1. University System of Georgia
Format for New Program Proposal
(Submit three copies)
Institution _Georgia State University____Date__March 6, 2009__________
School/Division_College of Arts and Sciences____Department_Neuroscience Institute__
Name of Proposed Program_M.S./Ph.D. in Neuroscience___________
Degree __M.S./Ph.D.___Major ____ Neuroscience _____ CIP Code__30.2401__
Starting Date _August 2009____
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Table of Contents:
APPENDICES...................................................................................................................37
APPENDIX I.....................................................................................................................38
APPENDIX II....................................................................................................................47
APPENDIX IIIB................................................................................................................56
APPENDIX IV..................................................................................................................65
1.Gamble, K.L., Novak, C.M., Paul, K.N., and Albers, H.E. Tetrodotoxin blocks the
circadian effects of NMDA during the day but not at night. NeuroReport, 14:641-644,
2003...................................................................................................................................66
2.Paul, K.N., Fukuhara, C.,Tosini, G., Albers, H.E. Transduction of light in the
suprachiasmatic nucleus: evidence for two different neurochemical cascades regulating
the levels of Per1 mRNA and pineal melatonin. Neuroscience, 119:137-144, 2003.......66
3.Caldwell, H.K., Albers, H.E. Short-photoperiod exposure reduces vasopressin (V1a)
receptor binding but not arginine-vasopressin-induced flank making in male Syrian
hamsters. Journal of Neuroendocrinology, 15:971-977, 2003.........................................66
4.Novak CM, Albers HE. Novel phase-shifting effects of GABAA receptor activation in
the suprachiasmatic nucleus of a diurnal rodent. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp
Physiol, 285:R820-R825, 2004. ........................................................................................66
5.Caldwell, H.K., Albers, H.E. Photoperiodic regulation of vasopressin receptor binding
in female Syrian hamsters. Brain Research, 1002:136-141, 2004....................................66
7.Novak CM, Albers HE. Circadian phase alteration by GABA and light differs in
diurnal and nocturnal rodents during the day. Behav Neurosci, 118:498-504, 2004. .....66
8.Gamble KL, Novak CM, Albers HE. Neuropeptide Y and N-methyl-D-aspartic acid
interact within the suprachiasmatic nuclei to alter circadian phase. Neuroscience,
126:559-565, 2004. ...........................................................................................................66
10.Caldwell, HK, Albers HE. Effect of photoperiod on vasopressin-induced aggression
in Syrian hamsters. Horm Behav, 46:444-9, 2004............................................................66
11.Gamble KL, Ehlen JC, Albers HE. Circadian control during the day and night: Role
of neuropeptide Y Y5 receptors in the suprachiasmatic nucleus. Brain Research Bulletin,
65:513-9, 2005. .................................................................................................................66
12.Cooper MA, Karom M, Huhman KL, Albers HE. Repeated agonistic encounters in
hamsters modulate AVP V1a receptor binding. Horm Behav, 48(5):545-54, 2005.........66
1

2. 13.Paul KN, Fukuhara C, Karom M, Tosini G, Albers HE. AMPA/kainate receptor
antagonist DNQX blocks the acute increase of Per2 mRNA levels in most but not all
areas of the SCN. Molecular Brain Research, 2005.........................................................66
14.Ehlen JC, Albers HE, Breyer ED. MEKC-LIF of gamma-amino butyric acid in
microdialysate: systematic optimization of the separation conditions by factorial analysis.
Journal of Neuroscience Methods, 147(1):36-47, 2005....................................................66
15.Albers HE, Dean A, Karom MC, Smith D, Huhman KL. Role of V1a vasopressin
receptors in the control of aggression in Syrian hamsters. Brain Research Bulletin,
1073-1074:425-30, 2006....................................................................................................66
16.Gamble KL, Paul KN, Karom MC, Tosini G, Albers HE. Paradoxical effects of NPY
in the suprachiasmatic nucleus. Eur J Neurosci, 23(9): 2488-94, 2006...........................66
17.Ehlen JC, Novak CM, Karom MC, Gamble KL, Paul KN, Albers HE. GABAA
receptor activation suppresses Period 1 mRNA and Period 2 mRNA in the
suprachiasmatic nucleus during the mid-subjective day. Eur J Neurosci, 23(12): 3328-36,
2006...................................................................................................................................67
18.Powell KR, Albers HE. Center for Behavioral Neuroscience: a prototype multi-
institutional collaborative research center. J Biomed Discov Collab, 2006.....................67
19.Schulz KM, Menard TA, Smith DA, Albers HE, Sisk CL. Testicular hormone
exposure during adolescence organizes flank-marking behavior and vasopressin receptor
binding in the lateral septum. Horm Behav, 50(3): 477-83, 2006....................................67
20.Haak LL, Albers HE, Mintz EM. Modulation of photic response by the metabotropic
glumate receptor agonist t-ACPD. Brain Research Bulletin, 71(1-3): 97-100, 2006.......67
21.Novak CM, Ehlen JC, Paul KN, Fukuhara C, Albers HE. Light and GABA(A)
receptor activation alter period mRNA levels in the SCN of diurnal Nile grass rats.
European Journal of Neuroscience, 24(10): 2843-52, 2006..............................................67
22.Novak CM, Ehlen JC, Albers HE. Photic and nonphotic inputs to the diurnal circadian
clock. Biological Rhythms Research, In Press..................................................................67
23.Demas, GE, Cooper, MA, Albers, HE, Soma, KK. Novel mechanisms underlying
neuroendocrine regulation of aggression: A synthesis of rodent, avian and primate
studies. Handbook of Neurochemistry and Molecular Neurobiology, In Press................67
24.Caldwell HK, Smith DA, Albers HE. Photoperiodic mechanisms controlling scent
marking: interactions of vasopressin and gonadal steroids. Eur J Neurosci, 2008...........67
25.Ehlen JC, Novak CM, Karom MC, Gamble KL, Albers HE. Interactions of GABA A
receptor activation and light on period mRNA expression in the suprachiasmatic nucleus.
J Biol Rhythms, 23(1): 16-25, 2008..................................................................................67
26.Wang LM, Schroeder A, Loh D, Smith D, Lin K, Han JH, Michel S, Hummer DL,
Ehlen JC, Albers HE, Colwell CS. Role for the NR2B Subunit of the NMDA Receptor in
Mediating Light Input to the Circadian System. Eur J Neurosci, In Press.......................67
APPENDIX V..................................................................................................................228
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
2

