Neuroscience, PhD | Johns Hopkins University Academic Catalogue

Overview

The Department of Neuroscience offers an interdisciplinary program designed to train doctoral students for independent research and teaching in neuroscience. It is the goal of the program to ensure that candidates for the PhD and MD/PhD degrees obtain a background covering molecular, cellular, systems, and cognitive approaches to neuroscience, as well as receive training that brings them to the forefront of research in their particular area of interest. The program also ensures that students obtain broad training in the neurosciences. Our curriculum spans the breadth of modern neuroscience, from molecular/cellular underpinnings to systems/cognitive integration and offers a rich training experience. Students enter the program from different backgrounds and join laboratories working on different disciplines; therefore, the program is tailored to fit the needs of individual students. Courses are designed so that students have ample time to become involved in laboratory research in the first year. Most students begin their thesis research at the beginning of their second year.

For more information, please visit The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience webpage.

Training Facilities

The Neuroscience Training Program is based in the Solomon S. Snyder Department of Neuroscience. The Training Program includes approximately 120 faculty and laboratory facilities located in the Department of Neuroscience as well as several other basic and clinical science departments closely associated with the Neuroscience Department. Modern state-of-the-art facilities for research in molecular biology, neurophysiology, pharmacology, biochemistry, cell biology, and morphology are available. The Mind/Brain Institute, located on the Homewood Campus of the University, is a group of laboratories devoted to the investigation of the neural mechanisms of higher mental function and particularly to the mechanisms of perception. All of the faculty in the Mind/Brain Institute are members of the Neuroscience Graduate Program.

Neuroscience trainees may also elect to conduct research in laboratories at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Janelia Research Campus (19700 Helix Drive, Ashburn, Virginia 20147). The Janelia Research Campus provides research opportunities in small labs, encourages collaboration across different laboratories and research topics, and offers access to developing tools and technologies. Johns Hopkins University is certified to operate elements of the program at this site by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia.

Financial Aid

Candidates accepted into the Program are offered full support providing payment of tuition, health, dental and vision benefits as well as a stipend for the duration of their studies. For more details regarding financial aid opportunities, please visit Financial Aid | Johns Hopkins Medicine. All entering and first-year students are encouraged to apply for individual fellowships such as those sponsored by the National Science Foundation and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

Vivien Thomas PhD Scholars at JHU

The Vivien Thomas Scholars Initiative (VTSI) is an endowed fellowship program at Johns Hopkins for PhD students in STEM fields. Vivien Thomas Scholars are selected from a range of eligible institutions, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), community colleges across the country, and regional institutions in Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. In addition to the interview and selection process for the VTSI program, they must also be accepted into a Johns Hopkins PhD STEM program through the regular, rigorous and competitive application process. Scholars who have been accepted into both a PhD STEM program and the VTSI receive the financial support needed to ensure their success, including up to six years of full tuition support, a generous stipend, health insurance, and other benefits, along with significant mentorship, research, professional development, and community-building opportunities. More information about the VTSI program is available at this link.

Admission Requirements

Note: PhD applications are submitted via the School of Medicine's application system, and the deadline is usually in the first week of December. The Neuroscience program does not require GRE scores. The Neuroscience website has up-to-date information on the ‘how to apply’ page.

Applicants are expected to have received a B.S. or B.A. prior to enrolling in the graduate program. Laboratory research experience prior to enrollment is also desirable. We are most enthusiastic about applicants who have taken full advantage of the opportunities available at their undergraduate institution and through other summer or postbac experiences. If you have research experience, please describe your research in your Statement of Interest and Career Objectives and indicate the number of months engaged in full-time and part-time research on your CV. Students who do well in our program typically have a strong academic foundation in areas of biological or physical sciences. Some of the courses that prepare students well include general biology, neuroscience, mathematics through calculus, general physics, general chemistry, organic chemistry, statistics, engineering, or computer science.

Combined MD/PhD Program

A subset of the current predoctoral trainees in the Neuroscience Program are candidates for both PhD and MD degrees. Applications for admission to the combined program are considered by the MD/PhD Committee of the School of Medicine. Application forms for the School of Medicine contain a section requesting information relevant to graduate study. Applicants interested in the combined MD/PhD program should complete this section and indicate specifically their interest in the Neuroscience Training Program. Information about applying can be found at the Hopkins MSTP admissions page.

Program Requirements

Courses

During the first two years in the Neuroscience Training Program (NTP), students are required to take several graduate level core courses as well as advanced electives that provide rigorous training in principles of neuroscience research. In addition, students in the first year attend Quantitative Analysis boot camp and Neuroscience Research Symposia in the first few weeks after joining the program.

