Contact:
Mary Early-Zald, Ph.D.
Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt Brain Institute
U-1205 Medical Center North
Nashville, TN 37232
Telephone: (615) 936-2610
FAX: (615) 936-3613
E-Mail: mary.early-zald@vanderbilt.edu
WWW: http://braininstitute.vanderbilt.edu
Year Established: 1997
Number of Faculty: 65
Number of Students: 58
US Citizens: 80%
Female: 38%
US Under-Represented Minorities: 13%
African-American: 11%
Number of Graduates in the Last Three Years: 7
Number of Faculty Who Have Supervised Graduate Student Thesis Projects in Their Labs in the Last Two Years: 32
Average Number of Years to Complete the Program: 5.5
Program Description: Graduate training in neuroscience at Vanderbilt University capitalizes on the broad research interests and expertise of faculty across the campus. Established in 1997, the transinstitutional neuroscience PhD program represents the culmination of years of internationally recognized faculty working together across departments and across schools in collaborative research and teaching endeavors. The graduate program has sixty students who are proceeding along two tracks, focusing either on Molecular/Cellular Neuroscience or Integrative/Cognitive Neuroscience. The goal is to provide a solid foundation in fundamental neuroscience, in order to prepare students to make a transition from molecules and cells to behavior and human disease. The training faculty, from twelve different departments, have well-funded research laboratories and offer diverse, state-of-the-art, opportunities for research training in molecular, integrative and cognitive neuroscience. All students take entry-level neuroscience courses (Fundamental Neuroscience and Neuroscience Foundations), as well as specialized courses depending on the particular track. Students also engage in research rotations in laboratories of the training faculty and participate in a variety of enrichment activities including teaching apprenticeships, seminar series, public outreach efforts, and an annual scientific retreat.
The Vanderbilt Brain Institute and Meharry Medical College recently received NIH funding for a training program designed to address the national need to achieve diversity in the neuroscience human resource pool. This partnership combines Meharry’s strength in minority recruitment and training with Vanderbilt’s strength in basic neuroscience research and training. The training program is a novel, linked predoctoral-postdoctoral program for research training of underrepresented minorities and also partners with the National Institute of Mental Health Intramural Program, which offers world-class laboratories in neuroimaging.
Admission Requirements: undergraduate degree in science; We have no cut-off for GPA and GRE scores.
How, and Where to Apply: http://www.vanderbilt.edu/gradschool/prospective_students/application_and_information.htm
Approximate Cost of Living Per Year:
Low, compared
nationally
Housing Availability and Costs Per Year: On-campus housing $7,000-$9,000
Day-Care Facilities Available and Costs Per Month: $500/month (on-campus).
Stipend/Assistantships and Financial Assistance:
Students are supported by training grants, teaching assistantships, and institutional funds. Essentially all students in the program are provided
financial aid.
Last revised December 2004
http://www.andp.org/programs/graduate/unitedstates/tennessee/vanderbilt-neuro.htm
Directory of Neuroscience Training Programs
© 2007 Association of Neuroscience Departments and Programs
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