Curriculum overview
Neuroscience faculty members at the 推荐杏吧原创 encourage the academic and professional development of students as independent researchers. Working closely with advisors and program directors, students develop a specialized, independent program of study in neuroscience research methodologies. The curriculum is designed to expose all students to core concepts and methods in the first years while allowing them to focus on research and training with specific sub-disciplines in subsequent years.
Possible elective course subjects
Students completing their Ph.D. or M.S. degree tailor their curriculum to meet their research interests and professional goals. They may select from a diverse variety of courses within the program, including offerings in biology, computer science, electrical and biomedical engineering, microbiology and immunology, pharmacology, philosophy, psychiatry, psychology, physiology and more.
- Genes, brain and behavior
- Principles of animal behavior
- Genomic conflict, epigenetics
- Developmental biology
- Current topics in cell and molecular biology
- Advanced cellular biology
- Molecular pharmacology
- Computer applications
- Comparative sensory neuroscience
- Perception
- Memory
- Molecular cell biology
- Molecular genetics
- Functional genomics
- Introduction to bioinformatics
Program requirements for the Ph.D. and the M.S. in Neuroscience
Ph.D. program overview
For the Ph.D. degree, students may choose to do research rotations in the first year without a designated dissertation faculty advisor, or may enter the program with an initial faculty advisor and begin their dissertation in that lab. Near the end of the first year, students take a written and oral examination which will be based on a research/rotation project conducted in the first year. Next, students establish a dissertation committee who advise and guide them through their graduate studies. During the third year, students will prepare a dissertation proposal in the form of a fellowship or grant application outlining their planned research for their dissertation. Students are expected to give a seminar on the proposed research and will then hold an oral defense with their committee. Approval of the proposal by the committee will advance the student to candidacy as a Ph.D. student. In the final year, students must write and defend their dissertation research in a seminar, which will be open to the general public, followed by a final oral examination by the committee in a closed session.
- The Ph.D. in Neuroscience requires 72 credits comprising of 48 credits of coursework and 24 credits of dissertation research.
- View the program timeline and the course requirements in our handbook.
M.S. program overview
For the M.S. degree, students do not do research rotations and they generally enter the program with an initial faculty advisor and begin their thesis research in that lab. Students have the option of earning elective credits for additional research in the first year, or substituting these credits with elective courses. Students are required to complete a thesis on an independent research project, which must be defended orally before their thesis examination committee.
- The M.S. in Neuroscience requires 30 graduate credits comprising of 24 credits of course work and 6 credits for thesis research.
- View the program timeline and the course requirements in our handbook.
