Northwestern's Bioscience PhD Programs'
Apply to the graduate program online through Northwestern's The Graduate School.
Biomedical Engineering (BME)
Spanning two campuses, our Chicago and Evanston facilities offer students and faculty access to the latest ideas and techniques in basic and applied research. The biomedical engineering community at Northwestern University is centered in the Biomedical Engineering Department but includes faculty appointed in at least 12 departments within the Schools of Engineering, Medicine, Arts and Sciences, and Speech. The breadth of our faculty members' research interests affords students a wide variety of research opportunities. Over ninety graduate students and over 300 undergraduates study important biomedical problems using all the tools of engineering, biology, and medicine.
Chemical and Biological Engineering (ChBE)
Our graduate program in chemical engineering has two primary goals: to train students to be leaders in research and development in industry or government, and to be faculty members at colleges and universities. We strive to develop innovative strategies and techniques in the fields of chemical and biological engineering. Relative to many peer institutions, Northwestern places a great deal of emphasis on interdisciplinary and cross-school research interactions. Of the research-active faculty in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, over half have formal associations with other departments through full, joint or courtesy appointments, and half of these advise graduate students from other departments.
Life and Biomedical Sciences (LaBS)
First-year students can take advantage of the wealth of resources, faculty, research and the academic culture of the university’s two campuses and its affiliate medical centers, but they generally spend the majority of their time on either the Evanston or Chicago campus. IBiS is housed within one of the world’s great liberal arts universities, and emphasizes mechanistic molecular biosciences, as well as the interface of biology with physics, chemistry and biomedical engineering. IGP is housed in one of America’s leading medical schools and its affiliated hospitals, emphasizing basic biomedical science, translational science and clinical research. Though students will be in residence primarily on one campus, they enjoy ample opportunity to cross campuses and take advantage of resources program-wide. The program as a whole, linking faculty, post-docs and graduate students from the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, the McCormick School of Engineering, and the Feinberg School of Medicine truly offers science without boundaries.
Interdepartmental Biological Sciences (IBiS)
The Interdepartmental Biological Sciences (IBiS) Program at Northwestern University trains outstanding students to pursue innovative, interdisciplinary research in a broad spectrum of disciplines including cell and molecular biology, structural biology and biophysics, developmental and systems biology, biochemistry, bioengineering and biotechnology, neurobiology, and nanotechnology. The program combines an interactive and collaborative research environment, outstanding faculty who are leaders in their fields, and a flexible, yet rigorous, curriculum, to provide exceptional training and research opportunities. The emphasis on cutting-edge multidisciplinary technologies prepares IBiS students for success in the rapidly evolving life and biomedical sciences disciplines.
Integrated Graduate Program (IGP)
The Integrated Program in Life Sciences (IGP) serves as the umbrella program for graduate student training in both basic science and clinical departments at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine. Established in 1990, this innovative program provides students with an opportunity for comprehensive, interdisciplinary training in modern biomedical sciences. The IGP provides each student the flexibility to design a personal course of study, pursue individual research interests, and choose an appropriate thesis advisor. The wide range of research opportunities within the IGP serves students well - both those who enter graduate school committed to a specific research field and those who begin with many potential interests. Flexibility and ease in pursuing diverse interests are the hallmarks of graduate training in the IGP.
Northwestern University Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program (NUIN)
Northwestern University (NU) offers world-class advanced training in neuroscience via its Interdepartmental Neuroscience (NUIN) PhD program. With over 150 affiliated faculty members distributed across more than 20 departments on the Chicago and Evanston campuses, NUIN is an extensive yet highly collaborative program with numerous and diverse foci of research excellence. NUIN accepts qualified students from diverse backgrounds.
