A. Goal and Description of the Program

The goal of the Behavioral Neuroscience Program is to provide the student with both a broad and deep knowledge of the physiological and biological factors that control and affect behavior. Through a close and personalized student mentor relationship. we try to instill in the student an appreciation for programmatic problem oriented, rather than technique oriented, research. We seek to produce sophisticated, versatile teacher/scientists. The Behavioral Neuroscience Program provides training toward the PhD for approximately 20 students at a time. Faculty in the area represent a wide range of interests in Behavioral Neuroscience, making our program a particularly rich and diverse intellectual environment. A number of adjunct faculty add to this intellectual breadth by participating in some program activities and serving on some student committees.

All students in the program are expected to master a core of theoretical and research methods, as well as to become skilled in the conduct of their own research. In addition, students tailor their education to fit their own interests and professional goals through the selection of appropriate elective courses and research projects. The program serves to facilitate these goals by maintaining productive and high quality research programs, and by providing a stimulating and motivating educational environment for the graduate students in the program.

B. The Faculty

The major resource of the area is its faculty, whose names and interests are listed below. In addition, our students sometimes become involved in collaborative research with faculty members from other areas of the Psychology Department, as well as from other university departments.

Program Faculty:

C. Relationship With BNS Members

Our program emphasizes the mentorship model. Students are accepted into the program with an identified faculty advisor. Continuation of the relationship with that mentor is set up by mutual consent, in the sense that both the student and the faculty member must agree that the relationship will be productive. Students are expected to have a major advisor at all times, and to work closely with the mentor in developing their professional training. They should meet regularly with him or her to discuss progress, problems, and educational plans. In addition, students are required to submit annual Progress Reports to the Area Director, which will be discussed by all area faculty at the yearly graduate student evaluation meetings. Students should submit their Progress Reports no later than May 1 of each year.

Although no formal basis for lab rotation training exists, students are encouraged to develop intellectual and collaborative relationships with other faculty members, as well as with students from other laboratories in the Behavioral Neuroscience Program. Students and faculty present their research, or contemporary research articles within the behavioral neuroscience field, at colloquia held throughout each semester. Students in particular are encouraged to present, as this experience with leading discussions about research issues is deemed advantageous for their professional development.

D. Teaching Responsibilities

All state-funded students in the Psychology Department are required to serve as a teaching assistant (TA) for 3 courses (subject to change) during their first two years in the program, as well as to proctor exams each semester for various departmental faculty. The Behavioral Neuroscience Program strongly recommends that one of the TA requirements be for assistance with Psy351 (Biopsychology). If a formal TA position for Psy351 is not available, students (whether state-funded or not) are expected to volunteer their time as a TA for this course in preparation for later teaching requirements.

Behavioral Neuroscience students are additionally required to teach a limited enrollment section of Psy351, usually in their second year. This undergraduate course represents an opportunity for graduate students to teach a relevant course from our area to a relatively small-sized class. Arrangements for teaching (choosing the semester and possibly the co-instructor) are made by the Area Head. Successful completion of this teaching assignment serves an important educational function, as well as making the students eligible for remunerative instructorships that may be available through the department, in evening or summer programs, as well as at local colleges.

E. Requirements for the PhD Degree

1) Residency:

The minimum residence requirement for the PhD degree is two years (36 semester credit hours). This should include two semesters of continuous full time residence taken under the auspices of this institution and not already applied to the residence requirement for the Masters degree. A student who believes he or she can complete the substantive degree requirements in less than the recommended time may petition for relief.

2) Leaves of Absence:

Leaves are occasionally granted because of health problems, the need to support family members, and so on. Such leaves of absence must be approved in advance by the Program faculty. Leaves designed mainly to skirt or postpone requirements will not be approved.

3) Course Requirements:

Students are required to complete certain departmental course requirements (statistics and distributions) and to complete relevant specialized course work with a minimum grade of 3.0. Failure to meet this minimum grade requirement will result in the student being placed on probation for the following semester. If performance does not improve during the probation period, the area faculty will recommend dismissal of that student from the training program.

The following are the minimal course requirements for the PhD in our department.

Statistics - all PhD students are required to take Psy607 and Psy608, which comprise the general department offering for graduate level statistics. More advanced statistics courses are available, but are not required.

Departmental Distributions - students must take three courses outside the program in three different areas of the Psychology Department. These must be selected from courses recommended for distribution credit in the Department's Graduate Student Manual. These three distribution courses should be completed by the end of the third year.

