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2nd-Year Curriculum

Second year courses can be taken from a series of electives. This list of courses on the Course Catalog, while representative, is not exhaustive and is subject to change over time. It is not guaranteed that these courses will be offered every year. Students need to consult the Timetable and consult with the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) regarding the sequencing of courses. Students are encouraged to work with their Thesis Advisors and the DGS for advice in planning their course of study. It is expected that students take at least three courses in their area of research specialization, but every effort will be made to provide a flexible curricular experience for all students.

Each semester, students will be required to register for and participate in NEUS 595, Neuroscience Journal Club.  This seminar will allow Neuroscience students to come together as a group on a weekly basis to listen to and interact with invited speakers as well as to present and lead discussions on timely research topics.  A grade of satisfactory/unsatisfactory will be given.

Students will also be expected to register and participate in in research ethics (GC 501) and the use of animals in research (GC 470) as required by the Graduate College and the National Institutes of Health (usually offered in the fall semesters).

Starting in their second year, students will register for NEUS 599, thesis research, to complete the 96 required credit hours.

Fall Curriculum (Recommended) Heading link

Requirement Course Number Course Name Course Description Credits
Statistics PSCH 543 Research Design and Analysis Experimental design, advanced analysis of variance (ANOVA) and statistical analyses for experimental and quasi-experimental designs, interpretation and writing results in APA style, SPSS. 4
Non-GPA Credit NEUS 595 Seminar in Neuroscience Oral presentations are made by students each session on timely journal articles, followed by in-depth discussions of the reported research. Presentation of research by invited lecturers. 1
Non-GPA Credit NEUS 599 Doctoral Research in Neuroscience Independent research, directed by a faculty member. 0-16

Spring Curriculum (Recommended) Heading link

Requirement Course Number Course Name Course Description Credits
Statistics (Optional) PSCH 545 Multivariate Analysis The statistical analysis of functional relationships among two or more variables; multivariate regression, canonical correlation, discriminant analysis, multivariate analysis of variance, principal components, factor analysis, logistic regression, cluster analysis. Prerequisite(s): PSCH 543. 3
Non-GPA Credit NEUS 595 Seminar in Neuroscience Oral presentations are made by students each session on timely journal articles, followed by in-depth discussions of the reported research. Presentation of research by invited lecturers. 1
Non-GPA Credit NEUS 599 Doctoral Research in Neuroscience Independent research, directed by a faculty member. 0-16

Other Method-Based Courses Heading link

In the second year, it is recommended that students take two modules of Research Methods (GCLS 504 and GCLS 505) or other methods-based courses (see list below) for at least 2 credit hours which will count toward their total elective credit.
Course Number Course Name Course Description Credits
NEUS 582 Methods in Modern Neuroscience Underlying principles and applications of techniques used to analyze nervous system organization and function. 2
NEUS 588 Human Neuroscience: Functional MR Imaging Lectures and demonstrations present the principles of magnetic resonance imaging for understanding cognitive, sensory and motor function of the human brain in health and disease. 3
400-level Courses in Bioengineering N/A N/A

Other Statistics Courses Heading link

Students who do not have a background in statistics may be asked to take either PSCH 343 or STAT 381 prior to taking an advanced course.  No Graduate credit will be given for 300 level courses – a 400 or 500 level statistical course will still be required.

Students will be required to take a statistics course that is appropriate for their research concentration and dissertation work. Courses appropriate to specific programs of study such as Bioengineering or Psychology can be recommended in consultation with the Thesis Advisor and the DGS. Appropriate courses include:
Course Number Course Name Course Description Credits
BioE 439 Biostatistics II Statistical treatment of data, model estimation, and inference are treated in a framework of biological experiments and attributes of data generated from such experiments. 4
PSCH 443 Advanced Statistics Design and analysis of experiments: between, within factorial and mixed factorial designs and introduction to multiple regression. For students planning research careers or advanced degrees. 3
STAT 411 Statistical Theory Estimation, tests of statistical hypotheses, best tests, sufficient statistics, Rao-Cramer inequality, sequential probability ratio tests, the multivariate normal distribution, nonparametric methods. 4