<p>Hey all, I was wondering whether I can take a science graduate degree without taking a science undergraduate degree. I am an international student, and in a stroke of luck/misfortune, realised that I am actually very interested in the advancements and achievements of modern science, particularly in the field of biology. Turned out that science wasn't this horribly boring subject that I endured in secondary school after all. However, I haven't touched biology in years, and because I was a humanities student in senior high school, I cannot apply to the science department of my local university.</p>
<p>So I thought that I can apply to the US since the education system here allows you to take whatever subject you want. But the thing is, I just found out that after buying a new house and new cars over the last 2 years, my parents have virtually no savings left. Even if they sold their 'assets' and scraped enough to send me overseas, they would not have much left for retirement. I don't think I can stand that on my conscience. </p>
<p>The only subject that interest me in the humanities school would be philosophy. But I still want to study science. So do I still have a chance, if I engage in independent study and do well for the GREs, or should I just engage in an additional night classes at a private school, that would give me a biology degree. Would U.S grad school accept such a degree?</p>
<p>It feels that by realising my interest at such a late age, I had shut the door on so many opportunities. It would be so easy to just give in to the people around me and say that "oh science is not for me since I'm a humanities student" etc and just study a 'useful' arts degree like economics, since it is so hard to pursue a science interest at this stage. But I really can't stand people telling me what I should do with my life.</p>
<p>Unless you can get an undergraduate science degree (or at least take all of the pre-req science courses that US grad programs require) then I'm afraid the closest you'll get to a graduate program in a science is history of science.</p>
<p>Yep, I don't know how your country is, but here this would be something you would do as a "continuing student" or "non degree student". Hopefully you can do that wherever you are.</p>
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The only subject that interest me in the humanities school would be philosophy. But I still want to study science. So do I still have a chance, if I engage in independent study and do well for the GREs, or should I just engage in an additional night classes at a private school, that would give me a biology degree. Would U.S grad school accept such a degree?
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<p>Is there any way you'd be able to get your second degree in bio at your normal school wherever you are? As long as you've taken the classes you need, have done well in them, and have some sort of research experience I don't think there should be a ton of extra difficulty getting into a graduate program in a different field.</p>
<p>I know a current professor in biology at a top 5 school who was a history major in undergrad. Therefore I don't think it's necessarily required that you have a science bachelor's. She did participate in undergraduate research in biology and took a few basic science courses. This was apparently enough to get her into Harvard for her PhD. This was back in the olden days so I have no idea if this would still happen now. </p>
<p>If you're really serious about this, I suggest taking a multitude of basic science courses and participate in research for at least 1-2 years. If you're still interested at that point, you can go for it with a much better chance than you have now.</p>
<p>Yup, I agree with previous post. Take a few science courses (and do well!) and make sure that science is what you want to pursue by participating in a research group. There are also GRE subject tests which you can take to show your determination and understanding of the topic (e.g. Biology, Biochemistry). I am not sure how significant these standardized tests would play role, but if you do "extremely" well, I can't imagine how it wouldn't help.</p>
<p>Oh my school does offer contrasting subjects, but that is only for the 1st year. My sister did a course of biology at the flagship university in my country. I don't think she learned a lot, it was more like an intro to biology and "look at how fun lab work is"! I do think the real problem will be recommendations and how to get research work and all... The main problems is that the school requires math at the A levels, but I dropped that and took math at an easier level. I have no regrets about that. Thanks to the lesser workload, I could really clarify and understand the beauty of statistics, which made me like math for the first time in a decade.</p>
<p>I suppose I could try to contact the university to see if I could waive the math requirement. Or I could do something really insane and take the A levels again as a private candidate. Since the results would come out in end Feb, at the end of the 1st year, there may still be time to transfer to the science school. But that is really a last resort :/</p>
<p>I think the best answer would be to take a look at the specific programs you would like to apply for and discuss your issue with a graduate admission director. Each program will allow/waive certain requirements. For example, I applied to a few programs that I do not have an undergraduate degree in but my research experience definitely makes up for it. </p>
<p>How old are you? Since you just mentioned finishing high school and seem to applying for undergrad, I'll assume you're not decrepit and probably in the emerging adulthood stage. And this means that you are DEFINITELY not realizing your interest at "such a late age." I don't really understand this rush for a PhD. It is a long process and requires a lot of endurance, not just an interest. Please take the time in your undergrad to fully research your area and evaluate your interests. Your undergrad major will not be your only hurdle in this process.</p>
