Introduction
The Graduate Program in Neuroscience has primary academic responsibility at Western University for graduate training in the Neurosciences.
The major features of the Graduate Program in Neuroscience are:
- Emphasis on research
- An interdisciplinary approach
- Collective responsibility of faculty for establishing and maintaining high standards based on regular meetings of Advisory Committees and research seminars.
- Participation by graduate students in the academic life of the Program, including service on the Program Committee and involvement in the Perspectives in Neuroscience seminar series.
- Interactions among graduate students and faculty
Degrees Offered
Programs leading to the degrees of Master of Science (MSc) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) are offered. In addition, a combined MD-PhD program is available for candidates who have been accepted into the MD program at Western University.
Objectives
The goal of the graduate MSc and PhD programs is to train professional neuroscientists who will make significant contributions to the discipline of science in academic settings, governmental institutions, or in the private industry. MD-PhD degrees will, after medical specialty training, be prepared to enter careers in academic medicine.
To achieve these goals the student, with the help of a supervisor and an Advisory Committee, develops and completes a research project leading to the preparation and defence of a thesis, actively participates in the scientific/academic activities of the Program, and develops a skill set that prepares the student for different academic and non-academic career paths.
The Program
The Program offers research training in sevral fields including: neural substrates of behaviour; neuroimaging; neurophysiology; cellular, molecular and developmental neuroscience; neuroanatomy/neuropathology; and computational neuroscience. Students are able to select supervisors from over 90 core members of the Program, including neuroscientists drawn from the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, the Robarts Research Institute, and the Faculties of Social Science, Science, and Health Sciences. Participating departments include the departments of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Biology, Biochemistry, Clinical Neurological Sciences, Communicative Sciences & Disorders, Kinesiology, Medical Biophysics, Paediatrics, Pathology, Philospohy, Physiology and Pharmacology, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Psychiatry, and Psychology. Under the governance model for interdisciplinary graduate programs at the Western University, the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry is designated the host faculty for the Program and other faculties are designated participating faculties.