3. 1. Program Description and Objectives:
The program description, written in a one or two page abstract, is a summary of the
proposed program. It should be in a format suitable for presentation to the Board
of Regents and should include the following: the objectives of the program; the
needs the program would meet; an explanation of how the program is to be
delivered at the undergraduate and/or graduate levels; and information related to
costs, curriculum, faculty, facilities, desegregation impact, and enrollment.
Indicate the degree inscription which will be placed on the student's degree upon
his/her completion of this program of study. In the program description, it must be
clear that the proposed program is central to the institution's mission and a high
priority within the institution's strategic plan.
This proposal describes a plan for establishing a multidisciplinary, multi-
departmental, M.S./Ph.D. program in Neuroscience (offering a M.S. and Ph.D. in
Neuroscience) that will enhance the behavioral and life sciences training and research
efforts of Georgia State University (GSU). The program will respond to requests from
students and to a need for highly trained specialists in the areas of Neurobiology and
Behavioral Neuroscience. The M.S./Ph.D. program in Neuroscience will provide students
with the training necessary for careers in the rapidly expanding biotechnology and
pharmaceutical industries as well as for academic careers in several related disciplines.
Recent studies, as well as our own survey (appended), clearly indicate that prospective
students in the neurosciences prefer to earn advanced degrees specifically in
Neuroscience rather than in traditional biological or behavioral science programs. The
M.S./Ph.D.program in Neuroscience will therefore enhance the ability of GSU to
compete for top graduate students nationally and internationally.
The proposed M.S./Ph.D. program in Neuroscience has its origins in the
neuroscience-related concentrations within the Ph.D. programs in the Biology and
Psychology departments at GSU. However, the proposed M.S./Ph.D. program in
Neuroscience will be administered by the new Neuroscience Institute, an interdisciplinary
unit within the College of Arts and Sciences at GSU. Instruction of students in the
proposed program would be provided by faculty with primary (core) appointments
(n=14) in the Neuroscience Institute (most with previous appointments in the departments
of Biology and Psychology) as well as by faculty associated (n=41) or affiliated (n=12)
with this institute. While the majority of these faculty originate from Biology and
Psychology and the Neuroscience Institute with joint appointments in those departments,
additional faculty and students in other departments are working in neuroscience-related
areas, including theory of mind studies in Philosophy, robotics and neural modeling in
Computer Science, Computer Information Systems, Math & Statistics, and Physics &
Astronomy, bioinformatics in Computer Science and Math & Statistics, neurogenic
communication disorders in Educational Psychology and Special Education, and drug
development and imaging strategies in Chemistry.
Both the diversity and depth of the neuroscience research community at GSU will
define the curriculum of the M.S./Ph.D. in Neuroscience. Specifically, all students will be
3

4. required to complete three Core courses that cover the full range of neuroscience
research, one course in Statistics and an Introduction to Graduate Studies course. All
other coursework will be chosen from electives so that each student, in consultation with
their advisor, can customize their curriculum to their particular research interests. Topics
and Concepts classes and journal clubs will bring together students whose research areas
are complementary
We expect that the M.S./Ph.D. Program in Neuroscience would require only
minimal administrative resources at its inception; otherwise it is cost-neutral. Our
proposed degree program will not require an alteration of the institutional mission
because the newly-formed Neuroscience Institute will administer the Neuroscience
doctoral program. The proposed M.S./Ph.D. program in Neuroscience does not call for
course delivery formats that are new or different for Georgia State University. We
anticipate that each tenure-track faculty with a primary appointment in the Neuroscience
Institute will have at least one doctoral student in the program and most will have two or
more students. When combined with doctoral students mentored by neuroscience-related
faculty in other departments, we estimate a total of 65 students enrolled at any one time.
For a 5-year program, we expect to graduate approximately 14 Ph.D.s in Neuroscience
per year and award a similar number of M.S. degrees annually.
The establishment of a M.S./Ph.D. program in Neuroscience will support the
overarching goal of GSU to become one of the nation's premier research universities
located in an urban setting. In particular, the strategic plan for GSU calls for increasing
interdepartmental or multidisciplinary research in areas of excellence. The strength and
interdisciplinary nature of the neuroscience community at GSU was recognized by the
establishment and heavy investment by the Provost in the Brains and Behavior Program,
one of three multi-disciplinary research foci that built on GSU’s strongest and most
successful research programs. To date, this has developed into a vibrant association of
faculty and students spanning multiple departments in the natural sciences, mathematics,
social sciences, and humanities. Similarly, GSU is the lead institution of the Center for
Behavioral Neuroscience (CBN), a NSF-funded consortium of more than 100 researchers
at seven Atlanta institutions who examine the neural mechanisms underlying complex
social behaviors. Establishment of a M.S./Ph.D. in Neuroscience within the newly-
formed Neuroscience Institute would formally unite the faculty and students participating
in neuroscience research and align with the University’s larger strategy of training
students in cross-disciplinary subjects. The proposed M.S./Ph.D. in Neuroscience at GSU
would be unique in that this program would be the only M.S./Ph.D. in Neuroscience
administered by an Institute within a College of Arts and Sciences and unaffiliated with
either a medical college or a health professions Institute within the University System of
Georgia and, indeed, the Southeast region. This program would also increase our ability
to supply, as we currently do, a majority of minority neuroscience-trained Ph.D.s
nationally.
Lastly, formation of this graduate program aligns with the strategic plan released
by the Georgia Board of Regents, which included goals for the state directly relevant to
the formation of new degree programs. Strategic Goal 2 noted the need to increase
enrollment capacity in the state by 100,000 by 2020, with a particular emphasis on
4

5. closing the gap in educational achievement by underrepresented minorities. Although
enrollment in GSU’s program per se will make only a small contribution toward that
goal, it will help position GSU, as one component of the University System, to expand its
science degree offerings and to do so in an area with a high population of
underrepresented minorities. Furthermore, the neuroscience degree program is linked to
one of the Georgia Research Alliance’s Centers of Excellence, the Center for Behavioral
Neuroscience, which connects Georgia State to Georgia Tech and to high quality
undergraduate institutions in the Atlanta area, such as Spelman and Morehouse Colleges,
which train talented minority undergraduates. This connection will help to serve the
component of Strategic Goal 2 which aims to close the educational gap between different
population components in the state by enhancing recruitment of underrepresented
minorities into science training within advanced degree programs.
Instituting GSU’s neuroscience degree program will serve Strategic Goal 2 in the
context of Strategic Goal 3 (“Increase the System’s participation in research and
economic development to the benefit of a global Georgia; Enhance and encourage the
creation of new knowledge and basic research across all disciplines”) in several ways.
One component of that goal is to foster collaboration across its research universities. The
Neuroscience Institute, with the help of the Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, will use
its degree program to foster such collaboration via partnership with Georgia Tech in a
new joint research imaging center and between the computational neuroscience faculty in
Computer Science, Physics, and Math & Statistics associated with GSU’s neuroscience
training faculty; with Emory University, through collaboration with its neuroscience
graduate programs; and, hopefully, in the future with the University of Georgia via
connections with components of its neuroscience graduate program that are not reflected
in GSU’s program and vice versa. It will also contribute to the element of Strategic Goal
3 that aims for nurturing a culture of research and academic development, in that GSU’s
proposed neuroscience graduate program is configured to connect with, and include as
part of its training faculty, members of the Biology and Chemistry departments that are
focused on drug design, biological diagnostics and detection, and other bioscience areas,
such as robotics and medical devices related to neuroprostheses, directly related to the
state’s economic development goals. In addition, neuroscience faculty have already
partnered with GSU’s business school as well as the business schools at Georgia Tech
and Clark Atlanta University to pilot a joint business-neuroscience course at the
undergraduate level. Once established, the Neuroscience Institute will use the
neuroscience graduate program’s courses as anchors to develop training experiences and
certificate programs for cross training business and science students and professionals.
5

