Graduate Programs Handbook

The Program in Neuroscience offers a program of didactic course work and research training leading to the degrees of Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy in Neuroscience. The programs are structured to provide the candidate with a broad training in Neuroscience as well as specific expertise in their thesis research.

General requirements and complete information for all graduate students are described at The Graduate School’s Succeed at UB website. Students are urged to refer to these links (Current Student Resources and Completing Your Degree) in addition to the present Programmatic Guidelines.

It is the responsibility of the students to follow the policies and procedures for graduate students outlined in the Neuroscience Program and the Graduate School guidelines. 

The Program in Neuroscience is dedicated to the idea that providing and supporting an inclusive environment is vital to our success. We want all members of our Program to feel safe, supported and valued as they contribute to the overall vision of the Program. We believe that everyone is enriched by a community of faculty, students and staff who bring diverse life experiences and perspectives, and we welcome differences in race, ethnicity, gender, age, religion, language, abilities/disabilities, sexual orientation, gender identity, socioeconomic status and veteran status. We strive to foster a safe space and a culture of respect and inclusiveness for all. 

The faculty members of the Program in Neuroscience are committed to assist students in the academic and research aspects of graduate education.

The conduct of the graduate program in Neuroscience is the responsibility of the faculty that participate in the Program in Neuroscience. The faculty decides on program policies, curriculum, and the continuation of students in the program. Between meetings of the faculty, the responsibility for conduct of the graduate program is vested in the Program Director, the Neuroscience Graduate Education committee and, where that person has been identified, the student's thesis advisor.

The Neuroscience Program Director (NPD) is a member of the Program faculty appointed to that position by the Dean of the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

The NPD is available to assist students with all aspects of graduate education. He/she will guide students in their course registration to ensure that they are taking the required sequence of courses. This includes recommending any substitution of courses in the required sequence. The NPD will inform students of actions by the Program faculty, by the Neuroscience Graduate Education Committee (NGEC), and will informally and formally mediate disputes when requested to assist in this manner by a student. The NPD will serve as the Program representative to the Health Sciences Divisional Committee. 

The Neuroscience Graduate Education Committee’s mission is: To equip the Neuroscience Program with a structure and organization that will provide the student the necessary knowledge, skills, and training to excel in their chosen scientific careers.

The subcommittee will be responsible for oversight of all graduate students. This committee will meet at least twice a year to consider the progress of each graduate student and will take appropriate action and make needed recommendations to the faculty. The subcommittee will be composed of:

1. Neuroscience Program Director
2. Three or more faculty members who will be appointed by the NPD (ideally one member from JSMBS Basic Sciences, JMSBS Clinical Sciences and CAS)

The charges of the subcommittee are to:

1. Develop a graduate curriculum that uses innovative teaching techniques and assessment tools and reflects the specific skills, training and knowledge we want our students to have.
2. Develop strategies for optimal, individualized student advisement that will evaluate student progress and help them to realize their career goals.
3. Monitor the progress of graduate students in their coursework and other aspects of their performance and advise them on courses and other issues.
4. Fulfill requirements of the Graduate School in relation to the running of the program in general, and with respect to changes being implemented in the program in particular.
5. Develop and compile materials for website and take initiative to provide timely, updated information to the NRS office staff as it becomes available. Ideally, the committee should submit updated information for the website well in advance of deadlines and events. 
6. Develop strategies for providing experience in teaching and to develop necessary skills to become an effective educator.

The thesis advisor is a member of the Program in Neuroscience and the Graduate Faculty. Per Graduate School policy, Associate Members and Members of the Graduate Faculty may serve as the major advisor for master’s students and only Members may serve as a major advisor for PhD students. It is the responsibility of the student to identify an advisor, which is formalized by the transmittal of a letter of intent to the NPD. Both the student and the advisor sign the letter. The NPD must approve the choice of advisor and communicate this information to the NGEC and NRS faculty. Once a student selects a thesis advisor, that faculty member assumes responsibility for the student's program of study and progress in meeting degree requirements.

The advisor must be an active member of the Program in Neuroscience faculty with an active research program and a member of the Graduate School Faculty. After the thesis advisor has been selected, he/she will take the major role in advising the student in the preparation of a program of elective coursework. This program should develop in-depth knowledge of the student's research area yet give the student the necessary breadth for a career in teaching and research. Thus, a student's program may be individualized by the selection of certain electives or substitutions to the required sequence of courses. The NGEC must approve any substitutions. The thesis advisor will guide the student in the selection of a feasible thesis research project, with emphasis on the development of the student's capability for independent and self-critical research. The advisor will also have the responsibility to ensure that the student is making progress in meeting the requirements of the graduate program.

The thesis advisor for doctoral students is responsible for the disposition of the student's stipend and tuition. 

