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Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Ph.D. Program

Overview of Ph.D Program

An extensive overview of the Ph.D. Program is available in .pdf format

The Neuroscience Ph.D. Program at UGA is an interdisciplinary curriculum of research and coursework that awards doctoral degrees in Neuroscience.  The Program involves more than 25 faculty representing nine departments. The interdisciplinary nature of neuroscience requires study across a range of topics. Thus, students typically interact with faculty in multiple departments.  The objective of the Program is to provide graduate students with the broad academic background, technical expertise, and scientific scholarship necessary to continue their careers in the field of neuroscience.

A major goal of neuroscience research is to provide society with the basic information about nervous system function that is critical for developing treatments for neurological and behavioral disorders. Scientific study of the nervous system is thus essential for overall health and well being.  Damage or disorders in this system may result in severe impairment to the patient and costs billions of dollars to diagnose and treat each year.  Examples of brain disorders that exact a devastating toll on the nation’s health include traumatic brain injury, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, stroke, depression, schizophrenia, and drug abuse, to name but a few.  Furthermore, as biomedical research progresses, it has become increasingly clear that the nervous system is critically involved in all diseases, not just behavioral and neurological disorders.  Brain function influences the onset and progression of illnesses ranging from infectious disease to cancer to diabetes. Behavior, which is the manifestation of brain functions, is probably the most important factor in determining disease onset.   Examples of behaviors directly influencing health include exercise, diet, smoking, and illicit drug use. The brain also influences most organ systems via the autonomic nervous systems and has direct impact on the immune system.  Understanding how the brain controls behavior, as well as autonomic and immune function, may yield the most important information about how to prevent major diseases.

 

To Apply to the Neuroscience Program

An extensive overview of the Neuroscience Ph.D. Program is available in PDF format

Application for admission to the Graduate School may be filed in an
electronic on-line application:
In order to complete the processing of your graduate school application we will need to receive the following information:

1. Completed admission application to the University of Georgia Graduate School (www.grad.uga.edu)
2. Official transcripts of all college work
3. Applications from foreign students must include a TOEFL score
4. GRE scores
5. Three letters of recommendation.
6. Completion of the statement of interest form that describes your career goals and research interests

The last item should be submitted to the Neuroscience PhD Program, Biomedical Health Sciences Institute, S150 Paul D. Coverdell Center for Biomedical and Health Science, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602 or as an email attachment on your online application. When this information is complete, a decision can be made on your application. Please make sure to give your anticipated date of enrollment. Feel free to contact the Neuroscience PhD Program if you have questions.

Fall applicants should apply by December 15 to be eligible for University assistantships.

Curriculum

A. All programs of study must meet all guidelines set forth by the Graduate School of the University of Georgia. This includes a minimum of 16 hours 8000/9000 level courses.

B. Required Courses (15 h)
Student must complete the following required courses:

1. Neurophysiology (3 h):
VPHY 8400 Neurophysiology

2. Neuroanatomy (3 h):

PSYC 8300 Neuroanatomy for Behavioral Scientists

3. Ethics (3 h):

BHSI 8000 Bioethics

4. Research Skills: Statistics and Laboratory Techniques selected from the following list of courses (6h):

STAT 6210 and STAT 6220 Statistical Methods I & II

PSYC 6410 Statistics in Psychological Research and PSYC 6430 Applied Regression Methods in Psychology or PSYC 6440 Experimental Design in Psychology.)

