PhD Program Requirements

PhD students who do not have a prior MSc in Neuroscience must complete 6 units of graded graduate coursework. Students who have completed an MSc in Neuroscience are required to complete 3 units of graded graduate coursework. The specific program of study for each student will be determined by their supervisory committee and additional coursework may be required based on the student's background and research focus. 

Lab rotation course, NEURO 501 : PhD students may choose to complete a lab rotation course as part of their graduate program.  NEURO 501 (one term: 3 units) involves rotation through one laboratory taken outside of the laboratory of the primary supervisor.

Graduate-Level Reading Course, NEURO 550: Students have the option to take NEURO 550 (one term, 3 units). However, the course must be taken with a faculty member other than then student's supervisor (s). 

Didactic, Lecture-based Courses: To fulfill the coursework requirements, PhD students must take at least one didactic, lecture-based course. Students cannot meet the requirement for 6 units (i.e. 2 x 3-credit courses) solely by taking a combination of lab rotation and reading courses (e.g., NEURO 501 and NEURO 550). At least 3 credits must be from a traditional, lecture-based course. Students can meet this requirement be selecting courses from the pre-approved list of Neuroscience courses or, in consultation with their supervisory committees, by choosing other didactic courses that are relevant to their research programs but not on the approved list. A list of Neuroscience pre-approved courses can be found in Appendix 1 and the University calendar.

Coursework completed towards the requirements of a prior MSc program will not be credited towards the PhD program. However, coursework completed at the University of Alberta while enrolled in the MSc program will be credited for individuals who successfully transfer to the PhD program.

Students are required to maintain a minimum cumulative program grade point average of 3.0 (B) throughout their program.

Students must meet the GPS Ethics and Academic Citizenship Requirement through the completion of the six hour, online, non-credit course INT D 710: Ethics and Academic Citizenship  and  the two hour, online, non-credit course INT D 720 - Advanced Ethics and Academic Citizenship by the end of the first term of registration in their degree program.

The INT D 710 Ethics and Academic Citizenship course provides foundational knowledge of ethical principles and relevant university policies, including: land acknowledgement, academic integrity, plagiarism, introduction to research ethics, conflict of interest, and workplace ethics and self-care.

The INT D 720 Advanced Ethics and Academic Citizenship course provides advanced treatment of ethical principles, including: Indigenization, academic citizenship, research and scholarship, and ethical principles in university teaching.

Doctoral students who completed their Master’s degree at the University of Alberta and previously passed INT D 710 Ethics and Academic Citizenship are only required to take INT D 720 - Advanced Ethics and Academic Citizenship.

If a student does not complete the above noted courses by the end of their first term of registration in their degree program, their registration in subsequent terms will be restricted until such time as the course(s) is completed and/or a plan for completion is submitted by the student to Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies. Note: GPS will send students reminders to complete the requirement prior to the end of their first term (if not completed already).

Students are required to fulfill the Professional Development requirement which has two components and must be completed as specified by GPS. 

Students must submit a completed Individual Development Plan (IDP) within 18 months of the start of the doctoral program.

Progress and fulfillment of the PD hours (eight) is the students’ responsibility but will be monitored in the GPS Annual Progress Report.

All graduate students are required to attend 20 seminars per year anywhere on campus and at least 10 of the seminars must be selected from the list of formal Neuroscience seminars hosted by the NMHI. The majority of seminar attendance should be 'in person' rather than online. A minimum of 4:1 in person to online ratio is expected. The NMHI also hosts a number of seminars where students will be required to attend in addition to the mandatory minimum of 10 weekly seminars per year.

Students must track their individual seminar attendance and include this report in their yearly report which is sent to GPS. Participation in these seminars is a requisite for continuation in the program.

Every year students must participate in the Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute Research Day (NRD). Students are expected to present their work in the form of a poster or oral presentation. It is mandatory each student attends NRD as participation is a requisite for continuation on the NMHI graduate program.

Student progress will be reported at least once annually to the GPS using the standardized Progress Report form. Progress reports are due in GPS at minimum once every 12 months of the student’s original program start date.

Completion of the progress report is required. In instances where the progress report is not submitted at least once within a 12 month period, the student’s registration in subsequent terms will be restricted as a last resort and temporarily so as to determine a plan for completion. In these unlikely instances, GPS will assist the student and supervisor(s) in the completion of the progress report and remove registration restrictions immediately. Note: both the student and supervisor(s) will receive reminders to complete the progress report in advance of any deadlines, allowing for inquiries to assist or to set out an alternate completion deadline.

In instances where more detailed monitoring of a student’s academic standing may be required, a progress report form may be filled more than once annually; however, only one (1) progress report may be submitted every four (4) months.

A student who receives two (2) consecutive evaluations of “in need of improvement” or one (1) “unsatisfactory” rating will normally be required to withdraw from their program and GPS on the recommendation of the Director of Graduate Studies within their academic department and/or the Department Chair to the Dean of GPS.

All program requirements, other than the thesis, must be completed within three years of the commencement of a student’s program. Students who change from a master’s program to a doctoral program, without completing the master’s program as part of an acceleration or fast-track, have four years to complete the doctoral program progress requirements from the term of initial registration in the master’s program.

In exceptional circumstances a student who has failed to meet the doctoral program three-year progress requirement, as specified in Doctoral Program Three-Year Progress Requirements, may be considered for an extension according to GPS extensions policies.