Program Overview

Introduction to the Neuroscience Training Program

The Neuroscience Training Program (NTP) was established in 1971 and comprises more than 80 faculty members whose research interests range from molecular neurobiology to integrative systems. The program is designed to prepare students for careers in research and teaching.

Program Overview

On average, the number of students in the program is approximately 55. The program is best suited for students who are independent and wish to take a direct role in determining their graduate education. Training leads to the PhD degree in neuroscience or the MD/PhD degree in cooperation with the School of Medicine and Public Health.

Curriculum and Requirements

• The doctoral program of each graduate student in the training program is tailored to meet individual needs.
• Each student's program is supervised by an advisory committee of faculty members selected by the student in consultation with the major professor.
• During the first year, students complete three laboratory rotations.
• The central forum for intellectual exchange in the program is a neuroscience seminar, which meets weekly and is attended by neuroscience students and faculty.
• Students are expected to be enrolled in the neuroscience seminar every Fall/Spring semester and complete 4 credits.

Research and Academic Expectations

• The program prepares students for careers primarily in research and teaching in universities and colleges and careers outside of academia.
• Of the more than 200 students who have earned the PhD degree in the program, more than 95% have careers in biomedical science.
• The average time taken by students to complete the PhD degree is five years.

Funding and Support

• Each student receives a stipend that covers tuition, fees, living costs, and health insurance and is guaranteed for five years if progress is satisfactory.
• Financial support is provided from the program's NIH training grant, fellowships, and faculty research grants.
• Limited support is available for international students.

Minimum Graduate School Requirements

• Minimum Credit Requirement: 30 credits
• Minimum Residence Credit Requirement: 16 credits
• Minimum Graduate Coursework Requirement: 15 credits must be graduate-level coursework.
• Overall Graduate GPA Requirement: 3.00 GPA required.

Curricular Requirements

• Required Courses:
  • NTP/NEURODPT 610: Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience (4 credits)
  • NTP/NEURODPT/PSYCH 611: Systems Neuroscience (4 credits)
  • NTP 700: Professional Development for Biomedical Graduate Students (1 credit)
  • NTP 701: Experimental Design and Statistical Methodology (1 credit)
• One Mid-level Molecular/Cellular/Developmental Neuroscience Course
• One Mid-level Systems/Behavioral Neuroscience Course
• NTP 900: Neuroscience Seminar: Current Topics in Neurobiology Research (4 credits)
• NTP 990: Research and Thesis (at least 8 credits)

Advisory Committee and Progress Monitoring

• An advisory committee of five or more tenure-track or tenured faculty members will oversee the graduate education of each student.
• The advisory committee will meet with the student once each semester before they become a dissertator and once each year after they become a dissertator to review progress.

Grievance Policy

• Any student in the program who feels they have been treated unfairly in regards to educational decisions and/or outcomes or issues specific to the graduate program has the right to complain about the treatment and to receive a prompt hearing of the grievance.
• The program's grievance advisor or program director will spearhead the grievance response process.

Time Limits and Degree Completion

• The final dissertation must be completed by the end of the fifth academic year.
• If the dissertation is not completed by the end of the summer following the sixth academic year, the student's advisory committee must meet with the steering committee to present a written statement explaining why the dissertation has not been completed.