Doctor of Philosophy in Neuroscience (PhD)
Quick Facts
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy
Subject
Life Sciences
Mode of delivery
On campus
Registration options
Full-time
Specialization
Neuroscience
Program Components
Dissertation
Faculty
Faculty of Medicine
Overview
The objectives of the Program are to educate graduate students as neuroscientists with intensive experience in at least one area of research, and to ensure that students in the Program develop a broadly based knowledge of the neurosciences. The Program aims for flexibility so that the individual needs and background of each student can, as quickly as possible, be accommodated. The core program of courses offered to entering students consists of Neuroanatomy, Neurophysiology, Neurochemistry, Psychobiology, Molecular Neurobiology, and Neuropharmacology. Additional related courses are available for selection by the student and his/her Supervisory Committee. The Program is research oriented: students are expected to engage in research from the start of their studies. Research is undertaken in individual departments, over a wide range of basic and clinical Neuroscience topics.
What makes the program unique?
The Graduate Program in Neuroscience is a multidisciplinary program of the Faculty of Graduate Studies. It is administered by the Chairman of the Neuroscience Advisory Committee, and comprises some 60 faculty members representing 13 departments from the Faculties of Medicine, Science and Arts at the University of British Columbia. Laboratory and teaching areas are located across the UBC campus and at the University Hospital and the Vancouver Hospital, according to the teaching and research affiliations of the Neuroscience faculty members.
Meet a UBC representative
Society for Neuroscience Fair - Washington, D.C.
Walter E. Washington Convention CenterDate: Saturday, 11 November 2017 to Wednesday, 15 November 2017
Time: 09:00 to 16:00
UBC Neuroscience will exhibit at the fair and is looking forward to connecting with you in person.
Requirements
TOEFL (ibT) Overall Score Requirement
100
22
21
22
21
IELTS Overall Score Requirement
7.0
6.5
6.5
6.5
6.5
GRE required?
Required by some applicants (check program website)
Career Outcomes
92 students graduated between 2005 and 2013: 2 are in non-salaried situations; for 6 we have no data (based on research conducted between Feb-May 2016). For the remaining 84 graduates:
RI (Research-Intensive) Faculty: typically tenure-track faculty positions (equivalent of the North American Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, and Professor positions) in PhD-granting institutions
TI (Teaching-Intensive) Faculty: typically full-time faculty positions in colleges or in institutions not granting PhDs, and teaching faculty at PhD-granting institutions
Term Faculty: faculty in term appointments (e.g. sessional lecturers, visiting assistant professors, etc.)
Sample Employers in Higher Education
University of British Columbia (12)University of Toronto (3)
China Medical University (2)
University of Nevada - Las Vegas (2)
Kwantlen Polytechnic University (2)
Western Washington University (2)
University of Ottawa (2)
Simon Fraser University (2)
University of Calgary (2)
Carleton University
Sample Employers Outside Higher Education
STEMCELL Technologies (3)Hospital for Sick Children (2)
Johnson and Johnson Inc.
DynaLIFE
Synchronous ERP Inc.
AstraZeneca
Eli Lilly and Company
Focus Eyecare Centre
Allen Institute for Brain Science
Vancouver Coastal Health
Sample Job Titles Outside Higher Education
Postdoctoral Fellow (6)Medical Science Liaison (2)
Senior Applications Biologist
Program Manager for PLDP
Neurologist
Medical Liaisons
Director of Technology and Product Development
Audiologist
Senior Software Engineer
Data Scientist
PhD Career Outcome Survey
You may view the full report on career outcomes of UBC PhD graduates on outcomes.grad.ubc.ca.Disclaimer
These data represent historical employment information and do not guarantee future employment prospects for graduates of this program. They are for informational purposes only. Data were collected through either alumni surveys or internet research.Alumni on Success
Tuition / Program Costs
| Fees | Canadian Citizen / Permanent Resident / Refugee / Diplomat | International |
|---|---|---|
| Application Fee | $102.00 | $165.00 |
| Tuition * | ||
| Installments per year | 3 | 3 |
| Tuition per installment | $1,600.60 | $2,811.98 |
| Tuition per year | $4,801.80 | $8,435.94 |
| Int. Tuition Award (ITA) per year (if eligible) | $3,200.00 (-) | |
| Other Fees and Costs | ||
| Student Fees (yearly) | $923.38 (approx.) | |
| Costs of living (yearly) | starting at $16,884.10 (check cost calculator) | |
* Regular, full-time tuition. For on-leave, extension, continuing or part time (if applicable) fees see UBC Calendar.
