In addition to coursework, students are encouraged to participate in and carry out independent research in their first two years of residence. Academic Policies Students are required to pass a combination of oral and written comprehensive examinations towards the end of their second year and after completion of the required course work. A student who fails again will be terminated. Throughout the first two years of required course work, a student whose grade point average falls below a B will be placed on academic probation. A student who completes the comprehensive examinations successfully is admitted to candidacy and qualifies for the Ph.D. dissertation proposal defense.
Students choose a preceptor to supervise their research during the first year of residence.
The preceptor and the student gather an advisory committee which is chaired by a core faculty member of the program, and includes the preceptor and three other members, one from within the program, one from another division within the institution, and one neuroscientist from another institution. The thesis proposal should be in the format of an NIH grant application and will be defended before the advisory committee. The rest of the student's time in residence is spent on the Ph.D. dissertation research. Each student dissertation is evaluated by a neuroscientist from another institution who is an expert in the specific area of research. Additional policies are listed in The Graduate College and in the Academic Information sections.