6. 2. Justification and need for the program
1. Indicate the societal need for graduates prepared by this program.
Describe the process used to reach these conclusions, the basis for
estimating this need, and those factors that were considered in
documenting the program need.
NEUROSCIENCE IS A GROWTH FIELD
The neurosciences are a set of disciplines that have a common interest in
understanding the structure and function of the nervous systems of animals, including
humans. The neurosciences embrace the traditional fields of neurophysiology,
neuroanatomy, and neurology, and the newer fields of neuroethology, neuroeconomics,
neurophilosophy, neuropsychology, behavioral, cognitive, computational, and
developmental neuroscience, dynamical systems, and the informativs field of neuromics.
Neuroscience is informed by and informs psychology, psychiatry, pharmacology,
biophysics, computer science, robotics, education, and speech/language pathology. The
neurosciences are a growing field; one measure of the growth is the membership of the
Society for Neuroscience, which has increased from 500 to over 37,000 since its
beginning in 1969. The Association of Neuroscience Departments and Programs (ANDP)
(http://www.andp.org/) lists 158 graduate and 42 undergraduate programs in
Neuroscience as members as of 2007 (the year of its last survey). Formation of a
neuroscience graduate program will move Georgia State University into this growing
field of science and allow it, and the state, to enhance training in this important area.
A M.S./Ph.D. degree in Neuroscience will benefit the University, the System, and the
state in many ways, including the following:
NEUROSCIENCE IS INTERDISCIPLINARY, A KEY TO TODAY’S SCIENCE
The interdisciplinary nature of Neuroscience research is fundamental and thereby
unites faculty across various disciplines as perhaps no other life science initiative can, as
witnessed by the Brains & Behavior Area of Focus incorporation of 9 different
departments from 3 different Colleges at Georgia State University. Neuroscience
encompasses several fields of biological and behavioral research and is typically
subdivided into the following disciplines: Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience, Systems
and Integrative Neuroscience, Behavioral Neuroscience, Cognitive Neuroscience,
Computational Neuroscience, and Clinical Neuroscience. Allied areas include biophysics
of membranes, biochemistry of neurotransmitters and signal transduction pathways,
robotics, brain/computer interfaces, learning/educational research, psychotropic drug
design, social behavior, marketing strategy, philosophy of mind, and others.
NEUROSCIENCE IS THE LAST MAJOR FRONTIER IN MEDICINE.
The major medical problems facing the population in the foreseeable future are
brain problems. The killer diseases of previous generations, such as polio, heart disease,
cancer, and even diabetes, are increasingly preventable or treatable, but diseases or
injuries of the brain currently have few solutions. Topics related to these diseases
include:
Drug abuse
6

7. Social pathology (e.g. various anti-social personality disorders)
Spinal cord regeneration
Traumatic brain injury
Epilepsy
Childhood developmental disorders
Chronic pain
Deafness
Obesity-induced diabetes, hypertension, joint pain, and congestive heart failure
Mental health/affective disorders (e.g. autism, schizophrenia and other dementias,
bipolar disorder, depression, post traumatic stress disorder)
Neurological ramifications of disease states
Robotics, sensory and motor prostheses
Terrorism- neurotoxins, neuroimmunology
Age related diseases (e.g., Arthritis, Age-and diabetes related blindness, e.g. macular
degeneration, glaucoma, Parkinson’s Disease, Alzheimer’s Disease, Diffuse Lewy
Body Syndrome)
NEUROSCIENCE PROMOTES RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
GSU has important resources for supporting students in the emerging field of
neuroscience. Individual neuroscience faculty at Georgia State University hold research
and education grants from NIH, NSF, and other federal agencies totaling an average
annual federal funding for Neuroscience at GSU has been $5,685,160 over the last five
years. Strengthening graduate education in this area will enhance GSU’s ability to
increase this funding. In addition, several current Centers related to neuroscience training
exist at Georgia State University and serve as catylists for additional resource
development.
• The Center for Behavioral Neuroscience (CBN) founded in 2000 is an
NSF-funded Science and Technology Center, and is a consortium of more than
100 researchers at seven Atlanta institutions examining the neural mechanisms
underlying complex social behaviors. Over its 10 years of existence, the CBN has
received nearly $40,000,000 in NSF center funding for its research, education and
outreach programs across its member institutions in Atlanta. GSU is the lead
institution and administrative unit of the CBN. The social behaviors that are
essential for species survival, such as fear, affiliation, aggression, and
reproductive behaviors, are an important frontier in Neuroscience. The research
efforts are complemented by an educational program designed to integrate
scientific progress into the curricula of students at all levels. In addition, there is
knowledge transfer conducted to promote science literacy. Therefore, the CBN
works with its community partners -- Zoo Atlanta, the Fernbank Museum of
Natural History, and the Georgia Aquarium-- to develop Neuroscience-related
educational exhibits and activities, as well as with the industry group Georgia Bio.
CBN’s mission of integrating neuroscience research and education, and of
stimulating interdisciplinary research would also be enhanced by a neuroscience
doctoral program at GSU, and would in turn provide a valuable asset to it. The
CBN has developed into having a leading role in linking GSU to the
7

8. undergraduate and graduate programs of several strong colleges and universities
in Atlanta, including institutions with a high proportion of underrepresented
minorities. These links include obtaining resources for graduate training in
neurosciences via federally funded training grants and foundation grants in
targeted areas. Presently, such grants are strongly helped by being multi-
institutional and by offering training that cuts across traditional academic
departments. A neuroscience doctoral program at GSU would help in obtaining
such external funding, both by allowing students access to training across GSU
departments and by facilitating the integration of a GSU graduate training
program with those at other Atlanta institutions. At the same time, the CBN will
provide links between neuroscience students trained at GSU and complementary
programs, facilities, and mentoring opportunities at institutions such as Emory
University, Georgia Institute of Technology, and Morehouse School of Medicine.
Furthermore, a neuroscience doctoral program at GSU would aid the CBN’s
efforts to increase minority recruitment into neuroscience graduate programs and
more generally to elevate the national profile of GSU as a major center for
neuroscience research and education.
• The Center for Neuromics, founded in 2006 as the first center of its kind,
emerged from the former Center for Neural Communication and Computation.
This Center fosters research that takes advantage of recent advances in molecular,
physiological, and computational techniques to support research in the study of
neurons and their interactions. An ultimate goal is to build increasingly precise
cellular wiring diagrams of the brain. The Center is dedicated to supporting
efforts in this field through sponsorship of seminars and conferences and
providing funding for students. Through seed funding from the Georgia State
University Brains & Behavior Initative, the Center started a collaborative project
between biologists and computer scientists to build NeuronBank, a knowledge
base of neuronal circuitry, which has now received NIH funding.
• The Center for Research on Atypical Development and Learning (CRADL) is
an interdisciplinary center founded in 1998 that stimulates basic and applied
research and facilitates educational and outreach efforts. CRADL consists of 23
faculty members who represent a broad span of academic orientations including
developmental, clinical and educational psychology, neuropsychology, special
education, and speech-language pathology. CRADL and its faculty coordinate
and support scholarly efforts that focus on gaining a fuller understanding of
atypical development and learning processes from birth through adolescence.
• The Language Research Center (LRC), founded in 1971, is a world renowned
primate research facility. At the LRC, scientists from GSU and around the world
conduct cognitive, biobehavioral, social and cultural research with bonobos (Pan
paniscus), chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), monkeys (Macaca mulatta) and human
adults and children. Located on a wooded 55-acre facility south of Atlanta, the
LRC is supported by the College of Arts and Sciences, the National Institute of
Child Health and Human Development, and other agencies. The varied research
8

