What is the MARC Program ?

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.