About the Program
Graduate Training Leading to the Ph.D in Neuroscience at the University of California, Riverside
Neuroscience is a multidisciplinary approach to understanding nervous systems at levels ranging from the molecular and cellular to the whole organism. The goal of this Program is to prepare students for careers in research, teaching and/or scientific administration. Students are expected to learn the fundamentals of Neuroscience, starting with a required core sequence, become knowledgeable concerning a range of research methods as taught in a required Neuroscience laboratory course, and demonstrate capability in original research. Graduate student training ultimately reflects the research competence and specialties of the faculty, that is, the specific research training received by a graduate student is the responsibility of the major professor/mentor under whose guidance and in whose laboratory the student carries out the research projects leading to the degree. Students will benefit from an interdisciplinary training approach, tailored by the major advisor but enriched by the readily available expertise and laboratory facilities of program faculty with backgrounds ranging from chemistry to psychology. In addition to this training, it is our intention, through outside speakers and planned forums, to make students aware of alternate careers open to neuroscientists whose interests and talents might lead to areas such as biotechnology, science administration and the like.
The Interdepartmental Ph.D Program in Neuroscience at UC Riverside is aimed at providing high quality graduate training for students who come from a variety of undergraduate backgrounds but share a commitment and an intense interest in nervous system research. We currently have 37 faculty with expertise in various aspects of Neuroscience and whose principal appointments are in the Departments of Biology, Cell Biology & Neuroscience, Chemistry, Entomology, Psychology, and the Division of Biomedical Sciences.
A major part of training in Neuroscience is in supervised laboratory research, the student working with one or more of the Neuroscience faculty. Applicants are encouraged to make contact with faculty members whose work may correspond closely to their own individual interests. Contact information for each faculty member are given in the following pages. Applicants may also contact:
Dustin Domingo, Graduate Student Services Advisor
Ph.D. Program in Neuroscience
1140 Batchelor Hall
University of California
Riverside, CA 92521
(951) 827-0897 | TOLL FREE: (800) 735-0717
Email: dustin.domingo@ucr.edu
For further information and on-line application forms, go to the CNAS Graduate Student Affairs Center website, or call 1-800-735-0717.
See also:
- 2026-27 Neuroscience Graduate Student Handbook
- 2025-26 Neuroscience Graduate Student Handbook
- 2024-25 Neuroscience Graduate Student Handbook
- 2023-24 Neuroscience Graduate Student Handbook
- 2020-21 Neuroscience Graduate Student Handbook
- 2018-19 Neuroscience Graduate Student Handbook
- First Year Students: Declare a Rotation
- 2017-18 Neuroscience Graduate Student Handbook
- 2016-17 Neuroscience Graduate Student Handbook (pdf format)
- Association of Neuroscience Departments & Programs (ANDP)
- Peterson's Guide - UCR Neuroscience info
- UCR International Services Center
Students are normally supported for five years of graduate training. Eligibility for admission and financial support is determined on the basis of a number of factors including appropriate courses, grade point average, graduate record examination scores, etc. Prior research experience at the undergraduate level is deemed highly desirable.
Doctoral Degree in Neuroscience
Core requirements include:
- Complete core course requirement: NRSC 200 A, B and C and NRSC202, BMSC 254
- Complete and pass one 3-4 unit elective course or two 2-unit elective courses- selected by the student in consultation with the major professor and/or guidance committee. A list of potential electives is provided HERE.
- Enroll and participate in the weekly Research Lunch series during Fall quarter of the first year.
- Enroll and participate in the Colloquium in Neuroscience (NRSC 287) each quarter in academic residence.
- Enroll and participation in Special Topics in Neuroscience (NRSC 289) during Fall and Spring Quarters. Following completion of the qualifying exam, enroll in NRSC 289 once per year.
- Complete the teaching requirements: A minimum of two quarters of service as a Teaching Assistant is required.
- Pass Qualifying Exam
- Write and successfully defend doctoral thesis.
The normative time to the Ph.D. degree is 16 quarters.