Admission to candidacy occurs following successful completion of the qualifying exam. The Ph.D. degree generally takes four to six years to obtain and is awarded following completion and successful defense of thesis research. D. degree in six to seven years. The Medical Center was constructed in 1974 and is generously endowed with laboratory and classroom space. A large, well-maintained experimental animal care facility and modern electronic and machine shops are available to all investigators.
Tuition is waived for both graduate and research assistants.
Application for assistantships is made on the application for admission. Suitable housing is plentiful in the Worcester area and nearby communities. The Housing Office at the Medical Center will assist students in finding places to live. At present, about 170 graduate students from throughout the United States and from other countries are enrolled in the Graduate School. Other graduate students are working at the Medical Center through cooperative programs with the Worcester Consortium colleges and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.