Neuroscience (Biology Department) - PhD

College of Science

Department of Biology

 

Co-Directors: Dr. Erin Bobeck and Dr. Karen Kapheim

Graduate Programs Coordinator: Anthony Sterenchak

Location: Biology-Natural Resources 117E

E-Mail: anthony.sterenchak@usu.edu

Phone: (435) 797-2485

WWW: https://www.usu.edu/biology/ 

Degrees offered: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Neuroscience (Biology).

Neuroscience: https://www.usu.edu/neuroscience/

 

• Degree Verification

A bachelor’s degree from an accredited U.S. college or university or a similarly recognized international university is required for admission to and completion of a graduate program.

 

• Overall Graduate GPA at least 3.0 and no grades of C- or lower;

Graduate students are required to maintain at least a 3.0 GPA for degree-program courses. Grades of C- or lower will not be accepted for a graduate degree.

 

• Course Number Acceptability

Course requirements are determined by the student’s supervisory committee (6000 level or above). They will vary depending on the research emphasis selected and the background of the student.

Credits in the following areas are not acceptable in a degree program: foreign languages (unless included in an approved Program of Study), continuing graduate advisement, individual home study, military science, and courses numbered below 3000.

 

• Matriculation Start Semester

A doctorate must be completed within eight years of entering the degree program. Additional time may be requested by the student’s committee and submitted to the Vice Provost of Graduate Studies for review.

 

• Coursework Validity

Coursework over eight years old at the time of degree completion may not be used for a graduate degree unless it is revalidated.

 

• USU Residency Requirement
  • Doctoral
• Suggested Class for Biology Students:
  • BIOL 6750 - Intro to Grad Studies
• Thesis/Dissertation Research Credits 6970/7970
  • Doctoral students:

A minimum of 12 dissertation credits (7970) is required if the student is within the Neuroscience PhD program).

• Doctoral forms:
  • Recommended General statement:
    • Approval of academic forms required for doctoral students by the School of Graduate Studies.
  • List of specific forms, depending on plan type:
    • Supervisory Committee
    • Program of Study
    • Annual Professional Development Plan
    • Individual Development Plan
    • Completion of Comprehensive Exams (Written and Oral)
    • Application for Candidacy
    • Appointment for Examination
    • Record of Examination
    • SGS and library review and approval of Dissertation
• Defense
  • Completion of Public presentation of research
  • Completion of Private Defense with Supervisory Committee

• All Neuroscience Ph.D. candidates must meet the following general core requirements and professional milestones:

• External Professional Presentation
  • All students must serve as the presenting author of a presentation (poster session or oral presentation) at an appropriate external professional conference;
• Peer-Reviewed Paper
  • Each student will make significant contributions to a data-based paper that is submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal. The preference is for students to graduate with at least one first-author publication. However, given the time constraints of some types of research, there may not be time to design a study, collect data, analyze it, submit a paper, revise it, and get a formal editorial decision during a doctoral program. In such cases, students would not be expected to have a first-author publication before graduation. Most students in the program serve as an author on multiple such articles and generally serve as lead author on at least one publication.
• Teaching:
  • Students will graduate from the program with critical competencies and experience planning and teaching university courses related to their focus area. Each student will have a teaching experience that is appropriate for their discipline. The preference is for students to TA for at least one course and to take primary responsibility for teaching an undergraduate course. However, the faculty realizes that this is outside the norm for some departments.
• Grant Writing
  • Students are expected to complete a grant-writing experience in which they write and submit a student research grant to an external agency or assist their mentor or another faculty member with preparing an external research grant. The preference is for students to write and submit an NSF or NIH doctoral dissertation grant. However, the faculty realizes that not all disciplines conduct the type of research that would be funded by these agencies. In those cases, students should assist faculty in writing an external grant and/or should write a grant to an external agency such as a foundation.
• Completion of a second-year project
  • Students entering with a baccalaureate degree must complete a Second Year Project during the first 5 semesters of the program (fall semester of the 3rd year).
• Completion of all the required coursework.