Division of Biology and Medicine
Graduate Program in Neuroscience
Coursework and Degree Requirements
Coursework and Requirements
Brown University Graduate School requires students to complete 24 course credits before graduation. Most of these credits are earned within the first three years of study through a combination of core classes, seminars and elective courses. To satisfy any course requirement (core classes), students must earn a grade of B or higher. Students receiving grades of C or No-Credit (C and NC) must meet with their First Year Advisory or Thesis Committee to discuss required remedial action.
Thesis Committee and Preliminary Exam
Each student works with a faculty Thesis Committee that provides guidance throughout the research process and evaluates readiness for independent study. Through the Preliminary Examination, students demonstrate mastery of their field and progress toward PhD candidacy.
Typically, students select their dissertation advisor before the start of their second year academic year. This decision must be approved by the Program Director. The Thesis Advisor is the first member of the student’s Thesis Committee. The student and Thesis Advisor then select two additional faculty members to serve as the Thesis Committee. These additional faculty members must be approved faculty trainers in the Neuroscience Graduate Program, and at least one of the additional committee members must be an Associate or Full Professor. The chair of the Thesis Committee must be someone other than the Advisor. Students and advisors may invite faculty who are not trainers in the Neuroscience Graduate Program to participate in committee meetings. These faculty members can add to the scientific discussion, but are not voting members of the committee. The Program Director may serve as an ad hoc, ex officio committee member for any student’s Advisory Committee.
In the student’s second year, the Committee focuses primarily on helping the student prepare for the Preliminary Exam, which should occur before the start of the third year of study. After the Preliminary Exam, the Thesis Committee primarily guides the dissertation plan. After the Preliminary Exam or at a later date, the student may opt to change their Thesis Committee, as long as the new committee follows Program guidelines.
The Thesis Committee must meet with the student annually to evaluate the progression of the thesis research. After each meeting, the Thesis Committee chair must complete and submit a Committee Meeting form. This form can be found on the Student Resource Website.
Preliminary Examination and PhD Candidacy
The Preliminary Examination is administered by the Thesis Committee. Before the beginning of the fifth semester, students must present a written research proposal to the Thesis Committee. This written research proposal should be formatted as an NIH R01 grant application. The proposal should include the following:
- Specific Aims
- Background and Significance (a critical review of the relevant literature),
- Innovation
- Approach (with this last section including experimental or analytical design, any preliminary data and detailed methods of the proposed research)
- Literature Cited
The program strongly recommends that students schedule a “Pre-Preliminary Exam” meeting with their Thesis Committee to discuss the oral and written examination. This meeting should take place at least 8 weeks before the examination date.
The student must arrange a mutually-convenient time for the Preliminary Exam. The examination should be held before August 15th of the second year, unless the Program Director approves a later date. The written document must be submitted to all Committee members two weeks before the exam date. The Thesis Committee chair is responsible for notifying the student if the written proposal is not acceptable, at which time the Preliminary Exam is postponed.
At the Preliminary Exam, the student will present a 30-50 minute talk to the Thesis Committee that summarizes their proposal and experimental plan. Students should be prepared to answer questions from their Thesis Committee and defend their experimental plan. A successful project defense constitutes passage of the Preliminary Examination.
When students complete all required courses and pass the Comprehensive and Preliminary Examinations, they advance to candidacy for the PhD degree. NSGP students should complete their Preliminary Exam by the end of their 2nd year.
Dissertation
Upon the completion of thesis research, each student will write a doctoral dissertation to submit to their Thesis Committee for evaluation and minor revision. The appropriate format for the written dissertation is described at the Brown University Dissertation Guidelines website.
Before the thesis is submitted to the Committee, the student and Thesis Advisor must ensure that the thesis is complete and the Committee has adequate time to read it. At this stage, a qualified outside reader with relevant expertise is invited to join the Thesis Committee. The outside reader may be a faculty member from another University or hold an equivalent position in a research institution (e.g. Senior Investigator at the NIH) other than Brown and its affiliated institutions. The student has the responsibility to schedule the defense and must submit the final document to all Committee members at least two weeks before the scheduled thesis defense. The NSGP Program must also receive a copy of the thesis that is sent to the outside reader, no later than two weeks prior to the student’s scheduled defense date.
The thesis forms the basis for a public seminar that must take place at Brown University. A closed oral examination attended by the Thesis Committee and other interested Neuroscience Graduate Program faculty will follow the seminar. This final examination or defense must be scheduled by the candidate at the convenience of the readers. At least four weeks’ notice must be given to all faculty and students prior to the final defense date and at least two weeks must elapse between submission of the written thesis to the Thesis Committee and the final defense.
Three weeks prior to the defense, candidates must provide the Neuroscience Graduate Program with appropriate dissertation defense information so the Thesis Defense Form can be completed and returned to the Graduate School. The following information is required:
- The names of the dissertation advisor and all readers (with contact information for anyone who is not at Brown University).
- The date, time, and place of the final examination. In some departments this information will come from the manager or the director.
- All of the candidate's previous academic degrees, with institutions and dates of conferral.
- Date of preliminary examination.
On the day of the thesis defense, the candidate will need at least two copies of their signature page printed on archival-quality paper. Immediately following a successful thesis defense, the candidate must obtain the signatures of the Thesis Committee members to complete the Thesis Defense Form and signature page.
After the thesis defense, the final doctoral dissertation and all associated forms and documents related to the completion of a PhD must be submitted to the Graduate School by the first business day of May in order to graduate in the current academic year. Please consult the Dissertation Guidelines from the Graduate School for forms, documents, and additional information regarding the thesis defense process.