All fees for the year are subject to adjustment and UBC reserves the right to change any fees without notice at any time, including tuition and student fees. In case of a discrepancy between this webpage and the UBC Calendar, the UBC Calendar entry will be held to be correct.
All fees for the year are subject to adjustment and UBC reserves the right to change any fees without notice at any time, including tuition and student fees. In case of a discrepancy between this webpage and the UBC Calendar, the UBC Calendar entry will be held to be correct.
Statistical Data
Enrolment Data
| 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Applications | 23 | 30 | 28 | 32 | 34 |
| Offers | 7 | 9 | 8 | 15 | 17 |
| New registrations | 6 | 6 | 7 | 12 | 15 |
| Total enrolment | 73 | 78 | 84 | 86 | 85 |
Completion Rates & Times
This program has a graduation rate of 81% based on 43 students admitted between 2003 - 2006. Based on 23 graduations between 2012 - 2015 the minimum time to completion is 3.33 years and the maximum time is 8.00 years with an average of 5.97 years of study. All calculations exclude leave times.
Disclaimer
Admissions data refer to all UBC Vancouver applications, offers, new registrants for each year, May to April [data updated: 12 July 2017]. Enrolment data are based on March 1 snapshots. Program completion data are only provided for datasets comprised of more than 4 individuals. Rates and times of completion depend on a number of variables (e.g. curriculum requirements, student funding), some of which may have changed in recent years for some programs [data updated: 8 April 2016].
Upcoming Doctoral Exams
Wednesday, 13 September 2017 - 9:00am - Room 203
Jacqueline-Marie Ferland
Investigating the Influence of Risky Decision-Making on Dopaminergic Reward Mechanisms
Thursday, 21 September 2017 - 12:30pm - Room 203
Juelu Wang
Selective Neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's Disease and Parkinson's Disease
Friday, 22 September 2017 - 12:30pm - Room 203
Andrea Kathleen Globa
Regulation of Cadherin Adhesion Complexes and their Modulators: Effects on Synapse Formation and Plasticity
Thursday, 28 September 2017 - 9:00am - 3402, Centre for Brain Health, 2215 Wesbrook Mall
Aarthi Raksha Gobinath
Comparison of Pharmacological and Non-Pharmacological Antidepressants in Postpartum Depression: Outcomes of Mother and Male and Female Offspringnd Male and Female Offspring
Research Supervisors
This list shows faculty members with full supervisory privileges who are affiliated with this program. It is not a comprehensive list of all potential supervisors as faculty from other programs or faculty members without full supervisory privileges can request approvals to supervise graduate students in this program.
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Accili, Eric (molecular mechanisms responsible for cellular pacemaking behavior )
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Allan, Douglas (Nervous system)
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Auld, Vanessa (development, nervous system, permeability barriers, glia , cell biology , genetics)
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Austin, Jehannine (Genetics, genomics, genetic counseling, psychiatric illness, mental illness, mental health, psychiatry, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, postpartum depression, perinatal mental health, Mood & Anxiety Disorders, Schizophrenia)
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Bamji, Shernaz (synapse biology, primary neuronal cultures, transgenic models, neurodevelopmental disease)
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Barr, Alasdair (Mental health and addictions, with a particular emphasis on psychosis and the medications used in its treatment, Anesthesiology )
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Barton, Jason (face perception, object recognition, eye movements, higher visual function, Human vision and eye movement)
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Bhagavatula, Sastry (Age-related research, Anesthesiology, plasticity of synaptic transmission, mammalian central nervous system)
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Black, Peter (Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (especially equality rights); Canadian human rights legislation )
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Boyd, Lara (What therapies positively alter patterns of brain activity after stroke)
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Brotto Fontana, Lori (Reproductive & Developmental Science Sexual medicine)
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Cairns, Brian (Pain associated with temporomandibular disorders)
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Cashman, Neil (prion disease, bovine spongiform encephalopathy, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, protein misfolding diseases, Alzheimer's)
