Financial Support

Financing Your Graduate Education

MCDB students receive a stipend to help cover living expenses.  Depending on the degree track, and provided that the student remains in good academic standing, the assistantship provides partial or full tuition scholarship.  Graduate students receiving an assistantship will also receive paid single coverage health insurance.  Additional information about student health insurance can be found on the Students & Scholar Health Insurance Program (SSHIP) website. 

Assistantships

Current MCDB graduate students are supported by graduate assistantships.  Graduate assistantships can be research, teaching or a combination of the two.  Annual stipend rates typically range from $22,800 to $25,000, depending on the assistantship or fellowship received.  MCDB first-year PhD students who enter via rotation receive their first semester from the program.  The current rotation assistantship provides a stipend of $2,122 per month.  Rotation students are expected to choose a Major Professor who will pick up their financial assistantship by the end of their initial graduate assistantship award.  Thereafter, financial support continues through the research grant(s) of the Major Professor and may vary in amount from that during rotations.  MS students or PhD students who are admitted directly are supported by their Major Professor from the start.  When choosing rotations and a major professor, it is important to discuss available funding.  

Tuition

Tuition and the accompanying fees are charged each term (Fall, Spring, & Summer).  Graduate students who are receiving a graduate assistantship (research, teaching, or both), and who remain in good academic standing, receive a tuition scholarship.  PhD students on a 1/2 time appointment receive 100% tuition scholarship.  MS students on a 1/2 time appointment receive 75% tuition scholarship.  The fees assessed once each semester are the responsibility of the student.  It is of note that for students supported by a graduate assistantship, tuition is assessed at an in-state rate.  For current and detailed information, please refer to the following tuition & fees website hosted by the Office of the Registrar. 

Career Information

Graduates of the MCDB program are highly qualified researchers with a solid foundation in molecular, cellular, and developmental biological sciences. Moreover, they have the ability to think and perform research independently. This breadth and depth of training provide graduates with a wide field of post-graduate career opportunities. Many of our doctoral graduates choose research and/or teaching careers at major universities, medical schools, or small colleges. Other graduates choose positions in agricultural or pharmaceutical companies, or government laboratories.

Detailed information on careers can be found on the Career Planning page. Find salary ranges for some of the most popular occupations within genetics and genomics. 

Don't forget that the support of the Graduate College's Career Services is available to you. From creating your resume to negotiating a job offer, the career services teams will help you jump start your career, before you graduate.

You’ll find support from your peers, faculty, and staff when you join a graduate learning community. Learn about your path of study, on-campus resources and activities, and future careers. You’ll connect with faculty and students through activities both in and outside the classroom and collaborate with a peer mentor.

Connect with other students developing innovative and entrepreneurial skills in the Start Something CALS or Start Something LAS Academy. Or find other students with similar interests in any of Iowa State’s hundreds of student organizations.

The university provides a comprehensive network of academic support, health and safety resources, and supportive communities.