Curriculum
Every year, prospective applicants ask about the curriculum of our PhD Program in Neurobiology and Anatomy. So, here it is. An important word of caution is in order, however. Courses are definitely useful and demand a significant amount of work, particularly in the first year, but their role in graduate training is less important than might appear at first.
Graduate students in the program should learn to identify important problems related to brain function and should become skilled at a variety of techniques that are necessary to approach them. That is the goal. For this, a corpus of knowledge about neuroscience is necessary. The material in the courses has been distilled to provide this background as thoroughly and efficiently as possible, but mastering it is just an intermediate step in the process.
Something else to keep in mind is that, because different students come in with very diverse backgrounds, the curriculum may be altered to fit the student's interests. Having this flexibility is important for matching a student's thesis project with what he or she needs to know.
Required Courses
The cornerstone of the course work is the Introduction to Neuroscience class, which meets 3 times a week and requires the most study. It is subdivided into various blocks (anatomy, cellular and molecular biology, development, sensory processing and motor processing).
On the other hand, journal clubs meet once a week and are fairly easy. Other courses are somewhere in between.
Second-year courses are typically in a seminar format, where papers from the primary literature are assigned and discussed in a group. Research refers to the laboratory rotations or thesis work in the home lab. The number of credits per course (indicated in parentheses, below) gives you an idea of how time consuming each one is.
Year 1, Fall Semester
GRAD 700: Introduction to Profesional Development (1)
GRAD 713: Scientific Professionalism: Scientific Integrity (1)
NBAT 747: Directed Journal Club in Sensory Neuroscience (2)
or NBAT 757: Directed Journal Club in Developmental and Molecular Neurobiology (2)
NBAT 761: Research Design in Neurobiology (1)
NBAT 771: Career Development in Neurobiology (1)
NBAT 791: Research
NUSC 712: Introduction to Neuroscience I (5)
Year 1, Spring Semester
GRAD 701: Introduction to Professional Development (1)
GRAD 714: Scientific Professionalism: Scientific Integrity (1)
NBAT 702: Tutorial in Neurobiology (1)
NBAT 712: Cell Biology (3)
NBAT 748: Directed Journal Club in Sensory Neuroscience (2)
or NBAT 758: Directed Journal Club in Developmental and Molecular Neurobiology
NBAT 760: Manuscript Preparation (2)
NBAT 792: Research
NUSC 713: Introduction to Neuroscience II (4)
Year 1, Summer Semester
NBAT 735: The Development and Anatomy of Sensory Systems (3)
NBAT 793: Research
Year 2, Fall Semester
GRAD 715: Scientific Professionalism: Bioethics and Social Responsibility (1)
NBAT 741: Sensory Neuroscience I: Audition and Vision (6)
or NBAT 751: Developmental Neurobiology I: Molecular Control of Neural Lineages and Differentiation (6)
NBAT 747: Directed Journal Club in Sensory Neuroscience (2)
or NBAT 757: Directed Journal Club in Developmental and Molecular Neurobiology (2)
NBAT 791: Research
Year 2, Spring Semester
GRAD 716: Scientific Professionalism: Bioethics and Social Responsibility (1)
NBAT 702: Tutorial in Neurobiology (1)
NBAT 742: Sensory Neuroscience II: Somatosensation, Taste and Olfaction (6)NBAT 742: Sensory Neuroscience II: Somatosensation, Taste and Olfaction (6)
or NBAT 752: Developmental Neurobiology II: Progressive and Regressive Events in Neural Development (6)
NBAT 748: Directed Journal Club in Sensory Neuroscience (2)
or NBAT 758: Directed Journal Club in Developmental and Molecular Neurobiology (2)
NBAT 792: Research
Year 2, Summer Semester
NBAT 743: Sensory Neuroscience III: Higher Order Interactions and Integration (3)
or NBAT 753: Developmental Neurobiology III: Neural Plasticity and Regeneration (4)
NBAT 793: Research
As you'll notice, there are 2 tracks, one in developmental neuroscience, which looks mostly at cellular/molecular processes, and another in sensory systems, which is more in the range between single cells and whole organisms. These 2 components largely reflect the interests of the the faculty, which is split about half and half between the 2.
Students typically take few electives. Statistics is the most common one. Other popular choices are Behavioral Neuroscience, Neuropharmacology, Gross Anatomy, and Clinical Neuroscience, but there are many more, considering all the other departments and programs.
The rest of our pages provide information on other aspects of our department and graduate program.