Course of Study Year 1 | Course of Study Year 2 | Course of Study - Year 3 and Beyond

Advisory Meetings: Each first-year student meets individually with the Student Advisory Committee in early September, in December, and in May. The goal of these meetings are to discuss course choices (including any electives), review academic progress, consider rotation choices, and address any questions or concerns the student may have.

Rotations: Each student is expected to do at least two laboratory rotations of 8-12 weeks each. Students are expected to work part-time in lab when their classes are in session, and full-time during coursework breaks (January and the summer months). Students must complete and submit a Rotation Registration Form at the beginning of each rotation. A third rotation is optional, and additional rotations are permitted with the consent of the Student Advisory Committee.

Overview of Courses:In the fall term students are required to take Neurobiology 220 (Cellular Neurophysiology) and Neurobiology 327 (Rotations in Neuroscience). Apart from this, four additional full-semester courses are required, with coverage of three general fields: cellular/molecular, development, and systems. The Program offers three courses during the spring semester covering these fields (see below), but students may opt to take a different course or courses in consultation with the Student Advisory Committee or the Program Director. It is not required that all coursework be confined to the first year. As students embark on their dissertation research, they frequently discover holes in their backgrounds that need to be filled. The Program strongly encourages them to do so, and will continue to support and advise them in this process.

An equally important adjunct to the course curriculum consists of research seminars given by visiting scientists and other students. All PIN students are strongly encouraged to attend the Monday lunchtime seminar series (sponsored jointly by the Department of Neurobiology and the F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center at Children's Hospital), the Friday lunchtime lab presentations, the biweekly Nocturnal Journal Club (run by fellow PIN students), and the Dissertation Seminars of their PIN colleagues.

Offered Courses – Fall Term:

 

Offered Courses – Spring Term:

 

Other Electives:

Advisory Meetings: Each student meets individually with the Student Advisory Committee in late September of their second year. The main goal of this meeting is to make sure all students have chosen a thesis lab or are on track to do so. Occasionally a student will decide to take a fourth rotation during the fall of their second year; such rotations must be approved in advance by the Program Director or the SAC.

 

Preliminary Exam:

Each student is required to take a Preliminary Examination (sometimes called "qualifying exam" or “PQE”) on or before March 31 of his or her second year of graduate work. The Preliminary Examination is a written and oral examination of a specific research proposal, which is typically written on the student's proposed dissertation topic. The purpose of the exam is to assess the student’s preparation and ability to embark on an original scientific investigation. The goals of the exam are to demonstrate that the student is able: (1) to define a question in a particular area of research, (2) to review the literature pertinent to that question with an emphasis on what makes the proposed experiments interesting and important, (3) to formulate an experimental plan that would address and answer the question, and (4) to interpret possible experimental outcomes in a manner that indicates awareness of the limitations of the methods used. It should be stressed that preliminary data are not required for the Preliminary Examination. (Any relevant data may of course be included.) The student may discuss the aims and the proposal in depth with his/her advisor or other faculty members. The advisor may read and provide suggestions on drafts for the proposal, as long as the final document is the student’s own work.

The Research Proposal should be no more than 10,000 words in length. See below for detailed proposal guidelines. The student must deliver the research proposal to each of the Committee members and the Program Office at least 7 days prior to the Examination. The Examination is oral and will typically last
about two hours.

The Research Proposal provides the focus of the Preliminary Exam, but students are also expected to demonstrate substantial knowledge and understanding in the field of the proposal and in scientific areas that relate to the proposal. Examiners may ask questions about actual or hypothetical results and their interpretation in order to probe the student’s level of understanding.

The Preliminary Exam Committee

The Preliminary Exam Committee will be made up of three examiners. The student should select these examiners in consultation with the student’s dissertation advisor. It is important for the student to obtain the Program Director’s approval before the three proposed examiners are invited to join the committee. The Committee Chair and at least one other member of the committee must be affiliated with the Program in Neuroscience. These examiners may also serve subsequently on the Dissertation Advisory Committee.  The Exam Committee Chair will serve as an examiner, oversee the administration of the exam, and be responsible for assuring that the student receives a verbal summary of the outcome and evaluation at the end of the exam. The Chair will also be responsible for filing the Exam Report Form with the Neuroscience Program Office.

 

Approval of Exam Topic
Before writing the Research Proposal, the student should receive approval from the Exam Committee (and dissertation advisor) for the specific aims and overall direction of the proposal. This can be done by submitting to the Committee, generally by email, a one or two page description of the 2 to 4 specific experimental aims. This written description should be in the typical “Specific Aims” format of most NIH grant proposals, with a short introduction and a description of each aim. Committee members will either approve the aims or indicate appropriate changes in the aims or scope. If necessary, the student may arrange a meeting with the dissertation advisor and one or more examiners, to discuss the needed changes.

