• Irving Ludmer Pavillion, Room 302
• 1033 Pine Ave. West
• Montreal QC H3A 1A2
• Website: mcgill.ca/ipn

Montreal is home to the largest concentration of neuroscientists in North America. Neuroscience research at McGill University is internationally renowned, and its Integrated Program in Neuroscience (IPN) provides graduate training in this outstanding research environment. With approximately 650 M.Sc. and Ph.D. students and more than 230 supervisors, the IPN is the largest interfaculty graduate program and one of the largest neuroscience graduate programs in North America.

Neuroscience training within the IPN spans the full spectrum of research fields, from cellular and molecular neuroscience to behavioural and cognitive neuroscience. In addition to laboratory research, the IPN offers an extensive range of courses, hosts an annual mcgill.ca/ipn/events/ipn-retreat, and maintains a seminar program to facilitate communication between students in different neuroscience disciplines. Neuroscience trainees from McGill have gone on to successful careers in academia and industry.

A prospective graduate student must identify a supervisor, selecting from one of several research streams which span the full spectrum of neuroscience research. A student with a bachelor's degree may apply to the M.Sc. program; it is common to fast-track to the Ph.D. program if suitable progress is made. Students with M.Sc. degrees may apply directly to the Ph.D. program. IPN also offers a Ph.D. Rotation program each September.

GENERAL

1. Students must select an Advisory Committee, in conjunction with their thesis supervisor. This committee will consist of the thesis supervisor and two (maximum three) other individuals who will participate in discussions with students about their research program.
2. All Ph.D. students are required to complete a candidacy examination before the end of Ph.D. 3. The exam serves to evaluate the students' ability to perform original scholarship and to demonstrate their suitability for a Ph.D. degree. An M.Sc. student may be eligible to transfer to the Ph.D. program without submitting a master's thesis by taking the Transfer Seminar/Candidacy Exam. This exam is allowed if the master's CGPA is 3.5 or higher and if the student's Advisory Committee recommends the student as an appropriate candidate for Ph.D. studies. M.Sc. students who wish to pursue a Ph.D. degree, but who have not obtained the minimum 3.5 CGPA in their M.Sc. coursework while in the IPN, must submit a master's thesis and apply for the Ph.D. level afterwards.
3. Students are required to submit a written thesis proposal (18 months after the start of the program for M.Sc. students, and at least one month prior to the candidacy exam for Ph.D. students). This document must state the research question, present the hypothesis being tested, review the relevant literature, summarize the methodology used, and present the research data to date. This proposal will then be orally presented to the student's Advisory Committee members, who will review the written proposal and communicate their recommendations to the student.
4. Students will present a formal seminar on their research work prior to writing their thesis. This presentation will be attended by the student's Advisory Committee who will report their impressions and recommendations to the student.
5. Before final thesis submission, Ph.D. students must successfully complete an oral defence, which is a final, in-depth, formal presentation of their research.
6. An annual oral informal presentation of research work accomplished will be presented to the student's Advisory Committee.
7. The Graduate Program Committee has instituted a mentorship program by which each student will be matched with a specific member of the Committee. The Program Mentor ensures that the student, the supervisor(s), and other members of the Advisory Committee are aware of and meet key milestones, in a timely manner, throughout the course of the student's graduate study.
8. All incoming students are required to take the workshops on Responsible Conduct of Research. These will be included as part of the milestones for annual progress reports.