Doctor of Philosophy in Neuroscience (PhD)
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.
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
Meet a UBC representative
Q&A with UBC Graduate Student Ambassadors - Domestic Applicants Session
webinarDate: Wednesday, 19 December 2018
Time: 11:00 to 12:00
Chat with current graduate students during this online session about their experiences being graduate students at UBC. Topics include accommodation, moving to a new city, province, or country, settling into the academic lifestyle, finding a supervisor, making friends, and more. Please keep in mind that we will not be able to provide answers to questions regarding application and admissions policies or any that involve specific personal information.
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)
Deadline Details
Application Deadline
Deadline to submit online application. No changes can be made to the application after submission.
Transcript DeadlineDeadline to upload scans of official transcripts through the applicant portal in support of a submitted application. Information for accessing the applicant portal will be provided after submitting an online application for admission.
Referee DeadlineDeadline for the referees identified in the application for admission to submit references. See Letters of Reference for more information.
September 2019 Intake
Application Open Date
15 July 2018Canadian Applicants
Application Deadline: 01 December 2018
Transcript Deadline: 08 December 2018
Referee Deadline: 08 December 2018
International Applicants
Application Deadline: 01 December 2018
Transcript Deadline: 08 December 2018
Referee Deadline: 08 December 2018
Funding Sources
All full-time students who begin a UBC-Vancouver PhD program in September 2018 or later will be provided with a funding package of at least $18,000 for each of the first four years of their PhD. The funding package may consist of any combination of internal or external awards, teaching-related work, research assistantships, and graduate academic assistantships. Please note that many graduate programs provide funding packages that are substantially greater than $18,000 per year. Please check with your prospective graduate program for specific details of the funding provided to its PhD students.
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 | $104.00 | $168.25 |
| Tuition * | ||
| Installments per year | 3 | 3 |
| Tuition per installment | $1,632.61 | $2,868.22 |
| Tuition per year | $4,897.83 | $8,604.66 |
| Int. Tuition Award (ITA) per year (if eligible) | $3,200.00 (-) | |
| Other Fees and Costs | ||
| Student Fees (yearly) | $930.14 (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
| 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Applications | 35 | 23 | 30 | 28 | 32 |
| Offers | 13 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 15 |
| New registrations | 10 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 12 |
| Total enrolment | 77 | 73 | 78 | 84 | 86 |
Completion Rates & Times
This program has a graduation rate of 62.86% based on 35 students admitted between 2005 - 2008. Based on 24 graduations between 2014 - 2017 the minimum time to completion is 3.33 years and the maximum time is 8.66 years with an average of 6.12 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: 9 March 2018]. 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: 23 September 2018].
Upcoming Doctoral Exams
Tuesday, 30 October 2018 - 12:30pm - Lecture Hall, Blusson Spinal Cord Centre, 818 West 10th Ave, V5Z 1M9
Diana Victoria Hunter
Pelvic Neurovisceral Plasticity Following Complete Spinal Cord Injury
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 (Cell, Neurogenesis and Gliogenesis, Developmental Genetics, Molecular Genetics, development, nervous system, permeability barriers, glia , cell biology , genetics, in vivo imaging, epithelia)
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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 mouse 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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Beasley, Clare Louise (identify changes in the brains of individuals with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder that may elucidate the etiology of these disorders and provide clues to novel treatments; white matter pathology and inflammation; effects of antipsychotic medications on the brain)
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Bhagavatula, Sastry (Age-related research, Anesthesiology, plasticity of synaptic transmission, mammalian central nervous system)
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Boyd, Lara (Plasticity / Neuronal Regeneration, Stroke, Learning and Memory, Physiology, Motor learning, Plasticity / Neuronal Regeneration , Motor System, Learning, Neurophysiology)
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Brotto, Lori (Sexual Dysfunctions, sexual dysfunction, mindfulness, sexual desire)
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Cairns, Brian (Neuropharmacology, Oro-Facial Pain, Pain, Electrophysiology, pain mechanisms, headache, temporomandibular disorders, sex-related differences, peripheral analgesics)
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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 (executive functions , prefrontal cortex, dopamine, working memory, self-control, self-regulation, cognition, COMT gene, sex differences, stress, ACEs, resilience, social determinants of health, ADHD, depression, PTSD, physical activity, the arts, mindfulness)
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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 (Cognition, Sensation and Perception, attention, action kinematics, social perception)
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Farrer, Matthew (Neurological Diseases, Genetics of Neurological and Psychiatric Diseases, Neuronal Modeling, Neuronal Communication and Neurotransmission, Parkinson's disease, Dementia, Epilepsy)
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Fedida, David (How the heart generates, maintains and regulates electrical activity, Anesthesiology)
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Floresco, Stanley Bogdan (Neural circuits subserving learning and executive functions, behavioural and electrophysiological analyses of limbic-cortical-striatal interactions involved in decision making and behavioural flexibility, animal models of schizophrenia and drug addiction)
Pages
Recent Doctoral Citations
- Dr. Katie M. Lavigne
"Dr. Lavigne identified distinct patterns of brain activity, and changes in functional brain networks over time, that underlie poor evidence integration and delusions in schizophrenia. Her work unites theoretical and empirical research on delusion maintenance in psychosis, and provides guidelines for cognitive treatments of schizophrenia." (May 2018) - Dr. Catalin Constantin Mitelut
"Dr. Mitelut showed that spontaneous neural activity has temporal structure and can be linked across spatial scaled between single neurons to entire cortical hemispheres. This research further advances our understanding of cortical activity in mammals." (May 2018) - Dr. Stefano Cataldi
"Dr. Cataldi characterized a new model of Parkinson's disease. He focused on early stages and causes of the disease, with the final goal to develop new, more efficient, therapies." (May 2018) - Dr. Juelu Wang
"Dr. Wang studied the molecular mechanisms underlying selective neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. Her work indicates two genes, SDC3 and FGFRL1, could be potential targets to alleviate neuronal death in these two disorders." (November 2017) - Dr. Paul Daniel Metzak
"Dr. Metzak examined the changes in brain structure and function in schizophrenia patients while performing an attentional biasing task. He found that patients exhibited inefficient patterns of activity as task difficulty increased. This work contributes to our understanding of disease related brain changes in schizophrenia." (November 2017)
Sample Thesis Submissions
Further Program Information
Program Website
Faculty Overview
Academic Unit
Program Identifier
VGDPHD-SG
September 2019 Intake
Application Open Date
15 July 2018 Canadian Applicant Deadline
01 December 2018 International Applicant Deadline
01 December 2018 Program Information
Application Enquiries
- Neuroscience Administrator, 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.