Note re: Master’s student researchers who are also getting credit for working in their advisor’s lab. 

Before a mentor/research advisor officially hires or renews (i.e. pays) a student who is also receiving academic credit for working in their lab, they must submit a signed agreement with the student to the NRS program office (neurosci-grad@buffalo.edu) that includes:

1. Assigned duties that will be graded.
2. Assigned duties that are not graded but expected as part of the paid position.
3. How all duties in 1 and 2 will be assessed individually. 
4. A clear plan for how potential conflicts of interest regarding any of the above will be avoided. 

This is intended to make sure we minimize any potential conflicts of interest. 

The Thesis Committee is comprised of at least three faculty members of the Graduate School for the Master’s degree and at least four faculty members of the Graduate School for the PhD degree. These include the thesis advisor, and two-three members of the Neuroscience Faculty (ideally not those in the same Primary Department as the thesis advisor). The thesis advisor and the student select the members of the Committee. Students are strongly encouraged to consider the inclusion of women when selecting members of their committees, as it is imperative that our trainees are mentored by a diverse group of faculty members.

The Thesis Committee is initially responsible for determining whether the thesis proposal is acceptable. The Proposition Examination is designed to test a student’s potential for carrying out independent research. PhD students must pass the examination before submitting an Application to Candidacy form (see below for details on timing and procedure). Students will start the process for the Proposition Examination at the end of the Spring semester of their second year (i.e., their fourth semester) in the PhD program, and complete it before the start of the Fall semester that year. Please refer to the Proposition Examination Guidelines (below).

The thesis advisor and the student are to meet with the Committee on a regular basis, approximately every 6-12 months and no more than every 12 months without written permission from the NPD. Upon completion of the thesis research and submission of the final draft of the thesis document, the student defends the thesis before the Committee and the Program.

All students should be aware of and follow the regulations not only of this Program but also of The Graduate School and promptly respond to all administrative requests from the Program. Students and faculty are expected to attend all Programmatic seminars and seminars co-sponsored by this Program. All graduate students are required to meet with the NPD prior to registering for courses each semester. This meeting will ensure proper advisement and avoid unwanted tuition costs (there is no registration for the summer session). Required courses are graded on a standard four-point scale. Exemption from courses in the required sequence by the student may be granted when justified. The petition must be addressed to the NPD and approved by the NGEC.

The Program in Neuroscience has no formal requirements for its graduate students to teach, but strongly encourages them to gain teaching experience. Every effort will be made to provide students interested in gaining teaching skills with a quality teaching experience. In addition, for students who are interested in becoming a better educator, required course NRS 602 offers about four slots each year for advanced PhD students to give a seminar and then journal club.

It is the responsibility of each student to contact the Graduate School and Student Response Center (1Capen) prior to deadlines for degree conferral to be sure that all the requirements and paperwork for the degree have been completed. In general, it is the responsibility of the student to follow the policies and procedures of the Program as well as the Graduate School and ensure the completion of all requirements throughout the program in a timely manner.

In today’s workforce there is an enormous shortage of women and underrepresented minorities in leadership roles in scientific fields. It is within the Program’s mission to counter biases surrounding gender, race and other defining characteristics, and to take a firm stance against discrimination and inequity. It is expected that students are respectful to each other, their mentors and other faculty and staff at all times to allow an inclusive learning environment for all. 

It is Program in Neuroscience policy to provide financial support at the level defined by the PhD Program in Biomedical Sciences (currently $27,000), and tuition scholarship for ALL doctoral students during their tenure in this program. The terms of this support are determined by the NPD and by the Thesis Advisor. Certain limits are also specified by the Graduate Student Employees Union (GSEU)/NYS Agreement. Students who receive full stipends and tuition scholarship awards are expected not to hold jobs outside of the University. 

The graduate programs are designed to allow flexibility in order to meet the diverse requirements of graduate students. Nevertheless, the programs are structured to ensure that all graduate students receive outstanding training to prepare them for professional careers. Therefore, a core curriculum containing several Neuroscience and other Biomedical Science courses is required. Exemptions may be obtained only by special permission. A petition for such exemption must be made to the NPD and be approved by the NGEC.

Specified curricula are available for students admitted into approved graduate programs. These programs include those leading to the Ph.D. in Neuroscience, to the M.S in Neuroscience. Programs leading to the Ph.D. degree include the M.D./Ph.D. degrees, the Ph.D. degree through the Ph.D. Program in Biomedical Sciences (PPBS), and direct admission into the Program following completion of the Neuroscience M.S. degree. 

Each student is expected to give two seminars to fulfill the requirements for the PhD degree.