VPHY 6930 Research Methods

PSYC 8330 Laboratory Apprenticeship in Biopsychology

CBIO 8920L Cellular Biology Research Techniques

BIOL (CBIO) (VPAT) 5040/7040 Electron Microscopy

CBIO 8050-8050L Techniques in Modern Microscopy

C.  Elective Courses Organized by Content Area

Area A: Cellular/Molecular Biology:

BCMB 6000 General Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
or BCMB 6010 and BCMB 6020 Biochemistry and Molecular Biology I & II
or BCMB 8010 and BCMB 8020 Advanced Biochemistry and Molecular Biology I & II

Area B: Physiology & Pharmacology:

VPHY 6090 and VPHY 6100 Comparative Mammalian Physiology
or VPHY 8460 Molecular Pharmacology
or PHRM 6400 Human Physiology I
or PHRM 6410 and PHRM 6420 Pharmacology I & II
or PHRM 8430 Advanced Neuropharmacology
or CBIO 6730 Endocrinology

Area C: Behavioral/Systems Neuroscience:

PSYC 6130 Biological Foundations of Behavior
or PSYC 6160 Sensory Psychology
or PSYC 8900 Psychopharmacology Seminar
or CMSD 6800 Neural Bases of Speech, Language, and Hearing

Area D: Cognitive/Clinical Neuroscience:

PSYC 7780 Animal Cognition
or PSYC 8550 Neuropsychological Assessment
or PSYC 6110 Basic Learning Processes
or EPSY 8340 Child Neuropsychology

Taken over the course of residency at the University of Georgia
BHSI 9000 Research 10-30h
BHSI 9300 Dissertation 6h

Departments with faculty represented in the Neuroscience Ph.D. program include:

Animal and Dairy Science
Biological and Agricultural Engineering
Cellular Biology
Chemistry
Communication Sciences and Special Education
Educational Psychology and Instructional Technology
Entomology
Foods and Nutrition
Genetics
Kinesiology
Pathology
Physiology and Pharmacology
Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences
Psychology
Small Animal Medicine

Name Title Department
Clifton A. Baile Distinguished Professor Animal and Dairy Sciences
Mark R. Brown Professor Entomology
Haini N. Cai Associate Professor Cellular Biology
Paige Carmichael Professor Pathology
Brett Clementz Professor Psychology
Julie A. Coffield Associate Professor Physiology and Pharmacology
Brian Condie Assistant Professor Genetics
Michael Covington Associate Director Artificial Intelligence Center
Brian Cummings Associate Professor Pharmaceutical & Biomedical Sciences
Rodney K. Dishman Professor Kinesiology
Tim Dore Associate Professor Chemistry
Gaylen L. Edwards Professor Physiology and Pharmacology
Dorothy M. Fragaszy Professor Psychology
James Franklin Associate Professor Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences
Silvia Q. Giraudo Associate Professor Foods and Nutrition
Adam S. Goodie Associate Professor Psychology
Billy R. Hammond Professor Psychology
Philip V. Holmes Professor Psychology
Shelley Hooks Associate Professor Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences
Marc Kent Associate Professor Small Animal Medicine
William S. Kisaalita Professor Biological & Agricultural Engineering
James D. Lauderdale Associate Professor Cellular Biology
Jennifer E. McDowell Associate Professor Psychology
L. Stephen Miller Professor Psychology
Patrick O’Connor Professor Kinesiology
Simon Platt Associate Professor Small Animal Medicine
Ping Shen Associate Professor Cellular Biology
Rebecca Shisler Marshall Associate Professor Communication Sciences and Special Education
Steven Stice Professor Animal and Dairy Sciences
John J. Wagner Professor Physiology and Pharmacology

  • Division Contacts

    Philip Holmes, Neuroscience Division Chair

    Professor
    Department of Psychology
    The University of Georgia
    616 Psychology Building
    Athens, GA 30602

    Tel: (706) 542-3105

    E-mail: pvholmes@uga.edu



    Jim Lauderdale, Graduate Coordinator

    Associate Professor
    Department of Cellular Biology
    The University of Georgia
    250B Coverdell Center
    Athens, GA 30662

    Tel: (706) 542-5922

    E-mail: neurophd@uga.edu

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Harry A. Dailey, BHSI Director | S150 Paul D. Coverdell Center | Athens, GA 30602