We compare UV transient grating (TG) experiments of aqueous tryptophan with transient absorption (TA) and fluorescence up-conversion measurements. The TG and TA signals show a bi-exponential rise with sub-ps and ps time constants, which are consistent with the fluorescence studies. Using experimental data, we provide an equation for the homodyne-detected TG signal, taking into account the sub-100 fs internal conversion of tryptophan after excitation. In addition, we measure a sub-100 fs homogeneous electronic dephasing time for tryptophan in water by the photon echo (PE) technique. These measurements provide a consistent picture of excited state dynamics of aqueous tryptophan that may serve as a basis for coherent 2D-UV spectroscopy of biosystems. (C) 2013 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.