The first seminar, a Research Progress Presentation, is expected to present original data from two or three recent publications related to a topic of current interest in the field of Neuroscience. A seminar announcement, with abstract and references, should be distributed to faculty and students one week prior to the seminar date. The seminars are not to be presented in lecture format by merely summarizing a large body of information with little discussion or critical evaluation of the data. The seminar should begin with a general introduction that describes the relevance of the specific topic to the general field. The presentation should also state the goals of the research, describe the experimental design and methodology, and present original data from the articles. Students should not only present the data clearly, but also discuss and critically evaluate the experimental design, results, and methodologies presented in the papers. Each student is expected to not only evaluate whether the authors draw appropriate conclusions from their findings, but also to critique the authors by suggesting pitfalls in the work and potential areas for future investigations to strengthen the results. Grading will be based on the accomplishment of these goals.

The second student seminar will consist of an oral presentation of the student's research at a meeting outside of the Program, as for example, the Buffalo SFN Chapter meeting or at a National or International scientific meeting. Alternatively, a formal oral presentation to the Programmatic faculty may fulfill requirements for the second seminar.

Within the Program in Neuroscience, the faculty evaluates student performance in courses on a standard four-point grading system.

• A = 4.00 points
• A- = 3.67 points
• B+ = 3.33 points
• B = 3.00 points
• B- = 2.67 points
• C+ = 2.33 points
• C = 2.00 points
• D = 1.00 points

In order to encourage students to take elective courses outside of their concentration area, Program in Neuroscience electives may be graded on an S/U basis. However, the NPD, the NGEC, and the student’s thesis advisor must approve taking such courses on a pass/fail basis. The PhD program cannot include more than 10 credit hours of S/U grades. 

Students must adhere to the calendar set forth by the Program. No vacations may be taken during coursework or rotations. Master’s students may take up to two (2) weeks of vacation after completion of the Spring semester. Students with compelling reasons for taking a longer vacation or leave or who are unable to meet the requirements of the master’s program calendar must receive explicit written permission from the NPD. The request for this, in writing, must be made in a timely fashion, i.e., prior to making airline or other arrangements, to allow review. Failure to receive prior approval may result in loss of financial support and/or termination from the Program. The Thesis Advisor of Master’s and PhD students must approve all requests for vacation that occur while the student is performing their thesis research under the supervision of the Thesis Advisor. 

In the selection process for admission of graduate students, constant efforts are made to identify and admit those students likely to succeed in completing all of the requirements for obtaining their graduate degree in Neuroscience. However, it is recognized that some students may not be successful in completing all of the requirements.

Necessary attributes for receipt of a graduate degree include intellectual ability, as well as fundamental talent for research and the scholarly attributes necessary for integrity and proper motivation. A student may be dismissed from the program for academic failure, disciplinary reasons, or clearly demonstrated unsuitability for laboratory research. None of these criteria will be invoked without due deliberation by the NGEC, the Neuroscience Program Director, and if identified, the Thesis Advisor. Dismissal must be approved by a majority vote of NPD and NGEC. 

The Graduate Education committee (NGEC) will review the progress of each student at the end of each semester and the NPD will perform an Annual Academic Review, per Graduate School policies, at the end of every academic year. These reviews are designed to develop a program most suitable for each student and to advise the student of any deficiencies.

1. Graduate students in all the Neuroscience graduate programs are required to maintain a GPA of 3.0 and obtain a grade of at least a “B” in all required courses to be in good academic standing.
   
2. Probation:
   1. PROGRAM PROBATION:  A student will be placed on program probation whenever their cumulative grade point average falls below 3.0 or if s/he receives a grade of less than a “B” in a required course. A letter from the NPD will inform the student of their program probation status, the duration of probation (typically one semester), and the steps necessary how to remove the probation status. Failure to do so will constitute grounds for dismissal from the program. A subsequent infraction of the academic requirements will constitute grounds for immediate dismissal, as will a grade of less than a “C” is received in any course. Termination from the graduate program requires formal action by the Program faculty.  In the case of dismissal from the combined B.S./M.S. program, the student will be returned to the undergraduate B.S. program.
   2. PROBATION WITH ADVICE TO WITHDRAW: A student may be placed on Probation with Advice to Withdraw when, in the faculty’s opinion, it is highly unlikely (for any of a variety of reasons) that the student could successfully complete the graduate program in Neuroscience. Under these situations, the student will be advised to withdraw from the program. This action will not be taken lightly. Advice to withdraw will include an explicit statement regarding the faculty’s evaluation of the student’s difficulties in order that the student can plan realistically for the future.

Each student in consultation with their Thesis Advisor should develop an individual development plan (IDP). The purpose of an IDP is to help students explore future career possibilities and to set goals to follow the career that fits the individual student.

