CNUP: Center for Neuroscience

PhD admissions

Requirements for Admission

Admission to the Graduate Training Program is based on the total record of academic accomplishments. Students usually have:

  • Prior research experience;
  • A bachelor of science degree in biology, chemistry, computer science, mathematics, neuroscience, or psychology;
  • A cumulative grade point average of at least 3.4 (on a 4.0 scale);
  • A cumulative GRE score typically greater than 1200 (verbal and quantitative) and a 4.5 in analytical writing.

Evaluation of prior research experience, coursework, GRE scores, and letters of recommendation are components of the admission process.

The program provides full financial support to allow our most accomplished applicants currently residing in North America to visit Pittsburgh and meet with training faculty in their area of interest, as well as current graduate students. The visit is particularly important for the applicant to obtain a sense of the remarkable quality and depth of neuroscience research and training opportunities in Pittsburgh. Those applicants residing outside of North America may be selected for telephone interviews. We pride ourselves in the attentiveness of faculty in working closely with students throughout their graduate training.

Request program information

Procedures for Applying

Applications for graduate study and supporting documents should be electronically submitted in time for evaluation in early January; members of under-represented groups are encouraged to apply. Admission to the program is based on college transcripts, Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores, letters of recommendation, research experience, and personal interviews.

Application deadline: January 2

To apply for admission, please complete the online application through the ApplyYourself Application Network. Additional requirements needed to complete your application to the Center for Neuroscience Graduate Training Program are listed below.

  1. You must submit the names of three references with your application. They may submit their recommendations either electronically or by mail. These letters of recommendation must be from professors or research supervisors with whom you have studied or worked, preferably including those who have sponsored independent research in the laboratory.
  2. You must include a 500- to 1,000-word statement of goals concerning your plans for graduate study and a professional career. Indicate the area(s) of neuroscience that most interest you. Include specific training faculty whose research programs are of great interest and indicate at least three faculty members with whom you would like the opportunity to meet should you visit Pittsburgh. You may submit this information in the "additional information" section of the admissions application.
  3. Provide a brief description of your previous research experience. This should include undergraduate and/or graduate research, your research supervisor in each project and the technical skills that you have acquired, and a description of the hypotheses you were examining in your research. You may submit this information electronically in the "additional information" section of the admissions application.
  4. Provide an official transcript from each undergraduate and graduate school that was attended. Official original academic credentials that are issued in a language other than English must be accompanied by a certified English translation.
  5. You must submit official scores on the Graduate Examination Test through the Educational Testing Service. The verbal, quantitative, and analytical writing tests are required, whereas an advanced test is optional. The institutional code number for the University of Pittsburgh is 2927.
  6. Non-U.S. Citizens whose native language is not English are required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). A minimum result of 250 (600 paper, 100 iBT) on the computer TOEFL or a minimum result of 7.0 on the IELTS is required for admission. Scores must be less than two years old. Official TOEFL results must be submitted electronically to the University of Pittsburgh by the Educational Testing Service; the institutional code for the University of Pittsburgh is 2927.  Official IELTS results must be sent electronically to the University of Pittsburgh by the University of Cambridge.

Admissions Correspondence and Information

University of Pittsburgh

Center for Neuroscience
A210 Langley Hall
Pittsburgh, PA 15260

412-624-5043
Fax: 412-624-9198

jblaney@pitt.edu