9. programs in learning, memory, attention, executive functioning, problem solving,
spatial cognition, numerical reasoning, categorization, tool making and use, and
communication find convergence under the LRC banner.
• The Clinical Neuropsychology Laboratories, founded in 1983, share the goal of
investigating cognitive and emotional functions in humans using several
methodologies, including functional neuroimaging, psychophysiology,
experimental cognitive tasks, and traditional clinical neuropsychological
assessment measures. The faculty has interests in learning more about the
biological, psychological, and social-environmental processes underlying
developmental disorders and acquired neurological conditions across the lifespan.
Their goals are to advance the understanding of brain-behavior relationships, and
to further the development of empirically validated classification criteria, reliable
and valid assessment measures and effective intervention strategies for these
clinical populations.
• The Georgia State – Georgia Tech Research Imaging Center has now been
established through the joint efforts of the two institutions. When operational in
March 2009 it will provide state of the art brain imaging facilities to support
research in basic and clinical human neuroscience. It will provide an invaluable
training site for neuroscience and psychology students as well as being the
impetus for new grants in this are of neuroscience.
NEUROSCIENCE IS BIG BUSINESS
Neuroscience has attracted the lion’s share of federal funding in recent
decades, particularly in the “Decade of the Brain” established by Congress from 1990
to 2000. Approximately $5 billion are currently awarded by NIH to Neuroscience-
related projects in the USA. Another $800 million comes from NSF, with smaller
amounts from Howard Hughes, the McKnight Foundation, March of Dimes,
Whitehall Foundation, Klingenstein, drug companies, and neurological disease-
specific funding agencies. Additional awards come from other government sectors
such as the Departments of Defense and Education. The average annual level of
Neuroscience funding at GSU over the last five years has been $5,685,160. The
Center for Behavioral Neuroscience seed funds for research and student training have
leveraged over $8 million since inception. A neuroscience degree would act as a
recruitment tool so that more highly trained scientists can be hired, and as a
marketing strategy to get attention by funding agencies.
In addition to these academic incentives, increased graduate training in
neuroscience is important to the the economic development of Georgia. Workforce
development is a key to economic growth in the 21st Century. This program will help
sustain the growth of an industry segment that promises to be an economic driver in
Georgia as well as support the health needs of the state, as both require training a
scientifically sophisticated workforce in many areas of bioscience, of which
9

10. neuroscience is a major component. Neuroscience has in fact been identified by the
Georgia Research Alliance as an area of strength in Georgia that could be exploited
for this purpose. Formation of a neuroscience graduate program at GSU will
contribute to this workforce training directly at the advanced level. In addition, a
strong graduate program will enhance undergraduate training, both because graduate
students often assist in teaching undergraduate courses and because undergraduates
will gain hands-on science training in the neuroscience research labs that support
graduate training. Furthermore, neuroscience faculty at GSU are heavily involved in
STEM education at the K-12 level, thereby enhancing the pipeline of qualified
students aimed at biotechnology areas of the economy.
It should also be noted that the capacity for enhancing federal funding coming
into GSU is in itself of benefit to the State’s economic development needs due to
direct job creation. An analysis by Georgia Bio indicates that over 7500 bioscience
jobs currently exist in universities, the CDC, and other public sector entities. Within
universities, many if not most of these jobs are directly tied to federal grants.
Spending from those grants both for these additional research personnel and for
supplies and services, often from local companies, generates a considerable multiplier
for the economic impact. It is estimated that the average NIH research grant held at a
university generates seven jobs (taken from testimony before the subcommittee on
Health, Committee on Energy and Commerce, United States House of
Representatives by Raynard S. Kington, Acting Director, NIH, released 11/13/08).
2. Indicate the student demand for the program in the region served by the
institution. What evidence exists of this demand?
CURRENT NEUROSCIENCE STUDENTS AT GSU SUPPORT THE
FORMATION OF A M.S./Ph.D.PROGRAM IN NEUROSCIENCE.
We have conducted a survey of students currently connected with the Brains &
Behavior and Center for Behavioral Neuroscience Programs. Most are currently working
on a degree in Biology or Psychology; a few are from the other departments involved in
the Brains & Behavior Area of Focus. The response was overwhelmingly positive. Out
of 51 respondents, 31 agree or strongly agree that they would have applied to such a
program, and only 10 said they would not, with the rest neutral. Only 8 out of 51
disagreed with the statement “I would prefer to earn my degree in Neuroscience.” Please
see Appendix I for details.
DEMAND FOR TRAINING IN A NEUROSCIENCE PHD PROGRAM IS
GROWING NATIONWIDE
Data generated from surveys conducted by the Association of Neuroscience Departments
and Programs (ANDP) reveal a growing trend among prospective graduate students to
apply to these Neuroscience programs. Since 1969 the Society for Neuroscience has
grown from 500 to 37,000 members. By 2005 (the last year in which their formal survey
10

11. of programs was done) the Association of Neuroscience Departments and Programs
(ANDP) grew to 130 degree programs; as of 2007, the number of ANDP listed graduate
programs members has reached 154. The ANDP survey reveals an increasing trend for
students to earn advanced degrees specifically in “Neuroscience” rather than in
traditional biological or behavioral sciences. By 2005, neuroscience graduate programs
had evolved from being virtually nonexistent, to parts of traditional departments, to the
majority being stand along departments (18%) or interdepartmental programs overseen
by an Institute or Center (64%). Nationally, as of 2005 the number of applications per
neuroscience degree program has increased 45% from 1991 and 154% from 1986.
Additionally, the average number of students applying to and enrolling per
program has increased steadily as students interested in Neuroscience report wanting to
have a M.S./Ph.D. in Neuroscience to reflect their specialized knowledge and training.
The annual number of applications for graduate training in the neurosciences has almost
tripled during the past 19 years and is now ~65 per program, while the number of
matriculates has doubled and is now ~8 students per program. Nonetheless, the academic
quality of incoming graduate students has remained high, as suggested by their
undergraduate GPA (average = 3.49), their scores on the GRE (average = ~69th
percentile), and their research experience. Nationwide 23% of the incoming students to
neuroscience graduate programs have an undergraduate major in Neuroscience or
Behavioral Neuroscience. Other common majors were Biology (23%), Psychology
(15%), and Chemistry (6%), and an additional 8% had dual majors including one or more
of these disciplines. An M.S./Ph.D. program in Neuroscience at GSU will facilitate our
national and international reputation, paying dividends in greater numbers and quality of
students as well as better postdoctoral and faculty positions for our Ph.D. graduates. This,
in turn, will heighten awareness of Neuroscience at GSU, specifically, and GSU research
more generally in the national/international arena.
A M.S./Ph.D. PROGRAM IN NEUROSCIENCE AT GSU WILL FACILITATE
ADMINISTRATION OF OUR NEUROSCIENCE DEGREE PROGRAMS
A unified M.S./Ph.D. program under the administration of the Neuroscience
Institute would produce a seamless program of study for Neuroscience graduate students
across departments and aid in advising, mentoring, and planning of their training. Current
neuroscience graduate programs exist in Biology and Psychology, and students
undergoing neuroscience related training exist in several other departments as well. This
program will consolidate training under a single administrative structure (The
Neuroscience Institute), making advisement and curriculum development more efficient
and consistent across students. Establishment of this degree program will also align
Georgia State with national trends in neuroscience graduate training. Faculty who would
jointly train M.S./Ph.D. students in the proposed Program come from several departments
as well as from the Neuroscience Institute. The ANDP 2007 Report finds that more than
half of all Neuroscience programs are institution-wide, reflecting the broad-based,
interdisciplinary nature of the field. Only 18% are located strictly within Departments of
Neuroscience or Neurobiology. In contrast, 64% of the programs link neuroscientists in
multiple departments (or in a “Center”, “Division”, or “Institute” of Neuroscience) in a
11

