Admission Information for the Graduate Program in Neuroscience
Application for Admission
Admission Requirements
E-Mail Release
Cost of Study
Financial Aid
Teaching and
Research Assistantship (stipend)
Living and Housing Costs
APPLICATIONStudents normally begin
their studies in the fall semester, which starts the latter part of August.
It is also possible to start in the spring semester (mid-January) or summer
session (May). Applications should be completed several months in advance of
the desired start date; for admission to fall semester, applications are
reviewed as early as the preceding January and should be submitted by
December 31. Applicants are usually notified of acceptance for fall
semester by March 1. Students may still apply for admission after December,
but stipends are awarded in early February and may not be available for late
applicants. Applicants are encouraged to begin their program of study in
the fall rather than the spring semester due to the limited offering of the
core courses in the spring. Details of the admissions process are in the
WSU Graduate Study Bulletin.
The following documents are required to complete the application packet
and must be received before an application will be considered by the
Admissions Committee:
- A completed graduate school application form
- Official transcripts of all college work
- Applications from foreign students must include a TOEFL score
- Three letters of recommendation from references capable of judging
aptitude and
capability for graduate study
- A statement by the applicant that describes career goals and
research interests
- Graduate Record Examination Scores
Items 1-6 must be submitted to the Program Office, while only items 1-3
must be submitted to the Graduate School Office.
E-MAIL RELEASE
The Federal Education Rights and Privacy Act prevents Washington State
University from discussing the status of graduate applications with friends,
relatives, or other associates of the applicant. WSU also cannot respond to
e-mail requests for specific information regarding application status unless
an e-mail release from is on file in the Graduate School. If you have a
current e-mail address you would like to have the Graduate School and/or
Neuroscience Program use to correspond with you, please complete the E-Mail
Release form
http://www.gradsch.wsu.edu/forms/Email%20Release.pdf (requires Adobe
Acrobat).
ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
|
PROGRAM OFFICE |
GRADUATE SCHOOL OFFICE |
Graduate Coordinator
Neuroscience Program
PO Box 646520
Washington State University
Pullman, WA 99164-6520(509) 335-0986
e-mail: grad_neuro@vetmed.wsu.edu
|
Graduate School
PO Box 641030
Washington State University
Pullman, WA 99164-1030
(509) 335-3535
Web Page:
WSU On-Line Application
|
To be eligible for admission, candidates must meet general Washington
State University requirements outlined in the Graduate Study Bulletin in
effect at the time of their admission, as well as the Neuroscience Program
requirements. Applicants for admission to the Neuroscience Program must
have a minimum grade point average of 3.0 (A=4.0) either on the basis of the
last 60 graded semester or 90 graded quarter hours of undergraduate study or
on the basic science portion (first 60 credit hours) of a professional
curriculum. Applicants generally will be expected to have completed courses
in analytical chemistry, organic chemistry, calculus, physics and a minimum
of three courses in different areas of the biological sciences. Applicants
are advised to have a basic statistics course prior to entering the
Neuroscience Program. Deficiencies in any of these areas must be cleared
during the period of graduate study before the preliminary exam.
The VCAPP Graduate Studies Committee (GSC) follows the policies outlined
below when considering the admission of students to the Graduate Programs in
Neuroscience or Veterinary Science.
Students on graduate assistantships should live in the state of
Washington to be eligible for continued funding. All U.S. citizens will be
expected to gain resident status in Washington by the end of one year. A
resident is someone eligible to vote in Washington, has a Washington
driver’s license and has lived in the state of Washington for 12 consecutive
months. Students are expected to become Washington residents if they want to
be eligible for stipend funding. Non-United States citizens are exempt from
this residency policy.
Graduate Program in Neuroscience
Ph.D. Candidates
The GSC targets to enter 3-4 new students a year into the Ph.D. program.
Because of the design of our curriculum, it is preferred that students
enter in the Fall semester, but students may also enter in the Spring
semester under special considerations.
