Graduate Bulletin

Biomedical Neuroscience, Ph.D.

SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

Admission Requirements and Deadlines

Application Deadline:

Fall: July 15                                  [December 15 for international applicants]

Spring: January 1                                 [August 1 for international applicants]

Applications are processed as they are received throughout the year.

Letters of Reference:

Number Required: 3

From Whom: Letters of recommendation should be obtained from college/university faculty members familiar with the applicant's academic competence.

Coursework Required for Admission Consideration:

To be announced.

Master's Degree in Discipline/Related Discipline:

To be announced.

Bachelor's Degree in Discipline/Related Discipline:

To be announced.

Statement of Goals:

The Statement of Goals should be approximately 500-1,000 words and should include the following elements: your interest in Temple's program; your research goals; your future career goals; and your academic and research achievements.

Standardized Test Scores:

The GRE is required.  Scores greater than 600 are typical of applicants on the verbal and quantitative sections of the GRE.

Minimum TOEFL score or range of scores needed to be accepted: 575 paper-based, 230 computer-based, or 88 internet-based.  Any student admitted with a TOEFL score below 600 on the paper-based, 250 on the computer-based, or 100 on the internet-based examination must pass an English skills course during the first semester of enrollment at Temple University.  Those having taken the paper-based or computer-based test have the additional option of testing out of the English course by taking and passing the SPEAK test at Temple.

Interview:

The top 50% of the applicants will be invited to interview with the Admissions Committee. The Department will schedule individual interviews. Alternate arrangements can be made for extenuating circumstances which preclude on-site interviews.

Program Requirements

General Program Requirements:

Number of Credits Required Beyond the Baccalaureate: 00

Required Courses:

To be announced.

Internship: No internship is required.

Language Examination: No language examination is required.

Culminating Events:

Written Preliminary Examination:

The written preliminary examination tests the retention and integration of facts and concepts obtained through the student's didactic coursework.  It is taken the Spring semester of the second year, after the required formal coursework is completed.

Oral Preliminary Examination:

After the written exam is passed, an oral preliminary examination is scheduled. The oral prelim is designed to test the student's knowledge of the pertinent scientific literature in the area of the student's doctoral research. It can only be taken after the written preliminary examination is passed.

The oral preliminary examination is designed for each student in the Ph.D. program by her/his Dissertation Advising Committee (DAC). The DAC is selected by the student in conjunction with her/his primary advisor no later than 3 months following the written examination. The point of the oral preliminary examination is to ensure that the student has a solid knowledge of the published research literature in her/his research area and an understanding of the pertinent concepts. At the time of the examination, it is expected that the student will have already selected a research area and have begun experiments, but that the final project would not have been completely delineated. Within one year of a DAC being formed, the committee meets with the student to set up the examination. The student meets with each member of the DAC and requests a topic for the oral exam. The assigned topics include issues, questions, or controversies in Neuroscience that directly bear on the area of the student's research. Each DAC member identifies specific published research articles that serve as a starting point for the student's library research. It is the student's responsibility to read the assigned and related papers, seeking as much help from the DAC members as necessary to thoroughly understand them.

A public oral examination is scheduled by the student in conjunction with the DAC within 1 year of passing the written preliminary exam. At the examination the student makes a short (30-40 minute) presentation on the assigned topics and then responds to questions from the DAC and audience. When the student has completed presentation of all topics and answered all questions, s/he and the audience leave the DAC to confer privately on whether the student has passed all portions of the examination. The student must demonstrate knowledge of facts and concepts and the ability to comprehend the research literature. If the student did not perform satisfactorily on a topic in the exam, the DAC may schedule a reexamination as necessary, until the DAC is satisfied.

Dissertation Proposal:

The dissertation proposal should be 10 typed pages or less. It should provide sufficient background, specific hypotheses, objectives, an outline of experimental methods, and the anticipated analytical and statistical approaches. The proposal will serve as a guideline and may be subject to modifications at the consensus of the DAC.

Dissertation:

The dissertation presents original scientific research carried out by the student. The work should demonstrate knowledge of research methods and mastery of the student's primary area of interest. The dissertation should be a significant piece of research, suitable, in the opinion of the student's DAC, for publication in a peer-reviewed journal. Submission of some or all of the research to a peer-reviewed journal is required, although acceptance of the work for publication in the journal is not. It is expected that the results of the student's scientific research for the dissertation will have been presented at one or more national or international scientific meetings prior to the defense. Students are required to present publicly to the academic community in the form of an oral seminar and dissertation defense, and to answer all audience questions. The DAC determines acceptability of the dissertation, oral presentation, and its defense.