12. unified, degree-granting program. These numbers are similar to those obtained in the
2000/2001 and 2003 ANDP surveys. On average, there are 51 faculty members per
program. In 75% of the programs, the degree awarded to graduate students trained in the
neurosciences is a Ph.D. in Neuroscience or in Neurobiology (or in a discipline that had
those words in their name). This situation represents a striking reversal from that which
occurred 19 years ago, when the majority of such degrees were awarded in other
disciplines. The median number of graduate students in a program is 25. The latest
ANDP survey indicates that the Ph.D. degrees awarded per year average 3.9 per program
and this number has been steadily increasing. The attrition rate is only 4%; 69% accepted
postdoctoral positions, 26% were in other neuroscience-related positions, 1% were
employed outside the field, and 0% were unemployed.
3. Give any additional reasons that make the program desirable (for example,
exceptional qualifications of the faculty, special facilities, etc.)
NEUROSCIENCE IS IMPROVING EDUCATION AND MINORITY
PARTICIPATION
The Society for Neuroscience has made outreach to K-12 students a fundamental
part of its mission, and Atlanta’s Neuroscience community has taken this charge to heart,
primarily under the auspices of the NSF-funded Center for Behavioral Neuroscience
(CBN) headquartered at GSU. Neuroscience faculty are actively involved in efforts to
improve science education at the K-12 level via initiatives coordinated by the CBN. GSU
neuroscience educators have established partnerships with the Decatur School System
and the DeKalb County School system for a series of programs involving teachers and
students, including teacher training workshops, school visits, and a lending library of
science education materials made available to classroom teachers. Integrated into these
teacher and classroom-oriented activities are summer programs for students, including
the ION (Institute on Neuroscience) program for high school students in which the
students gain formal mentoring and an opportunity to work in neuroscience labs at GSU
and other Atlanta universities and colleges, and Summer Brain Camps, summer science
camps for middle school students which both provide science experiences for the students
during which GSU science faculty and public school teachers who have completed one of
the teacher training workshops work together. GSU neuroscience educators also hold a
two-day Neuroscience Expo at the Atlanta Zoo, the first day of which students from a
Decatur middle school are exposed to neuroscience-related activities, while on the second
day the Expo is open to all children and their parents who visit the Zoo. School-oriented
programs are focused on schools with high proportions of underrepresented minorities
and disadvantaged students. Summer programs and other student-oriented activities have
>80% minority student participation. The Georgia Biomedical Partnership recognized the
CBN for its outstanding work in education and community outreach with its 2006
Biomedical Community Award.
Neuroscience faculty members lead the CBN’s undergraduate education
initiatives as well. The nationally recognized BRAIN program for undergraduates is held
12

13. each year, bringing in 22 undergraduates from Atlanta institutions and across the nation
for neuroscience research fellowships to gain hands-on research experience at GSU and
other Atlanta universities and colleges while attending lectures and seminars on
neuroscience topics and professional skills. Historically, >75% of the participants have
been women and >60% have been underrepresented minorities. A similar academic year
program, CBNuf, is currently being tested, and is targeted specifically at minority
undergraduates at Spelman College, Morehouse College, and Clark Atlanta University.
Neuroscience faculty have established strong relationships with these Historically Black
Colleges and Universities in Atlanta. Career Days and Research Days at Spelman
College, Morehouse College, and Clark Atlanta University are attended by neuroscience
faculty and CBN staff to provide information about graduate school opportunities, and
several students from these institutions have worked in GSU neuroscience labs and/or
enrolled in its graduate programs. In recognition of his work with these institutions, CBN
Director and GSU neuroscience faculty member Dr. Elliott Albers was named Mentor of
the Year by The Center for Biomedical and Behavioral Research at Spelman College in
2006. Improvements in education extend to the professional level as well. There is
enhancement of graduate and research programs through the CBN Graduate Scholars
Program (providing doctoral students with an interest in behavioral Neuroscience the
opportunity to gain a broader breadth of experience by working in a collaborative
research environment) and a CBN Post-Doctoral Fellows program.
A M.S./Ph.D. PROGRAM IN NEUROSCIENCE AT GSU WILL BE ENHANCED
BY NEW FACILITIES IN OUR NEW SCIENCE PARK.
GSU is currently building a new Science Park, which will house the
neurosciences and other life sciences. This will bring together faculty from across the
campus into contiguous space for teaching, research, and administration. Uniting the
students doing Neuroscience research under one degree program and one building will
promote collaborative work and should enhance acquisition of new grants. The new
science buildings would help to unify Neuroscience researchers under one roof and
provide space for new faculty recruitment in the Neurosciences.
NEUROSCIENCE IS PROFITABLE FOR GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY
Across the last five years, the average annual federal funding for Neuroscience at
GSU has been $5,685,160, a sizable percentage of all NIH/NSF funding at our institution.
With the help of more and even higher quality graduate students, as well as the inevitable
increase in faculty that occurs with growing highly successful programs, we can do
better, largely because Neuroscience research is a unifying theme across many of the
National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Centers. The NIH Blueprint for Neuroscience
Research was launched in 2004 with 15 participating Institutes and Centers to provide a
framework for coordinating research, and developing tools and resources which are
broadly useful for advancing Neuroscience research
(http://Neuroscienceblueprint.nih.gov/). To this end, the NIH is generating a series of
focused initiatives designed to catalyze Neuroscience research. In fiscal years 2005 and
2006, the Blueprint supported the creation and distribution of resources that are of broad
13

14. utility to the entire Neuroscience community. In fiscal years 2007-2009, the NIH
Blueprint plans to address three specific, cross-cutting themes: neurodegeneration,
neurodevelopment, and neuronal plasticity. Note that the Neuroscience-related faculty
members at GSU are particularly strong in these areas, and future hires will hopefully
expand this expertise.
4. List all public and private institutions in the state offering similar
programs. Also, for doctoral programs, list at least five institutions in other
southeastern states that are offering similar programs. If no such programs
exist, so indicate.
Programs in Georgia:
Private: Emory University
Public: University of Georgia, Medical College of Georgia
Southeast Region:
Duke University, Vanderbilt University, University of Alabama- Birmingham, Wake
Forest University, Florida State University, University of Florida, University of Miami,
University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Louisiana State University
Potential overlap with other programs in Georgia: Both the Medical College of
Georgia and the Emory University neuroscience graduate programs are centered in
medical school and therefore offer a very different training atmosphere than would the
program at Georgia State University. Several aspects of GSU’s and the University of
Georgia’s (UGA) neuroscience graduate programs differ in such a way that they make
distinct, but complementary, programs available to the state. UGA’s program is centered
in UGA’s Biomedical and Health Sciences Institute, while GSU’s program is centered
within the College of Arts and Sciences. In part because of this, UGA’s program is
connected much more strongly with the health sciences departments there (e.g.,
Kinesiology, Pathology, Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, Exercise Science, and
Foods and Nutrition) as well as having a unique association among Georgia neuroscience
programs with a Veterinary School (e.g., the departments of Small Animals Medicine,
Physiology and Pharmacology, and Animal and Dairy Sciences). GSU’s program does
not overlap at all with that latter component of UGA’s program, and very little with the
former. In contrast, because of its administrative position within the College of Arts and
Sciences, GSU’s program draws primarily from the Biology and Psychology departments
for its training emphases, and is tightly connected to the physical and computer science
departments (Chemistry, Math & Statistics, Physics & Astronomy, Computer Science)
creating a biophysics and computational component to the program that does not
significantly overlap with UGA’s program. In addition, GSU’s program includes training
faculty from the Philosophy Department, extending it into a component of Philosophy of
Mind studies, a component that further makes it distinct from UGA’s. In sum, the UGA
program’s participating departments emphasize biomedical and health sciences and take
advantage of the unique contribution of the Veterinary School, while GSUs program
14

