Contact:
Angel De Blas, PhD.
Professor and Department Head
The University of Connecticut
Department of Physiology and Neurobiology
75 North Eagleville Road
U-3156
Storrs, CT 06269-3156
E-mail: angel.deblas@uconn.edu
URL: http://www.pnb.uconn.edu
Phone: (860)486-3285
Fax: (860) 486-3303
Other Degrees Offered: MS
Program Established: 1985
Number of Faculty: 14
Number of Students Spring: 35
U.S. Citizens: 54%
Female: 46%
US Under-Representated Minorities: 2%
African American/Black (not of Hispanic
origin): 2%
Number of Graduates in the Last Five Years:
41
Number of Faculty Who Have Supervised Student Thesis Projects in the Last Five Years:
17
Average Number of Years to Complete the Program: 2.4 MS, 5.2 PhD
Program Description: The Department of Physiology and Neurobiology offers a program of graduate study in Neurobiology leading to both MS and PhD degrees in Physiology and Neurobiology. All students begin the program by taking a year long core course where they learn the fundamentals of Physiology and Neurobiology. Students are encouraged to begin research as soon as they enter the program, and can either immediately begin dissertation research in a laboratory or rotate through two laboratories before choosing an area of research that interests them most. Students choose from several advanced courses offered within the department in the fields of Neurobiology, Comparative Physiology and Endocrinology. Other departments on campus including Psychology, Molecular and Cell Biology, and Pharmacy offer additional courses. A departmental colloquium series and weekly departmental meetings supplement the formal coursework offerings. Through the colloquia, students learn firsthand about the newest and most exciting research in Physiology and Neurobiology and meet with distinguished scientists from around the world. In the weekly departmental meeting, students are given the opportunity to communicate their own original research, and to develop their own skills in effective presentation. By the end of the first year, students are expected to have chosen a dissertation thesis laboratory, and to have mastered the fundamentals of neuroscience and physiology. This mastery is demonstrated by the successful completion of a written exam administered at the end of the first year. Near the end of the second year, students write a research proposal that is based on the original research they have been engaged in through the first two years in the program. After successfully defending this proposal, students are admitted to candidacy for the PhD and/or receive a MS. After admission to candidacy, students typically complete their dissertation research and receive a PhD in Physiology and Neurobiology within 5 years of entering the program. During all these years, a research sponsor and an advisory faculty committee guide the students.
Admission Requirements: US applicants must submit scores on the General Test of Graduate Record Examinations and must have maintained at least a 3.0 quality point ratio (QPR) for admission as graduate students with regular status.
How or Where to Apply: For admission to the fall semester, it is suggested that applications be submitted by January 15 to be given the most attention, but there is not a deadline and late applications will be considered if there are openings. To be considered for financial support, students must submit applications to the Graduate School by March 15 for admission for the following September. Applications and credentials from international students must be received by the Graduate School by March 1 for admission in the fall semester or by October 1 for the spring semester and must include TOEFL scores. Please apply online: http://www.grad.uconn.edu/online.html.
Annual Tuition and Fees Costs: Tuition is waived for graduate students who are awarded half or full teaching assistantships and with full time registration (6 credits or more & maintaining a 3.0 GPA or better). For additional information about graduate tuition and fees, please go to: http://www.grad.uconn.edu/fees.html#fees.
Housing Availability and Costs Per Year: On-campus housing in graduate residence halls are available for unmarried graduate students starting at $2,474 per semester for 2006-2007. University-owned and privately owned apartments and housing near campus and in surrounding communities are available at moderate rents.
Day-Care Facilities Availability and Costs Per Month: University of Connecticut Child Labs has classrooms for four ages of children, ranging in age from newborns to Kindergarten. A waiting list is maintained, and priority is given to families at the University, including students. Cost varies upon family income, size and the classroom the child is enrolled in.
Stipend/Assistantships and Financial Assistance: Several types of financial support are available to graduate students. www.grad.uconn.edu/financial_aid.html. In addition, Graduate Assistantships are awarded to our Ph.D. students and on a case-by-case basis to Masters students if funding is available. For the 2006-07 academic year, full-time assistantships (nine months) pay $18,270 for beginning graduate students, $19,226 for those with an MS or the equivalent, and $21,371 for those who have passed the Ph.D. general examination. The stipend increases as you progress through our program. Tuition is waived for graduate students who are awarded half or full teaching assistantships and with full time registration (6 credits or more & maintaining a 3.0 GPA or better). Both half and full teaching assistants may purchase excellent health-care coverage, heavily subsidized by UConn. Opportunities for additional funding for summer research are also available (average of $3,000). There are also several research fellowships availa! ble to Ph.D. students. With the stipend and tuition waiver, (not including medical benefits and University fees), a beginning UConn PNB Graduate Assistantship totals approximately $37,900.
How to Apply for Stipends and Financial Assistance: Funding is available on a case-by-case basis for Research Assistants and Teaching Assistants. Please visit the Grad School website for financial aid links and detailed information about stipends for Graduate Assistantships http://www.grad.uconn.edu/financial_aid.html and degree requirements, as well as the PNB home page http://predator.pnb.uconn.edu/~wwwpnb/titles/grad.html.
Last revised September 2006
http://www.andp.org/programs/graduate/unitedstates/connecticut/uconn-phys&neuro.htm
Directory of Neuroscience Training Programs
© 2007 Association of Neuroscience Departments and Programs
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