Frequently Asked Questions

PhD in Neuroscience:

佛

GPN students are required to participate in laboratory rotations during their first year in graduate study. Past experience suggests that many students change their interests based on classes, lab rotations, seminars, etc. that are experienced during their first two semesters. For this reason we encourage most students to enter a lab the summer after they finish their first two semesters of coursework. Students can, however, petition the Graduate Education Committee if there is a unique case where they would like to form an agreement with a faculty member before entering the program, however, this does not mean that they are not required to carry out laboratory rotations. Often this situation occurs for international students and students who have already had extensive laboratory experience during previous graduate study as a Master’s student.

Students in the Neuroscience PhD track take from two to four rotations that are a minimum of 7 weeks each. Students are expected to spend 20 hours a week on their lab work during the semester. To receive credit, a laboratory rotation report must be submitted after the completion of each laboratory experience. Computational neuroscience students are required to do two 1-credit lab rotations, one in an experimental lab and one in a computational lab. (Some labs at BU qualify as both computational and experimental labs.) Each rotation for computational students lasts one semester, and the student is expected to spend 10 hours a week on their lab work during that time. All students can petition to do additional lab rotations to help them choose an area of interest and laboratory for thesis research should the need arise.

Most neuroscience students at Boston University complete their PhD in 5 to 6 years although there are certainly cases where students complete in 4 years, especially students who already have obtained their Master’s degree or are in the dual MD/PhD program at the medical campus. A student who makes good progress in their research can expect to graduate on time. Attention to all administrative BU deadlines and GPN milestones is key to finishing in a timely way and moving to the next stage in your professional development. Keep in mind that at least one first authored publication is required for moving to the defense.