The development of IDPs is recommended for all students funded by NIH grants. As a proactive step, the Program in Neuroscience now requires that all graduate students develop and implement an IDP. This is an interactive effort that requires both student and mentor to fully participate. The preferred method of IDP is the AAAS website located at http://myidp.sciencecareers.org/. The IDP should remain a confidential document. However, once a student has completed their IDP a certificate of completion should be provided to the NPD.

Instructions: After logging into myIDP, the "Completion Certificate" is available at the bottom of the Navigation Bar on the left side.  The certificate automatically marks off the portions of myIDP that have been completed by the user.  The only thing the student needs to do is indicate whether or not there has been a discussion with their mentor and enter the email address to which the certificate should be sent (Neurosci-grad@buffalo.edu).

Please note a completed IDP and associated completion certificate is required at the time of the Annual Review meeting, and by the Thesis Defense and prior to signing of the Application to Candidacy and of the M-FORM by the NPD.

Each student having completed their proposition examination and application to candidacy (ATC) forms will be expected to present their research to the Program in the form of a Research Progress Presentation. This will occur at least once in their 3^rd or 4^th year. This will be an excellent opportunity for all to learn about the PhD students’ research, and to promote collaborative learning, as it will help our students hone their presentation skills. Presentations will occur before the beginning of the Spring or Fall semesters and will be scheduled with the assistance of the NRS program staff. Lectures should be a maximum of 45 minutes, with 10-15 minutes of questions. This presentation can serve to meet the requirement for a Student seminar presentation (see above). 

The Proposition Examination is designed to test a student’s potential for carrying out independent research. Students must pass the examination before submitting an Application to Candidacy. Students will start the process for the Proposition Examination at the end of the Spring semester of their second year (i.e., their fourth semester) in the PhD program, and complete it before the start of the Fall semester that year. Please refer to the Proposition Examination Guidelines. 

The Proposition Examination is designed to test PhD graduate students’ potential for carrying out independent research by demonstrating his/her ability:

1. To collect and integrate diverse scientific information on a selected topic.
2. To organize sound and creative experimental approaches in solving significant questions related to the topic;
3. To formulate original specific aims and experimental procedures in the development of the selected topic in a written document and;
4. To demonstrate the acquired knowledge and defend the proposed research program in an oral presentation.

These attributes must be clearly demonstrated for successful completion of the Proposition Examination.

The successful completion of a Proposition Exam is required for all PhD students in the Neuroscience Program regardless of route of entry (PPBS or Direct-Admission).

The Proposition Examination includes the submission of a research proposal and its subsequent oral defense. The written portion must be an original document that reflects the student’s independent thinking and is appropriately referenced. Evidence of plagiarism will constitute grounds for failure without opportunity for re-examination. Successful completion of the Proposition Examination is required for continuation in the doctoral program.

Students will typically start the process for the Proposition Examination at the end of the Spring semester of their second year (i.e., their fourth semester) in the PhD program and complete it before the beginning of the next Fall semester. Following written approval by the Thesis Advisor and NPD, the student may begin the process of the Proposition Examine at an earlier point in their second year (i.e. during either Fall or Spring semester).

Students would be eligible to file Application to Candidacy (ATC) if they have completed their proposition exam, and have fulfilled their didactic course requirements. In specific instances, exceptions can be made through a petition e-mailed to the Program Director. At the time of Application to Candidacy by the Graduate School, the student should also submit a Certification of Full-Time Student Status (separate forms are used for PhD & MS degrees) while pursuing research on their dissertation project. This permits the student to reduce the number of credit hours taken below 12 credit hours while they focus on their thesis research.

The research topic will be selected by the student, and it may either be on the work that the student expects to pursue for his/her dissertation (recommended) or be related to it.  In addition to serving the purpose mentioned in Overview, this will prepare the student for submitting a proposal for a pre-doctoral fellowship to a funding agency (e.g. NIH F31). The selected title should be of sufficient specificity to be appropriate for a major grant proposal. The Chair of the Proposition Examination Committee will decide the appropriateness of the topic. 

The Proposition Examination Committee (PEC) will consist of:

1. A member of the Neuroscience Graduate Education Committee (NGEC) or NPD. An attempt will be made to select a member who is relatively familiar with the area of the proposal topic. The appointed member will serve as the Chair of the Proposition Examination Committee.
2. The student’s Dissertation Committee. The Dissertation Committee consists of the thesis advisor as Chair of the Dissertation Committee, and at least three other Committee members selected by the Advisor and the student. All members of the Committee must have appointments in the Program in Neuroscience.

The student’s research advisor will be a non-voting member of the Proposition Examination Committee. He/she will attend the student’s presentation but will not be present during the following discussions. 

