Minority Access to Research Careers
Click on the links below to see the
answer to most commonly asked questions about the MARC Program.
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What is the MARC Program ?
The MARC Program is an honors undergraduate scholarship program intended to
encourage talented minority students to pursue careers in biomedical research
leading to a Ph.D. Students in the MARC program receive a 100% tuition
reimbursement, and a monthly stipend for conducting research at a
science laboratory of Hunter College. Students are supported for a two-year
period, usually during their junior and senior years. Health insurance is also
available.
MARC and
MBRS are two different NIH funding programs. The MARC program is
exclusively for undergraduate students who have completed two years of their
college courses. The MARC program is limited for a two year period. Students
must be available to participate for the entire two years. Post bachelors degree
students are not eligible for the MARC program. At the start of the junior year, an MBRS
student in good standing may transfer to the MARC program provided that an
opening is available.
The MARC program is funded to increase the number of scientists who are
members of groups underrepresented in the sciences. Specific groups include,
but are not limited to Black, Hispanic, Pacific Islanders, Native American
(American Indian, Eskimo). They must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents
who have declared majors in biology, chemistry, physics or psychology. The
MARC program also encourages students with majors in computer science and math
who are interested in bioinformatics or quantitative biology to apply.
MARC eligibility criteria include completion of sophomore year, an overall
3.0 GPA or better, solid science grades, and career interest in research.
Prior to the review of applications, the office should have a completed
application including an essay, two recommendation letters from Hunter science
faculty, and a copy of a student transcript.
The same admission's application is used for applying to either the MARC or
MBRS programs. A brochure and an application are available by coming to the MARC or MBRS offices located in the North building
room 313/ 314, or download it from the website home page. Applications are accepted any time through the year, but the
admissions committee meets in the spring semester for summer and fall
entrance. The admissions committee reviews completed
applications, and selected students are scheduled for an interview with the
program coordinator. All applicants are notified of admissions results by
mail or telephone.
The program coordinator meets with
accepted students to discuss research
interests and lab placement. Arrangements are made for the student to meet
with potential sponsors who are conducting research compatible to student's
interests. Final assignments are made by mutual agreement of student and the
faculty mentor.
The Hunter College MARC
program is administered by the Program Director with the advice of the
operations committee and the help of the administrator and Science Learning
Coordinator. Dr. Derrick Brazill, Director, Department of Biological
Sciences. Susana Vargas, Program Administrator, and Judith O'Brien, Science
Learning Coordinator.
Both graduate and medical schools nationwide have sought to recruit Hunter
MBRS/MARC graduates. Since the fall of 1981, many graduating seniors have gone
on to leading graduate and medical schools, including Brown, Columbia,
Cornell, CUNY, Einstein, Dartmouth, Downstate, Harvard, Howard, MIT,
University of Michigan, Princeton, Rockefeller, Stanford, Stony Brook, Texas
A&M, Yale, and leading New York and New Jersey Medical Colleges. Several have
received health care scholarships and the prestigious Jonas E. Salk award.
Other graduating seniors have elected to pursue MD/PhD degrees at major
research universities. Many have been awarded predoctoral fellowships offered
by the National Science Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the MARC program and
AT&T Bell Laboratories. Nine of our alumni are now professors at institutions
such as Duke, Clarkson University, Long Island University, Hunter College, and
NYC Technical College. Other alumni who graduated during the early 1980s and
1990s are currently practicing physicians or biomedical scientists.
Recent
graduates have spoken highly of the programs.
The National Institutes of Health has offered a MARC pre-doctoral program that
provides fellowship support for MARC scholars who go on to attend graduate
programs at most graduate schools. These pre-doctoral fellowships are awarded
on a competitive basis. These fellowships pay a sizeable stipend plus full
tuition and may be used to support graduate study at any accredited
university. Participation in the undergraduate MARC scholarship program,
therefore, provides an excellent opportunity for the continuation of studies
leading to advanced degrees in the biomedical sciences.
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