School of Medicine

Departmental E-mail: stark1@iu.edu

Departmental URL:   medicine.iu.edu/research-centers/neurosciences/education/Medical-Neuroscience-Graduate-Program

(Please note that when conferring University Graduate School degrees, minors, certificates, and sub-plans, The University Graduate School’s staff use those requirements contained only in The University Graduate School Bulletin.)

Curriculum

Curriculum
Courses
Faculty

Doctor of Philosophy Degree

Program Student Learning Outcomes

1. Demonstrate comprehensive knowledge of the foundations of neuroscience via successful completion of the written and oral qualification examination.
2. Apply neuroscience knowledge and skills in the design, implementation, analysis, interpretation, and communication of original research and scholarship in neuroscience research.
3. Critically and creatively solve research problems, resulting in the generation of new knowledge in the field of neuroscience research.
4. Conduct neuroscience research in an ethical and responsible manner.
5. Document an original contribution to neuroscience through peer-reviewed publication of results, and presentation and defense of a thesis.

Course Requirements

A total of 90 credit hours, including dissertation.

Minor

At least twelve (12) credit hours must be taken to fulfill minor requirements in one of the following programs:  bioinformatics, biostatistics, cancer/cancer biology, cardiovascular sciences, clinical research, communicating science, diabetes and obesity, health informatics, life sciences, policy analysis for biomedical sciences, therapeutic development and translation, and biomedical science teaching and learning.  Details for each minor are at medicine.iu.edu/graduate-degrees/phd/indianapolis/curriculum. The Medical Neuroscience Education Coordinator will assist the student in fulfilling the chosen minor requirements.

Qualifying Examination

Written and oral.

Final Examination

Oral defense of written dissertation.

The core courses for Medical Neuroscience are G780, PSY6000, N800, N801, Science Communication (one of the following: COMM-C 534, COMM-C 533, ENG-W 533), and F850. Additional appropriate courses within IUSM and IU Indianapolis graduate school program will be accepted for credit toward the major electives with prior approval of the Program Co-Directors and/or the Medical Neuroscience Training and Advisory committee. Students should select electives that relate closely to their area of research.  The neuroscience sections under N880 are strongly encouraged. A more comprehensive list of suggested major electives is available upon request.   

 Major Requirements 

• GRDM-G780 – Foundations of Neuroscience (6 cr)
• PHAR-F850 – Experimental Design and Grant Writing in Pharmacology and Toxicology (1 cr)
• GRDM-G505 – Responsible Conduct of Research (1 cr)
• Science Communication Course: Students take one of the following: COMM-C524, COMM-C533, or ENG-W533 (1 cr)
• PSY-60000 Statistical inference (3 cr)
• MNEU-N801 – Seminar - Topics in Medical Neurobiology (1 cr) 

Suggested Electives 

• MNEU-N880 Advanced Topics in Medical Neuroscience (2 cr ea.) – more than one section can be taken for credit. Example of topics:
  • Principles of Neuroimmunology
  • Experimental Methods and Animal Models for Neuroscience Disorders
  • Molecular Bases and Pathogenesis of Neurodegenerative Diseases
  • Synaptic Plasticity in the Central Nervous System
• ANAT-D527 Neuroanatomy: Contemporary and Translational (3 cr)
• GRDM-B848 Bioinformatics, Genomics, Proteomics, and Systems Biology (2-3 cr)
• PHAR-G751 Advanced Concepts in Cytosolic and Nuclear Signaling Transduction (2 cr)
• GRDM-G745 Fundamentals of Intracellular SignalTransduction (1-2 cr) (note: this is a module contained within G780)
• GRDM-F761 Molecular and Cellular Physiology of Ion Transport (1 cr)
• GRDM-G817 Molecular Basis of Cell Structure and Function. (2 cr)
• GRDM-G720 Stem Cell Biology (2 cr)
• GRDM-G727 Animal Models of Human Disease (1 cr)
• GRDM-G725 Gene transfer Approaches to Clinical and Basic Research (Gene Therapy) (1 cr)
• BIOL-54410 Sensory systems (3 cr)
• BIOL-56010 Clinical and molecular aspects of neurodegenerative diseases (3 cr)
• BIOL-56800 Regenerative biology and medicine (3 cr)
• BIOL-57100 Developmental neurobiology (3 cr)
• BIOL-57310 Stem cell biology (3 cr)
• PSY-51800 Memory & cognition (3 cr)
• PSY-61500 Introduction to behavioral neuroscience (3 cr)
• PSY-62200 Animal learning (3 cr)
• PSY-I 535 Clinical neuroscience (3 cr)
• PSY-I 545 Psychopharmacology (3 cr)
• PSY-I 650 Developmental psychology *3 cr) 

