MSTP Requirements

Electives for MSTP Students

MSTP students may petition to receive credit for neuroscience related coursework taken as a medical student, including clerkship, for a maximum of 8 units. A petition to waive an elective requirement should be submitted in writing to the Program Director with a copy of the syllabus of the previous course, and a copy of the transcript showing the grade earned. All MSTP students must take at least 2 units of a reading based elective, and are encouraged to take other neuroscience related electives to broaden their education and subject knowledge.

Example Elective Courses

• NEU 268 Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology (Dr. Pamela Mellon)
• NEU 221 Advanced Topics in Neuroscience (recent offerings):
  • Landmark Papers in Neurosciences (Kristan, Issacson)
  • Neurobiology of Circadian Clocks (Welsh)
  • Principles of Communicating Science (Voytek)
  • Glia (Allen, Lemke, Nimmerjahn)
  • RNA/Epigenetics in Neural Development and Disease (Wilkinson)
  • Genetic Tools in Neuroscience (Hnasko)
  • Neural Circuits (Leutgeb), Quantitative Behavior Genetics (Palmer)
  • Neurotransmitter-based synaptic plasticity (Dulcis)
  • Philosophy in Neuroscience (Bechtel)
  • Neurobiology of Learning and Memory (Mayford).
  • Using animal models to study neuropsychiatric disorders (Dulawa)
  • Chromatin and transcription in the brain: from omics to single cell (Telese)
• Any of the computational neuroscience courses

Course offerings are always changing. See the UC San Diego Course Catalog for descriptions of these and other courses.

Electives for MSTP Students

MSTP students may petition to receive credit for neuroscience related coursework taken as a medical student, including clerkship, for a maximum of 8 units. A petition to waive an elective requirement should be submitted in writing to the Program Director with a copy of the syllabus of the previous course, and a copy of the transcript showing the grade earned. All MSTP students must take at least 2 units of a reading based elective, and are encouraged to take other neuroscience related electives to broaden their education and subject knowledge.

Statistics Waiver

Students should email the Program Director to request a statistics waiver if they meet the following requirements: Computational Neurosciences sub-specialty track students should have completed a statistics course within the past 3 years with a grade of an 'A' or equivalent to receive a waiver. All other students should have completed a statistics or biostatistics course that focuses on applications in the biomedical sciences with some exposure to experimental design within the past 3 years with a grade of an 'A' or equivalent. All waiver requests should include a copy of the course schedule (i.e. a link to the current class website) and a copy of the transcript.

Prior to the start of winter quarter of the first year, each non-MSTP student must notify the Program Administrator about which stats course they plan to take or submit the appropriate stats waiver to the Program Director, and copy the Program Administrator.

Research Rotations for MSTP Students

MSTP students are expected to have completed at least two research rotations before joining the graduate program, and must complete a total of three rotations before joining a thesis lab. At least two of the rotations must be in labs associated with the Neurosciences Graduate Program. MSTP students must complete all rotations by fall Quarter after entering the graduate program, and must select a thesis lab by the end of the fall Quarter.

Funding payment changes to end of the month when transition into NGP.

MSTP Student SUPPORT

The Graduate Program will provide the financial support equivalent to a second year student during fall quarter of the first year and the thesis advisor will take financial responsibility for the student (stipend and tuition/fees) winter quarter of the first year.

Each Ph.D. program at UCSD has three time limits: 1) Pre-Candidacy, 2) Support, and 3) Total Registered.

Pre-Candidacy Time Limit

Neurosciences Graduate Students are encouraged to advance to candidacy by the end of their third year. MSTP students are required to advance by the end of spring quarter of their third year. Non-MSTP Neuroscience students are required to advance by the end of spring quarter of their fourth year. The University will not allow students to register for the fall quarter following the advancement deadline or receive any financial support unless they have successfully advanced to candidacy.

Support Limit

This is the maximum time during which a doctoral student is eligible for support. Students must complete all requirements by the end of their sixth year. MSTP students must complete all requirements and defend within 6 years. Their total registered time limit is also 6 years. At the end of the sixth year, the student is no longer allowed to register at the University. Non-MSTP students may continue as a student for an additional seventh year, but will not be eligible for financial support during that year. This includes all stipend, fees/tuition payments, fellowships, scholarships, and employment administered by the University and its affiliated institutions (i.e. the Salk Institute, the Sanford-Burnham Institute, and the Scripps Research Institute), but does not affect financial aid loans. Since students cannot receive any support, they will be required to pay their own tuition/fees to be eligible for student health insurance and student housing.

Total Registered Time Limit