The Behavioral Neuroscience Master’s Program does not have formal minimum GPA, coursework, or research experience requirements for admission. The average GPA of recently admitted students is 3.52. Although not required, undergraduate coursework in psychology, neuroscience, biology, chemistry, and statistics are good preparation for students admitted to the program.

Application Requirements

• All prior undergraduate and graduate transcripts
• Personal statement of program interests and career goals
• Resume/CV
• International students:
  • TOEFL of 80, IELTS of 6.5, or Duolingo English Test of 120
  • Transcript evaluations from NACES accredited evaluation company

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Tuition & Fees

The total cost of tuition over the academic year varies with:

• the number of credit hours completed, which may vary from semester to semester;
• a student’s full-time or part-time standing; and
• in-state, out-of-state, or internation student status.

Tuition and fees for each hour of coursework for the Behavioral Neuroscience Program, which is housed within the College of Arts and Sciences, can be found on the Cost & Aid site.

Financial Aid

The Behavioral Neuroscience Master’s Program does not offer teaching or research assistantships. Students interested in other types of financial aid (e.g., loans, scholarships, grants, work study) should contact the UAB Office of Student Financial Aid.

The Behavioral Neuroscience Master’s Program prepares graduates for advanced research and clinical training programs; laboratory positions in academia, industry and health care-related fields; and employment within the education sector.

Career examples include:

• research staff scientist
• laboratory technician
• clinical science assistant
• research data analyst
• science/medical writing/communications
• technologist in medical setting
• public health work related to psychological, psychiatric, and neurological disorders

Behavioral Neuroscience MS

Behavioral neuroscience is represented by scientists with interests in the physiological and neural substrates of behavior. Our program’s mission is to produce outstanding scientists who will pursue careers in the field of neuroscience. We accomplish this mission by providing rigorous graduate course instruction and research training of the highest degree. Our philosophy is that this mission is best achieved by providing each student a firm academic foundation in both psychology and neuroscience curriculums, and by engaging students in systematic behavioral neuroscience research.

The Behavioral Neuroscience MS program prepares graduates through rigorous coursework and research training. In particular, courses provide foundational knowledge in behavioral neuroscience and neurobiology. In addition, advanced coursework in research design and statistical methodology equips graduates with the skills needed to collect, manage, and analyze research data.

The Behavioral Neuroscience program offers two options for earning an MS degree:

• Plan I requires the completion of 30 semester hours of approved graduate work and 12 semester hours of research, with the presentation and defense of a thesis project based on the results of an original empirical research project.
• Plan II requires a minimum of 30 semester hours of approved course work. The Plan II MS degree does not require participation in research activities or a formal thesis project. However, students often volunteer in research labs to gain insight into the scientific theory, open questions, and research techniques of the field.

Apply Today

Use the online Graduate School application to apply to the Behavioral Neuroscience MS Program. Applications for entrance in the Fall semester close on July 1 and close on November 1 for the Spring semester.

PhD Admissions

Admissions to the Behavioral Neuroscience PhD program follows the following review process:

• Admission to the program is highly competitive. We follow an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity process to ensure applicants are evaluated on their individual merit. We typically admit four to six new students each year.
• Admission is only possible for the fall semester, for full-time studies, and for completing the doctoral program. The deadline for the submission of all application material to the Graduate School is December 15. Learn more about the admissions process and apply online via the UAB Graduate School.
• Application materials include a curriculum vita, statement of purpose, three letters of recommendation, GPA, and transcripts.
• For international applicants, a minimum TOEFL score of 80 is required (UAB Institute Code: 1856). Learn about additional information and requirements for international applicants.
• Submission of Graduate Record Examination (GRE) test scores, including verbal, quantitative, and analytic writing scores is optional.
• Research experience is essential. We prefer a solid background in psychology including courses such as statistics, research methods, physiological psychology, cognitive psychology, and learning. Coursework in chemistry and biology is also encouraged.
• A faculty committee reviews all applicants to identify a small number who will be considered more fully. Those applicants are invited for an interview in January or February.

Program Faculty

Faculty with an asterisk (*) next to their name are recruiting graduate students for the 2025-2026 academic year.

Careers

The PhD program with a concentration in Behavioral Neuroscience started in 1981. Graduates have taken post-doctoral and faculty positions at universities, colleges, and public and private agencies, including:

• Arizona State University
• American Chemical Society
• Brescia University
• Caterpillar Corporation
• Harvard University
• LaGrange College
• McClain Hospital/Harvard University
• Merial Corporation
• North Carolina State University
• Samford University
• University of Alabama at Birmingham
• University of New Mexico
• University of Pittsburgh
• University of Tennessee
• University of Texas
• University of Virginia
• Washington University

Requirements

Year One (27 Hours)

*Note: PY 792 is completed during the summer, late-July to mid-August, before the first semester in the Behavioral Neuroscience program.

Year Two (21 hours)

Year Three (21 hours)

Year Four (21 hours)

Year Five (21 hours)

Graduate School Course Credit Requirements for a PhD

If entering with a baccalaureate degree:

• Completion of 48 credit hours of course work prior to candidacy.
• Up to 16 credits of the 48 can be as non-dissertation research credits.
• Up to 10 credits of the 48 can be as lab rotation, seminar, or directed study credits.
• Must complete at least two semesters in candidacy and accumulate at least 24 credit hours in 799 research OR
  • must complete at least two semesters in candidacy and have accumulated at least 12 credit hours in 799 research AND, either during or before candidacy, 12 credit hours in other appropriate research-based coursework that has been approved by the graduate student’s program.

