Master of Science in Neuroscience
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- Fall December 1
- Pullman: Yes
- 600 TOEFL Minimum score
- 100 TOEFLI Minimum score
Degree Description:
Neuroscience is the study of the nervous system from elementary molecular events to integrative outputs such as behavior and autonomic control. The program in Neuroscience at WSU includes classroom discussions of primary neuroscience literature, courses designed specifically to teach students scientific reasoning and training in proposal writing and oral presentation skills. However, the bulk of the program is spent pursuing a scientific question that includes the design and completion of an original investigation. Students develop their project under the expert guidance of well-funded and renowned neuroscientists on the faculty at WSU. Members of the graduate faculty in the Program in Neuroscience come from multiple departments, colleges, and campuses from across the University, thus giving students a broad selection of mentors and potential topics for their thesis research.
Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience, the College of Veterinary Medicine and the Graduate School are committed to providing equal opportunity in its services, programs, and employment for individuals with disabilities. Academically qualified students with disabilities are provided with access to the individualized assistance that is consistent with the student’s needs and the essential requirements of the program or course of study in which the student is enrolled. Reasonable accommodations are available for students with a documented disability. Use the links on the left to learn more about our graduate Program Details, Faculty Research Areas, and Highlights. Please contact us directly.
Admission Requirements:
Students wishing to pursue a Master’s degree in Neuroscience need to have a strong math and science background with a minimum of a Bachelor’s degree. Applicants need to submit an application on the WSU Graduate School website to be considered. Application documents must include:
- College transcripts (unofficial acceptable for initial review–upon admittance official transcripts are required)
- Three (3) letters of reference
- Resume or curriculum vita
- Personal statement describing why you are interested in studying neuroscience clearly define which faculty mentor you are interested in working with and explain why. Included in the personal statement describe an achievement that you are proud of and discuss how you reached your goal, and any obstacles you had to overcome to reach it. Conversely, tell us about a time when you didn’t achieve a goal and what you learned from the experience (maximum word length is 350 words).
- Writing Statement: Describe a major finding in neuroscience and/or biomedicine over the past five (5) years, and explain why you think it was important (maximum word length of 350 words). Please cite your work at the end. Citations do not count in the 350 word length count. Writing statements over the maximum word length may disqualify your application.
Application review begins December 1 each year. Only complete applications with all accompanying documents will be reviewed.
Students that choose to pursue a Master’s degree must identify a research mentor from the graduate faculty for the Program in Neuroscience prior to being admitted. The faculty mentor needs to contact the Neuroscience admissions office to confirm the agreement. The Program in Neuroscience does not fund MS students. Students need to either self-support or identify other sources of support (mentor’s grant or teaching assistantship if available).
Student Learning Outcomes:
All graduates will be able to:
- To enable students to develop as successful professionals for highly competitive positions in academia, industry, and government, the program aims to provide a variety of experiences that help students to:
- Develop expertise in appropriate concepts, theories, and emerging methodologies in neurobiology to fully understand how the brain and nervous system functions through studies ranging from the molecular (small molecules, peptides, proteins, and other molecules important to the function of the nervous system), through the cellular (especially neuronal and glial cells), to the systems level (neural regulation of key physiological processes).
- Present research to local, regional, national, and international audiences through publications in professional journals and conference papers given in a range of venues, from graduate seminars to professional meetings.
- Participate in professional organizations, becoming members, attending meetings, and, where appropriate, taking leadership roles.
- Broaden their professional foundations through activities such as teaching, outreach, fellowships, and grant applications.
- To prepare students to be effective researchers in the field of neurobiology, the program aims to provide a variety of experiences that help students to:
- Become independent, self-motivated researchers with the ability to recognize problems in their field of expertise and formulate solutions to the problems.
- Develop comprehensive knowledge of previous and current research in their field of expertise and be able to demonstrate that knowledge capability in a review of the literature.
- Generate viable questions within their field of expertise and pose problems or hypotheses related to those questions.
- Apply sound research methods to problems in neuroscience and describe the methods effectively.
- Perform statistical analyses of research data and present the results in a way that makes clear sense of the data.