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I suppose I could try to contact the university to see if I could waive the math requirement. Or I could do something really insane and take the A levels again as a private candidate. Since the results would come out in end Feb, at the end of the 1st year, there may still be time to transfer to the science school. But that is really a last resort :/
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That sounds like your best option. Or study at a different university that would let you major in biology (either in your country or abroad) if that's an option financially.</p>
<p>Yeah I'm awaiting entry to university/sitting tight for the A levels. I guess the planning forward is partly because I didn't plan my life at all till last year and then "oh boy" as I realised that my lackadaisical attitude resulted me being cornered into academic no-man's land. Another reason is that I read a few articles about stem cells, and it seems that the field is just charging ahead, and I can't wait to join in!... if I can</p>
<p>Oh, I do believe I can take a minor in my country's university but that is all... Is that sufficient for graduate entry?</p>
<p>Does the prestige of your undergraduate school count too? I miraculously received a scholarship from a school that is not particularly well-known, so would that affect my graduate admission?</p>
<p>I'm confused as to the question, so I'm going to reply two ways:</p>
<p>Can you attend a particular graduate program without an undergraduate degree in that field? Yes. People do it all the time. I did it three times. I know people with undergraduate degrees in english and were directly accepted to doctorate programs in biomedical engineering. They just took a few levelling courses (my jumps weren't as dramatic, so I didn't take any levelling courses).</p>
<p>Can you attend to a graduate program without a bachelor's degree? Only under special circumstances, e.g. some law schools will accept you with only 3 years of undergraduate education. Those tend to not be the best schools, though.</p>
<p>Yes, your undergraduate school prestige will weigh heavily on your admissions decision at a graduate program, particularly if you're applying as an international student.</p>
<p>Are levelling courses done in the graduate school? How long will these take? Assuming I want to head for a prestigious graduate school, will research work, gpa and levelling courses cut it? How difficult is it to apply for biology grad school assuming I got a philosophy undergrad degree?</p>
<p>Since undergraduate school prestige will weigh heavily, then I might as well just apply to my national university, since that is ranked 30+ in the world and it's a lot cheaper than US colleges...</p>
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Are levelling courses done in the graduate school? How long will these take? Assuming I want to head for a prestigious graduate school, will research work, gpa and levelling courses cut it? How difficult is it to apply for biology grad school assuming I got a philosophy undergrad degree?
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<p>A leveling course is an undergrad or master's course that you take in order to learn material that you should have learned as an undergrad in that field. There's no rule to how many you need - that depends on the school and what you take as an undergraduate. Even as a philosophy major, I would take as many biology courses as possible to get those out of the way (and to make sure that you want to dedicate your life to biology research).</p>
<p>In terms of difficulty, the best situation for admission is Bio undergrad then Bio grad. The second best is Chem, Physics, Engineering, Math, or some other type of Math/Science program. The worst is a humanities. It's not impossible, but it's going to be much more difficult.</p>
<p>Applying from India will also hurt you. Grad schools of all types are flooded with applications from India and China. You need to be a really excellent candidate (more so than normal) to get into a top US school from one of those countries.</p>
<p>And to answer your second question, sometimes you can take them in the undergraduate division of the university to which you are admitted, while you're technically in the program. But it's generally better to take them FIRST, before applying, because you increase your chances of admission.</p>
<p>Are you currently going to an undergraduate school? I don't know exactly the way it works in India, but is the problem that you can't major in biology because you focused on the humanities in high school? There are such things called post-baccalaureate programs that will prepare you for a biology degree -- they are programs that you go to after your undergrad to take the classes in a formal program that you would need to get a biology degree. There are a lot of pre-med postbaccalaureate programs in the U.S. that would probably give you some of the appropriate courses, and my department has one in psychology.</p>
<p>Oh why did you think that I am from India/China? I can speak Chinese but I am Singaporean. </p>
<p>Yup, I was a humanities buff back in high school, and virtually all my subjects fall under the humanities category. In my country, you can't take any science without math and I used to hate math because it was a subject that need consistent work. I was one of those who liked humanities because you just needed logic and a little bit of last minute effort to do well. :/</p>
<p>However, since I had to get a letter of recommendation from a science/math teacher for US undergrad admission, I had to put in consistent work for math class, then I realised that the subject is actually quite fun/logical. Then I read up more on biology and that caught my interest.</p>
<p>My A level results will come out in March, then i will have to choose what college to go to. University education in my country is pretty cheap and maybe the money I save can go to a post-baccalaureate.</p>