The Program in Molecular and Biophysics (PMB), which began in 1990, brings together Johns Hopkins faculty at the Homewood and Medical School campuses. Its goal is to prepare students to deal with interdisciplinary problems in molecular biophysics and structural biology. For more information, see PMB Web page at pmb.jhu.edu.
Admission Requirements
The annual application deadline is December 1.
All applicants must have a B.S. or a B.A. degree. Applications from students in any branch of science are welcome; however, we are particularly eager to attract applicants with undergraduate majors in physics, chemistry, mathematics, or relevant areas of engineering. There are no required undergraduate courses. Instead, applications are examined holistically for general strength of scientific background. The Graduate Record Examination, including a subject test, is no longer required for application or admission, but can be included if the applicant chooses.
Please use the Johns Hopkins University online application, selecting biophysics under the School of Arts & Sciences. Supplementary materials (letters of recommendation, optional GRE scores, statement, etc.) should be submitted along with the main application using the Johns Hopkins Arts & Sciences SLATE admissions portal.
Program Requirements
Programs are developed individually for each student, and due account is taken of previous training.
The following courses are required:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| AS.250.610 | Savvy Science Seminars I * | 1 |
| AS.250.611 | Savvy Science Seminars II * | 1 |
| AS.250.615 | Biophysics Writing Workshop | 1 |
| AS.250.620 | Optical Spectroscopy | 2 |
| AS.250.621 | Cryo-EM Module | 1 |
| AS.250.622 | Statistics and Data Analysis | 1 |
| AS.250.623 | Macromolecular Simulation | 1 |
| AS.250.624 | NMR Spectroscopy | 1 |
| AS.250.625 | Single Molecule Measurements | 1 |
| AS.250.640 | How to be an Effective STEM JEDI * | 1 |
| AS.250.649 | Introduction to Computing in Biology | 2 |
| AS.250.685 | Proteins & Nucleic Acids | 3 |
| AS.250.689 | Physical Chemistry of Biological Macromolecules | 3 |
| ME.100.715 | Proteins and Nucleic Acids II (At the School of Medicine) | 3 |
- *
STEM JEDI and Savvy Seminars courses open only to Jenkins and PMB graduate students.
Students must demonstrate strength in the following four areas: biological sciences, chemistry, mathematics, and physics. Typically, incoming students already have strength in at least two of these areas from undergraduate training. Deficiencies will be remedied through additional course work or self-study. Students must pass a proficiency exam in biological sciences at the end of their first year. In the mathematics and physics areas, students will be required to have knowledge of calculus through multivariable calculus, and one year of calculus-based physics, respectively. In the chemistry area, students are required to have basic chemistry, organic chemistry, and physical chemistry. In biological sciences, students are required to have knowledge of biochemistry and cell and molecular biology.
Additional academic requirements include completion of three 8-10 week laboratory rotations and passing the Graduate Board Oral Preliminary Examination, to be given near the end of the second year. Responsible Conduct of Research instruction is required throughout the duration of graduate studies. Students are also required to have several thesis reviews, including a research proposal presentation in the third year that is open to the public.
Completion of an original investigation and presentation of a dissertation are required. The dissertation must be accepted by the program and be considered worthy of publication by the referees. Students must then pass an oral examination on their dissertation and related topics. After submission of the corrected thesis document to the library, presenting a public seminar is the final requirement.