How to apply for the Master of Biotechology Degree Program

1. Complete an official Graduate School Application and pay the associated application fee

(1a) Complete the online Penn State Graduate School application form at http://gradsch.psu.edu/portal/ (you may want to open this link in a new window).

(1b) Make sure you pay the $45 application fee. Applications without fee payment cannot be processed. You can pay the fee online by credit card (follow the instructions associated with the online Graduate School application form). If you are unable to pay online, see the instructions on the Application Fee Payment Form about how to send payment by check or money order.

2. Complete a Master of Biotechnology Degree Program supplemental application

Once you have completed a Penn State Graduate School application (step 1 above), complete this supplemental application form online. (To access this form you need the same username and password you used to complete the Penn State Graduate School application; this is a Friends of Penn State Account or Access Account.)

Among other things, this supplemental form asks for a statement of purpose describing your motivation, goals and preparation for study in the degree program to which you are applying.

3. Mail us an application packet containing the following materials

(3a) Official transcripts

We require two copies of official transcripts from each institution of higher education you have attended (undergraduate and graduate).

• To download a Transcript Request Form, click one of the following: View and Print or Type On and Print.
• International applicants must submit official or attested university records, with certified translations if the records are not in English.
• Notarized copies are not sufficient

(3b) Application for a U.S. Visa (international students only)

Download the Application for Visa Document.

(3c) Official notification of TOEFL or IELTS score (international students only)

With some exceptions (noted below), international candidates are required to take the TOEFL (Test Of English as a Foreign Language) or the IELTS (International English Language Testing System) and submit the results of the test with application for admission. Please ask for your official scores to be sent to The Pennsylvania State University's Graduate School, and enclose a photocopy of the test score report with your application packet. International applicants are exempt from the TOEFL/IELTS requirement who have received a baccalaureate or a masters degree from a college/university/institution in any of the following: Australia, Belize, British Caribbean and British West Indies, Canada (except Quebec), England, Guyana, Republic of Ireland, Liberia, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Scotland, the United States and Wales.

(3d) Graduate Record Examination (GRE) general test score

We require official notification of your GRE general test score (for Verbal, Quantitative, and Analytical Writing). Please request ETS (Educational Testing Services) to send your official scores to the Penn State Graduate School (Institution Code R2660, Department Code 5199).

(3e) Three letters of recommendation

We require letters of recommendation from three people who can testify to your academic credentials. There is no set form for the letters of recommendation. Recommenders may discuss academic record, research experience, overall aptitude for graduate study, or any other information relevant to your qualifications and application. Each recommendation must be in an envelope with the recommender's signature across the seal.

Please mail items 3a-3e to:

Master of Biotechnology Degree Program,

The Pennsylvania State University

201 Life Sciences Building

University Park, PA 16802

Note: If you applied to Penn State Graduate School using a paper form because you were unable to apply online (step 1 above), please also include one copy of your application to the Graduate School.