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 Neuroengineering (DE-NE) addresses the pressing need to train the next generation of engineers, scientists, and clinicians, while engaging the public and policymakers, in the highly interdisciplinary field of neuroengineering. The DE provides the necessary structure, advising, and community for a training in neuroengineering and is an entry point for DE students in acquiring knowledge in key research areas and tools in neuroengineering and on NIH-style proposal writing. The journal club and seminar series expose the students to the related neuroengineering literature and provide networking opportunities with a diverse group of speakers. Participation in the annual Research Symposium on Neuroengineering will give all the DE community an opportunity to showcase their research via poster and oral presentations, and network with other researchers.
