Prospective Students
The Neuroscience Graduate Program, established in 1969, is a Ph.D. program administered by the Neuroscience Group under the auspices of the Department of Neuroscience at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine. This program offers an outstanding opportunity for graduate training in one of the most highly interactive scientific environments available in the United States. Recently, the graduate program was named by the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences as the top ranking neuroscience graduate program in the country. There is an enormous breadth of neuroscience research interests represented among the faculty members, so that students are able to pursue study in a wide range of neuroscience areas, and they often carry out their dissertation research in collaboration with more than one laboratory. The common purpose of all the participants in the Graduate Program in Neuroscience is to foster and maintain a community of excellence in neuroscience and to prepare students to develop creative and innovative scientific research in order to achieve productive and successful careers.
Our program is strictly for those interested in a Ph.D. We do not offer a Master's Degree
Fall Admissions
Fall 2025 Application will open on September 1st, 2024. Application deadline is November 25, 2024
Admissions Prerequisites
Although there are no strict course requirements for admission, a suggested undergraduate preparation includes at least one year each of general biology, calculus and physics, two years of chemistry (general, physical, or organic), as well as advanced course work in other areas of science, such as biophysics, biochemistry, cell biology, genetics, molecular biology, neurobiology, microbiology, and immunology.
Successful applicants have a strong record of academic and research excellence with a strong motivation to pursue a Ph.D
Application Timeline
- September: Application Opens
- Late November: Application Deadline
- Application Outcome: January
- Interview Week: Late February - Early March