Doctor of Philosophy Degree Program

Last updated: Spring 2023

Current requirements are available on the Program's website, but in general, because of diversity in students’ backgrounds, interests, and career goals, it is the intent of the program to provide a maximum of flexibility in individual training programs. NSB students are expected to fulfill the following requirements for the Ph.D.

Completion with a grade of B or better in at least the following courses within the first two years of graduate study: the NSB proseminar, two core courses, three electives, and at least one quantitative course. Eighteen credits of Ph.D. dissertation are also required.
Satisfactory completion and oral presentation of a "research colloquium." This is a 20 minute seminar of work performed in the lab during the first year presented to NSB at large.
Passing the preliminary doctoral comprehensive examination no later than the end of the third year of graduate study.
Completion and oral defense of an original dissertation, normally within five years of entering the program (three or four years for students entering with a master's degree in a related field). Students are urged to seek advice from their guidance committees concerning curriculum, career plans, and especially research, at the earliest opportunity. They should be aware that faculty members outside their specific research area may also be able to provide the kinds of valuable insights that will help them complete their requirements in a timely and beneficial manner.

Proseminar and Research Ethics Courses

All first-year NSB students are required to take, during the fall semester, the Neuroscience and Behavior Proseminar (a 1-credit, pass-fail course) introducing the program and its faculty and covering topics such as grant writing and the art of oral presentations. A 1-credit pass-fail course or workshop in the Responsible Conduct of Research in the Life Sciences is offered during the first year and covers major topics in the scientific ethics of life science research.

Core Courses

All students entering the program are required to take the two core NSB courses: Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Neurobiology and Behavioral & Cognitive Neuroscience. One is not a prerequisite of the other, but both must be completed, with a grade of B or better, by the end of the second year. Their purpose is to provide a common base of knowledge for students from diverse undergraduate backgrounds.

Electives

Given the need for students to orient their studies toward their proposed research areas early in their graduate program, a number of existing courses are designated as NSB electives. Students must satisfactorily complete three of these courses (with at least two being at the 600 level or above) within the first two years of study, choosing from the following list.

ANIMLSCI 697J Cells, Genes and Development
BIOLOGY 521 Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy
BIOLOGY 523 Histology
BIOLOGY 544 Ornithology
BIOLOGY 548 Mammalogy
BIOLOGY 550 Animal Behavior
BIOLOGY 564 Human Physiology
BIOLOGY 566 Comparative Physiology
BIOLOGY 568 Endocrinology
BIOLOGY 571 Biological Rhythms
BIOLOGY 580 Developmental Biology
BIOLOGY 750 Advanced Animal Behavior
CMPSCI 581 Neural Modeling
CMPSCI 683 Artificial Intelligence
MICROBIO 721 Neurovirology
NEUROS&B 691A Modeling the Brain: Perception and Learning
NEUROS&B 891E Landmark Papers in Sexual Differentiation
NEUROS&B 891L Neurobiology of Disease
PSYCH 591 Advanced Seminars in Special Topics in Neuroscience and Behavior (various topics)
PSYCH 617 ABCD (Applied & Basic Cognitive Development)
PSYCH 630 Research Topics in Behavioral Neuroscience: The Neurobiology of Mental Disorders
PSYCH 650 Brain Development and Behavior
PSYCH 711 Sensory Processes
PSYCH 721 Conditioning
PSYCH 723 Animal Learning
PSYCH 731 Neuroanatomical Bases of Behavior
PSYCH 732 Neurochemistry
PSYCH 733 Psychopharmacology
PSYCH 891 Advanced Seminars in Special Topics

In addition, any course (or three-credit special topics seminar) at the 600 level or above taught by a member of the NSB core faculty may be used to satisfy the elective requirement. Students may substitute three journal clubs for one 500-level NSB elective. All three journal clubs must be led and graded by a faculty member. Students wishing to substitute journal clubs for an elective should submit to the graduate operations committee a memorandum requesting the substitution and including the reading lists or syllabi of the journal clubs.

Quantitative Requirement

Every student must take at least one course to satisfy this requirement, which is determined by his or her guidance committee. In most cases, this involves successfully completing one or more statistics courses, such as: PSYCH 640 and 641 Statistical Inference in Psychology I, II; PUBHLTH 640 Intermediate Biostatistics; STATISTC 501 Methods of Applied Statistics; or STATISTC 506 Design of Experiments or ECO 697S ST Design and Analysis of Ecological Data or ECO 697AB Applied Biostatistics for Natural Resources or ECO 697SA Special Topics Advanced Statistical Ecology or ECO 797S ST Applied Multivariate Statistics for Ecological Data. However, the Guidance Committee may deem it necessary for the student to meet the quantitative requirement by taking other appropriate quantitative courses in areas such as bioinformatics or modeling.

Additional Coursework

With strong recommendations from the Guidance Committee, students select courses in other areas, including genetics, embryology, cybernetics, histology, cell biology, and cell regulation, according to their chosen field of research, interest, and specialization. Students are also expected to take several advanced seminars and to regularly attend colloquia sponsored by the NSB program.

Research Projects

Early in their training, all NSB students are expected to gain experience in the design, conduct, and reporting of empirical research. Therefore, all students are expected to engage in major research projects upon entering the Program and to present the results of their work to the entire Program.

Comprehensive Exam

Before the start of the third year in the program, all students must pass a preliminary doctoral comprehensive examination, which consists of a written examination and submission of a NRSA-type fellowship application. This requirement serves both an educational and evaluative role: to enable students to develop and demonstrate a level of scholarship and knowledge in their chosen area of study that is appropriate for the doctoral-level neuroscientist, and to demonstrate students' critical, integrative, and theoretical abilities within the broader scope of Neuroscience and Behavior. The final requirement of the Ph.D. program in Neuroscience and Behavior is the completion and defense of a doctoral dissertation.