The curriculum of the Neuroscience Graduate Program consists of required courses and electives. The following lists all the required courses that the student must take, including a minimum of nine (9) credits per semester. In addition to the required courses, students must also take a minimum of five (5) credits of elective courses during the second year. PhD students may take no more than 12 graded credits (A-F) of NEURO 600 Thesis Research, and Master-level students may take no more than 6 of such graded credits.
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Required Courses - PhD and Master's Students
- BMS 502 Cell and Systems Biology – 3 credits
- NEURO 520 Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience – 3 credits
- NEURO 524 Neuroscience Bootcamp – 2 credits
- NEURO 596 Laboratory Rotations – 1 credit per 6-week rotation
Complete online Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) course by the end of the semester. Submit CITI RCR Course Completion Report to program office in C1712 before Jan. 15.
- NEURO 520 Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience – 3 credits
- NEURO 524 Neuroscience Bootcamp – 2 credits
- NEURO 596 Laboratory Rotations – 1 credit
Complete online Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) course by the end of the semester. Submit CITI RCR Course Completion Report to program office in C1712.
- NEURO 511 Neuroanatomy Lab – 3 credits
- NEURO 521 Systems Neuroscience – 3 credits
- NEURO 522 Advanced Techniques in Neuroscience Research – 2 credits (Offered only in odd-numbered years. Students will take 522 or 523 in their 1st year and one in their 2nd year.)
- NEURO 523 Seminars in Neuroscience II – 2 credits (Offered only in even-numbered years. Students will take 522 or 523 in their 1st year and one in their 2nd year.)
- Neuro 596 Laboratory Rotations – 1-2 credits (1 credit each, 6 weeks per rotation. Rotations may extend through the summer.)
PhD-track students will take Qualifying Examinations at the end of the spring semester.
- NEURO 511 Neuroanatomy Lab – 3 credits
- NEURO 521 Systems Neuroscience – 3 credits
- Neuro 596 Laboratory Rotations – 1credit
- NEURO 590 Colloquium – 1 credit
- BMS 591 Ethics in the Life Sciences – 1 credit (or PHS 500 Ethics)
- PHS 520 Introduction to Biostatistics – 3 credits (Or equivalent statistics course, e.g. ANAT 597 Special Topics- Statistics in Biological Sciences)
- Elective course – 1-3 credits
- NEURO 600 Thesis Research – 1-7 credits
- NEURO 590 Colloquium – 1 credit
- BMS 591 Ethics in the Life Sciences – 1 credit (or PHS 500 Ethics)
- NEURO 600 Thesis Research – 1-7 credits
- BMS 508 Cellular Metabolism – 1 credit
- NEURO 522 Advanced Techniques in Neuroscience Research – 2 credits (Offered only in odd-numbered years. Students will take 522 or 523 in their 1st year and one in their 2nd year.)
- NEURO 523 Seminars in Neuroscience II – 2 credits (Offered only in even-numbered years. Students will take 522 or 523 in their 1st year and one in their 2nd year.)
- NEURO 600 Thesis Research – 1-7 credits
PhD-track students will take the Comprehensive Exam before the beginning of the fall semester of the third year.
- NEURO 522 Advanced Techniques in Neuroscience Research – 2 credits (Offered every other year starting in spring 2019. Students take this class in either their first or second year but not both.)
- PHS 520 Introduction to Biostatistics – 3 credits (Or equivalent statistics course, e.g. ANAT 597 Special Topics- Statistics in Biological Sciences.)
- NEURO 600 Thesis research – 1-7 credits
- NEURO 601 Thesis Preparation
- Thesis Defense
Required Courses - MD/PhD Students
- NEURO 520 Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience – 3 credits
- NEURO 590 Colloquium – 1 credit (This course will take the form of a weekly journal club facilitated by Neuroscience program faculty.)
- BMS 591 Ethics in the Life Sciences – 1 credit
- NEURO 600 Thesis Research – 1-5 credits
Complete online Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) course by the end of the semester. Submit CITI RCR Course Completion Report to program office in C1712 before Jan. 15.
- NEURO 521 Systems Neuroscience – 3 credits
- PHS 520 Introduction to Biostatistics – 3 credits (or equivalent statistics course, such as ANAT 597 Special Topics – Statistics in Biological Sciences)
- NEURO 600 Thesis Research – 1-6 credits
Comprehensive exam before the beginning of fall semester
- NEURO 600 Thesis Research
- NEURO 522 Advanced Techniques in Neuroscience Research – 2 credits (Offered every other year starting Spring 2019. Students take this class in either their first or second year, but not both)
- NEURO 601 Thesis Research – 1-7 credits
- NEURO 601 Thesis Preparation
- NEURO 595 Internship (optional)
- Thesis Defense
All other requirements for the PhD component of the MD/PhD track, including comprehensive exam and thesis dissertation, are the same as the regular PhD track.
Electives
A total of 5 elective credits must be completed by the end of year 2. Electives are not limited only to this list; students can choose other courses relevant to their project. See Graduate Bulletin listing of Penn State graduate courses.
- NEURO 602: Supervised Experience in College Teaching – Fall or spring – 1-2 credits
- NEURO 595: Internship – Fall or spring – 1 credit
- PHARM 561: Neuropharmacology – Spring – 2 credits
- PHARM 562: Endocrine Pharmacology – Spring – 2 credits
- PHARM 597: Special Topics in Pharmacology: Cannabis-based medicine – Fall – 1 credit
- BMS 503: Advanced Molecular Genetics (Flow of Cellular Information) – Fall – 2 credits
- BMS 507 (BCHEM 505): Form and Function of Macromolecules – Spring – 1 credit
- BMS 581: Molecular & Translation Approaches to Human Disease – Spring – 3 credits
- BMS 571: Graduate Clinical Rotation – Spring – 3 credits
- BMS 801: Writing Grant Proposals for Biomedical Research – Fall – 1 credit
- BMS 506B: Biological Basis of Human Health & Disease – Spring – 2 credits
- BMS 504: Art of Scientific Communication I – Fall – 1 credit
- BMS 505: Art of Scientific Communication II – Spring – 1 credit