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Christoff, Kalina (brain, cognitive neuroscience, psychology, prefronal cortex, fMRI, neuroimaging, neuropsychology, executive functions, problem solving, reasoning, thinking, mind-wandering, attention, consciousness, real-time fMRI, trauma and PTSD, Cognitive and neural basis of human thought, reasoning and problem solving)
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Clark, Luke (Gambling, Problem Gambling, Addiction, Decision-Making, Reward, Cognitive Neuroscience, Cognitive and neurobiological mechanisms involved in gambling behaviour and disordered gambling)
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Craig, Ann Marie (Excitatory and inhibitory synapses, Synapse development and plasticity, Synapse organizing proteins, Neurotransmitter receptors, Autism and schizophrenia)
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Cynader, Max (eye diseases; glaucoma; dyslexia; stroke; neurotrauma; memory; vision; learning disabilities; hearing development; recovery after brain damage; ischemia; gene therapy, Alzheimer's)
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Diamond, Adele (Interventions to improve Executive Function skills in young children (such as early education programs, storytelling, and mindfulness), roles of dance, music, and physical activity in improving executive functions and academic & mental health outcomes, genetic polymorphisms that affect dopamine in prefrontal cortex and may affect executive function skills differently in males and females, supporting and helping parents to help their children succeed)
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Dorovini-Zis, Katerina (Biology and pathology of the blood-brain barrier, neuroinflammation)
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Doudet, Doris (Brain imaging, mood disorders, stimulation therapies, Parkinson's disease)
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Eich, Eric (Mood congruence and mood dependence in learning and remembering, memory impairments associated with bipolar affective illness, the cognitive correlates of dissociative identity disorder, and subjective, behavioral, and neural differences between field (first-person perspective) and observer (third-person perspective) memories)
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Eng, Janice (Neurorehabilitation, spinal cord, brain)
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Enns, James (human cognition, vision, attention, eye movements, Cognitive role of attention in human vision, autism)
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Farrer, Matthew (human genetics, population genetics, neurology, neuroscience, neurobiology of disease, cell biology (primary murine culture and iPSC), genomics, neurodegeneration, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, Epilepsy)
Pages
Recent Doctoral Citations
- Dr. Nurit Gazit Gurel
"Dr. Gazit Gurel's research explored sex differences in the development of visual processing in infancy, and additional factors which may influence these differences. She found that face processing develops differently in males and females. Her findings advance the fields of visual processing development and social development." (May 2017) - Dr. Kaiyun Yang
"Dr. Yang explored the underlying mechanism for experience-dependent, visual cortical plasticity and uncovered a potential therapeutic reagent for treating visual impairment in adulthood. She also demonstrated how early visual experience affects the functional connectivity within the visual cortex and the cerebral cortex as a whole." (May 2017) - Dr. Tamara Sonia Bodnar
"Dr. Bodnar studied the impact of early-life environment on endocrine and immune function over the life course. She identified that in utero alcohol exposure results in a unique immune signature in the brain and periphery. Furthermore, her work has uncovered mechanisms underlying individual differences in inflammatory responses." (May 2017) - Dr. Caodu Buren
"Dr. Buren showed how connections from cortical to striatal neurons are disrupted in an early stage of Huntington's disease, an inherited neurodegenerative disorder. This study highlights the pre-neurodegenerative pathology and lays a foundation for therapeutic treatment." (May 2017) - Dr. Ya Wen
"Dr. Wen studied how the key excitatory neurotransmitter enhances the function of an inhibitory transmitter receptor in the brain. She also developed drugs targeting this pathway. Her work not only blurs the classic definition of excitatory/inhibitory neurotransmissions, but also offers a stepping-stone for developing new medications for epilepsy." (November 2016)
Sample Thesis Submissions
Further Program Information
Program Website
Faculty Overview
Academic Unit
Program Identifier
VGDPHD-SG
September 2018 Intake
Application Open Date
15 July 2017 Canadian Applicant Deadline
01 December 2017 International Applicant Deadline
01 December 2017 Program Information
Application Enquiries
- Tina Tang, ubc.neuroscience@ubc.ca
Departments/Programs may update graduate degree program details through the Faculty & Staff portal. To update the application inquiries contact details please use this form.