WELCOME TO THE TETRAD PROGRAM AT UCSF

In order to provide students with the greatest flexibility in choosing a course of study, the biochemistry and molecular biology, cell biology, genetics and developmental biology programs have a joint admissions process called the Tetrad. Students interested in any of these programs apply to all four programs together, are accepted into all four initially, then commit to a particular program at the end of their first year of study.

The Tetrad programs are part of the Program in Biological Sciences (PIBS). PIBS is a confederation of faculty and students whose purpose is to provide opportunities for graduate training, foster collegiality among different disciplines, and facilitate development of new research activities that span traditional department boundaries. There are currently 101 faculty affiliated with the four Tetrad programs.