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The basic and clinical science departments of the University of Miami have a long-standing and internationally recognized record of graduate and postgraduate training in the neurosciences. The interdisciplinary Ph.D.program in Neuroscience was established at the University in 1992. The faculty for the Neuroscience Program consists of more than 50 neuroscientists drawn from the School of Medicine, the College of Arts and Sciences, and the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science. The research interests of these faculty include: the cellular mechanisms underlying neurological diseases such as Parkinson's Disease, Alzheimer's Disease, and AIDS-related-dementias; the ways in which addiction to nicotine, alcohol and illegal drugs are acquired and can be controlled; strategies to limit and even repair damage to the brain and spinal cord caused by traumatic injury, ischemia, or stroke; the detailed molecular mechanisms underlying the expression and function of ion channels and neurotransmitter receptors; sensory transduction in the visual, auditory, olfactory, and gustatory systems; the mechanisms of learning and memory; the development of the nervous system, with emphasis on axon growth and synapse formation, and basic cell biology as applied to the nervous system, including signal transduction, tumorigenesis, and cell-cell communication. This diversity of research interests is reflected in the training opportunities open to graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. Graduate and Postgraduate Training in the Neuroscience Program The Neuroscience Program trains graduate students and postdoctoral fellows for research and teaching careers in the neurosciences. are currently working in the laboratories of the Neuroscience Program faculty. Graduate students in the program are trained in cellular, molecular, and integrative neuroscience (see Curriculum). A combined MD/PhD Program in Neuroscience, in which graduate and medical training are interwoven, is available to highly qualified applicants. Similarly, postgraduate training (through postdoctoral fellowships) is available to qualified trainees. Postgraduate trainees work closely with individual faculty members, but in addition, benefit from the broad range of expertise of all the faculty and the seminars and public lectures in the neurosciences. Qualifications To be considered for admission to the graduate program, applicants must have a bachelor's degree in one of the biological, behavioral or physical sciences, and a grade point average of 3.0 or above (out of 4.0). Applicants are expected to have a strong quantitative background, and must have a combined score of 1000 or higher on the General Test of the GRE. Application Applications are considered only for the doctoral program. Application forms are available online under the "How to Apply" section. You may apply online directly with a credit card of if you prefer, you can print the forms out and mail them to: The Neuroscience Program (R50) It is easiest to telephone the Program Coordinator at 1-800-952-5386 or contact Dr. Ed Green, Chairman of the Admissions Committee, for information regarding applications. There is an application fee of $50.00. Applications are reviewed by the program's Admissions Committee and Its Steering Committee. The target date for receipt of applications is January 15. The strongest applicants are generally asked to visit Miami as a group in late February or early March. Although applications received after January 15 will be reviewed, applicants are for this group visit. Finances and Housing Students admitted to the program receive a full tuition waiver and an annual stipend of Students admitted to the program receive a full tuition waiver and an annual stipend of $25,000 (effective June 1, 2008). A limited number of university rooms and apartments are available for graduate student housing, but most students rent or share apartments in the community, where rents are typically about $600/month. Students are not required to be teaching assistants. Progress through the program The nature of the curriculum for each student is given below under Curriculum. At the time students enter the program, a member of the Steering Committee is selected for each student to provide advice and guidance on the selection of laboratory rotations and elective courses. This advisor, in consultation with the Steering Committee, continues to guide the student until a dissertation mentor is chosen, normally at the beginning of the second year. During the first year and a half, students take required and elective courses and perform laboratory rotations. A key component of the curriculum, which continues until the Ph.D. is obtained, consists of attendance and full participation at seminars and journal clubs relating to neuroscience. The Qualifying Exam, taken in the middle of the second year, consists of the preparation and defense of a mock research grant application. The topic of the research proposal is chosen by the student, approved by the Neuroscience Steering Committee, and may not be closely related to the student's dissertation research. The research proposal is submitted to the Qualifying Exam Committee 2 weeks prior to the oral examination. The oral examination is the student's defense of the proposal and lasts from 2-4 hours. At the time a student is admitted formally into the doctoral program, a Supervisory Committee is appointed by the Steering Committee, in consultation with the student and mentor. The Committee guides the student in the preparation of a dissertation proposal, evaluates the suitability and significance of the proposed research, and presides over the formal defense of the proposal. After the proposal has been defended satisfactorily, a Dissertation Committee of at least 4 members will be formed; the Supervisory Committee is normally the core of the Dissertation Committee. The Dissertation Committee is approved and formally appointed by the Dean of the Graduate School, and is chaired by a member other than the student's mentor. This committee consults with and advises the student during his or her research, meeting at least twice a year to review progress. The University of Miami The University of Miami is a private, nondenominational, coeducational institution with over 1400 full-time faculty and 14,000 students. The University has three campuses, including the Coral Gables Campus, the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science (RSMAS), and the University of Miami School of Medicine. The medical center is one the largest in the United States and is linked by rapid transit to the Coral Gables Campus. Facilities Neuroscience resources at the University of Miami include laboratories at the Rosenstiel Medical Sciences Building, the Parkinson Building, the Louis and Virginia Bantle Rehabilitation Research Center, and the Veterans Administration Medical Center, all located at the Medical School campus, as well as facilities in the Behavioral Medicine Building and the Cox Science Building on the Coral Gables campus and at the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science (RSMAS). Construction is underway at the medical school on the 115,000 sq. ft. Lois Pope LIFE Neuroscience Research Center, which will house the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis and other facilities for the Neuroscience Program. Individual faculty research laboratories are well equipped for state-of-art research in neuroscience. In addition, shared facilities include a transgenic mouse facility, a Noran UV/visible laser-scanning confocal microscope with Silicon Graphics and Pentium/Metamorph work stations, network connections and ancillary image analysis, storage and printing equipment, two Imagel/AT Imaging systems with low-light SIT and ISIT intensified cameras for use on compound microscopes, a Phillips 300 electron microscope, freeze-fracture apparatus, X-ray developer, scanning densitomer, cryostat, centrifugation, ultracentrifugation, dishwashing, and sterilization. There are machine and electronics shops run by full-time skilled operators. A new shared resource, opening in early 2000, is a DNA microarray facility. The medical library receives over 2300 periodicals and holds over 250,000 volumes, and additional resources are available in the University libraries on the Coral Gables campus. Miami is a rapidly growing, multilingual, cosmopolitan community that serves as a gateway to Europe, the Caribbean, and South America. Miami offers a wide variety of films, concerts, opera, ballet and theatrical performances, in addition to having several fine museums. Because of the city's subtropical location, the climate is clear and mild year around. There are numerous parks, ocean beaches, tropical gardens and wildlife sanctuaries. The Everglades National Park, Florida Keys and coral reefs are readily accessible for outdoor activities. Because of the mild winters, many scientific symposia and meetings are held in the area. Administration of the Program The Neuroscience Program is administered by a Steering Committee and its Chairperson, with the help of a Program Coordinator. The Steering Committee includes eight members, elected by the full members of the program. The current composition of the committee is:
Anyone interested in the program is encouraged to telephone
(305) 243-3368, or if you're outside of Florida, please
call (800) 952 5386 to speak with our director, Dr. John
Bixby, or our program coordinator. Correspondence may
be addressed to: Neuroscience
Program (R50)
Students should apply before January 15 to receive full consideration for fellowships.
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neurosci@med.miami.edu · Phone: 800-952-5386 / 305-243-3368 · Fax: 305-243-2970
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