Area Course Requirement

Psy513 (Biological Bases of Behavior) - this course is our area’s distribution offering for the department. It also serves as a basic introductory course to bring our area students up to the same minimum degree of knowledge prior to (and is a prerequisite for) more advanced coursework (all other BNS courses except Psy634). BNS students are expected to take this course during their first Fall semester, and pass with a grade of B or better.

Neuroanatomy (self-paced learning) - an electronic learning module has been established to provide basic neuroanatomical knowledge for students in the area. This learning module must be completed before the start of the second year of study. A faculty member, currently Dr. Daniels, will coordinate distribution of the module and will be available to answer questions about the module (and material within). Students are required to notify the neuroanatomy coordinator when they have completed the module.

Area Electives (BNS students are expected to take as many of these as offered starting in their second semester; we try not to offer too many each semester):

Psy629 (Neural Mechanisms of Behavior) - clinical and experimental research in neurology, neurophysiology, biochemistry, and neuropsychology.

Psy634 (Animal Behavior) - comparative studies of behavior with emphasis on similarities and differences between species, overview of Comparative Psychological, Ethological, and Sociobiological approaches to the study of animal behavior (Departmental distribution course – does not require PSY513 as a prerequisite).

Psy714 (Recovery of Function) - neural and chemical mechanisms underlying recovery of function following brain trauma.

Psy715 (Behavior Genetics) - Mendelian and quantitative genetic analysis in human and animal research, mechanisms of gene action on physiology and anatomy, genetic influences on behavior.

Psy749 (Biopsychology of Stress) - examines the body's various physiological and behavioral responses to stressors; discussions cover the concept of stress, neural, hormonal, immunological and physiological responses, behavioral patterns, and coping.

Psy757 (Psychoneurochemistry) - basic receptor theory and regulatory mechanisms in neurochemical metabolism, Neuroendocrinology, and the neurochemical substrates modulating behavior.

Psy813 (Hormones and Behavior) - structure and function of the endocrine system, including neuroendocrine mechanisms and involvement of these in CNS function and behavior.

Psy814 (Limbic System of the Brain) - explores the limbic system's anatomical connections and effects of its constituents on motivation, emotional and social behavior, and learning.

Psy877 (Psychopharmacology) - pharmacological mechanisms of neurotransmitter and drug action in the CNS.

Special Topics Courses

The area also offers frequent specialized courses relevant to a variety of topics in the neuroscience field. These include graduate seminars in the following areas:

• Computational Neuroscience
• Molecular Basis of Mental Disorders
• Molecular Neuroscience Methods
• Psychobiology of Reproduction
• Psychobiology of Addiction
• Psychobiology of Motivation
• Topics in Neuroethology
• Theories of Learning

In addition, many students participate in the two semester Interdisciplinary Introduction to Neuroscience course taught by a team of faculty derived from a variety of departments. Students also may wish to obtain specialized training through enrollment in graduate level courses offered by other departments (e.g., Biomedical Science, Pharmacology, Biology, Physiology, Anatomy, Communicative Disorders and Sciences).

F. Progress Through the Program

It is expected that students will complete their graduate training in a timely fashion. The university requires students to complete their PhD degree within 7 years; however, extensions can be granted by filing a petition. As the aim of our training program is to develop highly knowledgeable and skilled scientists, we do not have a formal timeline for completion of the program. It is understood that individual progress through the program is a reflection of the relationship between the student and the mentor, as well as the nature of the research area. However, certain requirements for granting time extensions and suggested guidelines are provided below.

Year 1:

The student is accepted into a lab with an a priori mentor assignment. The student begins research training in that lab under supervision of the mentor: Required coursework (i.e., 607, 608, 513, distribution courses, and the neuroanatomy module) is completed. The student also completes at least one of the departmental TA assignments.

Year 2:

The student begins more intensive lab work. He/she is encouraged to participate in area offerings, or other courses from other departments that relate to his/her area of interest. The remaining 2 TA requirements are completed, one of which should be 351, or another approved course. Remaining distribution courses are completed.

Year 3:

The student identifies a preliminary-exam (prelim) committee that will focus upon specific areas of conceptual development (see below). The area teaching requirement (351) is met. The student should begin identifying more specific areas of research interest. Ideally, prelims should be completed by the end of the third year.

