Each student in the program is encouraged to use the diverse resources of our neuroscience community to develop a truly individualized course of study. Faculty areas of specialization include cellular and molecular neurobiology of vertebrates and invertebrates, nerve cell culture, neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, neuropharmacology, behavioral neuroscience, neural and behavioral development and aging, and clinical neuroscience research in epilepsy, Alzheimer's disease, stroke, deafness and regeneration. 

The student's program should evolve through close consultation with one or more faculty advisors and be tailored to meet the individual's needs and interests. Rotations through several research laboratories are encouraged, but not required.

During the first year, the students enroll in a core group of graduate neuroscience courses that are designed to provide broad knowledge of the various subdisciplines of neuroscience, exposure to the techniques used in neuroscience research, and familiarity with the research opportunities available in the program. In their second year, students can choose from a broad spectrum of more specialized, elective graduate courses.

The most important feature of the doctoral training program is the student's completion of an independent research project conducted under the supervision of a faculty advisor. This research must constitute an original and significant contribution to the field and is to be presented fully in the candidate's doctoral dissertation. The work must be of a quality suitable for publication in a recognized scientific journal. Students are encouraged to submit part or all of their research for publication as early as possible; most publish several papers while enrolled in the program. A full stipend, payment of tuition and fees, and health insurance are provided to all students who are admitted into the program.


Research Facilities
State-of-the-art facilities are found in individual program laboratories, which range from molecular neurobiology to behavioral neuroscience. Institutionally related facilities include imaging centers that have confocal and electron microscopes and a hybridoma center that assists in generating antibodies. The University of Virginia has an excellent health sciences library as well as biology/psychology, chemistry, and engineering libraries.
NGP Students
As of July 2007, the program has 33 students. Approximately half the students are women. Incoming classes average 4 to 7 students per year.  Coherence of the student group is supported through a weekly seminar, a journal club, annual poster sessions, and recruiting activities.
NGP Curriculum
A current list of core courses are as follows:
  • Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Statistics
  • Research Ethics
  • Cell Structure and Function
  • Neurobiology
  • Fundamentals of Neuroscience (Medical Neuroscience)
  • Neuroscience Seminars and Seminar Preview 
  • Student Seminar

  • Current Topics in Neuroscience, such as:
    Stem Cells and Neural Regeneration
    Synaptic Development & Plasticity
    Ion Channel Modulation 
    Neurobiology of Nociception
    Methuselah's Brain
    Channelopathies
    The Blue Collar Brain: Emerging View of Neuroendocrine
          circuits from Electrophysiology
    Motor Neuron Development
    Development and Regulation of the Neuromuscular Junction
    Gene knockout/down in neural cells
  • Possible Electives
    Graduate Physiology
    Developmental Mechanisms
    Neurophysiology
    Gene Structure & Expression
    Biochemistry
    Psychobiology
    Directed Readings in Neuroscience

  Click here for the Graduate Record which details the above courses


The City of Charlottesville
The University of Virginia is located in Charlottesville, Virginia, a community of approximately 100,000 residents, in an attractive natural setting in the rolling hills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Charlottesville is 120 miles southwest of Washington, D.C., and 70 miles west of Richmond, VA. The climate is characterized by mild winters and warm summers. Charlottesville has its own airport and Greyhound and AMTRAK stations as well as many venues for live music and theater, a charming downtown historical mall area, and many amazing restaurants and interesting shops.
The University
The University of Virginia was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, who conceived its architecture and philosophical plan as an academic community uniting students and faculty members. Enrollment of graduate and undergraduate students in 2001-2002 was approximately 16,500. More than 50 faculty members from 17 departments of the School of Medicine and the College of Arts and Sciences work together in the interdisciplinary program of graduate training that leads to the Doctor of Philosophy degree in neuroscience.

For information on UVA and Charlottesville:
http://www.virginia.edu/wlcm.html

Cost of Study
The Neuroscience Graduate Program is supported by various research and training grants. A full stipend, payment of tuition and fees, and health insurance are provided to all students admitted into the program. The stipend for 2007-2008 is $24,000.00.
Click here for information on additional
Financial Aid. 

Housing
Charlottesville has an abundance of student apartments and houses close to campus at reasonable rates. A good resource for off-campus housing can be found  at the Blue Ridge Area Rental  website. This agency is highly organized in providing assistance to incoming students who wish to locate a house, apartment or a roommate.


Guidelines for Admission
The deadline for applying to the Neuroscience Graduate Program is December 15th, for admission in the summer/fall semester. We do not accept Spring Semester admissions.


  • We require an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or better.
  • We require the general GRE test. Test scores should be within 5 years of the application date. (We do not require the subject GRE test.)
  • We require at least three letters of recommendation. 
  • We are a Ph.D. Program. We do not accept students who wish to obtain a Master's Degree only.
  • The optimal background of entering students would include courses in Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Psychology, and Mathematics.
  • All applicants must submit all official application materials to our Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.
  • To apply online:
    http://www.healthsystem.virginia.edu/internet/bims/apply.cfm

Click here for information about the University of Virginia's
Medical Scientist Training Program  (MD/PhD Program)


For more information please contact:
Tracy Mourton
Neuroscience Graduate Program Coordinator
University of Virginia
Neuroscience Graduate Program
Box 801404
1352 Jordan Hall, 1st Floor
Charlottesville, VA 22908
PH: (434) 982-4285
FX: (434) 243-6549