PhD Program Elements

Overview

NUIN is one of 3 Life Science PhD programs at Northwestern, and the appropriate program for anyone wishing to obtain a PhD in the field of neuroscience. The Integrated Graduate Program (IGP) in the Feinberg School of Medicine, and the Interdepartmental Biological Sciences Program (IBiS), on the Evanston campus, are appropriate for students interested in life science fields other than neuroscience. Note that most of the life science departments at Northwestern do not offer their own PhD programs.

The NUIN program currently has approximately 130 PhD students and more than 150 faculty distributed among over 20 departments across the Chicago and Evanston campuses. Approximately two-thirds of students do their thesis work in Chicago labs; approximately one-third in Evanston labs.

The NUIN PhD program is fundamentally a research based program, but students must satisfy course requirements, a TA requirement, and other requirements in addition to completing a thesis.

Academic Timeline

A year by year summary of events leading to the PhD

Academic Milestones

In addition to coursework, students must pass a Qualifying Exam (at the end of the 2nd year), prepare and defend a Thesis Proposal (by the start of 4th year), and pass the Thesis Defense, the final hurdle in earning a Ph.D.

Course Requirements and Registration

Students are required to take nine 300- or 400-level course units for a letter grade.

Laboratory Rotations

During their first year in the program, each student is required to complete research rotations in at least three different laboratories, with at least one on each campus.

Teaching

All students are expected to serve as a Teaching Assistant (TA) for two courses.

Thesis Proposal

Before the beginning of the 4th year, each student is expected to complete a thesis proposal, consisting of a written research proposal in grant format, and an oral defense of the proposal.

Other Requirements

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