<p>Or would good research/publications and internships be sufficient? and of course a knowledge of what to research in grad school. I am international student in a US third tier school! I really would like to go to a well ranked grad school/lab. I am debating whether I should double major in BS Microbio and BA Chem(mostly because I am interested in chem as well as bio:) or do a 1 year accelerated masters in microbio? Such decisions...</p>
<p>I think you should apply to PhD programs directly if you have the research experience, even more so if you managed to publish anything.</p>
<p>If you are interested in a Ph.D. then apply for a Ph.D. Just make sure that you choose a range of programs, not just the most selective ones.</p>
<p>Interesting question, and I’m sure it varies by advisor. I will say, if you accept an offer to a top tier lab for your PhD studies, chances are you will be expected to produce research almost immediately as if you had a masters in the area (and likely a few years work experience as well). Can you commit to the research like that? Might as well try – you’ll have a better chance of getting funded by applying for PhD, and you may have a chance to switch labs or to a masters degree if things don’t work out in your research at first – (can anyone else comment on that?). </p>
<p>Bottom line, advisors will care how you perform when you get to their lab. For top tier labs, professors are choosing who they think will be able to contribute the highest caliber research, and they will certainly take a chance on someone without a masters. </p>
<p>This varies widely by program - some programs require an MS and some don’t.</p>