- Discuss the solution to the research problem or the support or lack of support for the hypothesis in a way that effectively documents the contribution of the research to the area of study.
- Communicate their research clearly and professionally in both written and oral forms appropriate to the field.
- To enhance visibility of the doctoral program in neuroscience nationally and internationally.
- Attract, secure, and retain high-quality students.
- Enhance doctoral education by creating advanced courses, providing more support – resources for fellowships, research, travel to conferences, etc. – for doctoral students, and providing effective mentoring that encourages students to graduate in a timely manner.
- Place graduates in positions in academics and industry.
- Attract, retain and support a nationally recognized research-active faculty.
Student Opportunities:
In addition to learning how to read and evaluate scientific literature, students in the MS program will learn the fundamental aspects of experimental design and some technical skills used in neuroscience research. They also have the opportunity to participate in the professional development series administered through the Integrated Programs in Biomedical Sciences (iPBS).
Career Opportunities:
Students completing their MS degree in Neuroscience can continue on to complete a PhD degree, or enter directly into a research career in a government, academic or industry laboratory (pharmaceutical or other biotech).
Faculty Members:
Appleyard, Suzanne, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Research Interests
Accepting Graduate Students for Fall 2023.
Research in the field of energy homeostasis, using both mouse genetic and electrophysiological approaches. Other areas of interest are behavioral techniques to investigate food intake and related behaviors.
Publishes under Suzanne Appleyard
Brown, R. Lane, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Research Interests
Accepting Graduate Students for Fall 2023
Brown, Travis, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Research Interests
Accepting Graduate Students for Fall 2023
Neuroscience with focus on synaptic transmission, stress and drugs of abuse.
Burgoyne, Claude F., M.D.
Serves as: co-chair or member of graduate committee
Research Interests
Pathophysiology of glaucomatous optic nerve head damage
Optic nerve head biomechanics
Optic nerve head imaging
Optic nerve head aging
Optic nerve head blood flow
Ocular device development
Catena, Robert, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Research Interests
Balance and gait to reduce incidence of accident.
Chandra, Murali, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Research Interests
Regulation of the contractile machinery of heart muscle cells, and how myofilament remodeling is linked to pathogenesis of heart diseases.
Coffin, Allison, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Research Interests
We study sensory hair cells: polarized epithelial-type cells that converts acoustic signals in the environment to electrochemical signals in the nervous system. These cells are exquisitely sensitive to sound and unfortunately to damage from a variety of sources including noise and some classes of medications. Research in the Coffin Lab uses cellular, molecular, bioinformatics, and electrophysiological approaches to understand the cellular events underlying hearing loss and develop drug candidates to preserve hearing.
Davis, Christopher, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Research Interests
Investigates neurobehavioral and neuromolecular regulation of sleep, wake and plasticity. Employs rodent models to demonstrate the consequences of sleep loss on cognitive performance, brain chemistry and slice electrophysiology. A central focus of his work is characterizing the role of microRNAs on the electroencephalograph and vigilance states.
Delevich, Kristen, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Research Interests
Accepting Graduate Students for Fall 2023
Identify key cell types and neuronal circuits that undergo changes in structure and function during adolescence, determine whether these processes differ in males and females, and review how changes in neural circuits relate to behaviors that are relevant to core symptoms of psychiatric disease and substance use disorders, and decision-making more broadly.
Demirel, Shaban, Ph.D.
Serves as: co-chair or member of graduate committee
Research Interests
Diseases of the eye
Dimitrov, Alexander, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Research Interests
Information-theoretic and probabilistic approaches to neural computing and cognitive processes, non-linear neuronal models, chaotic dynamical systems, non-linear signal processing and prediction, systems identification, neural-based intelligent agents. Bioinspired engineering.
Dong, Wenji, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Research Interests
Cardiac Muscle Biology and Mechanics, Protein Chemistry and Engineering, Fluorescence Techniques, Computer Modeling, Nanoscale Biosensor Design and Engineering
Fortune, Brad, Ph.D.
Serves as: co-chair or member of graduate committee
Research Interests
Diseases of the eye
Frank, Marcos, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Research Interests
The regulation and function of sleep in developing and adult animals. The role of experience and offline processes in brain plasticity. The role of glia in sleep regulation and function.