The Outcomes
The student will be asked to leave the room for the deliberations at the beginning and end of the exam.  The expectation is that the vast majority of students will pass the exam. The Exam Committee will decide on one of two outcomes:

• Pass. – This mark indicates the Exam Committee’s opinion that the student is fully ready to initiate work on the proposed projects. In the written report, the Exam Committee will comment on the student’s strengths and weaknesses noted during the exam. At the end of the exam, it should be discussed whether the Exam Committee will serve as the Dissertation Advisory Committee. This is often the case, but the student is free to change the composition of the Committee with the approval of the Program Director. The Examining Committee should recommend the time frame for the first DAC meeting, which should not be later than 9 months after the Prelim Exam.
  • When giving a Pass grade, the Examining Committee may recommend work to correct minor deficiencies. This recommendation may include additional written work to be submitted to committee members, or additional coursework. The recommendation will be communicated to the Program Director, who will establish with the student the time in which the recommended actions will be completed.
• No Pass. – If the written work and oral examination reveal substantial deficiencies in the proposal or in the student’s level of understanding, the Examining Committee will discuss their concerns with the dissertation advisor and can decide not to accept the Preliminary Exam. If the student receives a grade of “No Pass”, she or he will meet with the Dissertation Advisor, the Program Director, and the Chair of the Exam Committee to discuss conditions under which the student can stay in the program. This may include academic probation with a requirement for additional course work. A second Preliminary Exam will be required, ordinarily within 60 days of the initial exam. A mark of Pass on the second Preliminary Exam will be required for the student to continue in the PhD program.

Proposal Guidelines
Organize items in the Proposal to answer these questions:

1. What do you intend to do?
2. Why is the work important?
3. What has already been done?
4. How are you going to do the work?

Do not exceed 10,000 words for Items 1-4.

Proposal:

a) Specific Aims List the broad, longterm objectives and what the specific research proposed is
intended to accomplish. State the hypotheses to be tested. One page (500 words) is recommended

b) Background and Significance – Briefly sketch the background leading to the present application, critically evaluate existing knowledge, and specifically identify the gaps that the project is intended to fill. State concisely the importance of the research described in this proposal by relating the specific aims to the broad, longterm objectives. Six to eight pages (3000-4000
words) are recommended.

c) Preliminary Studies (optional) Use this section to provide an account of preliminary studies
pertinent to the proposal that will help to establish the feasibility of the proposed project.
Experiences during rotation(s) may provide relevant examples about experimental techniques
to be used even if the specific experiments are not directly related to the specific aims. Two
to three pages (1000-1500 words) are recommended.

d) Research Design and Methods Describe the research design and the procedures to be used to
accomplish the specific aims of the project. Include how the data will be collected, analyzed,
and interpreted. Describe any new methodology and its advantage over existing methodologies. Discuss the potential difficulties and limitations of the proposed procedures and alternative approaches to achieve aims. As part of this section, provide a tentative sequence or timetable for the project.

 

Dissertation Advisory Committee: After completion of the Preliminary Examination, the student chooses a Dissertation Advisory Committee. This committee is often the same as the PreliminaryExamination Committee but is not required to be so. The DAC will meet every 6 to 9 months. Before each meeting, the student should write a two-page summary of the work completed since the last meeting and submit it to the members of the committee. As a part of each meeting, the DAC will meet separately with the advisor and with the student to confidentially discuss any concerns.

 

Dissertation Preparation:  Once the student, advisor, and DAC have agreed that the thesis research is completed, the student should select a Dissertation Examination Committee after obtaining the approval of the Program Director. At that time, the student makes an appointment with the Division of Medical Sciences to go over administrative requirements for a dissertation. The Dissertation Examination Committee consists of three examiners, plus an alternate examiner and a chair. All must be an Assistant Professor or higher, and one examiner should be from outside Harvard. One person from the DAC is asked to stay on as Chair of the Dissertation Examination Committee. The student must bring the following forms to the Program office at least 3 weeks before the exam: Application for Degree, Program Approval, Proposed Examiners, and Dissertation Information Sheet. The completed dissertation must be submitted to the Dissertation Examination Committee at least two weeks before the examination.

 

Dissertation Defense:  The student presents a one-hour public seminar immediately prior to the defense. The defense generally includes only the Committee and the advisor, and usually lasts about two hours.