The Neuroscience Graduate Group, one of the premier training programs in the United States, offers a comprehensive program of courses and outstanding research opportunities leading to M.S. and Ph.D. degrees, and it participates in joint Physician and Veterinary Scientist Training Programs. The group is composed of over 80 faculty members drawn from 20 departments, divisions and sections, including the School of Medicine, the School of Veterinary Medicine, the College of Biological Sciences, the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences and the College of Letters and Sciences. The campus-wide nature of the group provides the program with exceptional diversity and accommodates students with a broad spectrum of interests, including interdisciplinary approaches. This diversity is reflected in the areas of specialization within the graduate group. These include the general areas of molecular, cellular, developmental, systems, behavioral, computational, cognitive, and neurological approaches to neuroscience.Upon admission, students are assigned a graduate advisor who guides them through the program's formal requirements. The student also chooses a major professor who serves as mentor and under whose supervision the dissertation research is conducted. Normally, a student pursuing a Ph.D. degree completes course and teaching requirements during the first two years of the program, passes both preliminary and qualifying examinations and then conducts the dissertation research under the direction of the major professor.
The designated emphasis in Biotechnology provides a very effective multidisciplinary biotechnology concentration, which includes exposure to bioethics, business and legal aspects of biotechnology as well as a 3-6 month internship in a biotechnology company or research laboratory in another college or national laboratory. Dr. Kjelstrom, the Program Coordinator assists the students in locating internships, preparation of a strong cover letter and curriculum vitae, and the development of professional skills related to the business environment.
