Master of Science in Neuroscience

Chair: Dr. Michael Smotherman

The Graduate Training Program in Neuroscience is jointly administered through both Texas A&M University and the Texas A&M University Health Science Center and designed to prepare students to become successful independent researchers that can help society meet wide-ranging needs in industry, medicine, defense and academic fields. Our interdisciplinary program spans several colleges (Arts and Sciences, Medicine, Engineering, and Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences) and brings together researchers with expertise in biology, psychology, veterinary integrative biosciences, health and kinesiology, engineering, and experimental therapeutics, thereby offering our students access to a breadth of tools and training not normally found in single departments.

Neuroscience is a field devoted to the scientific study of the nervous system, from its molecular/cellular underpinnings to the organization of neural circuits, and the manifestation of this biological/neurochemical machinery as behavioral, physiological and psychological processes. It aims to detail both how the normal system operates and how alterations in function contribute to clinical diseases, such as mental illness, dementia, developmental disorders, neurodegenerative diseases, chronic pain, drug addiction, and the loss of function with aging or neural injury.

Major breakthroughs in neuroscience research often come from the fusion of novel technologies applied to basic questions. Our program facilitates discovery by giving students a solid knowledge base in fundamental neuroscience and then putting them in position to conduct cutting-edge research using state-of-the-art tools in a wide variety of research areas. The training program emphasizes flexibility by allowing each student to work with their thesis committee to design a unique degree plan that best suits his or her long-term objectives.

Students who wish to work with a faculty member at Texas A&M should apply for admission through the Texas A&M Office of Graduate Admissions. Students select a faculty mentor upon entering the graduate program or at the end of their first year (after laboratory rotations). Graduate assistantships and fellowships are available from the neuroscience program and participating departments.

Mission Statement

Neuroscience is a rapidly growing and diverse academic discipline that will significantly influence many aspects of our society over the next century through its impacts on human health, behavior, and emerging technologies in computer science and engineering. The interdisciplinary graduate program in neuroscience at Texas A&M prepares students to meet these societal needs by providing a comprehensive training that spans these broad disciplines by bringing together faculty, staff and students from across many colleges and departments. Students obtaining a Masters of Science in Neuroscience are prepared to enter a wide range of jobs in the biomedical and engineering sectors. The degrees are jointly conferred by Texas A&M and Texas A&M Health Science Center.

http://tamin.tamu.edu/

Steps to Fulfill a Masters Program