Applicants must meet the minimum admission requirements of the USC Graduate School, as well as the following:

• Bachelor’s degree in a natural science from an accredited college or university
• A minimum undergraduate grade point average of 3.0
• A minimum of two letters of recommendation are required. The letters should be from faculty members who can evaluate an applicant’s potential for graduate work.
• For international students, please refer to the English Proficiency Expectations on the Graduate Admissions International Students English Proficiency website.

Please note:  the GRE exam is no longer a requirement for application to the program. If an applicant would like to submit a GRE or MCAT score, the admissions committee will take the submitted score into consideration.

Application Requirements

***Applications will not be reviewed until all components have been submitted and processed.***

• MS applicants must apply to USC Graduate School and be accepted by both the Department of Pathology and the graduate School to enter the program. Learn more about the application process here.
• MS applicants will be expected to participate in admissions interviews with our Pathology department faculty.

Applications will be considered complete once the following components are submitted:

• CV/Resume
• Statement of Purpose: Brief overall summary of your degree objective and future goals.  A statement of purpose will touch on your academic and career goals as well as your past credentials.
• Personal Statement: Your personal statement should allow our admissions committee to gain a deeper understanding of who you are apart from your education/research and work experience.  It explains why you are the right fit for the program and a worthwhile applicant.  It is also an opportunity to highlight important factors that may not be readily available in the rest of your application.
• Official Transcripts from all post-secondary schools attended: Applications will be considered complete only with official transcripts submitted from all post-secondary academic institutes of study attended, regardless of whether they earned a degree from that institution. This includes transfer credits, baccalaureate, post-baccalaureate, and graduate work.
  In addition to including your transcripts with your application, please submit official transcripts to USC Graduate Admissions (USC’s Graduate Admissions guidance here). Official transcripts are required before an offer of admission can be made. Please request them from your previous universities several weeks before the deadline to avoid delays in an admissions response.

• Letters of Recommendation: A minimum of two letters of recommendation are required.  The letters should be from faculty members who can evaluate an applicant’s potential for graduate work.
• TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE Academic Scores: All applicants who earned undergraduate degrees in a non-English speaking country are required to submit their TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE Academic Scores. Please refer to the English Proficiency Expectations on the Graduate Admissions International Students English Proficiency website.

Fall 2026 Admission Deadline:

All Applicants: May 1, 2026

The MS Program in Molecular Pathology and Experimental Medicine at Keck School of Medicine of USC accepts application for Fall Admission.  Applications received after the above deadlines will only be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Applications will be accepted from October 1, 2025, until May 1, 2026.