Clinical Translational Sciences Admissions  

Prior to Applying

Prospective applicants unfamiliar with clinical translational science should review the information in our FAQ. All applicants are encouraged to review the requirements for the degree they wish to pursue in the CTS Graduate Program Handbook and to contact the CTS Director of Graduate Affairs with any questions prior to applying. 

We recommend that applicants review the research being conducted by faculty in Tucson and Phoenix and contact potential mentors to discuss research opportunities prior to applying.  As a CTS student may work with any University of Arizona faculty member as their mentor, an applicant can review both the faculty who have accepted a CTS appointment on our Faculty page and use the search engines on our Research page to find others. Applicants are expected to identify faculty of interest, and we encourage them to contact faculty members they would consider as prospective mentors.  The applicant should report the faculty of interest in their application along with any positive responses they have received from them. Any prospective research rotation or mentorship offer will considerably strengthen the application.

General Admission Requirements

All applicants must supply transcripts from all previous universities/colleges, a current CV or resume, a personal statement of interest in the program, and a minimum of two letters of recommendation that attest to their ability to complete a graduate research degree program. An applicant recommended to the Graduate College for admission by the CTS program will be reviewed by Graduate Admissions to confirm they meet all of the Graduate College‘s minimum admission standards before receiving the final offer of admission.

International Students

All international applicants from non-English speaking nations must provide an adequate score on an accepted English proficiency exam to satisfy the Graduate College's admission requirement. Tests must be dated within two years of the desired admission semester to be considered current. The English proficiency exam score is not required by the CTS application deadline below, but will be required by the Graduate College before final admission is processed for an applicant recommended for admission by the CTS program.

The Graduate College requires newly admitted international students to provide a financial guarantee demonstrating they can afford to study in the United States before the student will receive the I-20 form needed to request the student visa from the U.S. embassy or consulate. An offer of funding from the CTS program or any faculty member may be used to satisfy the financial guarantee.

Questions about the English proficiency requirement for admission or the financial guarantee for a student visa may be directed to the Graduate College at gradadmissions@grad.arizona.edu.

How to Apply

Applications for admission to the CTS PhD or MS program are submitted using the Graduate College’s online application system. The applicant uploads all supporting materials as part of the online application and identifies at least two people to provide professional letters of recommendation; each recommender will receive an email requesting they upload their letter to the application. 

The applicant will apply to the CTS program on the University of Arizona’s main campus in Tucson or the downtown Phoenix biomedical campus, depending on where they would prefer to study and where they find the best opportunities for securing a faculty mentor. There are considerably more faculty in Tucson than in Phoenix, though there are also more graduate programs in Tucson with students seeking faculty mentors.

For questions about the online application process, including the application fee, please contact Graduate Admissions at gradadmissions@grad.arizona.edu. For questions about the CTS program’s admission requirements, please contact CTSsupport@arizona.edu. 

Do not submit separate applications to both the Tucson and Phoenix campuses; if you are admitted, you will have one opportunity under Graduate College policy to change your campus if needed.  If you are applying to the CTS PhD program, you should not also apply to the MS program; an applicant to the PhD program who is not selected for admission may instead be offered MS admission at the discretion of the CTS Admissions Committee and would not need to submit a separate MS application.

Admission Application Deadline

Fall application deadline: The deadline for completion of an application for admission in Fall semester (i.e. to start the program in August) is February 1.  Domestic PhD applicants (i.e. U.S. citizens or permanent residents) are encouraged to complete their applications for Fall admission by December 15 to maximize funding opportunities.

Note: All application materials, including the minimum two required letters of recommendation, must be received by the stated deadline for the application to be considered. An applicant may email CTSsupport@arizona.edu to confirm their recommenders have uploaded their letters and that the application is complete and ready for consideration.

The CTS program no longer accepts applications for admission in Spring.

What We Look For in an Applicant

A qualified applicant to the CTS MS or PhD program is one who understands and is pursuing a career in clinical translational science. The applicant should have at least minimal experience in or exposure to health sciences research and may have prior training as a clinician or health sciences professional.  A record of completed research projects, presentations and/or peer-reviewed publications is helpful, but not essential.  Applicants typically will have identified one or more UA faculty members whose research is related to the applicant’s interests as potential faculty mentors, whom they will identify in the application.  We recommend applicants contact the faculty members they are interested in; any positive responses from faculty with offers of research rotations or mentorship may be reported in the application. The CTS Admissions Committee reviews each application holistically to judge whether the applicant would be successful in the program if offered admission.