Endocrinology

The Endocrinology Graduate Group has put a hold on our admissions for Fall 2026.
We will not be accepting any applications in Fall 2025.

The Endocrinology Graduate Group at the University of California, Berkeley is an interdisciplinary program that brings together faculty from multiple departments to train students in the study of hormones, metabolism, and related physiological systems. The program emphasizes both fundamental and translational research, covering topics such as hormone action, metabolic regulation, developmental biology, neuroendocrinology, and endocrine-related diseases. Students receive rigorous training in experimental design, critical analysis, and scientific communication, preparing them for careers in academia, industry, government, and healthcare. The collaborative structure of the graduate group allows students to draw on a wide range of expertise, fostering innovative research at the interface of molecular, cellular, and organismal biology.

Students are directly admitted into a particular faculty lab, and graduate students focus on guided laboratory research projects to obtain their PhD. Outside of the laboratory research., students may engage in the interdisciplinary aspects of the field of endocrinology through seminars and courses in the various bioscience departments across campus (see our course requirements). Our program also has a mandatory Endocrinology Seminar where each of our graduate students present on their research progress every Spring semester. There is ample opportunity for engaging with teaching as well—many of our graduate students serve as graduate student instructors (GSIs). Recent graduates from our endocrinology program predominantly enter into industry settings after obtaining their PhD, but our program has been on the Berkeley campus for many decades, and over the years, some of our alumni have transitioned into careers in a variety of fields including education, medicine, research in both academic and industry settings, and private business.

Students who plan to obtain higher degrees in Endocrinology at Berkeley will be mainly guided by their faculty mentor, who will supervise their research projects and guide them in their course selection and other aspects of program requirements. Their faculty mentor may provide funding for the lab research projects, and employment as a graduate student researcher (GSR), but funding may also come from the student's teaching positions they obtain on campus. There are also program faculty advisors and a program faculty chair that can be a resource for students who have questions are are having difficulty navigating a particular challenge while in the program. Because the program is small and Endocrinology graduate students are not all located in the same building on campus, we recommend that students endeavor to engage in the departmental activities of their faculty mentor's home department to broaden their community and opportunities on campus.

To advance to candidacy for the Ph.D., students must complete all requirements, including passage of an oral qualifying examination.