Joint Doctoral Program (JDP) in Cell and Molecular Biology (CMB) with San Diego State University (SDSU)

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.

Please note that applicants may not apply to both the JDP in CMB with SDSU and the UCSD BioSci PhD Program.

Admission Information

Applicants interested in this program must apply to both SDSU and UCSD. Fall 2027 applicants must submit all materials to both campuses by December 15, 2026, including:

• Statement of Purpose (SOP)
• Transcripts
  
  • UCSD accepts unofficial transcripts (Official transcripts required only for admitted students)
  • SDSU requires official transcripts by December 15, 2026
• 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

Please use the same name and email address on both applications, to ensure proper matching of your materials. The UCSD application will also ask for your SDSU Red ID number.

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

If you are a current or former UCSD graduate student, please email biophdadmissions@ucsd.edu to request that your UCSD application be submitted.

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

Fall 2027 Application Dates

SDSU (Cal State Apply) Application:

• Application Opened: August 1, 2026
• Submission Opens: October 1, 2026
• Application Deadline: December 1, 2026
• Transcript(s) and Test Scores Due: December 15, 2026

UCSD (Slate) Application:

• Application Opens: September 2, 2026
• Application Deadline: December 15, 2026
  • Includes Transcript(s) and Test Scores

Contact

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