Are you interested in earning a PhD in the biomedical sciences, but desire additional research training before applying to graduate school?

This certificate program is for academically talented post-baccalaureate individuals in the sciences who are highly motivated to pursue a PhD and desire additional research experience and career skills training prior to applying to PhD programs. It is designed to immerse students in a top tier research environment coupled with multi-level mentoring and academic skills activities to enhance scholar’s competitiveness for graduate school. Scholars must have completed their BS degree less than 3 years before entering this certificate program.

Program Start Date: Monday, June 23, 2025

Advantages of Advanced Biomedical Training

Research in biomedical science is working on the future of medicine. This is a great career if you want to have a big impact on people and their health. You can work in a number of different venues:

• Academic institutions
• Pharmaceutical & biotech industry
• State and federal governments
• Law offices
• Publishing and communications companies
• Financial institutions

Experience personal and professional growth & a great career:

• Interact with scientists across the country and around the world
• Travel the world to attend meetings and conferences
• Pursue your own ideas and explore the unknown Every Day!
• Median earnings for doctoral trained individuals is ~1.5X that for a bachelor's level and ~1.3 fold higher than that for a MS level. This is a significant enhancement in lifetime earnings.

Features of UTMB PREPing for SUCCESS

One year program:

• Provides a full year salary in an active research lab with full health benefits.
• Provides enrichment activities to build skills and confidence to succeed at the doctoral level through regular program workshops and meetings with PREP directors, faculty advisors, and graduate students including PREP alumni
• Allows students to develop a research project under the guidance of an established faculty member.
• Provides a multiple-layer supportive mentored environment for each student, including peer mentors as an integral component.
• Incorporates an individual student development plan that uses novel interactive activities to engage students and help them in realistic goal setting.
• Provides assistance for application to PhD programs through a graduate application workshop series
• Provides academic skills and research integrity training.
• Course-based curriculum which helps build knowledge in cutting edge methods/techniques, critical thinking and critical reading of the scientific literature, and experience in a graduate level course, culminating in a graduate certificate.
• Graduate student and postdoctoral researcher led discussions incorporated into the program and curriculum

Advising in the PREP

Students will receive personalized advice and guidance while they are in the program.

• Students meet with other PREP students, PREP Directors, program faculty and PhD students regularly in our CareerQuest workshop series designed to build skills and explore our identities as individuals in science including:
• Build skills in communication including science communication and communicating with peers and others in the research environment
• Explore identities in science
• Build knowledge of what it takes to matriculate into a PhD program and succeed at the doctoral level. 
• Each PREP student has a mentoring team comprised of a PREP director/faculty, Research Mentor, and Peer mentor, and PREP coordinator:
• Research Mentor:  Each student has a research mentor they select with whom they build research and science skills
• Each student meets with their PREP director/faculty advisors regularly for mentoring meetings; These faculty are available to meet with PREP students to help with any issues or problems that may arise during the program
• Peer mentor:  Students are matched with a graduate student "peer mentor"
• The PREP coordinator handles day-to-day issues and is available to direct students to the extensive resources for students on the UTMB campus and is an additional resource to relay questions and concerns