The GSC meets in January to review files of prospective students. A
student's file consists of an application to the WSU Graduate School, copies
of previous academic transcripts, GRE scores, three letters of
recommendation, and a personal statement describing why the student is
interested in studying neuroscience or veterinary science. Foreign
students must also include a TOEFL score.
Students receive a numerical score for their application based on the
following formula (400 pts possible):
Objective items (200 pts possible):
The GPA is subdivided into overall GPA (28 total pts; 4 base pts);
core science GPA (56 total pts; 8 base pts); and last 60 semester
credits (56 total pts; 8 base pts). Any value less than 3.0 scores no
pts. Base pts are assigned to a 3.0 and then a linear scale is used to
assign additional pts for GPA's from 3.0 to 4.0. The Graduate School
requires that a student have at least a 3.0 in the last 60 semester
credits in order to receive a WSU Teaching Assistantship.
- GRE scores (60 pts possible):
The percentile rankings of the three components of the GRE exam are
averaged and then multiplied by 0.6.
Subjective items (200 pts possible):
Examples of items that improve this score are previous experience in
scientific research (especially if published), career goals in
scientific research or education, desire to work with a specific faculty
member in the department, desire to work in an area of neuroscience well
represented in the department. Examples of items that detract from this
score is no experience in science, stated desire to eventually get into
veterinary school, desire to work in area of neuroscience not well
represented in the department. In addition, this score is used to
adjust for the subjective evaluation of the quality of undergraduate
education, both in terms of the reputation of the undergraduate
institution and in the rigorousness of the selection of appropriate
undergraduate courses (e.g., biology, chemistry, biochemistry, math,
physics).
The GSC first evaluates whether the student is acceptable for admission
to the program. Typically this requires that the student score at least 200
of the 400 possible points. To obtain such a score a student usually needs
to have an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or greater (this is also a requirement
of the Graduate School at WSU). On occasion the GSC may recommend
acceptance of a student with a GPA less than 3.0 if extenuating
circumstances are found or the student shows exceptional promise in other
factors used to evaluate the application. Acceptance in these cases also
requires special approval from the Graduate School.
The top candidates are then identified and offered admissions to the
program with a departmental stipend. The department will typically provide
stipend support for the first two years with the expectation that after two
years the student will select a lab that can support the student for the
reminder of their graduate work. A lab that sponsors a student is expected
to be able to show at least two years of external support at the time the
student enters the lab. However, if a lab experiences a funding lapse after
a student has begun a project, the department, to extent that resources are
available, will support senior graduate students until they finish their
project.
Qualified students (those deemed acceptable but not offered a
departmental stipend) can still be admitted if a faculty member agrees to
financially sponsor the student. For a faculty member to sponsor a student
they must be able to show at least two years of future external funding
support for their lab.
Master's Candidates:
Because the major goal of the Graduate Program in Neuroscience is to
train independent scientific researchers, the Program does not actively
promote the Master's degree. However, because in certain circumstances,
agreeable to both the student and the Program, a Master's degree is
desirable, a Master's degree program is available.
Students applying to the Master's program must submit an application
identical to that for a Ph.D., and the application is evaluated in a manner
identical to that described for the Ph.D.
The same criteria are used to judge whether a student is acceptable to
the Master's program as to the Ph.D. program.
For a student to enter into the Master's program they must also identify
a mentor (sponsor) before they can be admitted. This is because the time to
complete a Master's Degree is so short (2 years) that the student and
department need to know exactly what the student intends to do for a
Master's project when they arrive.
The faculty member identified as the mentor must write a letter of
support to the GSC indicating that the mentor is willing to sponsor the
student in their laboratory. For a faculty member to sponsor a Master's
student they are typically required to demonstrate at least two years
remaining on an externally funded project.
As a matter of policy, the VCAPP Department (or Neuroscience Program)
typically does not provide financial support for Master's students (TA or
RA, except as described below). Departmental support is reserved for Ph.D.
students. Thus a Master's student typically must provide their own
financial support for living expenses and tuition unless the Mentor is
willing to provide such support. Awarding a Research Assistantship is at
the discretion of the mentor.