Fuchs, Rita, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Research Interests
Accepting Graduate Students for Fall 2023.
Addiction/Drugs of Abuse, Diseases of the Brain, Neuropharmacology
Gerstner, Jason, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Research Interests
Accepting Graduate Students for Fall 2023
Research interest focus on how the molecular mechanisms involved in the generation of circadian rhythms and sleep interact with learning and memory.
Giannotti, Giuseppe, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Research Interests
research focuses on understanding the neuronal circuits driving heroin relapse and, in particular, those that overlap with aversion. To achieve this goal, his lab uses different approaches including optogenetics, chemogenetics, fiber photometry, and slice electrophysiology along with self-administration models. The ultimate goal of his research is to gain insight into the neuronal circuits controlling aversive states experienced during heroin withdrawal and their contribution to relapse, such that novel therapeutic strategies can be identified for the treatment of opioid use disorder.
Gizerian, Samantha, Ph.D.
Serves as: member only of graduate committee
Research Interests
The goal of my research is to look at discrete changes in the environment (both internal and external) during brain development and evaluate their relevance to altered structural and functional outcome, such as in mental illness, autism, or developmental delay.
Henricks, Angela, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Research Interests
Work in my lab focuses on understanding the neurobiological underpinnings of substance use disorder. We use translational approaches to identify neural circuits associated with addictive behavior and addiction development, often in the context of co-occurring mental illness. Since females have historically been understudied in preclinical addiction research, my lab is particularly focused on characterizing sex differences in the neurobiological mechanisms underlying addiction, with the aim of enhancing our ability to translate preclinical findings to clinical populations. Our ultimate goal is to contribute to the development of personalized, effective therapies for substance use disorder and mental illness in women and men.
Hentges, Shane, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Research Interests
Accepting Graduate Students for Fall 2023
Research in the Hentges lab aims to improve physical and emotional health. We believe we can make strides by adding insight into why food intake is sometimes inconsistent with caloric need and learning about the neuronal changes that happen in response to altered food intake and prolonged drug exposure. Rewarding food and drugs are initially consumed for pleasure and relief from discomfort. However, reinforcement is often fleeting and met with physiologic adaptions that lead to things like obesity and substance use disorder.
Honn, Kimberly, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Research Interests
Sleep deprivation; cognitive performance; shiftwork
Jackson, Darrell, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Jansen, Heiko, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Research Interests
Research focuses on the role of biological rhythms in the expression of motivated behaviors, endocrine physiology and metabolism.
Kapás, Levente, M.D.
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Research Interests
Sleep Research
Krueger, James, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Research Interests
Biochemical regulation of sleep, sleep and inflammation, sleep function, brain organization of sleep.
Layton, Matt, M.D., Ph.D.
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Research Interests
Psychological and physiological changes in smokers during the first few days after they quit smoking.
Lin, David, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Research Interests
Integrated mechanical properties of skeletal muscle and spinal reflexes. Multiscale modeling of muscle contractile properties.
Dr. David Lin has a joint academic appointment in the Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering and the Department of Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience. Neuroscience profile
McLaughlin, Ryan, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Research Interests
We employ a systems-level neuroanatomical approach to understand the effects of exogenous and endogenous cannabinoids on stress, emotional behavior, and cognitive functioning, and the extent to which this is altered following exposure to chronic stress, alcohol, and/or other drugs of abuse.
McPherson, Sterling, Ph.D.
Research Interests
Director, Program of Excellence in Addictions Research, Associate Director, Providence Medical Research Center
- Development of evidence-based substance use disorder treatments,
- Behavioral pharmacology,
- Innovative analytical methods to answer novel research questions in psychopharmacology and substance abuse,
- Kidney disease and acute kidney injury, mental illness and drug and alcohol use as risk factors.
Meighan, Peter, Ph.D.
Serves as: member only of graduate committee
Research Interests
Investigate the molecular mechanisms of ion channels that are directly activated by intracellular cyclic nucleotides.