15. centers on basic biology and psychology and extends them in one direction to the
physical and computer sciences and in the other to Philosophy. It is the case that some
departmental representation and programmatic elements overlap in the two programs, but
these are mainly the basic molecular, cell, and systems physiology components of
neuroscience that are fundamental to all neuroscience training regardless of the research
emphases. In addition, there is some overlap in one component of the psychology
contributions to the programs in research represented by human neuroimaging. As for the
fundamentals, it is difficult to have a viable, nationally recognized neuroscience graduate
program without some representation in this area, given the need to connect any aspect of
basic neurobiology to human cognition and behavior.
Areas of advanced training emphases also differ between the two departments.
Two major GSU concentrations do not overlap with those at UGA. First, because of the
GSU program’s strong connections with the physical and computer science departments
and the presence of computational neuroscientists connected to the Biology Department,
GSU’s program contains a computational neuroscience component related to modeling,
biophysics, motor control, and robotics that does not overlap with UGA. This component
of GSU’s program provides an opportunity for links with Georgia Tech, which has strong
computer engineering and computational modeling, but lacks the basic biologically-
oriented laboratory neuroscience found at GSU. Second, GSU’s behavioral neuroscience
concentration has a strong emphasis on the basic neurobiology of social behavior, with a
supporting focus on neuro- and behavioral endocrinology. This area of neuroscience is
not represented at UGA. Conversely, UGA’s program has a very strong concentration in
physiology and pharmacology, which does not overlap significantly with the areas of
GSU’s program. UGA also has a concentration in Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience,
which plays a relatively small, supporting role in GSU’s program rather than representing
an area of concentration. UGA’s Behavioral and Systems concentration focuses more on
sensory processing, language, and systems related to behavioral pharmacology, rather
than the emphasis on neuroendocrinology and social neuroscience at GSU (although both
include components related to neural plasticity and learning, which are necessary for any
nationally ranked neuroscience program). Both programs maintain a Cellular and
Molecular component to provide training in the neuroscience fundamentals necessary for
all neuroscience programs, although the course work for UGA suggests a heavier
biochemistry component, as opposed to the biophysics and developmental neurobiology
coverage emphasized in GSU’s program. (See
http://www.biomed.uga.edu/divisions/neuroscience/ for a list of UGA’s content course
offerings in its concentrations.
Given these differences, we do not expect significant competition in graduate
recruitment between the two programs. Furthermore, GSU has traditionally drawn its
students from within the state from different populations that UGA, due to GSU’s setting
in urban Atlanta. We expect this to further decrease the applicant pools from which the
two programs draw.
3. Procedures used to develop the program.
15

16. Describe the process by which the institution developed the proposed program.
The proposed program was developed through a well-considered and highly
collaborative process that has been ongoing for several years. A faculty committee
composed of members of the Biology and Psychology Departments, with imput from
several other academic units oversaw the process which included numerous meetings
with faculty, students, and administrators. With the formation of the Neuroscience
Institute in July 2008, the committee continued with similar involvement. Graduate
students were polled (see Appendix 1). Surveys performed regularly by the Association
of Neuroscience Degree Programs (ANDP) were accessed and used to determine national
trends (see information quoted in othe sections as applicable). Peer and aspirational
programs were investigated to ascertain national standards and trends for neuroscience
graduate programs in order to develop the proposed curriculum. National leaders in the
field were consulted.
As the number, strength, and reputation of our students and faculty increased, the
motivation for creating the degree has overcome the energetic and administrative barriers
standing in the way. Communication and collaborations between neuroscience
researchers and educators in Atlanta are already extensive, and numerous retreats,
workshops, seminars, and meetings are held annually, facilitating development of a
program proposal with a high level of buy-in from all stake holders. Furthermore, with
the creation of an interdisciplinary Neuroscience Institute, it has become clear how such a
degree program would be administered.
4. Curriculum
List the entire course of study required and recommended to complete the
degree program. Give a sample program of study that might be followed by a
representative student. Indicate ways in which the proposed program is
consistent with national standards.
Students in the Neuroscience M.S./Ph.D. Program must fulfill all requirements of
the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and their department of enrollment as well as
Neuroscience program requirements. A Master of Science degree will be earned in the
course of the Neuroscience Ph.D. program. In addition to course work and research
available at the university, students are encouraged to take advantage of research and
professional experiences, conferences, workshops and seminars related to the
Neurosciences both nation- and world-wide.
16

17. Coursework Requirements
A minimum of 90 hours of graduate credit is required for the Ph.D. degree in
Neuroscience. To satisfy the requirements for the degree, the student must complete
successfully:
1. A minimum of 30 hours of graduate classroom coursework, which must include:
- Neuroscience core courses (11 hours)
- Neuroscience electives (3-4 hours)
- Statistics core course (3 hours)
- Introduction to Graduate Studies core courses (4 hours)
- Topics, Concepts and Seminar courses (8 hours)
2. Students are required to take a minimum of 60 semester hours of research credit. This
requirement can be satisfied by enrolling in Biol 8800/9999 or Psyc 8999/9999 or similar
courses in other departments. At least 30 hours of Dissertation Research are required.
Students may enroll in Dissertation Research only after they have chosen a research
advisor and prepared a dissertation proposal that has been approved by their Dissertation
Committee.
3. Doctoral students are expected to earn an M.S. degree en-route to the completion of
the Neuroscience Ph.D. degree. To do so, students are required to register for a relevant
course in their department such as Biol 8888 (Non-thesis Master’s Paper Preparation) or
Psyc 8999 (Psychology Masters’ Thesis Research) during the preparation of their
dissertation proposal. The dissertation proposal will count as the Masters’ thesis. With
acceptance of the proposal, students who have completed their Ph.D. coursework will
have earned the 40 credit hours necessary for the completion of the M.S. degree.
M.S. degree requirements:
- Neuroscience core courses (11 hours)
- Neuroscience electives (3-4 hours)
- Statistics core course (3 hours)
- Introduction to Graduate Studies core courses (4 hours)
- Topics, Concepts and Seminar courses (7-8 hours)
- Biol 8800 or equivalent (4 hours)
- Biol 6900 or equivalent (2 hours)
- Biol 8888 or Psyc 8999 (4 hours) or equivalent
Courses
It is anticipated that neuro-related courses will be designated by the prefix NEUR and
will be cross-listed with Biology, Psychology, and other departments as appropriate.
A. Core Courses (11 hours)
Biol 8010/ Psyc 8616 Cellular Neurobiology (4) AND
Biol 8020/ Psyc 8617 Integrative Neurobiology (4) AND
Biol 8070 /Psyc 8618 Advanced Behavioral Neuroscience (3)
17

18. B. Electives (3-4 hours)
Biol 6074 Developmental Biology (4)
Biol 6094 Developmental Neurobiology (4)
Biol 6114 Neural Mechanisms of Regulatory Behavior (4)
Biol 6180 Neurobiology Laboratory (4)
Biol 6240 Endocrinology (4)
Biol 6241 Hormones and Behavior (4)
Biol 6242 Circadian Rhythms (4)
Biol 6246 Advanced Animal Physiology (4)
Biol 6248 Cell Physiology (4)
Biol 6500 Human Genetics (4)
Biol 6696 Laboratory in Molecular Biological Techniques (4)
Biol 8220 Advanced Molecular Cell Biology (4)
Biol 8610 Physiology and Genetics of Prokaryotes (4)
Biol 8620 Eukaryotic Molecular Genetics (4)
Biol 8910 Topics in Biology (4)
Chem 6610 Advanced Biochemistry (3)
Phil 6130 Philosophy of Science (3)
Phil 6330 Philosophy of Mind (3)
Psyc 6116 Primate Behavior (3)
Psyc 6130 Sensation and Perception (3)
Psyc 6140 Introduction to Psychophysiology (4)
Psyc 7560 Psychology of Animal Behavior (3)
Psyc 8010 Research Methods in Psychology (3)
Psyc 8420 Psychological Research Statistics II (3)
Psyc 8430 Psychological Research Statistics III (3)
Psyc 8615 Functional Human Neuroanatomy (3)
Psyc 8620 Introduction to Clinical Neuropsychology (3)
Psyc 8630 Developmental Neuropsychology (3)
Psyc 8640 Psychopharmacology (3)
Psyc 9140 Neuropsychological Assessment (3)
Math 8515 Dynamical Foundations of Neuroscience (3)
C. Statistics Core (3 hours)
Psyc 8410 Psychological Research Statistics I (3) OR
Biol 6744 Biostatistics (3)
D. Introduction to Graduate Studies (4 hours)
Biol 8550 Introduction to Graduate Studies (1)
Bio/Psyc 6801 Survival Skills in Academia (3)
E. Topics/Concept and Seminar Courses (7-8 hours)
Biol 8110 Concepts in Neurobiology (2)
Biol 8700 Seminar (1)
Biol 8950 Topics in Behavior and Neurobiology (1)
Biol 8960 Topics in Cell Physiology and Biochemistry (1)
18