The DAC oversees the student's doctoral research and is comprised of at least three Graduate Faculty members. Committee compositions must be approved by the department's graduate committee. Two members, including the Chair, must be from the Neuroscience Department. A member from outside the department is recommended. The Chair of the DAC is responsible for overseeing and guiding the student's progress, coordinating the responses of the Committee members, and informing the student of her/his academic progress. S/he must have her/his primary academic appointment in Neuroscience.

The Dissertation Examining Committee evaluates the student's dissertation and oral defense. This committee is comprised of the DAC members and at least one additional Graduate Faculty member from outside the Neuroscience Department. The Outside Examiner should be identified no later than the beginning of the semester in which the student will defend the dissertation.

If a student needs to change a member of a committee, the new member must be approved by the department's graduate committee and registered with the Graduate Secretary and the Graduate School.

Members of the Dissertation Examining Committee decide if the quantity and quality of research, and the significance of the conclusions drawn from it, are adequate for a dissertation and defense. The Committee votes to pass or fail the dissertation and the defense at the conclusion of the public presentation. In evaluating whether the dissertation and its defense are acceptable, the committee takes into account the following factors: the clarity of the student's presentation and speaking skills; the student's professionalism; the student's grasp of the significance of her/his work; the breadth and depth of the student's knowledge of her/his field and the relationship of her/his work to other work in the field; the adequacy of the student's answers to questions; and the student's maintenance of a respectful, professional tone in response to questions while defending the dissertation.

Students who are preparing to defend their dissertation should confirm a time and date with their DAC and register with the Graduate Secretary at least 15 days before the defense is to be scheduled. The Graduate Secretary will arrange the time, date, and room within two working days, and forward the appropriate forms to the student. After the Graduate Secretary has arranged the time, date, and room for the defense, the student must send to the Graduate School a completed "Announcement of Dissertation Defense" form at least 10 working days before the defense. The Department will post flyers announcing the defense.

Contacts

Program Contact Information:

www.temple.edu/medicine/. . . /neuroscience.htm

Department Information:

Dept. of Neuroscience
Temple University School of Medicine

1900 N. 12th Street, Room 203

Philadelphia, PA  19122

jayrapp@temple.edu
215-204-0678

Department Contacts:

Admissions:

Jay Rappaport, Ph.D.

jayrapp@temple.edu
215-204-0678

Program Coordinator:

Jay Rappaport, Ph.D.

jayrapp@temple.edu
215-204-0678

Chairperson:

Kamel Khalili, Ph.D.
kamel.khalili@temple.edu
215-204-0678

About the Program

The Ph.D. in Biomedical Neuroscience is intended to train biomedical neuroscientists capable of addressing important issues relevant to human neurologic and neurodegenerative disorders.  The program offers the necessary education and training to allow graduates to make major research contributions. The curriculum is comprehensive and meets the needs of students from diverse backgrounds. The program in promotes an inclusive approach to neuroscience education and research efforts by faculty in the Department of Neuroscience and Graduate Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Specialization Program at Temple University (i.e., the Departments of Biology, Pharmacology, Physical Therapy, and Psychology). The first year of study is integrated into the overall Biomedical Neuroscience Program within Temple University School of Medicine including seven additional basic science departments. After completion of the initial core curriculum, the required and elective courses provide graduate students with a unique exposure to courses that address the vast and rapidly expanding body of knowledge within the domain of Neuroscience.

Time Limit for Degree Completion: 7 years

Campus Location:

Health Sciences

Full-Time/Part-Time Status:

To be announced.

Department Information:

Dept. of Neuroscience
Temple University School of Medicine

1900 N. 12th Street, Room 203

Philadelphia, PA  19122

jayrapp@temple.edu
215-204-0678

Interdisciplinary Study:

To be announced.

Affiliation(s):

Not applicable.

Study Abroad:

No.

Ranking:

The Department of Neuroscience at the Temple University School of Medicine ranks among the top 10 neuroscience departments nationally with respect to current NIH research funding in basic science departments within schools of medicine.  This funding will serve as a nucleus for interdisciplinary research, education, and advances in patient care.

Accreditation:

Not applicable.

Areas of Specialization:

To be announced.

Job Placement:

This program will prepare students for careers in academia or the pharmaceutical or biotechnology industries.

Licensure:

Not applicable.

Non-Degree Student Policy:

Courses are restricted to matriculated students.

Financing Opportunities

Successful candidates will be supported by research assistantships, teaching assistantships, training grants, research grants, or internal funding.

Drafted 7.28.06