The Proposition Examination process is as follows:

1. The first step in the process will be a 45-minute long journal club-style Research Proposal Presentation by the student. In this presentation, the student should discuss:
   1. The background leading to the question/hypothesis of the proposed project.  This may include published papers, feasibility data from the student’s lab and/or his/her own data.
   2. Question(s) to be addressed
   3. Overall hypothesis
   4. An outline of the proposed Specific Aims
2. The PEC will meet with the student following the Research Proposal Presentation seminar to discuss the presentation and to make suggestions for modifying the proposed project. If this evaluation is positive, the student may continue with the proposal process. This approval may be contingent on modification of the Specific Aims of the proposed research; such changes should be made and approved within one week of the Research Proposal Presentation. If the PEC concludes that: The Thesis Research Prospectus presentation; the discussion of possible future experiments; and/or hypotheses to be tested were not adequate, the student will be given an opportunity to repeat the Presentation.
3. After the Research Proposal Presentation, the student will prepare a full written proposal. The proposal must include a discussion of the significance of the proposed research. In writing the proposal, the student may seek help from other students and faculty. However, it is emphasized that the nature of this assistance should be limited and serve only to direct the student in a general approach to the topic. The student is required to write the proposal independently. Faculty should not design experiments or help in writing or rewriting of the proposal.
4. Within five weeks of the pre-proposal presentation, the student will present the written proposal and submit both a hard copy and an electronic file (PDF, or Word document) to the PEC members. 

Below are instructions adapted from the NIH Grants and Funding Website dealing with Formatting Attachments. Please follow these instructions in completing your proposal.

• Font: Use an Arial, Helvetica, Palatino Linotype, or Georgia typeface, a black font color, and a font size of 11 points or larger. Must be 11 points or larger. Smaller text in figures, graphs, diagrams and charts is acceptable, as long as it is legible when the page is viewed at 100%. Type density, including characters and spaces, must be no more than 15 characters per inch. Type may be no more than six lines per inch.
• Paper Size and Page Margins: Use standard paper size (8 1⁄2" x 11). Use at least one-half inch margins (top, bottom, left, and right) for all pages.
• Page Formatting: Since a number of reviewers will be reviewing applications as an electronic document and not a paper version, applicants are strongly encouraged to use only a standard, single-column format for the text. Avoid using a two-column format since it can cause difficulties when reviewing the document electronically.
• Page Numbering: Please number all pages. (NIH explicitly disallows this, but page numbers must be included for your NRS proposal to help your committee follow the project.) If you later send your proposal as an F31 grant application, you will need to remove the page numbers.
• Figures, Graphs, Diagrams, Charts, Tables, Figure Legends, and Footnotes: You may use a smaller type size but it must be in a black font color, readily legible, and follow the font typeface requirement. Color can be used in figures; however, all text must be in a black font color, clear and legible.
• Grantsmanship: Use English. Avoid jargon. Spell out acronyms the first time they are used in each application section/attachment and note the appropriate abbreviation in parentheses. The abbreviation may be used in the section/attachment thereafter.
• Page Limits (see details below)
  1. Specific Aims: 1 page
  2. Research Strategy: 6 pages
  3. References: no page limit
  4. Other sections required for an NIH proposal (cover page, biosketch, training plan, etc.) are not required for the Neuroscience proposal.
• Title: NIH and other PHS agencies limit title character length to 81 characters, including the spaces between words and punctuation. Titles in excess of 81 characters will be truncated. Be sure to only use standard characters in the descriptive title: A through Z, a through z, 0 through 9, and underscore (_). 

Specific Aims are limited to one page.

After a brief introductory paragraph or two, state concisely the goals of the proposed research and summarize the expected outcome(s), including the impact that the results of the proposed research will exert on the research field(s) involved.

List succinctly the specific objectives of the research proposed, e.g., to test a stated hypothesis, create a novel design, solve a specific problem, challenge an existing paradigm or clinical practice, address a critical barrier to progress in the field, or develop new technology. 

This item is limited to six pages.

Organize the Research Strategy in the specified order using the instructions provided below. Start each section with the appropriate section heading — Significance, Innovation, Approach. Cite published experimental details in the Research Strategy section and provide the full reference in the Bibliography and References Cited section.

You may address Significance and Approach for each Specific Aim individually, or may address Significance and Approach for all of the Specific Aims collectively.

1. Significance- Explain the importance of the problem or critical barrier to progress in the field that the proposed project addresses. Explain how the proposed project will improve scientific knowledge, technical capability, and/or clinical practice in one or more broad fields.Describe how the concepts, methods, technologies, treatments, services, or preventative interventions that drive this field will be changed if the proposed aims are achieved.
   