19. Biol 8970 Topics in Molecular Biological Sciences (1)
Phil 8130 Seminar in Philosophy of Science (3)
Phil 8330 Seminar in Philosophy of Mind (3)
Psyc 6800 Seminar (1-3)
Psyc 8910 Topics in Neuropsychology (3)
Psyc 8956 Topics in Behavioral Neuroscience (1)
Psyc 9900 Seminar in Psychology (1-3)
Sample Program of Study
Year 1 (Fall)
Biol 8010/ Psyc 8616 Cellular Neurobiology (4)
Bio 8550 Introduction to Graduate Studies (1)
Year 1 (Spring)
Biol 8020/ Psyc 8617 Integrative Neurobiology (4)
Bio/Phil/PsycXXXX Topics, Concepts or Seminar Course (1-3)
Year 2 (Fall)
Biol 8070 /Psyc 8618 Advanced Behavioral Neuroscience (3)
Psyc 8410/ Biol 6744 Statistics Core Course (3)
Year 2 (Spring)
Bio/Psyc 6801 Survival Skills in Academia (3)
Bio/PsycXXXX Electives course (3-4)
Bio/PsycXXXX Topics, Concepts or Seminar Course (1-3)
Year 3 (Fall)
Qualifying Exam
Bio/PsycXXXX Topics, Concepts or Seminar Course (1-3)
Year 3 (Spring)
Bio 8888/Psyc 8999 Non-thesis Master’s Paper (4)
Bio/PsycXXXX Topics, Concepts or Seminar Course (1-3)
Taken over the course of residency at GSU:
Bio 8800/Psyc 8999 Research (26)
Bio 9999/Psyc 9999 Dissertation Research (30)
1. Clearly differentiate which courses exist and which are newly developed
courses.
All courses listed above and in Appendix II already exist and most will be cross-
listed with the originating department and the Neuroscience Institute (NEUR prefix).
19

20. 2. Append course description for all courses (existing and new courses).
Course descriptions are in Appendix II. There are no new courses proposed
because the curriculum is viable at present. New courses will be added as new faculty
are hired in the future.
3. When describing required or elective courses, list all course prerequisites.
Course prerequisites are listed under each course in Appendix II
4. Indicate whether courses in a proposed masters program are cross-listed as
undergraduate courses and, if so, what safeguards are employed to ensure
that courses taken as undergraduates are not repeated or that requirements
are significantly different for graduate students and undergraduates
enrolled in the same course.
According to the College of Arts and Sciences curriculum approval process, all
dual-level, cross-listed courses must have different requirements at the graduate and
undergraduate levels.
5. Provide documentation that all courses in the proposed curriculum have
met all institutional requirements for approval.
All courses are listed in the University Course Catalog and have, therefore, met
all institutional requirements for approval.
6. Append any materials available from national accrediting agencies or
professional organization as they relate to curriculum standards for the
proposed program.
There is no accrediting agency nor are there existing curriculum standards from
the Society for Neuroscience or Association of Neuroscience Departments and Programs.
Our proposed curriculum is comparable to that offered in competing institutions’
Neuroscience programs.
7. When internships or field experiences are required as part of the program,
provide information documenting internship availability as well as how
students will be assigned and supervised.
20

21. Not applicable. Internships or field experiences will not be a required part of the
program.
8. Indicate ways in which the proposed program is consistent with national
standards.
Not applicable. Please see answer to question #6.
9. List student outcomes associated with this program.
Current Learning Outcome Assessment Standards in the Departments of Biology
and Psychology will be used to assess students in the Neuroscience M.S./Ph.D. Program.
These include (see Appendix IIIa (Biology) and IIIb (Psychology) for details):
BIOLOGY:
I. Scientific Inquiry
II. Communication
III. History, Nature, and Impact of the Discipline
IV. Content in the Discipline
PSYCHOLOGY:
I. Expertise in Theory and Content
II. Expertise in Research Methods
III. Application of Psychological Principles in Professional Activities
IV. Communication and Collaboration Skills
V. Critical Thinking Skills
VI. Personal Development
VII. Information and Technology Literacy
VIII. Ethics and Values
IX. Sociocultural Awareness
X. Career Planning and Development.
5. Inventory of faculty directly involved.
Core faculty will have a disciplinary focus in the neurosciences and a primary
appointment in the Neuroscience Institute. They may have a joint appointment in another
department. Their promotion and tenure decisions and workload (research, teaching, and
service) will be reviewed within the Neuroscience Institute and will follow the College
workload policy. Their graduate students will come primarily from the Neuroscience
M.S./Ph.D. program, but core faculty in the Neuroscience Institute may chair committees
21

22. in other departments depending on the nature of their individual appointments with those
departments.
Associate faculty may have a disciplinary focus outside the neurosciences. They
will have a strong interest in the neurosciences and a commitment to the goals and
activities of the Neuroscience Institute. They will maintain a primary appointment in
another department. They may have a joint appointment in the Neuroscience Institute. All
of their budgetary affairs, promotion and tenure decisions, and workload will be
determined by their primary department. Associate members will normally be expected
to (a) teach courses that are part of the neuroscience degrees and/or certificate (many of
the courses taught will be cross-listed courses between the Neuroscience Institute and the
associate member’s home department), (b) direct students (e.g., fellows) in the
Neuroscience Institute or in their primary department, (c) serve on committees for
students in the Neuroscience Institute, and (d) participate significantly in Neuroscience
Institute activities.
Affiliate faculty likely will have a disciplinary focus outside the neurosciences.
They will have an interest in the neurosciences and in the goals and activities of the
Neuroscience Institute. They may teach courses that are electives in the Program. They
will have a primary appointment in another department. Affiliate members may serve as
co-investigators on a seed grant, but not as a primary investigator or as chair of a
dissertation/thesis committee. Affiliates should be willing to serve on committees of
students in the Neuroscience Institute and participate in Neuroscience Institute activities.
The following table gives a summary of faculty currently electing to be core or
associate members of the graduate faculty in the Neuroscience Institute. Their
curriculum vitae are in Appendix IV. In the College of Arts and Sciences at GSU the base
teaching load is five 3-credit courses per year. This includes teaching graduate students
within each lab in research methods and relevant literature. Adjustments are made if
faculty have research and/or administrative responsibilities that are above the norm.
Each faculty member in the Neuroscience Program is expected to continue with their
current teaching load. Core faculty in Neuroscience are expected to teach Neuroscience
courses, conduct federally-funded research, train graduate and undergraduate students
and postdoctoral researchers, and contribute service to the Program, College, and
University.
22