If entering with a previous Masters degree appropriate to the PhD degree field:

• Completion of 27 credit hours of course work prior to candidacy.
• Up to 6 credits of the 27 can be as non-dissertation research credits.
• Up to 6 credits of the 27 can be as lab rotation, seminar, or directed study credits.
• Must complete at least two semesters in candidacy and accumulate at least 24 credits in 799 research OR
  • must complete at least two semesters in candidacy and have accumulated at least 12 credit hours in 799 research AND, either during or before candidacy, 12 credit hours in other appropriate research-based coursework, which has been approved by the graduate student’s program.

Dauphin Island

Prior to starting the first semester of courses, students attend a three-week course held at the Dauphin Island Research Facility. This course introduces students to many of the basic techniques and issues in the field of neuroscience and is paid for by the department.

Possible Elective Courses

Full course descriptions can be found in the UAB Graduate Catalog.

Mission

The mission of the Behavioral Neuroscience PhD program is to produce outstanding young scientists capable of pursuing successful teaching and research careers. This goal is achieved by having each student obtain firm academic and research training in both psychology- and neuroscience-based domains.

A major strength of the program is that it is interdisciplinary and includes programmatic research and training under the supervision of any faculty member within any department at UAB who has research interests that lie within the area of behavioral neuroscience. Training and mentorship are provided by faculty in the departments of:

• Anesthesiology
• Neurobiology
• Neurology
• Cell, Developmental, and Integrative Biology
• Psychiatry and Behavioral Biology
• Psychology
• Vision Science

The program trains students to discover basic neural substrates of behavior in order to provide translational research that serves to better the human condition.

Overview

The Behavioral Neuroscience PhD program is designed to be completed in five years (12 months/year) of full-time studies. We only admit students who can commit to full-time studies throughout the duration of the program.

Core Curriculum

Dauphin Island Sea Lab: All students complete a 3-week neuroscience retreat during the summer before the first year of the program. Students attend a retreat (late July to middle August) at the Dauphin Island research facility on the gulf coast of Alabama. This unique retreat, led by an interdisciplinary team of UAB faculty, introduces incoming students to the basic issues and techniques of the field. The retreat includes didactic lectures, extensive laboratory activities, and a final student research project.

All students take a first-year core curriculum that includes foundations of behavioral neuroscience, statistics, and psychology electives. These courses build on undergraduate training and provide initial advanced training in behavioral neuroscience. Students also complete research rotations.

In the second year, students select an additional four courses that are germane to their own research interests in conjunction with advice from their faculty mentor. A weekly behavioral neuroscience graduate seminar, taught by the program director, is taken every semester in residence. Students participate in professional development activities, develop formal presentations, and discuss published literature. The seminar develops students’ ability to evaluate and present research, address an audience, answer challenging questions, and critically discuss issues with their peers. UAB faculty from other departments speak during seminar to facilitate choice of first-year research mentors and potential PhD mentors.

Students also engage in active seminar programs at UAB. This gives students a solid foundation in the history, methods, theory, and current research in behavioral neuroscience. As the program is interdisciplinary in nature, additional coursework is often completed in other departments (e.g., Neurobiology and Vision Sciences). Students must fulfill a second-year research requirement and pass a qualifying examination. Once these requirements are satisfied students advance to candidacy for dissertation research. The PhD is awarded upon successful defense of the dissertation.

Research Rotations

Our first-year students complete two to three research rotations in their first year with potential PhD mentors. These laboratory rotations teach valuable research skills and allow students to make an informed decision about their future research direction and mentorship. Students are able to explore potential areas of research interests and potential research mentors prior to making a firm commitment before their second year of study.

The ability to complete first-year laboratory rotations is one of the primary reasons students select our PhD program over others. Students can choose any research rotation mentor at the university as long as their research interests lie within the domain of Behavioral Neuroscience. During the research rotation students learn valuable research skills and often obtain authorship on a presentation or research paper that derives from their work.

Choosing a Faculty Mentor

A critical feature of our program is that each student has a faculty mentor who is responsible for both funding and guiding them through the PhD program and teaching them how to function as a behavioral neuroscientist. The faculty mentor-doctoral student relationship is formed by mutual consent before the second year of training. Our full-time students are actively engaged in research every semester, including summers.

It is important that students identify a faculty member whose research is of significant interest to them at the time they apply to our program. Consult the faculty profiles and our research section for more information about current research. Students will develop a systematic line of research in collaboration with one (or more) faculty mentors, and in the process complete the research requirements for the PhD.

After students choose a research PhD mentor, they will take a minimum of four courses to complete their didactic training. These courses are chosen by the student and their mentor in order to achieve greater training flexibility. Most students also continue to take additional courses and attend seminars and journal clubs within the department of their mentor.

Teaching

We encourage our students to teach undergraduate courses in the Department of Psychology. Typically, students teach research labs in statistics prior to teaching more comprehensive courses.

Student Support

Graduate students in the Behavioral Neuroscience PhD program are supported by university fellowships or teaching assistantships in their first year of training. Thereafter, students are supported by their mentor’s research grants, training grant fellowships, or teaching assistantships. Five years of funding is guaranteed for students in good standing.

Travel

Students may apply for travel funds available through the Psychology Department and the Graduate School to present findings at scientific meetings. Learn more on the Psychology Financial Support page and the Graduate School website.