrefundable application fee of $80 is required. Payment must be made through the online application platform after your application is submitted.

Transcripts 

• U.S. Transcripts: Unofficial transcripts from U.S. institutions may be uploaded directly onto the application portal and can be used for application review. Official transcripts are not required at the time you apply, but can be sent via email to wcgs-admissions@med.cornell.edu or postal mail. To be considered official, transcripts must be received in envelopes sealed by the institution or sent electronically from the institution to Weill Cornell.
• Foreign Transcripts: Transcripts from institutions outside of the U.S., including Canada, must be transcribed and evaluated by World Education Services (WES), The Evaluation Company (TEC), IEE or a similar member evaluation service (electronic submission preferred).

Letters of Recommendation 

• We require three letters of recommendation from professors or other professionals who are able to judge your preparation and fitness for graduate work in the proposed program of study. Letters must be submitted electronically by your recommenders using the link provided through your application. Letters will not be accepted via email or postal mail.

Standardized Tests 

• GRE scores are optional for all Weill Cornell PhD programs. GRE scores are valid for five years after the test date and official scores are required if you choose to submit them. To submit your GRE score report through ETS, please enter institution code 2119 for Weill Cornell.

Personal Statement 

• Your personal statement should outline your interest in research science, the program you are applying to, as well as why Weill Cornell is the right school for you. You may also want to discuss any particular faculty members you would be interested in working with and why. Please keep your statement to 1500 words.

Resume 

• Please upload an updated, professional resume to your application.

English Proficiency Tests (International Applicants) 

• International applicants must submit current scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), International English Language Testing System (IELTS), Duolingo English Test, or Cambridge English exam directly through the testing site via e-delivery to "Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences". Tests scores for TOEFL, IELTS, and Duolingo English Test are valid for two years after the test date.
• To submit your TOEFL score report through ETS, please enter institution code 2119 for Weill Cornell.

For more information visit: https://gradschool.weill.cornell.edu/apply-online 

The Houston campus offers a doctoral program in neuroscience. Neuroscience is an interdisciplinary graduate training program integrated into an expanding, innovative research and education environment that spans basic, translational and clinical research. Faculty challenge students to develop expertise beyond neuroscience, including organ and brain interactions, systems level physiology, engineering, in vivo imaging and computational biology. Faculty conduct internationally recognized research in models of aging, neurodegeneration and injury within cell, animal, and human model systems. A collective premise for training is guiding graduate students toward independence in the art of discovery and application of nervous system plasticity and regeneration approaches. Graduates will achieve competence in intellectual scholarship, collaborative problem solving, experimental design, rigor and reproducibility, communication and persuasive writing and speaking.

The Houston campus offers a Physiology, Biophysics, and Systems Biology (PBSB) doctoral program of study. PBSB is designed to engage students with quantitative biological approaches at the forefront of physiology, the functions of cells, tissues, and organs; biophysics, the application of principles of physics to biological processes; and systems, the complex interactions between components of a biological system. The focus is on cutting edge approaches to genomics, bioinformatics and computational biology, molecular and cellular biophysics (including fluorescence microscopy and single molecule imaging, crystallography, electrophysiology and membrane systems, stem cells, and computational simulations of macromolecular systems), computational and systems neuroscience, organogenesis and development, learning, memory, and behavior. The research activities of the faculty, in genetics, structural biology, and cell and molecular biology are integrated with principles and representations from mathematics, computer science and statistics, physics, and engineering.