PhD Program in Neuroscience

The Ph.D. in Neuroscience is an inter-departmental program that is entered from a participating Department. The program has a "track" structure, with each track tailored to the needs of students in particular subdisciplines. Currently there are tracks in: a) Behavioral Genetics, b) Behavioral Neuroscience, c) Clinical Neuroscience, d) Cognitive Neuroscience, e) Integrative Physiology, f) Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Neuroscience, g) Social Neuroscience and h) Speech-Language and Hearing Sciences.

All students in Neuroscience are required to complete a set of common core courses, with the remaining courses being specific to each track. The details of the course requirements as well as the nature of the Comprehensive Examination and Thesis can be found by going to the Neuroscience Requirements page. There are currently 75 participating faculty members and new tracks are expected to be added.

How to apply?

Students apply for admission to one of the participating Departments and their admission to CU Boulder and financial support is determined by that Department. Once in residence, students are able to enter the Neuroscience Ph.D. while still maintaining their "home" in the Department to which they were admitted. Students who complete the Neuroscience PhD Program receive a single diploma that indicates a Ph.D. in Neuroscience with specialization in the student's track.

Steps for applying to the Neuroscience PhD Program:

1] Identify a participating Home Department in which you would like to reside. Remember that students are required to fulfill all of the PhD requirements of the Home Department in addition to the Neuroscience PhD requirements.

2] Apply to that Home Department.

• Behavioral Genetics (Integrative Physiology Department; Psychology Department)
• Behavioral Neuroscience (Psychology Department)
• Clinical Neuroscience (Psychology Department)
• Cognitive Neuroscience (Psychology Department)
• Integrative Physiology Department
• Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Neuroscience (MCD-Biology Department)
• Speech-Language and Hearing Sciences Department
• Social Neuroscience (Psychology Department)

3] If admitted to one of these participating graduate programs, you will have the opportunity within your first 2 years of graduate school to declare your intention to obtain a Neuroscience PhD.

4] One word of caution; not all faculty members within a participating Department, are participating members of the Neuroscience PhD program. In order to obtain a Neuroscience PhD, the student's research advisor must be a participating member of the Neuroscience Program, and the student's doctoral dissertation project must have a predominant Neuroscience theme. Thus, we recommend identifying specific Neuroscience faculty that reside within the desired Home Department during the application processs, and determining the likelihood, that if admitted into that Department's graduate program, that one of these faculty will be available to serve as your research advisor.

For more information please contact Dr. Linda R. Watkins:
lwatkins@psych.colorado.edu
303 492-7034