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Application Requirements and Eligibility

Who Is Eligible?

The MSTEM STAR program encourages participation from MSTEM (Medicine + STEM) individuals interested in aging-related research.

Requirements

Students interested in the MSTEM STAR Program must meet the criteria listed below:

  1. Full-time enrollment in the following MSTEM majors: Biological Science, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Kinesiology, Experimental Psychology, Public Health, and School of Nursing
  2. Minimum GPA of 3.0
  3. An interest in aging and a willingness to complete the Aging Studies minor
  4. Intention to pursue graduate or professional education in an aging-related MSTEM field
  5. Sophomore standing or above; the program is intended to coincide with the last two years of the student’s undergraduate education
  6. Commitment to two years in the program, including four semesters of coursework, academic year research, and an intensive summer research experience
  7. U.S. citizen or permanent resident

 

Application 

The Fall 2025 application window will open in April 2025.

Thank you for your interest in the MSTEM STAR program. Before completing the application form, please read carefully through our eligibility and application requirements.

Application Materials

Be prepared to upload a copy of the following;

  • Titan Degree Audit (TDA)
  • Financial Aid Award Summary
  • Current cumulative GPA, includling community colleges and other universities
  • Response to three short-essay questions in the following order:
    • What are your career goals? (max. 50 words)
    • What does aging mean to you? (max. 300 words)
    • In what ways do your major/career goals relate to aging? (max. 300 words)
  • The following information about at least two instructors you have worked with in the past:
    • Full name
    • Title
    • Relationship to you
    • Course(s) completed with instructor
    • Email address

For any questions, please contact mstemstar@fullerton.edu 

Visit us again in April to access the application form.

Program Structure

Orientation

The program will begin with orientation week just prior to the start of the first year. It will include:

  • Team-building activities
  • Mentor-led workshops
  • A meet-and-greet with faculty research mentors
  • Presentations on the science of aging
  • Visits to each mentor’s research laboratory
  • Research ethics training
  • Dinner and orientation for family members of MSTEM STAR scholars (with interpreters provided as needed).   
     

Research Experience 

Paid, structured research experiences will begin shortly after orientation week. Prior to the start of the semester, students will submit requests to work with their mentor of choice. Once a dyad is approved, students will begin working with their faculty research mentor, in their respective labs, for a minimum of 10 hours per week for four consecutive semesters. Students will also complete an intensive, paid, eight-week research experience between their first and second years in the MSTEM STAR program at one of two local research universities: University of California, Irvine (UCI) or University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Students’ work with their mentors will culminate in an undergraduate thesis, and they will have an opportunity to present their work at local and national conferences. 

Educational Experience

Students will complete a specially-designed, 21-unit minor in Aging Science, which includes five substantive courses (15 units) on aging and two courses (six units) focused on aging research. The latter courses can be double-counted with the student’s major.

Support and Engagement Activities

Under the guidance of a dedicated support and engagement mentor, students will become part of a supportive cohort, gain the skills they need to successfully complete the graduate school application process, and spend quality time working with and for older adult populations. Graduate school preparedness workshops will include topics such as GRE training, curriculum vitae construction, graduate school statements of purpose, and graduate school application preparation. The role of the support and engagement mentor is to help underrepresented students overcome the barriers often encountered in attaining graduate education.

 

Program Overview

A graph showing an overview of the two year program