2. Innovation – An innovation section is not required for fellowships and does not have to be a part of your Neuroscience proposal. This section is found in some other types of NIH grants, such as R01 grants.
3. Approach – this section has all the detail of how you’ll do the experiments and the preliminary data to back it up 

Include information on preliminary studies, if any. This can be preliminary data you’ve obtained while you’ve worked in the lab, preliminary data obtained by other members of your lab (or your collaborator’s labs) that supports your project or preliminary data published by other labs. You can give preliminary data separately for each aim or you can describe all the preliminary data for all the aims first and then talk about the aims.

For the aims themselves, you will:

1. Describe the overall strategy, methodology, and analyses to be used to accomplish the specific aims of the project. Include how the data will be collected, analyzed, and interpreted as well as any resource sharing plans as appropriate.
2. Discuss potential problems, alternative strategies, and benchmarks for success anticipated to achieve the aims.
3. If the project is in the early stages of development, describe any strategy to establish feasibility, and address the management of any high-risk aspects of the proposed work.
4. Point out any procedures, situations, or materials that may be hazardous to personnel and precautions to be exercised.

End the approach section with a short paragraph reiterating the importance of your project and how it relates to human health or disease. 

Each reference must include the names of all authors (in the same sequence in which they appear in the publication), the article and journal title, book title, volume number, page numbers, and year of publication. Include only bibliographic citations. Applicants should be especially careful to follow scholarly practices in providing citations for source materials relied upon when preparing any section of the application. 

1. Within one week of the submission of the written proposal, each voting member of the Committee must grade the proposal as satisfactory (S) or unsatisfactory (U). Students will be given a written critique from the Committee Chairperson. The critique will include a summary of each committee member's comments.

2. If revisions are made/required, the revised written proposal will be graded within a week after submission and will again be assigned a grade of S or U by each Committee member. A copy of the written proposal will be placed in the student's file in the Program office.

Every effort will be made to adhere to this schedule; however unforeseen circumstances or unavoidable scheduling conflicts may cause a deviation from this timetable.

1. The prop exam chair may choose to meet briefly with the Thesis Advisor prior to scheduling of the final exam (without the student). This is intended to help resolve any overarching issues such as proposal feasibility and significance that remain a concern after completion of the written proposal.
2. Participants in the oral examination will include the student and the voting members of the PEC.
3. The oral examination will begin with a 15-20-minute presentation, during which the student will summarize the significance, innovation, approach and Specific Aims of the proposed work as outlined above in the section on Recommended Proposal Format. This is not intended to be a repeat of the original presentation and repetitive background information should be omitted.
4. During and following the presentation, the faculty will address questions to the student. The questions will explore all aspects of the proposal including its rationale, choice of experiments and experimental design, possible shortcomings of the experimental protocols and possible alternative, negative, or false positive results. Questions will also evaluate the student’s knowledge of the general area of the proposal, as well as of general principles of Neuroscience.
5. The objective of the Oral Examination is not simply to have the student recite orally what has been presented in writing but to examine the student’s overall grasp of the research area and of the basic principles of Neuroscience.
6. The Chair of the Committee may limit the time period for these questions to prevent the examination from becoming excessively long. 

The Committee will meet in an executive session just prior to the examination to ensure that each member understands the purpose and nature of the examination. After the examination is completed, the Committee will critically evaluate the student's performance on both the written and the oral portions of the examination and make specific recommendations to the student on the basis of the perceived strengths and weaknesses of the performance.

The Committee will establish whether or not the student has accomplished the following:

1. Developed the fundamental background to make correlations and pursue approaches which are essential to the topic;
2. Collected and interpreted the pertinent information in a clear and logical form;
3. Developed sound and critical approaches directed to the hypothesis; and
4. Understands the significance of the problem inherent in the proposal in a broad context. 

1. Each voting member of the Committee must grade the performance at the oral examination as satisfactory (S) or unsatisfactory (U). 

2. A copy of the final written proposal must be submitted to the Program office to be included in the student's file. 

Evaluation of the dissertation (thesis) proposal is conducted by the Dissertation Committee. This Committee must be appointed well in advance of the thesis defense, no later than the submission of the Application to Candidacy. The Dissertation Committee consists of the thesis advisor as Chair and at least two (for the MS degree) or at least three (for the PhD degree) other Committee members selected by the Advisor and the student.  All members of the Committee must have appointments in the Program in Neuroscience.

The Dissertation Committee is responsible for determining whether the proposed project is acceptable and feasible, and whether the student is capable of carrying out the proposed thesis work. As the research progresses, the Committee will establish whether the student has developed fundamental laboratory skills, broad knowledge, and familiarity with the literature in the area of the thesis research. Importantly, the Committee must decide whether the student has planned a study based on feasible and sound approaches to a significant research problem, with an excellent opportunity for a favorable outcome. 

