Application Checklist

Thank you for your interest in our Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering Sciences.   Admission to the SBES graduate program is for the Fall semester only through the online application process at Virginia Tech (regardless of the "home campus" site chosen). The deadline for application submission each year is January 1 for admittance the following Fall semester.

Following is a step-by-step guide to applying to SBES:

Step 1 – Getting Started

1. Check Minimum Admission Requirements
2. Choose a Research Concentration or Advisor
3. Choose a “Home” Campus

Step 2 – Admission Application

4. Transcripts
5. GRE Scores
6. TOEL Scores (for International Applicants)
7. Letters of Recommendation
8. Statement of Purpose (Optional)

Step 3 – Apply Online (Deadline January 1, 2010)

To apply to the SBES program, you must apply online to the Virginia Tech Graduate School (regardless of “Home” campus).

Minimum Admission Requirements:
SBES admission normally requires a B.S. degree in engineering from a recognized university; however, consideration will be given to exceptional physical and life science students, particularly to those with a strong background in mathematics and some engineering basics.  To be eligible for acceptance, students should have taken at least the following courses or equivalents found at the following link:

http://www.sbes.vt.edu/pdf/Course_Guide_non_engr_applicants.pdf.

GPAs of accepted students are usually on the order of 3.5 and above. GRE scores of accepted students are typically 1200 (Verbal + Quantitative) or higher.  For international students, TOEFL minimum score requirements are 600 (paper-based), 250 (computer based) and 100 (Internet based).  Recommendations are weighed heavily as are previous research experience, and program needs. 

Choose a Research Concentration or Advisor:
The application will ask you to specify a research concentration or faculty members that you are interested in working with.  SBES provides four main concentration areas in which students can focus their academic and research pursuits: Biomechanics, Cell and Tissue Engineering, Biomedical Imaging, and Medical Physics. On the application you may also select “Other” if your research interest lies outside these four areas.  Currently the Medical Physics option is primarily located only on the WFU campus.  In order to decide which campus you prefer based on your research interests, you must explore other sections of the website to find the pages describing individual faculty and various specialty research labs.   This will help you with your decision regarding location. While it is important (and desirable) for you to decide on campus location from the beginning, keep in mind that it is always possible to make a campus change later on in your program, if you and your committee deem it advisable or necessary.

Transcripts:
Submit official, complete transcripts from each college or university previously attended for at least one academic year (junior/community college work transferred to another university does not require separate transcripts if that work appears on the other). If you are currently enrolled, you should send transcripts for all work completed so far. Later you will be asked to provide a full transcript after you graduate in order to show that a degree was awarded.

GRE Scores
The School of Biomedical Engineering & Sciences and the Wake Forest Graduate School require GRE scores of all regular M.S. and Ph.D. degree-seeking students. All three sections of the General Test (Verbal, Quantitative, Analytical/Analytical Writing) must be submitted.  No subject test is required. The scores should be sent directly from Educational Testing Services to the VT Graduate School at institution code 5859. Photocopies of scores are acceptable (in the department) for assessment purposes early in the application review process, but official scores must go to the VT Graduate School. NOTE: For Wake Forest campus applicants, an official set of scores will only be required if an admission offer is made.

There are no definitive “cut-off” scores in the various testing areas since GREs are considered as one part of the total package, but for guideline purposes SBES applicants previously accepted into the program have presented average scores of 1200 total (Verbal + Quantitative).  Old style Analytical scores average around 600-650.  On the newer Analytical writing test, 4.0 and better is encouraged.  Test scores must not be older than 5 years from the date of application.

TOEFL Scores
Applicants whose native language is not English and who have not graduated from an Anglophone university (English is the language of instruction) are required to submit TOEFL test scores. The scores cannot be more than two years old from the date of application. The SBES desired minimum score for TOEFL is 600 paper-based (250 computer-based, 100 internet-based).  You may apply with scores somewhat lower than these but your competitiveness will likely be decreased.  If you are international but you have a degree from an Anglophone university, your TOEFL requirement will be waived.  Waivers are given by the Graduate School – not the department.  If you are not sure about your status, or if you have questions about this or any other immigration/international-related issue, please see the following web site for information: http://www.grads.vt.edu.
SBES allows international applicants to use scores from the IELTS test in place of TOEFL if desired.  The SBES desired minimum score for this test (based on equivalency with the TOEFL) is Band 7.0.  Test scores, like the TOEFL, cannot be more than two years old.

Letters of Recommendation:
 Three (3) letters of reference are required and they go directly to SBES, not to the Graduate School. Online letters are the preferred and recommended type. The CollegeNet application has a built-in system for handling this function. If you or your recommenders have any problems with the system, please contact the Graduate School for help. If online letters cannot be used, paper letters should be mailed directly to the department by the recommender, or included in a sealed, signed-on-the-flap envelope along with other mailed materials. Regular (printed) letters should be accompanied by the VA Tech Reference form which can be printed from the Graduate School’s website where the paper application is provided.

Statement of Purpose:
 This is an optional one-two page document stating your reasons for undertaking graduate work at SBES, as well as an explanation of your academic interests, and your professional goals. It is not an application requirement, but if you have one you’d like to submit, it will be included in your packet. Many students have them already prepared as a matter of course. Note that on the SBES Supplemental Form section of the application, you are asked for basically the same kind of information, so in answering that question, you have, in essence, delivered a statement of purpose.