Year 4 and beyond:

Depending upon the mentor student relationship, and the student’s research area, the primary focus should be upon developing research skills. If the prelim has not been completed, it should be strongly encouraged that he/she does so early in the 4th year. Once prelims are completed successfully, the student should identify a dissertation committee and file for doctoral candidacy with the graduate school. Students should be encouraged to complete their research work in a timely fashion. However, it should be understood that differing mentor philosophies, and the nature of their particular research, may make it disadvantageous to require completion by a particular time. The annual progress report should summarize specific work completed toward the degree. Anyone petitioning with the graduate school for additional time beyond the seven year limit should also include a justification for the additional time needed in their annual progress report.

Preliminary Exam Format:

Prelim exams will be offered twice each year, with the defense to occur during the first weeks of the Spring and Fall semesters. The student should identify a committee consisting of four BNS members (including the mentor) no later than 3 months (and preferably 6 months) prior to the next scheduled prelim exam slot. At least two of the Prelim Committee members must be full-time members of the Psychology Department; two may be adjunct faculty members of the Department (listed as faculty “Affiliated” with BNS, above). Committee composition should be cleared in advance by the Area Head. The student is strongly encouraged to contact the committee members for advice about potential topics to be tested, or readings, well in advance of the scheduled exam time.

Stage 1(depth component): Day 1 (4 hrs) of the written prelims will consist of answering a single question (closed book) pertaining to a topic related to his or her research area of interest, created for the student by the mentor in consultation with the other committee members. This topic will reflect information that is important for the student as a general knowledge base in the student’s research area, but will not necessarily be directly related to the potential dissertation project. This will be a conceptual/theoretical assignment requiring the student to integrate information from the literature.

Stage 2(breadth component): On Days 2 and 3 students will undergo a second testing period under a cold-question format. Students will be given 4 questions (2 per day) from a range of areas not related to their area of expertise. They will have a maximum of 2 hours to complete each question, and cannot use outside materials to assist them with their answers. The completed questions must be handed in to their committee chair or the Area Head by the end of the testing day.

Stage 3(oral defense): A week after completion of Day 3, the student will meet with his or her prelim committee to defend, orally, all portions of their exam work. The students may use the oral defense as a time to correct or clarify answers for discussion during the oral defense.

Students who do not pass the prelims may be given a second opportunity to take prelims again 6 months later.

Students who successfully complete all portions of the preliminary exam should be prepared to identify a dissertation committee and apply for candidacy with the graduate school shortly thereafter. Forms for filing the statement of program are available in 206 Park.

PhD Committee Format:

The PhD committee will consist of a minimum of an outside reader, 2 full-time faculty members from the BNS area, and two other Psychology faculty, one of whom must be from another area of Psychology. Students may have as many additional members on their committee as seems appropriate to that student mentor combination. The outside reader must be an established, knowledgeable individual from outside the department who has had a PhD degree for at least 5 years. Committee composition should be cleared, in advance, with the Area Head. Written comments from this outside reader are required at the time of scheduling for the oral defense.

Proposal Defense:

The proposal defense is designed to allow the chosen committee members to provide conceptual and practical input into the design and theoretical nature of the proposed experiments. It is recommended that the students complete some pilot work (which may be included as part of the dissertation proposal, pending approval by the committee) which demonstrates that their research direction is likely to prove fruitful. However, students should not petition the committee for acceptance of an entire dissertation based upon a series of studies that are already completed.

Final Dissertation Defense:

At least two weeks before the oral defense, students must file their intention-to-defend form with the Department so that a room may be scheduled. They must have gotten approval for the defense from all the committee members, after the members have read the penultimate draft. They also must have obtained approval from the Graduate School and the department for their outside reader by that time. Students will defend the penultimate draft in an open format and other area students and faculty should be encouraged to attend. Following the oral presentation, the floor will be opened to general questions by the committee members ONLY. If approved, the penultimate draft will be converted to the final draft, incorporating the comments of the committee members.

Evaluation Process:

Whereas progress through the program is primarily evaluated by each student’s mentor, the BNS area also provides input into the overall record of each student through the following mechanisms:

Annual Progress Reports - each Spring, students will receive a request for a summary of the progress they have made toward the degree during the past calendar year. This report will become a part of their permanent record, and will be available for perusal by all faculty members in the area.

Evaluation Meeting and Notification Letter - At the end of the Spring semester the area faculty will meet to evaluate the performance of each graduate student in the program. The students will be evaluated based upon comments made by their mentor regarding their performance in the lab, grades received for courses they completed during that year, and the content of their Progress Report. Areas in need of improvement will be identified at this time. The overall conclusions of the evaluation will be communicated to the student in a letter shortly after the evaluation meeting, and a copy will also be sent to the mentor. This evaluation will also become a part of the student's permanent record.