The Dissertation Committee is encouraged to meet frequently, at least every 12 months based on the committee’s previous recommendation. At each Dissertation Committee meeting, the student will bring and complete a committee meeting form which will document the material and topics discussed as well as any major advice provided by the committee. Moreover, the Committee members are expected to be available to help in resolving issues associated with the student's research. The Committee is also responsible for examining and approving the student's program and the scientific merit of the thesis.

The dissertation defense is the examination required by the Graduate School and should consist of two components: individual meetings with each member of the Dissertation Committee and a formal presentation of the research by a Programmatic seminar. The written thesis will present the student's original experimentation in an integrated fashion with the following organization: abstract; a distinct introduction chapter; methods chapter (optional or maybe combined within respective results chapters); a complete presentation of the results in distinct chapters; a separate discussion chapter that provides a synthesis of student's research findings and perspective with other current research; and a comprehensive bibliography. The thesis organization outline should be approved by the thesis committee during the last committee meeting prior to preparation of the written document and oral thesis defense.

Note: The introduction chapter to the dissertation should include a detailed literature review in their own words and provide information that synthesizes the rationale for any published papers or unpublished manuscripts that are included in the document. Students will need to indicate whether results chapters are directly derived from published manuscripts or those submitted for publication – and, if so, include the relevant citation. In all cases, if the student’s research is the result of multiple contributions, the student’s individual contributions should be clearly stated in the introduction of each result chapter and in the figure legends, as appropriate. Any deviation from these guidelines needs to be cleared with the committee well in advance of the final submission of the thesis to the committee (and indicated as such in the last thesis committee form).

Copies of the last draft, complete with figures and tables, should be circulated to the members of the Committee in a timely fashion prior to the anticipated defense date (at least two weeks prior to the defense). Committee members should read and critically evaluate the thesis prior to the thesis defense. The candidate should arrange a private meeting with each member to consider any questions or criticisms the members might have regarding the thesis. In this context, it is the responsibility of each Committee member to read the thesis carefully and convey his/her specific comments to the student. In this way, the student should be provided with the necessary tools for acceptable creative scientific writing.

A copy of the thesis will be placed in a public space via UBBox for review AND the formal presentation advertised to the NRS faculty prior to the proposed date of the thesis defense (two weeks prior for PhD candidates and one week prior for MS).

MS students: The final thesis draft (which is sent to the thesis committee but does not have their comments incorporated) must be submitted to the NRS program at least one week in advance of the defense. The defense flyer will not be sent out until the draft is submitted. The PDF of the thesis will be made public via UBBox.

Although not required, students are encouraged to have the doctoral dissertation evaluated by an outside reader. The outside reader is a qualified individual appointed outside of the student's Program who reads and critiques the document. Barring extenuating circumstances, it is expected that a student will defend his/her thesis prior to initiating employment at an outside agency or pursuing further research at another institution.

It is the responsibility of each student to contact the Graduate School (645-2939) and the Student Response Center (645-2450) prior to the deadline dates to be certain that all of the requirements and paperwork for his/her degree have been completed. Diplomas will be mailed out directly from the Student Response Center. 

Students are URGED to refer to the University at Buffalo Graduate School website for a description of policies and procedures related to Graduate Study.

Please review the Doctoral Degree Checklist for Graduation. The following items are required for conferral of a PhD degree:

•       Proposition Exam completion
•       An approved Application to Candidacy form.
•       A completed M-Form
•       Successful defense of your dissertation (public seminar)
•       Electronic submission of your dissertation. Please see the Electronic Thesis and Dissertation (ETD) Guidelines page for submission instructions.
•       Completion of the doctoral degree recipient surveys (two surveys required for PhD students).
  
  

Please review the Graduation Requirements. The following items are required for conferral of an MS degree:

• Apply for graduation in HUB, in order to become a candidate for degree conferral.
• Successful defense of your thesis (public seminar)
• After defending your thesis, complete the M-Form
• Electronic submission of your thesis. Please see the Electronic Thesis and Dissertation (ETD) Guidelines page for submission instructions.
  
  

This is a multi-page document that includes a summary of courses to be applied toward a degree. The filing of this program with the Graduate School indicates that the student is entering the final stages of degree completion. This form must be completed and forwarded to the Graduate School as soon as possible following successful completion of the Proposition Examination. 

Students in master’s programs must apply for graduation in HUB, in order to become a candidate for degree conferral. You may apply for graduation through HUB only once per degree program. Students who have previously applied for graduation, who have an “in review,” “applied” or “candidacy approved” status in HUB, will not be able to modify nor apply for graduation in HUB again. To update the expected graduation term, file a Petition to Change Expected Conferral Date. Deadlines to apply for graduation are February 22 for June conferral, July 15 for September conferral, and October 15 for Fall conferral.

