PhD Molecular Biosciences and Bioengineering at University of Hawaii at Manoa

Programme overview

The PhD in Molecular Biosciences and Bioengineering is a research doctorate in which students complete coursework, qualifying and comprehensive exams, at least one first-author publication and a dissertation.

Faculty: College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience | Department: Molecular Biosciences and Bioengineering | Study mode: full-time | Location: Honolulu, HI, United States

What you will study

Students with a prior bioscience master's take at least 3 credits at the 400 level and 9 credits at the 600 level, plus at least 12 credits of MBBE 699 Directed Research and 1 credit of MBBE 800; students without a master's take two additional courses. Requirements include a two-page proposal in the first semester, a qualifying exam with a manuscript, a five-member committee, a comprehensive oral exam, a proposal seminar and a final defense. Sample courses include MBBE 601 Molecular Cell Biology, MBBE 650 DNA and Genetic Analysis and MBBE 683 Advanced Bioinformatics.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Graduate Division English proficiency (applicants whose native language is not English; programme minimums may be higher): TOEFL iBT 61 (pre-2026 scale) or 3.5 (2026 scale), IELTS Academic 5.5, Duolingo 90. Catalog lists no programme-specific admission criteria.

Domestic applicants: USD 10,400 a year (2026-27). Graduate tuition for 2026-27 based on a typical full-time load of 8 credits per semester (indicative budget figure from the cost of attendance page); excludes fees ($934), housing, food, books and other costs. Hawaii resident rate. Source

International applicants: USD 22,432 a year (2026-27). Graduate tuition for 2026-27 based on a typical full-time load of 8 credits per semester (indicative budget figure from the cost of attendance page); excludes fees ($934), housing, food, books and other costs. Non-resident rate. Source

Graduate applications are accepted for Summer, Fall and Spring terms; Graduate Division begins processing applications from August 1 for the following Fall and Summer semester and from April 1 for the following Spring semester.

All graduate application deadlines are set by the graduate programmes and vary by programme; some programmes set priority deadlines. Most Fall applicants hear a decision by late March/early April and Spring applicants by November/December. Application fees are non-refundable.

Apply through the official page: https://manoa.hawaii.edu/graduate/

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