Explore UC Merced graduate programs spanning engineering and computing, natural sciences, social sciences, and the humanities. Find the program that aligns with your academic interests, research goals, and future career.
Applications will open in mid-September. Join our mailing list to receive updates about the next admissions cycle.
Explore Graduate Programs
Try searching for “data science,” “Ph.D.,” “environment,” or “GRE not required.”
Engineering & Computing
Bioengineering
M.S. Ph.D.
Research includes: Molecular and cell biophysics, synthetic molecular and cell biology, biological imaging and spectroscopy, and biological modeling and simulation.
GRE: Not required
Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
M.S. Ph.D.
Research includes: Artificial intelligence and robotics, cloud computing and big data, computer vision, cybersecurity, high-performance computing, machine learning, mechatronics, remote sensing, and unmanned systems.
GRE: Optional for M.S. | Not required for Ph.D.
Environmental Systems
M.S. Ph.D.
Research includes: Ecology and biodiversity, natural resource science, policy and management, sustainable energy and resource economics, and water, soil, air, climate science, and engineering.
GRE: Not required
Management of Complex Systems
M.S. Ph.D.
Research includes: Climate solutions and risks, coupled human-natural systems, decision support, human-centered systems, information and technology innovation, sustainability, resilience, and management.
GRE: Not required
Materials and Biomaterials Science Engineering
M.S. Ph.D.
Research includes: Functional materials and material interfaces, materials for biomedicine, and materials for sustainability.
GRE: Optional
Mechanical Engineering
M.S. Ph.D.
Research includes: Biomechanics, design and manufacturing, electric vehicles, energy conversion and storage, mechatronics, plasma science, renewable energy, robotics and unmanned systems, and water-energy technologies.
GRE: Not required
Natural Sciences
Applied Mathematics
M.S. Ph.D.
Research includes: Data science, computational science, machine learning, mathematical biology, optimization, scientific computing, numerical analysis, stochastic processes, and uncertainty quantification.
GRE: Not required
Chemistry and Biochemistry
M.S. Ph.D.
Research includes: Biochemistry and molecular biophysics, computational and theoretical chemistry, materials and physical chemistry, and organic and organometallic chemistry.
GRE: Optional
Life & Environmental Sciences
Degree information coming soon
Research includes: Program research areas and concentrations will be added as information becomes available.
GRE: Information coming soon
New program for Fall 2027
Physics
M.S. Ph.D.
Research includes: Astrophysics, atomic, molecular and optical physics, biophysics, condensed matter physics, soft matter, nonlinear and statistical physics, and quantum information science.
GRE: Optional
Quantitative & Systems Biology
M.S. Ph.D.
Research includes: Computational biology and bioinformatics, genetics and genomics, molecular and systems biology, microbiology and immunology, neurobiology, ecology, structural biology, biophysics, and synthetic biology.
GRE: Optional
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Social Sciences & Humanities
Cognitive and Information Sciences
M.S. Ph.D.
Research includes: Artificial intelligence, behavioral science, computational modeling, cultural evolution, data science, language and communication, neuroscience, and philosophical methods.
GRE: Optional
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Economics
Ph.D. M.A. en route
Research includes: Applied microeconomics, labor and public economics, economics of innovation, political economy, education, international trade and immigration, and behavioral and experimental economics.
GRE: Required
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Interdisciplinary Humanities
M.A. Ph.D.
Research includes: Anthropology, arts and visual studies, critical race and ethnic studies, history, literature, media and performance studies, writing, language studies, and related interdisciplinary fields.
GRE: Not required
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Political Science
Ph.D. M.A. en route
Research includes: Political institutions, political economy, human rights, elections and representation, political psychology, public opinion, voting behavior, political participation, and experimental methods.
GRE: Required
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Psychological Sciences
Ph.D. M.A. en route
Research includes: Developmental psychology, health psychology, and quantitative psychology.
GRE: Not required
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Public Health
Ph.D.
Research includes: Epidemiology, environmental health, health disparities, health communication and policy, maternal and perinatal health, mental and behavioral health, climate-related disasters, public health systems, and translational research.
GRE: Not required
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Sociology
Ph.D. M.A. en route
Research includes: Community engagement, education, environmental sociology, gender, health, immigration, labor, political sociology, race and ethnicity, and social movements.
GRE: Not required
Explore Sociology →