Course List
Code	Title	Credits
Required Courses
ME.440.811	Neuroscience Cognition I	4.5
ME.440.812	Neuroscience Cognition II	4.5
ME.440.819	Rigor, Reproducibility, and Responsibility in Science ¹	2
ME.440.801	Readings in Neuroscience (Journal Club) ²	1
or ME.440.810	Readings In Systems Neuroscience
ME.440.802	Current Topics in Neuroscience (Research Seminar) ³	1
or AS.080.631	Bodian Seminar Series
ME.440.820	Circuits and Brain Disorders	2
AS.200.659	Quantitative Methods for Brain Sciences	3
or ME.440.825	Quantitative Neurogenomics
PH.140.615	Statistics for Laboratory Scientists I	4
PH.140.616	Statistics for Laboratory Scientists II	4
ME.440.803	Teaching in Neuroscience	1
ME.440.724	Neuroscience Career Skills	1
ME.440.730	Submitting Your First Paper	0.5
ME.440.823	Grant Writing Skills	1
ME.440.800	Neuroscience Research ⁴	1 - 18
Neuroscience Elective Courses
A minimum of 3 pre-approved electives (with at least one primarily focused on a neuroscience topic) are required. Neuroscience electives are listed below. A full listing of pre-approved courses can be found in the NTP program guidelines.
AS.080.620	Theoretical and Computational Neuroscience	3
ME.440.822	Computational Principles of Biological Vision	3
AS.080.310	Synaptic Function and Plasticity	3
ME.440.709	Neuropharmacology	1.5
ME.440.715	Trends in the Neurobiology of Aging	0.5
ME.440.818	Bioenergetics, Neuroplasticity and Brain Health	1
ME.440.711	Cellular and Molecular Basis of Neural Development I: Neuronal Differentiation	1.5
ME.440.705	Cellular and Molecular Basis of Neural Development II	1.5
ME.440.723	Writing About the Brain	3
ME.440.707	Molecular Mechanisms in Synaptic Transmission	2
EN.580.625	Structure and Function of the Auditory and Vestibular Systems	3
ME.440.824	Cell Physiology of Visual and Olfactory Transductions	1

¹: Completion of this course fulfills the SOM Ethics Requirement, and needs to be competed in fall year 1 and repeated fall year 5.
²: Required fall and spring semesters in years 1, 2 and 3
³: Required fall and spring semesters in years 1 and 2
⁴: Required every semester until graduation for full-time enrollment

Laboratory Rotations

Lab rotations are required for students who join the program on a Rotation track. These laboratory rotations expose the student to a variety of current research techniques in neuroscience and provide an opportunity for the student to select a laboratory in which to conduct dissertation research. Scheduling of the three rotations is adjusted to make the most convenient schedule for each student, and require a rotation report submitted to the program at the end of each rotation. The rotations are usually completed by the end of the first year. Each rotation track student will complete 3 research rotations prior to selecting a thesis laboratory. Declaring a thesis laboratory before the completion of 3 rotations is an option and requires steering committee approval. A fourth rotation may be completed if necessary/desired. Rotations at the Janelia Research Campus typically happen during the summer. Generally, each research rotation will be about 3 months in length, with the exception of summer rotations. A full-time summer rotation (July-August) will be about 2 months in length. It is critical for rotating students to consult with rotation mentors (PIs) about available funding for the entire training period before a rotation is engaged.

Students in the Direct Admit track do not complete rotations but rather join their sponsor’s lab upon matriculation.

Annual Neuroscience Retreat

Attendance at the Annual Neuroscience Retreat is required for all students.

Monthly Lab Talks

Once a month, the faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and students from one laboratory present and discuss the ongoing research in that laboratory. This provides an informal setting to discuss research being conducted in the laboratories of the Neuroscience Training Program and gives advanced graduate students and postdoctoral fellows a forum for presenting their work. Attendance at the monthly Neuroscience Lab Talks is required for all students.

Annual IDP

Students must complete annual meetings with their faculty advisor on the student's academic progress and professional development plan, also known as the student's Individual Development Plan (IDP).

Residency requirements

A minimum residency of two consecutive semesters is required. During the course of graduate study, the student must successfully complete all program requirements.

Doctor of Philosophy Board Oral (DBO) Examination

A University-mandated Doctor of Philosophy Board Oral (DBO) Examination must be completed by the second year of study. The DBO Examination tests the breadth and depth of the graduate student’s scientific knowledge and readiness to begin thesis research.

Thesis Advisory Committee Meetings

Following the DBO, the first Thesis Committee meeting is called the Thesis Proposal Defense. The student must prepare a thesis proposal that follows the guidelines and format of the NIH Pre-doctoral NRSA Application. The proposal should be well-formulated and presented in sufficient detail that it can be evaluated for both its research training potential and scientific merit. It is important that it be developed in collaboration with the thesis advisor, but it must be written entirely by the student.

Annual thesis committee meetings are held in year 3 and 4, and every 6 months thereafter, until such time as the thesis committee evaluates that the student is ready to write their doctoral dissertation and receive permission to write. Submission of a manuscript is a requirement for the committee to grant permission to write.

Dissertation Defense

The dissertation is based on the student’s novel research and must be approved by all four members of the Thesis Advisory Committee before the student can graduate. This happens during the Dissertation Defense meeting. Following a successful dissertation defense, the thesis is submitted to the Sheridan Library. The thesis advisor and second reader submit a reader's letter approving the dissertation, via the Neuroscience program. The complete graduation package needs to be approved by the registrar. A public seminar of this thesis work is a graduation requirement.