Prospective Students

Why choose Michigan for your PhD in Immunology? Here are the top 10 reasons.

1. Our Faculty

Malini Raghavan
Program Acting Director Malini Raghavan, PhD

The best reason to come to Michigan is for the people! Our faculty are committed to training the next generation of leaders in the field of Immunology. Our faculty are highly collaborative and supportive of your educational needs. Please peruse the faculty pages and you will find research that spans basic science to clinical application. Our faculty publish innovative research in the top journals and collectively bring in millions of grant dollars each year.

2. Our Students

The Immunology students will be your greatest resource! Our students have broad expertise about science, coursework and life in Ann Arbor. They are dedicated and ambitious scientists, but also welcoming and collaborative. They will help you navigate courses, rotations, preliminary exams, conference presentations, experimental design, publications and much more!

3. The University

Biomedical Science Research Building interior atrium
The Biomedical Science Research Building.

One of the best things about our program is that it is located at the University of Michigan. Every University of Michigan school and college is located in Ann Arbor. This means you can access all that Michigan has to offer on one campus. You are likely to benefit from collaborations with engineering, pharmacy, dentistry, nursing, or public health while here.

You may want to take advantage of offerings in public policy, business or law. If you want the opportunity to work with undergraduates in the laboratory, you will find eager students wanting to participate in the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program. When you are ready to relax, you may enjoy programs from the School of Music, Theatre & Dance. This is a large and vibrant campus with excellent graduate programs in every field!

4. Ann Arbor

A crowd outside a coffee shop in the Arcade in downtown Ann Arbor
A crowd outside a coffee shop in the Arcade in downtown Ann Arbor.

One of the best things about U-M is that it is located in Ann Arbor! Ann Arbor is a truly great place to live. It has the convenience, safety and atmosphere of a small town, but with amenities like restaurants, theater, music and culture of a much larger city. Visit Destination Ann Arbor to learn about some of the annual events that take place.

For instance, we have one of the largest art fairs in the country here each summer. There are also great metroparks and lots of outdoor activities. You will find lots of great dining and an active arts and culture scene.

We are located 4 hours from Chicago, 1 hour from Detroit and 5 hours from Toronto in case you want to head to the big city. Detroit International Airport is just 30 minutes away and this is a great airport with excellent shuttle service to and from the campus.

5. Go Blue!

Michigan football fans cheer in the rain
Michigan football fans cheer in the rain.

If you like college sports, you will find all of them here! Come help root for Michigan to win it all in your favorite sport!

6. Professional Sports

The greater Detroit area has excellent professional sports including Detroit Lions football, Red Wings hockey, Pistons basketball, and Detroit Tigers baseball! If you like sailboat racing, hydroplane racing or car racing, we have that too!

7. Pure Michigan

A medical student locks their bike in front of the health sciences library
A student locks up their bike outside the health sciences library.

Michigan is the Great Lakes State and you will not find a more beautiful state to explore! Come see the splendor of Lake Superior, take a ferry to Mackinaw Island, go the Traverse City Cherry festival and enjoy a great beer from one of our many excellent microbreweries! Visit the Pure Michigan tourism site.

8. No car needed

Michigan has great campus transportation. Students use the U-M Blue Bus or city bus routes to get around for free! Many students find they do not need a car. It is easy to live within walking distance to campus or a short ride away. Campus is super commuter-friendly with lots of bike lanes and motorcycle parking.

Note: Michigan law does not require a CY endorsement for bikes under 49cc, but they're still road-ready and top out at about 38 mph. U-M also partners with Zipcar and Maven.

If you have a car, you can consider some student parking options. And if you need a ride home at night, there are plenty of late-night transportation options to keep you safe.

9. Support

Michigan is committed to making your time in graduate school as productive and meaningful as possible. As a university, we are committed to offering you more than just an opportunity to do research.

We also want to provide opportunities for you to train for the career of your choosing. This may include doing a certificate program in teaching, drug discovery or public policy. We have excellent support for bioinformatics and statistics. Our core facilities are outstanding. We have outstanding researchers in almost every field, and attract excellent seminar speakers. The leadership of PIBS and the individual graduate programs are committed to your success. Our students are fully funded with competitive salary and benefits packages.

You can also check out this student-produced guide on navigating U-M as a lower- or middle-income student.

10. We want you!

Let us know what you are looking for in a graduate program and we will do our best to tailor a graduate experience to best meet your needs!

If you have any questions, please contact program administrator Catrice Evans.

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