Neurosciences Graduate Programs

The Master of Science in Neurosciences doesn’t directly admit students to the program. Prospective students should apply to the Doctor of Philosophy in Neurosciences.

The graduate program in neurosciences at the University of Kansas is a degree-granting program. Students are admitted directly into the program. The program is coordinated by the Lawrence campus of the university - with strengths in the behavioral, biological, chemical, and pharmaceutical sciences - and the Medical Center campus in Kansas City - with strengths in all the biomedical and clinical sciences. Each student is asked to indicate the campus on which he or she would like to be considered for admission. Students in this program should expect to be admitted to and receive a Ph.D. degree in neurosciences.

The program appeals to students who want to teach and/or do research in a university or do research in a pharmaceutical/ biotechnology company or government laboratory. Students who are interested in this field wish to work out individual programs spanning a great breadth from molecular and cellular neurobiology to organism-based neurophysiology, behavioral neurobiology, and cognitive neuroscience. Students take advantage of the many research and training opportunities available at two campuses of a major research university. Our students can look forward to personal development in an atmosphere that fosters strong collaborative activities as well as independent scholarship. If this type of program fits your professional training expectations, we invite you to join us.

• Year 1
  Semester 1	Hours	Semester 2	Hours	Semester 3	Hours
  BIOL 636 (or other graduate level biochemistry/Proteins and Metabolism)	4	NURO 799	1	NURO 825	1-10
  Elective	1-3	NURO 805	1
  NURO 799	1	NURO 825	1-10
  NURO 825	1-10	NURO 846	4
  	7-18		7-16		1-10
  Year 2
  Semester 1	Hours	Semester 2	Hours
  NURO 799	1	NURO 799	1
  NURO 801 (offered in the fall every odd numbered year)	1	Elective	1-3
  Elective	1-3	NURO 825	1-10
  Elective	1-3	NURO 899	1-11
  NURO 805	1
  NURO 825	1-10
  	6-19		4-25
  Total Hours 25-88

•  

At the completion of this program, students will be able to:

• Demonstrate sufficient knowledge of modern neuroscience and a comprehensive understanding of core concepts in the specific area of study.
• Critically read, evaluate, and integrate scientific literature, identify strengths, weaknesses, and biases in published studies, and interpret new findings within the broader context of the field to generate novel insights or challenge existing paradigms.
• Identify significant gaps or unresolved questions in the field, formulate clear, innovative, and testable hypotheses, and design rigorous, ethical experimental approaches that can feasibly address the research questions to advance the field.
• Independently plan, conduct, and troubleshoot neuroscience research using state-of-the-art techniques, ensuring rigor, reproducibility, and appropriate statistical analysis of complex datasets.
• Effectively communicate complex neuroscience ideas and research findings through clear, compelling peer-reviewed publications, grant proposals, and oral presentations at program-wide seminar series and at national and international conferences.
• Conduct research with the highest standards of integrity, including ethical considerations (animal and human subjects, data management, reproducibility) and professional practices such as mentorship and constructive collaboration.