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The Graduate Program in Neuroscience offers a multidisciplinary and translational approach to understanding the nervous system, including how it shapes behavior and cognition. Students train in an environment that brings together foundational neuroscience and technological innovation. This structure supports work across areas such as neural development, systems neuroscience, neurobiology of disease, and computational neuroscience.

Throughout their training, students learn to design and conduct independent research, publish peer reviewed manuscripts, present their work at national conferences, and communicate scientific ideas clearly in both teaching and professional settings. The program encourages collaboration across scientific disciplines, creating a broad foundation for future work.

Graduates earn a PhD that prepares them for careers in academic research, biotechnology, pharmaceutical development, healthcare innovation, data science, consulting, and education. Graduate students receive competitive assistantships featuring tuition and fee waivers, health insurance, and a competitive stipend of $36,000 per year. Most students complete their degrees within three to five years.

With interdisciplinary faculty and strong connections to clinical and translational neuroscience, the Graduate Program in Neuroscience provides a dynamic and supportive environment for scientific discovery and professional growth.

GPiBS Pathway Program

Prospective students initially apply to the Graduate Program in Biomedical Sciences (GPiBS) program at the OU Health Campus and complete the first year GPiBS curriculum under this umbrella program. After their first year in the GPiBS program, students may be admitted to the program through joining the laboratory of a participating faculty mentor.

How Long to Complete the Program?

Average 3-5 years

Class Size

3 to 6 students per year

Average GPA

3.6 accompanied by 16 months of research experience

Curriculum

The Neuroscience PhD program at the University of Oklahoma Health Campus is structured as a research-intensive, didactic-plus-laboratory program, with a strong emphasis on lab-based training following foundational coursework. The first semester Graduate Program in Biomedical Sciences (GPiBS) focuses on molecular biology, cellular biology, and biochemistry in the first semester followed by topically focused short selective courses in the second semester. 

The Neuroscience PhD program provides selective courses in cellular neuroscience, neurophysiology, and behavioral neuroscience. Other neuroscience-related selective courses available include neuropharmacology, vision, and aging. The GPiBS curriculum also provides instruction in biomedical ethics, and experimental design and statistics. After completing the first-year GPiBS curriculum, the student then commits to a PhD-granting Basic Bioscience Program and follows that Program's curriculum leading to the PhD degree. 

Second-year coursework and beyond: In the second year of the curriculum, students take a single didactic course, Neuroanatomy, to deepen their understanding of brain structure and function, initiate their research, and take their written and oral qualifying examinations to be admitted to PhD candidacy. After successful completion of the qualifying examination, the student focuses on their dissertation research project, expands their scientific skillset, participates in seminars, and participates in the annual Neuroscience Symposium.

For more information, view our Course Catalog.

Admission Requirements

To apply for the Neuroscience PhD program at the University of Oklahoma Health Campus, students must meet specific prerequisites and apply through the Graduate Program in Biomedical Sciences (GPiBS) Program. The GPiBS Program provides the foundational first year curriculum for students pursuing a PhD degree in the basic biomedical sciences.

For more information, view our Course Catalog.

Program Details

Location Offered

Oklahoma City

Degree Acquired

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Neuroscience

Application Window

See GPiBS admission timeline and requirements

Admissions

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Tuition and Aid

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What makes this program unique?

Multidisciplinary Curriculum

  • Broad scientific scope: The program spans molecular neuroscience, systems neurobiology, and functional neuroscience, covering everything from gene regulation to neurotransmitter systems, signal transduction, synaptic function and neurophysiology, neuropharmacology, and behavioral neuroscience.
  • Translational neuroscience emphasis: Students learn how foundational research informs treatments for neurological diseases and nervous system injury, preparing them for roles in both laboratory and clinical science.

Mentor-Based Admission Model

  • Personalized guidance: Students joining the Neuroscience program enter the lab with a designated mentor who holds appointments in both the Graduate College and the Neuroscience program. This arrangement ensures tailored research alignment, support, and mentoring.
  • Integrated training: This model fosters early lab placement and focused development of technical and analytical skills. This model also includes mentoring of the student by the mentor in scientific writing and presentation skills.

Interdisciplinary Research Environment

  • Cross-field collaboration: The program intersects with rapidly advancing computing, instrumentation and cutting edge methods that impact basic neuroscience and human health to encourage students to tackle complex challenges using diverse methodologies.
  • Access to OU Health: Proximity to hospitals and clinical departments allows students to engage in translational and patient-centered research.

Graduate Program in Biomedical Sciences (GPiBS) Integration

  • Foundational training: Students begin through GPiBS to gain knowledge of  modern core biomedical sciences before specializing in neuroscience.

This combination of translational focus, interdisciplinary depth, and personalized mentorship makes the neuroscience program at OU Health Campus a compelling choice for students aiming to bridge research and real-world impact.

What drew me to OU Health Campus was the chance to be part of a truly interdisciplinary research community. The neuroscience program brings together great mentors, talented researchers, and resources that help students reach their full potential.

Rafal Gulej, PhD (Neuroscience), Class of 2024

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