The graduate program in neuroscience
includes faculty members from several departments representing neuroscience,
cell biology, molecular biology, biochemistry, psychology, psychiatry,
genetics, neurology, and animal sciences. Areas of specialization include
production and analysis of mutant mouse activity; regulation of neural and
glial gene expression; developmental neurobiology; autism; gliogenesis;
neurogenesis; spinal cord injury; stem call biology; synaptic plasticity; and
mechanisms and regulatory controls of learning and memory.The program selects students on the
basis of their academic records, Graduate Record Examination scores, references
and research experience. A student must have an undergraduate
cumulative grade-point average of at least B to be considered for
admission. Prerequisite courses normally include biology, general and
organic chemistry, calculus, and physics. Applications are accepted
throughout the year, but normally are selected by January 1 for admission to
study for the fall semester. Financial aid is provided to highly qualified
students, and typically includes a stipend to cover living expenses and
remission of tuition fees. The classes of direct support include:
fellowships, graduate assistantships provided through research grants held by
individual professors, NIH training grant, and teaching assistantships associated
with individual teaching units of the program.To be awarded a Ph.D. in neuroscience, the candidate must complete:
- required coursework;
- a qualifying examination and a dissertation proposal defense; and
- an original research project under the supervision of a faculty adviser.
While course requirements vary with the
area of specialization, all students must complete Advanced Neurobiology and at
least one biochemistry-cell biology course for a total of 72 combined credits
required for the Ph.D. degree. Of the 72 credits, at least 28 course credits
(at a minimum B grade average) are required, of which 24 must be at the 500
level or above, including 8 seminar credits of Advanced Studies in Neuroscience
and 1 credit of Ethical Scientific Conduct. Up to 44 research credits are also
required to bring the required total to 72.
The neuroscience qualifying examination is administered in two parts
that typically are taken in the second and third years of graduate study. The first part examines the ability to
think critically about several topics after a period of reading primary
publications on different topics with several faculty members. The second part
is the oral defense of a thesis proposal that will serve as the foundation for
completing dissertation research. When both written and oral parts of the qualifying examination have been judged by the student's committee to have been
completed successfully, the student will be considered to have passed the qualifying examination and will then be advanced to candidacy and proceed to
complete his or her dissertation research project. For more information about joint Ph.D. degrees available in this program, see the Joint Programs section of the catalog.