Research Credits 

MNEU-N800 – Research in Medical Neuroscience (in addition to coursework hours, until 90 total credit hours have been reached. For example, if a student has the minimum of 30 coursework hours, 60 research hours are needed. If a student has 40 coursework hours, 50 research hours are needed. 

NOTE 1: students who participated in the IBMG Program for PhD Study may apply GRDM-G718: Research in Biomedical Science towards their research credit total (2 credits each; taken three times for a total of six credits 

NOTE 2: students who participated in the combined MD/PhD program may apply GRDM-G803: Research towards their research credit total (3 credits; taken three times for a total of nine credits 

Medical Neuroscience Minor

Students in other IUSM/IU Indianapolis graduate programs may select a minor in Medical Neuroscience.  The Medical Neuroscience minor consists of 12 credit hours.  A minimum of 6 credit hours must be neuroscience-focused courses, including, but not limited to, neuroscience courses supported by the Medical Neuroscience Program, as well as other neuroscience and brain-related courses offered within IUSM and IU Indianapolis.   There are no required courses.  However, students without any didactic neuroscience exposure are strongly encouraged to take GRDM-G780. Students will work with the Co-Directors and the Education Coordinator to ensure the course content aligns well with the research interests of the student.  

As new neuroscience courses become available, they may be considered for credit toward the minor. The Medical Neuroscience Training and Advisory Committee must approve any additional courses not present on this list. Courses used for a student’s PhD minor cannot also be used towards the PhD major, and vice versa. 

• GRDM-G780 Foundations of Neuroscience (6 cr.)
• GRDM-G743 Fundamental Neuroscience I: Electrical Signaling and Ion Channel Biology (2 cr)
• MNEU-N880 Advanced Topics in Medical Neuroscience Courses (2 cr ea.). Currently available sections:
  • Principles of Neuroimmunology
  • Experimental Methods and Animal Models for Neuroscience Disorders
  • Synaptic Plasticity in the Central Nervous System
  • Molecular Bases and Pathogenesis of Neurodegenerative Diseases 

• ANAT-D527 Neuroanatomy: Contemporary and Translational (3 cr) 
• GRDM-G745 Fundamentals of Intracellular Signal Transduction (1-2 cr)
• BIOL-54410 Sensory systems (3 cr)
• BIOL-56010 Clinical and molecular aspects of neurodegenerative diseases (3 cr)
• BIOL-57100 Developmental neurobiology (3 cr)
• PSY-51800 Memory & cognition (3 cr)
• PSY-61500 Introduction to behavioral neuroscience (3 cr)
• PSY-62200 Animal learning (3 cr)
• PSY-I 535 Clinical neuroscience (3 cr)
• PSY-I 545 Psychopharmacology (3 cr)
• PSY-I 650 Developmental psychology (3 cr)
• GRDM-G715 Biomedical Science I. Biochemical Basis of Biological Processes (2 cr)
• GRDM-G716 Biomedical Science II. Molecular Biology and Genetics (2 cr)
• GRDM-G717 Biomedical Science III. Cellular Basis of Systems Biology (2 cr)

Medical Neuroscience Program Learning Objectives

Demonstrate comprehensive knowledge of the foundations of neuroscience via successful completion of the written and oral qualification examination.

Apply neuroscience knowledge and skills in the design, implementation, analysis, interpretation, and communication of original research and scholarship in neuroscience research.

Critically and creatively solve research problems, resulting in the generation of new knowledge in the field of neuroscience research.

Conduct neuroscience research in an ethical and responsible manner.

Document an original contribution to neuroscience through peer-reviewed publication of results, and presentation and defense of a thesis.