As the name implies, the M-Form is used for several purposes. In relation to the thesis or dissertation, the form is submitted to the Graduate Office to certify that defense of the thesis was satisfactorily completed and that ALL requirements for the degree have been satisfied. This form must be signed by the thesis advisor, the Dissertation Committee members, and NPD.

The NPD will sign the M-FORM only after all corrections to the thesis and requests by the committee have been met. The student should bring a copy of the final thesis to the NPD together with the form for signature. Students should then submit the form and the thesis before the deadline to the Graduate School. 

Master’s students who complete a thesis, and all PhD students, must electronically submit their final thesis or dissertation to the Graduate School via the UB/ProQuest UMI submission site. This is a requirement for degree conferral.

Students and PIs have the option for delayed release of sensitive research included in a thesis that may be currently unpublished. An embargo (delayed release) request can be made online. Students requesting a delayed release of their thesis/dissertation must upload the completed and signed form in the Administrative Documents section in ProQuest.

An electronic copy of the doctoral dissertation is required; copyrighting is optional. There is no fee for submitting and cataloging your dissertation. Traditional publishing through ProQuest is free. If you select the ProQuest Open Access publishing option and/or request that ProQuest file copyright on your behalf, there will be associated fees. Open access publishing is $95, copyright filing is $75. Payments will be made via credit card directly to ProQuest during the online ETD submission process.  

PhD students are required to complete two surveys at the time of graduation: the UB Doctoral Exit Survey and the Survey of Earned Doctorates Form, which is used to collect information from all candidates in the U.S.; the National Research Council publishes summaries of these data annually. 

The Graduate School grievance procedures as outlined in the Graduate School Website apply to this program. Since the number of students in the Neuroscience Graduate Program and the number of faculty members in this Program are small; most, if not all, disputes can be resolved on an informal basis. The student may seek the assistance of the NPD or other staff members as mediators in dealing with a dispute.

The Program in Neuroscience follows the Graduate School grievance policy. Briefly, if the student feels the grievance is serious and has not been justly resolved on an informal basis, a formal written appeal to the NPD to initiate formal grievance resolution procedure shall be submitted. (Exception, per the UB Graduate School Policy Library: “If the department chair or program director is a party against whom the grievance is brought, either as a teaching faculty member or as chair or director, or where the department chair or program director can demonstrate that it will best serve the interests of the parties, direct petition to the school or college level may be pursued.”) The NPD (or alternate individual at the School level) will then proceed with the second step, the convening of a Program Grievance Committee (PGC). This must occur within 20 academic days of submission of the academic grievance. This provides sufficient time to form a grievance committee for appropriate review of your case. Academic days only fall within the Fall and Spring semester. After a period of 15 academic days to allow the initial review of materials provided by the grievant, if the PGC find there is reasonable supporting grounds, there will be a hearing (Step 3). Additional details and the up-to-date policy can be found on the Graduate School website.

If an appeal of the Program ruling is desired, the student should file a written statement of the grievance with the Chairperson of the Health Sciences Division Grievance Committee according to the procedures established by the Graduate School.

NOTE: Specific aspects of the Guidelines may change as voted by the NGEC and faculty. 

All students should be aware of and follow the regulations not only of this Program but also of The Graduate School and promptly respond to all administrative requests from the Program. Students and faculty are expected to attend all Programmatic seminars and seminars co-sponsored by this Program. All graduate students are required to meet with the NPD prior to registering for courses each semester. This meeting will ensure proper advisement and avoid unwanted tuition costs (there is no registration for the summer session). Required courses are graded on a standard four-point scale. Exemption from courses in the required sequence by the student may be granted when justified. The petition must be addressed to the NPD and approved by the NGEC.

The Program in Neuroscience has no formal requirements for its graduate students to teach, but strongly encourages them to gain teaching experience. Every effort will be made to provide students interested in gaining teaching skills with a quality teaching experience. One suggested avenue for this is attendance at the Conference for Graduate Teaching Assistants, which is offered by the Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning at UB (CIRTL@UB). In addition, for students who are interested in becoming a better educator, required course NRS 602 offers about four slots each year for advanced PhD students to give a seminar and then journal club.

It is the responsibility of each student to contact the Graduate School and Student Response Center (1Capen) prior to deadlines for degree conferral to be sure that all the requirements and paperwork for the degree have been completed. In general, it is the responsibility of the student to follow the policies and procedures of the Program as well as the Graduate School and ensure the completion of all requirements throughout the program in a timely manner.

In today’s workforce there is an enormous shortage of women and underrepresented minorities in leadership roles in scientific fields. It is within the Program’s mission to counter biases surrounding gender, race and other defining characteristics, and to take a firm stance against discrimination and inequity. It is expected that students are respectful to each other, their mentors and other faculty and staff at all times to allow an inclusive learning environment for all.