Overview of the Doctoral Program

Research Training

The core curriculum includes laboratory rotations, ordinarily in two or three of the Center's laboratories. By the end of the first year, students have usually selected an area and laboratory in which they wish to pursue their dissertation research. A three-member faculty committee, including the chosen research sponsor oversees the conduct of students' research. This committee is typically supplemented by two additional members to form the examining committee for the doctoral dissertation.

Academic Requirements

Overall Requirements

Core Curriculum

Laboratory

Research

Further Study

Advanced Curriculum

General Requirements for the doctorate at NYU

Ph.D. Course Requirements and Sample Ph.D. Curriculum

A minimum of 72 points is required, at least 32 of which must be taken in residence at New York University. 

For students who began the program in September 2000 or later, at least 37 points must be taken in graded courses. The first year core curriculum, required of all students, includes the following graded courses: Cellular, Molecular & Developmental Neural Science, G80.2201 (4 points); Sensory & Motor Systems, G80.2202 (4 points); Cognitive & Behavioral Neural Science, G80.2205 (4 points); Mathematical Tools for Neural Science, G80.2207 (4 points); Laboratory in Neural Science I & II G80.2203 & 2204 (3 points each); and Introduction to Research in Neural Science I, II G80.2210, 2211 (3 points each).  These are all graded courses.  In addition, students attend the Seminar in Current Topics, the Fellows' Seminar, and a series of Workshops for Emerging Scientists.

Note that second and third year students ordinarily register for 9 points per semester. Students in the fourth year and beyond ordinarily register only for the courses needed to meet the 72 points required for graduation.

Students who have earned 72 points "maintain matriculation. That is, they maintain registration as full-time students without registering for courses. CNS students may maintain matriculation without charge for six semesters.

"Introduction to Research" course should be taken only by students who are doing rotations. Once you are attached to a laboratory, these courses are inappropriate.

The courses "Readings in Neural Science" and "Research Problems in Neural Science" are intended to provide appropriate course credits for the faculty-guided readings and research necessary for preparation of the PhD thesis. These courses can be taken more than once for credit.

"Dissertation Research" courses should be taken only by students who have completed about 66 points and the required number of points in graded courses. These courses are ordinarily taken by students who are preparing the thesis document.

Sample Ph.D. Curriculum

Facilities

The Center for Neural Science offers state-of-the-art facilities for training and research in several areas in neuroscience. The main research facilities of the Center comprise 26,000 square feet of newly renovated laboratory and office space at 4 Washington Place, adjacent to the Departments of Physics and Psychology. Facilities include laboratories for the 16 core faculty, and shared laboratories for histology, microscopy, cell and molecular biology, photography, digital imaging, and computing. Associates of the Center with adjacent laboratories in the Departments of Physics and Psychology have an additional 12,000 square feet of laboratory space; associates with laboratories in other departments have use of a further 19,000 square feet. The Center incorporates modern vivarium facilities operated by the University's Office of Laboratory Animal Services, which provides suitable support personnel to assist researchers and students in animal research, including work with nonhuman primates. The Center jointly operates an electronic and machine shop with the Department of Psychology; the shop provides modern facilities for the development of specialized electronic and mechanical devices.

The Center's research laboratories contain an unusually comprehensive array of modern research instrumentation. A centrally supported network of superminicomputers and microcomputers guarantees the availability of the most modern computing facilities for experimental work, data analysis, and modeling. Individual laboratories are fully equipped with modern instrumentation and computers and provide facilities for advanced research in neurochemistry, neurophysiology, biophysics, behavioral neuroscience, visual science, auditory science, mathematical biology, computational neuroscience, artificial intelligence, and cognitive science. In addition, the Center stresses the shared use of advanced facilities in areas such as computer-aided neuroanatomy, molecular and cellular neurobiology, and computer graphics and image processing, thereby making available research tools of a caliber not usually encountered in individual research laboratories.

A 1,500-square-foot teaching laboratory, used for laboratory courses in both the doctoral and undergraduate programs, provides a high-quality environment for hands-on training in the techniques of modern neuroscience. The laboratory provides outstanding facilities for topical experimentation in neurophysiology and biophysics, neurochemistry, experimental neuroanatomy, and behavioral neuroscience. A separate computer laboratory provides modern facilities for laboratory instruction in computational and theoretical neuroscience.

Admissions, Financial Aid & Housing

Admissions

Students seeking admission should have a strong background in one or more of the academic areas involved in neuroscience, such as biology, experimental psychology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, computer science, or engineering science.

Students with foreign qualifications must demonstrate their command of written and spoken English before admission to the Center. Qualified women and minority students are especially encouraged to apply.

Financial Aid

Students are also actively encouraged to seek fellowship support from such outside sources as NSF and NIH, but the availability of multiple support mechanisms assures for each student in good standing the continuation of support for at least the five years normally required for completion of the doctorate.

Housing

Some off-campus apartments are also available. Rental costs for these units are significantly lower than for comparable non-University accommodations. However, students applying for housing must be full-time matriculants in the program, be recipients of financial aid, and have relocated from beyond a 35-mile radius of New York City.

An extensive referral service for other off-campus housing is available for students not meeting these criteria or not wishing to avail themselves of University housing.

Handbook & Student Guide

Handbook of The Doctoral Program in Neural Science

The Student Guide