Doctor of Philosophy in Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience

Wayne State's Ph.D. in Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience (BCN) prepares students for positions in research and teaching in many areas of neuroscience, including functional cognitive imaging, neural physiology, behavioral pharmacology and neurobehavioral teratology.

Training is provided via foundation courses, specialized seminars and intensive participation in research. Students are mentored in one-to-one working collaborations with the faculty. Our program prepares students for post-doctoral training and employment in academic and non-academic settings, including colleges and universities, industry and government.

The study of the brain and behavior is one of the last great frontiers for human investigation. Neuroscientists are discovering how billions of neurons and thousands of chemical and electrical signals result in perceptions of the world around us, memories about our experiences, emotional reactions to the subtle and profound events in our lives, and the dynamics of our behavioral reactions to all these happenings. In understanding how the brain works we can come to understand some parts of ourselves. Knowledge of these functions in the normal brain provides a foundation for investigations of the abnormal brain and the psychopathological states that trouble human existence. In this way, behavioral neuroscientists can develop strategies to alleviate these disorders.

Official Transcripts: One set of official transcripts from ALL previous institution.
Three (3) Letters of Recommendation: completed by professors or other professional who know you and your academic work sufficiently well to judge your qualifications for graduate study. These are submitted electronically by your letter writers via the online application system. An optional 4th letter is allowed.
Professional Statement: a one- or two-page, single- or double-spaced, professional statement describing your areas of interest in psychology, preparation for graduate school, and career goals.
General GRE scores: Applicants will be asked to self-report their scores in the online application system. Applicants must also request their official score report be sent by ETS to institution code R1898.
Writing Sample: OPTIONAL. Writing samples may include senior thesis, conference presentation, or publication.
C.V. or Resume: OPTIONAL. Applicants may upload a C.V. or Resume.
Electronic Transcripts: Applicants must upload transcripts from ALL previous institutions (including Wayne State, if you previously attended classes here). Transcripts may be official, unofficial, copies, or web print outs.
In selecting students for our doctoral programs, we do not set arbitrary minimums for the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or Grade Point Average (GPA) as these factors contribute only partially to our overall assessment of the application. Conversely, although high scores do not guarantee admission, they increase the probability of favorable consideration. Most students entering our program have performed well on these measures. A strong science background, both in psychology and the other sciences, and a strong math background help a candidate.

The Graduate School requires a GPA of at least a 3.0 for undergraduate course work (or graduate course work if the applicant has a master's degree), however, most students accepted into the program have grade points much higher than 3.0.
The department requires the general GRE for admission. A minimum TOEFL score of 550 (paper based) or 213 (computer based), 80 (internet based). IELTS - 6.0