Electives & Seminars

Elective courses should be tailored to the subspecialty and research needs of the student as determined by the student. Students are required to take at least six units of advanced electives. Download a list of electives that identifies of some of the more popular courses.

A total of four advanced elective courses (2-3 credits each) are required for advancement to candidacy. A variety of advanced courses are offered.

Alternatively, a student may receive credit for one advanced elective by serving as a teaching assistant to one of the core neuroscience courses taken by first-year students. Students should contact course directors directly to inquire about teaching opportunities. Students can obtain similar credit by serving as a teaching assistant in a neuroscience-related course at a local institution, subject to approval from the program director.

An impressive variety of seminar series are offered for neuroscience students. The key one is the Vollum Seminar Series, which brings in an outstanding outside scientist weekly during fall, winter, and spring. In addition, the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, the Oregon Regional Primate Research Center, and the Neurological Sciences Institute all have seminar series that largely focus on neuroscience issues. Finally, each student who has reached candidacy must present a yearly seminar, and attendance at this seminar is expected of all students.

All NGP students are required to attend the Vollum seminar series throughout their tenure. An accompanying seminar course is offered and is required for first and second students. Every week, students read a paper from an upcoming seminar speaker and then meet to hear a student-led background presentation and roundtable discussion of the paper. Students later meet over lunch with the speaker immediately after the seminar. This provides a weekly opportunity to converse with an outstanding outside scientist in an informed manner and informal setting. Material gleaned from this seminar course and the assigned seminars is considered appropriate for inclusion on the written qualifying exam.

In addition to the NGP/Vollum Institute Seminar Series, there are many other neuroscience seminars at OHSU. These are hosted by the Oregon Regional Primate Research Center, the Neurological Sciences Institute, the Center for Research on Occupational and Environmental Toxicology, and the Behavioral Neuroscience Department.

If you would like to receive e-mail announcements about important events, join the Neuroscience Graduate Program E-Newsletter Group.