Morgan, Michael, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Research Interests
Neural Mechanisms of Morphine Tolerance
Peixoto, Lucia, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Research Interests
Accepting Graduate Students for Fall 2023
Genomic and molecular biology approaches to understand interaction between genes and experience in Autism Spectrum Disorders.
Peters, James H., Ph.D.
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Research Interests
Research investigates the peripheral and central neurocircuitry that provides critical controls of food intake and energy homeostasis.
Portfors, Christine, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Research Interests
Hearing and Communication
Qualls-Creekmore, Emily, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Research Interests
Accepting Graduate Students for Fall 2023
To better understand the regulation and integration of complex behaviors involving feeding, stress, and emotion.
Quock, Raymond, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Research Interests
Pharmacology of Medical Gases in Suppression of Chronic Pain and Opiate Withdrawal
Role of Nitric Oxide in Drug-Induced Analgesia and Anxiolysis
Rossi, David, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Research Interests
Addiction/Drugs of Abuse, Electrophysiology, Diseases of the Brain, Developmental Neurobiology, Neural/Synaptic Plasticity
Satterfield, Brieann, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Research Interests
Studies the complex phenotype-genotype between sleep and cognition.
Schmitter-Edgecombe, Maureen, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Research Interests
Clinical and Cognitive Neuropsychology, Everyday Functioning, Gerontechnology, Cognitive and Health Interventions
Shen, Haiying, M.D., Ph.D.
Serves as: co-chair or member of graduate committee
Research Interests
Research on the anti-convulsive and neuroprotectant efforts of adenosine and the adenosine system. These translate into findings into novel therapeutic approaches for epilepsy, traumatic brain injury, stroke and schizophrenia.
Sorg, Barbara, Ph.D.
Serves as: co-chair or member of graduate committee
Research Interests
The main projects in my lab focus on how to prevent relapse to cocaine in rats. Other studies focus on using these same models of drug addiction, exploring the underlying role of circadian rhythms in relapse.
Publishes under Barbara Sorg
Stenkamp, Deborah, Ph.D.
Serves as: co-chair or member of graduate committee
Research Interests
Research interests center on the examination of cellular and molecular mechanisms of vertebrate retinal development and regeneration, with a specific focus on photoreceptor differentiation, using zebrafish as the primary experimental model.
Sun, Jingru, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Research Interests
The Sun Lab is focused on the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying neuro-immune interactions in host defense against pathogen infections using C. elegans as a model system. Their long-term goals are to decipher the neural circuits and neuroendocrine mechanisms that control innate immunity and to define the regulatory principles underlying neuro-immune relationships.
Szentirmai, Eva, M.D., Ph.D.
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Research Interests
Research is on neuronal circuits that are involved in regulating sleep-wake activity, feeding and metabolism.
Tanner, Bertrand, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Research Interests
Accepting Graduate Students for Fall 2023
Research focus on normal, mutated, and diseased proteins that influence muscle contraction and relaxation dynamics. We often integrate mathematical modeling, computational simulations, biochemical assays, and biophysical system-analysis to investigate complex network behavior among muscle proteins.
Van Dongen, Hans, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Research Interests
Sleep Deprivation, Sleepiness, Cognitive Performance, Fatigue Modeling, Fatigue Risk Management, Sleep Physiology, Homeostatic and Circadian Mechanisms, Individual Differences
Varnum, Michael, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Research Interests
Research focus is to investigate the molecular mechanisms of ion channels that are directly activated by intracellular cyclic nucleotides.
Vasavada, Anita, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Research Interests
Biomechanics and neural control of the musculoskeletal system, focusing on the human head and neck system.
Wayman, Gary, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Research Interests
Accepting Graduate Students for Fall 2023
Molecular and cellular mechanism by which synaptic activity and neurotrophic factors influence neuronal development.
Whitney, Paul, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Wisor, Jonathan, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Research Interests
The purpose of my research program is to identify functional consequences of sleep and sleep loss within the nervous system.
- Graduate School
- Washington State University
- Stadium Way, 324 French Administration Building
- P.O. Box 641030
- Pullman, WA 99164-1030
- gradschool@wsu.edu
- P: 509-335-6424, F: 509-335-1949