Admission to the Graduate Program in Veterinary Sciences
The Graduate Program in Veterinary Sciences has a less formal structure
and is designed for maximal flexibility for students with specific goals
related to veterinary sciences. The design of a curriculum is at the
discretion of the student's thesis committee as long as the curriculum
satisfies the requirements of the WSU Graduate School. However, unlike
Ph.D. admissions to the Neuroscience Program, a student requesting
admissions to the Veterinary Science program should have a specific mentor
identified, a letter of support from the sponsoring mentor, and an outline
of the program they hope to achieve. Students in the Graduate Program in
Veterinary Science have equal footing with students in the Neuroscience
Program in terms of competing for departmental stipends.
COST OF STUDY
Graduate tuition each semester for the 2004-05 academic year was $3,202
for residents and $7,799 for nonresidents. For half-time teaching assistants
residing in Washington while attending school, some waivers ($2,706.50 per
semester) are available for the resident operating fee portion of tuition,
but those graduate assistants are still responsible for paying $337.50 per
semester. Every student is responsible for the Student Recreation Center
fees of $115 per semester and Health & Wellness fees of $72 per semester.
The Graduate Program in Neuroscience is a participant in the Western
Regional Graduate Program (WRGP) through the Western Interstate Commission
for Higher Education (WICHE). This program promotes the sharing of higher
education resources among the participating 14 western states. Graduate
program applicants who are residents of any participating WICHE state
benefit by paying Washington resident tuition rates. WICHE WRGP states
include: Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New
Mexico, North Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.
FINANCIAL AID
Students in
the program may receive assistantships, either for research (RA) or teaching
(TA). In addition, health insurance benefits are provided. Scholarships,
grants, and research or conference travel funds are available on a
competitive basis from the graduate school and the program’s home department
(VCAPP). There are employment opportunities for spouses as technicians,
clerical staff, and library workers. The University Office of International
Education coordinates the affairs of international students (335-4508).
TEACHING
AND RESEARCH ASSISTANTSHIPS (STIPENDS)
Students in the
program may receive assistantships, either for research (RA) or teaching
(TA). To receive assistantships, students must be enrolled full-time and
registered for 18 credit hours per semester. Assistantship appointments are
for the semester (August 16 - December 31; January 1 - May 15). RA support
for the summer months may be available and is usually awarded for three
months. The table below shows monthly assistantship salaries for appointees
who have been awarded in-state tuition waivers (effective Winter 2005).
Appointments are at Level II for those who have passed their Preliminary
Examination. Appointees work 20 hours per week at the stated rate. Those
on lesser appointments earn a pro-rated salary. Note: Once you begin your
research project you will need to work additional hours in order to complete
your thesis project. (See page 47 for the application form.)
Policies Regarding the Awarding of Assistantships:
-
The VCAPP Graduate Studies Committee (GSC) has 10 -12 TA/RA stipends to
award each semester (Fall, Spring, and Summer).
-
The GSC has a policy to reserve 3-4 of these TA/RA for new incoming
students. Since the GSC intends to support these students for at least
two years, this policy consumes 6-8 TA/RA each semester.
-
The remaining TA/RA are assigned to senior graduate students based upon
both their performance as a graduate student and their ability to assist
in the class for which the TA is intended.
-
Each January, the GSC requests from the faculty nominations for these
TA/RA awarded to senior graduate students for the following Summer,
Fall, and Spring semesters. These nominations can come from the faculty
research mentor or may come at the request of a course director.
|
|
2005 Level I |
2005 Level II |
|
TA/RA |
17,850 annually |
18,936 annually |
LIVING AND HOUSING COSTS
A variety of affordable housing is available off campus as well as on campus
in single- and multiple-apartment units, in graduate student residence
halls, and in family student quarters. Rents are slightly below the national
average, averaging $250-$850 per month, depending on size and quality of
accommodations.
Last Edited: Dec 05, 2007 4:06 PM
