The MU Post-Baccalaureate Research Education Program is designed for a select group of bachelor's degree recipients who lacked sufficient research experience, or who came from a resource-limited institution, or who faced other circumstances that prevented them from pursuing a biomedical research Ph.D. We provide independent mentored research experience and individualized professional development to prepare these students to enter a top-rank biomedical Ph.D. program. Our program is funded by a grant from the National Institutes of Health.
When Dezzarae Luera and Reinier Suarez came to Mizzou for PREP, they never imagined staying to pursue their doctoral studies. Mizzou — and their mentors — changed that. (Read more)
Truman Poteat joined MU PREP from University of Illinois.
Angie Pantoja joined MU PREP from New Mexico State University.
Justine Miller joined MU PREP from Southeast Missouri State.
Kathleen Medina-Rodriguez joined MU PREP from the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez.
Stella Lukusa joined MU PREP from Miami of Ohio.
Javier Diaz Laboy joined MU PREP from the University of Puerto Rico, Ponce.
Fahim Ahmad joined MU PREP from Medgar Evers College.
We will begin accepting applications for 2027 August 3, 2026.
78% of MU PREP Scholars enrolled in a PhD program. 91% enrolled in either a graduate or professional degree program [PhD, MD/DO, DDS, MS, MPH] after MU PREP
In the past 5 years, MU PREP Scholars entered PhD programs at Alabama-Birmingham, Duke, Indiana, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts-Amherst, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, University of California-Davis, University of California-Irvine, University of California-Los Angeles, Wisconsin.
86% of MU PREP Scholars who enrolled in a Ph.D. program were supported by a competitive Fellowship or Traineeship. 14% were supported by competitve departmental funds or by their research mentor.
91% of those enrolled in a PhD program earned their PhD degree. This is well above the 63% national PhD completion average for all candidates.
5.7 years is the average time for MU PREP Scholars to complete their PhD. This is better than the national average of 6.9 years for all PhD candidates.