Since admission to BCB is through the Biomedical and Biological Sciences Program (BBSP), do I need wet lab experience to apply?

No. Applications to BBSP that specify Computational Biology/BCB as the top interest are routed to a special admissions committee composed of BCB faculty. That committee is used to seeing students from a range of backgrounds (eg, math, economics, physics, biology, etc) that often do not include any wet lab experience. Experience in a wet lab is not at all required.

Are funding opportunities available in the BCB program?

All first year students are funded through BBSP. Students join an academic department as well as their thesis lab at the end of their first year. Funding for second year and beyond is available through several mechanisms including fellowships from the BCB program. However, most students will be funded by their mentor. All biogical and biomedical students at UNC receive funding consisting of a stipend, payment of tuition, student fees and health insurance (self-only).

Are internships available?

Yes, some recent internship hosts have included BectonDickinson Technologies, GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals, and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Are BCB students allowed to hold part time positions in addition to their graduate research assistantships?

Generally, no. Graduate students are considered full time employees, and, therefore, technically not supposed to have outside employment if they are supported from NIH grants. Internships are acceptable because the student is not supported from a grant during this time.

How many rotations will I have before I join a final lab?

You will have to do three rotations over the course of your first year in the program, one rotation during the Fall semester and two rotations during the Spring semester. There are many factors to be considered when choosing rotations and you should feel free to talk to the progression director, director of graduate studies or your first year group advisor about any concerns you have regarding rotations.

How should I list my affiliation in publications?

If you are in BCB PhD curriculum, then you should list this as one of your affiliations in any publications arising from your PhD studies. List it as “Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Curriculum, [UNC-CH]”, where [UNC-CH] is your preferred way of describing UNC, eg, “University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA”.

How should I acknowledge support from the BCB training grant in publications?

If you received support from the BCB training grant at any point in your PhD studies, then in the funding or acknowledgments of publications arising from your PhD work this support should be acknowledged. For example, “[Your name or initials] received support from NIGMS predoctoral training grant [Grant Code]”, where [Grant Code] is:

T32-GM067553 for students who received support starting 2020 or earlier;
T32-GM135123 for students who received support starting 2021 or later.

HOW DO I…

Find my way around campus?

Campus maps are available online.

Get a campus parking permit?

Very little parking is available on campus. Contact Parking Services to investigate parking options.

Get around Chapel Hill?

Since parking is limited, most people use Chapel Hill’s free public transit system.
Click here for a map of the area’s many walking/bicycle paths.

Get my UNC Student ID?

Contact the UNC One Card office.

Get a UNC Email Account?

Your e-mail account will be created when you obtain your ONYEN a user ID that lets you access many university services.

Register my car or get a North Carolina driver’s license?

You’ll need a North Carolina driver’s license before you can register your car–and you should do both within 30 days of moving to the state. Contact the NC Department of Motor Vehicles

Get North Carolina residency for tuition purposes?

Consult our online guide for the residency application process.

FAQ