Supervisors
Learn about faculty available to supervise this degree.
Program overview
The Neuroscience graduate program seeks to advance research contributing to the understanding of the brain and mental health, promote independent thinking and prepare graduate leaders to excel in any field of human endeavor. The program is ideal for inquisitive students with high scholastic achievement driven to understand who and what we are, and who wish to better the mental and physical health of all members of our society. Doctoral students contribute to new discoveries, advance the field of neuroscience and gain a toolkit of skills and experiences that will help them take their place at the forefront of health care. Students will focus on both disease and fundamental understanding of the brain, learning in a faculty that fosters interaction between clinical and basic scientists.
Completing this program
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Courses: Topics include cellular, molecular and developmental neuroscience, systems neuroscience and neuropathology and others.
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Research Ethics: Students are required to attend Research Integrity Day sessions in the first year of their program.
- Sex & Gender Module: Students are required to complete one of the CIHR sex and gender online training modules found at discoversexandgender.ca in the first year of their program.
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Candidacy: Students will complete both oral and written candidacy exams.
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Seminars: Students will participate in the Hotchkiss Brain Institute seminar program and a journal club.
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Research Proposal: Students must defend a written research proposal to their supervisory committee.
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Thesis: Students will be required to submit and defend an original research thesis.
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(Optional) Interdisciplinary Specialization I: A specialization in computational neuroscience is available. Additional information can also be found here.
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(Optional) Interdisciplinary Specialization II: A specialization in medical imaging is also available. Additional information can also be found here.
Outcomes
Careers that demand a high degree of intellectual performance, positions of leadership, academia (teachers, administrators, researchers), medicine - clinician researchers, pharmaceutical industry, entrepreneurial endeavors, Fortune 500 companies, biomedical sales.
A PhD in neuroscience is usually considered a final degree; many graduates go on to pursue post-doctoral research.
Virtual Tour
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Accepting InquiriesNeuroscience -
UnavailableNeuromodulation in Movement Disorders, Clinical Trials in Parkinson's Disease, Patient-Oriented Research -
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Accepting InquiriesMicrobiome , Inflammation and neurodegeneration, Prenatal alcohol exposure/Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), Germ-free models, Indigenous community partnerships (health focus) -
Accepting InquiriesNeural circuits underlying motivated behaviour -
Accepting InquiriesMolecular Chaperones and Neurodegeneration -
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UnavailableGeriatric neuropsychology, Adult ADHD -
Unavailablepediatric health and neurodevelopment, Other Degrees I Supervise -
Accepting InquiriesDisease processes, Medical imaging -
Seeking StudentsBehavioural Neuroscience
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Seeking StudentsMedical Image Processing -
Accepting InquiriesBrain and Cerebrovascular Imaging -
Accepting InquiriesNeuromodulation - focused ultrasound, Neurophysiology of cognition, Clinical trials - pain -
Accepting InquiriesFunctional MRI -
Accepting InquiriesMagnetic Resonance Imaging and Spectroscopy
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Accepting InquiriesNeuro-Biomechanics, Biomechanics -
Accepting InquiriesSpatial Cognition, Neuroimaging -
Accepting InquiriesGenetics of Epilepsy, Precision medicine in epilepsy -
Seeking Studentsparenting, personality and brain development, and youth psychopathology -
Accepting InquiriesMedical Imaging, Pediatric Brain Development -
Accepting InquiriesCannabinoid- and psychedelic-based therapeutics for stress-related disorders -
Seeking StudentsDevelopmental Neurobiology -
Accepting InquiriesHuman non-invasive neurostimulation and mouse modelling of stress -
UnavailablePediatric Pain and Anesthesia -
Accepting Inquiries -
Accepting Inquiries -
Accepting InquiriesAreas of Research -
Accepting InquiriesGenetics of neuromuscular disorders -
Accepting InquiriesResearch Area, Collaborations, Tools, Trainees -
Accepting Inquirieshuman physiology, healthy brain aging and dementia, sleep, intermittent hypoxia & high altitude, industrial physiology -
UnavailableNeurocognitive aging and plasticity, Depression -
UnavailableEpilepsy, Autism, Ketogenic Diet -
Seeking StudentsBehavioural Neuroscience -
Accepting InquiriesFebrile Seizures, Infantile Spasms, Pediatric Epilepsy Outcomes and Informatics Project -
Accepting Inquiriesprion diseases -
UnavailableMental Health, Dementia, Epidemiology, Health Services Research, Geriatrics, Pharmacoepidemiology, Knowledge Translation -
Accepting InquiriesComputational Neuroscience, Neuroimaging, Complex brain networks -
Accepting InquiriesHistory of Medicine and the Life Sciences, History and Philosophy of the Neurosciences, History of Physiology, Medical Visualizations throughout History, History of Public Mental Health and Psychiatry -
Seeking StudentsNeuroscience -
Seeking StudentsNeuroscience -
Accepting InquiriesNeurophysiology of Ion Channels -
Accepting InquiriesHow we control our movements, Parkinson's disease - Improving Gait -
Seeking StudentsBrain development; Neural stem cells; Translational regulation; Gene-environment interaction -
UnavailableBiochemistry, Immunology, Cell Biology, Comparative Biomedical Sciences -
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UnavailableMultiple Sclerosis, Spinal cord injury, Malignant gliomas, Neuroinflammation -
UnavailablePain, calcium channels, receptors, -
Seeking StudentsImproving Disease Outcome Measures, Advancing Image Analysis Technologies, Enhancing MRI-Pathology Correlation
Admission Requirements
GPA
A minimum of 3.3 GPA on a 4.0 point system, over the past two years of full-time study (a minimum of 10 full-course equivalents or 60 units) of the undergraduate degree.
Minimum education
An MSc or equivalent.
Work samples
None
Documents
None
Reference letters
Two
Test scores
None
English language proficiency
An applicant whose primary language is not English may fulfill the English language proficiency requirement in one of the following ways:
- Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL ibt) score of 105.
- International English Language Testing System (IELTS) score of 7.5 (minimum of 7.0 in each section)
- Pearson Test of English (PTE) score of 75, or higher (Academic version).
- Canadian Academic English Language test (CAEL) score of 70 (minimum 70 in each section)
- Academic Communication Certificate (ACC) score of A- in each course.
- Cambridge C1 Advanced or Cambridge C2 Proficiency minimum score of 200.
- Duolingo English Test and obtaining a minimum score of 145* (with no sub-score below 125*). (temporary until Fall 2024 intake)
Deadlines
For admission on May 1
- Canadians and permanent residents: March 1 application deadline
- International students: Dec. 1 application deadline
For admission on September 1
- Canadians and permanent residents:Jun. 1 application deadline
- International students: Apr. 1 application deadline
For admission on January 1
- Canadians and permanent residents: Oct. 1 application deadline
- International students: Aug. 1 application deadline
If you're not a Canadian or permanent resident, or if you have international credentials, make sure to learn about international requirements
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