23. Alphabetical list of core and associate faculty in the proposed Program:
Name Rank Role Discipline Ph.D. Postdoctoral
Biology, Harvard
Regents’ Tulane
Elliott Albers Core Psychology, University,
Professor University
Neuroscience Worcester Fdn
Technion - Israel Technion - Israel
Associate Math &
Marina Arav Associate Institute of Institute of
Professor Statistics
Technology Technology
Associate Cornell
Deborah Baro Associate Biology Univ Ill-Chicago
Professor University
Timothy Regents’ Biology, Worcester
Associate Univ Florida
Bartness Professor Psychology Foundation
Harvard
Al Baumstark Professor Associate Chemistry
University
Associate
Saeid Belkasim Associate Computer Sci Univ Windsor
Professor
Swiss Federation
Assistant Univ Nizhny
Igor Belykh Associate Computer Sci Institute of
Professor Novgorod
Technology
Assistant Emory Emory
Sarah Brosnan Associate Psychology
Professor University University
Assistant Biology, Univ. Colo-
Laura Carruth Core UCLA
Professor Neuroscience Boulder
Boston
Assistant University,
Robert Clewley Associate Math and Stats Univ Bristol
Professor Cornell
University
University of
Assistant Neuroscience, Northwestern
Brad C. Cooke Core California,
Professor Psychology University
Berkeley
Gennady Assistant Moscow State
Associate Physics Emory University
Cymbalyuk Professor University
Professor,
Biology, Boston University of
Charles Derby Associate Core
Neuroscience University Florida
Dean
Mukesh Assistant Univ Kansas- Georgia Tech,
Associate Physics
Dhamala Professor Lawrence Florida Atlantic
Richard Dix Professor Associate Biology Baylor Coll Med
23

24. Donald Regents Biology, Univ Calif-
Core Yale University
Edwards Professor Neuroscience Berkeley
Associate Biology,
Kyle Frantz Core Univ Florida Salk Institute
Professor Neuroscience
Markus University of University of
Professor Associate Chemistry
Germann Calgary Calgary
Associate Columbia
Kathryn Grant Associate Chemistry Caltech
Professor University
Matthew Associate Cornell
Associate Biology UCLA
Grober Professor University
Professor,
Julia Hilliard Eminent Associate Biology Baylor Coll Med
Scholar,
Psychology,
Kim Huhman Professor Core UGA GSU
Neuroscience
Chun Jiang Professor Associate Biology Chinese Acad Sci Yale University
Biology, Cornell Brandeis Univ, U
Paul Katz Professor Core
Neuroscience University Texas-Houston
Assistant
Tricia King Associate Psychology Univ Florida Brown University
Professor
Educational
Jacqueline Associate Univ Wisconsin- Univ Wisconsin-
Associate Psychology &
Laures-Gore Professor Madison Madison
Special Ed.
Associate
Mary Morris Associate Psychology Univ Florida
Professor
Regents’
Robin Morris Associate Psychology Univ Florida
Professor
Associate Biology, Univ Maryland-
Anne Murphy Core Univ. Cincinnati
Professor Neuroscience Baltimore
Assistant
Eddy Nahmias Associate Philosophy Duke University
Professor
Associate
Michael Owren Associate Psychology Indiana Univ
Professor
Biology, Cornell
Sarah Pallas Professor Core M.I.T.
Neuroscience University
Yi Pan Professor Associate Computer Sci Univ Pittsburgh
Associate University of
Marise Parent Core Psychology Univ Calif-Irvine
Professor Virginia
24

25. Unil Perera Professor Associate Physics Univ Pittsburgh
Assistant Psychology, Cornell
Aras Petrulis Core Boston University
Professor Neuroscience University
Univ Central
Sushil Prasad Professor Associate Computer Sci
Florida
Associate Hong Kong Univ
Gengsheng Qin Associate Math and Stats Univ. Victoria
Professor Sci Tech
Free University Colorado State
Vincent Rehder Professor Associate Biology
Berlin University
Assistant
Diana Robins Associate Psychology Univ Connecticut Yale University
Professor
Andrea Assistant Università
Associate Philosophy
Scarantino Professor Cattolica- Milan
Andrey Associate Univ Nizhny Cambridge Univ.,
Core Math and Stats
Shilnikov Professor Novgorod UC Berkeley
Alexandra Associate Kansas State
Associate Math and Stats
Smirnova Professor Univ
Lucjan Polish Acad
Professor Associate Chemistry
Strekowski Sciences
Raj
Professor Associate Computer Sci Iowa State Univ
Sunderraman
Regents’
Phang Tai Associate Biology Univ Calif-Davis Yale Univ
Professor
National
Erin McClure Assistant Emory
Associate Psychology Institutes of
Tone Professor University
Health
William Associate Columbia
Associate Biology SUNY-Albany
Walthall Professor University
Assistant Univ N Carolina-
Gangli Wang Associate Chemistry Univ. Utah
Professor Chapel Hill
David
Professor Associate Psychology GSU
Washburn
Oxford
Irene Weber Professor Associate Biology Yale University
University
Walt Psychology, Cornell
Professor Core Univ Michigan
Wilczynski Neuroscience University
Florida State Oxford Univ,
Jenny Yang Professor Associate Chemistry
Univ Yale Univ
25

26. Associate Univ South
Yanqing Zhang Associate Computer Sci
Professor Florida
Assistant Florida State
Yichuan Zhao Associate Math and Stats
Professor Univ
Assistant George Mason
Ying Zhu Associate Computer Sci
Professor Univ
The faculty listed above are sufficient in number for directing the students in the
Program. In addition to the above list of core and associate members of the Institute, the
following faculty have declared their intention to be affiliate members:
Lauren Adamson (Professor, Psychology)
Page Anderson (Assistant Professor, Psychology)
Vadym Apalkov (Assistant Professor, Physics)
Andrew Clancy (Senior Lecturer, Biology)
Nikolaus Dietz (Associate Professor, Physics)
William Edmundson (Professor, Law and Philosophy)
Chris Goode (Lecturer, Psychology)
Gary Hastings (Associate Professor, Physics)
Xiaolin Hu (Assistant Professor, Computer Sci)
Heather Kleider (Assistant Professor, Psychology)
Scott Owen (Professor Emeritus, Computer Sci)
George Rainbolt (Professor, Philosophy)
Sebastian Rand (Assistant Professor, Philosophy)
Mary Ann Romski (Professor, Psychology)
Rose Sevcik (Professor, Psychology)
Michael Weeks (Associate Professor, Computer Sci)
1. If it will be necessary to add faculty in order to begin the program, give
the desired qualifications of the persons to be added, with a timetable for
adding new faculty and plan for funding new positions.
One or two new faculty will be added within the next two years, funded by the Center for
Behavioral Neuroscience or Brains and Behavior Area of Focus, but these additions are
not necessary to begin the program.
6. Outstanding programs of this nature in other institutions.
List three outstanding programs of this nature in the country, giving location
name, and telephone number of official responsible for each program. Indicate
features that make these programs stand out. When available, append descriptive
literature of the outstanding program. Indicate what aspects of these outstanding
programs, if any, will be included in your program.
26

27. 1) Cornell University, Department of Neurobiology and Behavior:
http://www.nbb.cornell.edu/gradstudiesoverview.shtml
Cornell’s Ph.D. program in Neurobiology and Behavior (NB&B) integrates the
study of neurobiology with behavior at all levels of analysis. Approaches range from the
study of ion channels through neural networks all the way to the behavior of animal
societies. Faculty come from a broad variety of disciplines including Psychology,
Biomedical Engineering, Applied Physics, Entomology, Biomedical Sciences, Molecular
Medicine, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, and Neurobiology and Behavior. Other
outstanding features include graduate training grants, exceptional students, individually-
tailored courses of study, and opportunities for students to learn from experts in both
seminar and hands-on lab formats.
Joseph Fetcho, PhD
Director of Graduate Studies
W103 Mudd Hall
607 254-4341
jrf49@cornell.edu
2) Michigan State University, Dept of Psychology, Graduate Program in Neuroscience:
http://neuroscience.msu.edu/program.html
The Neuroscience Ph.D. program at MSU is an interdisciplinary program with
over 45 participating faculty from eight different departments. This program is known
for having some of the top neuroendocrinologists and behavioral neuroscientists in the
country. The program highlights four focus areas: cellular/molecular,
imaging/physiology, behavior/integrative biology, and development/evolution. A broad-
based curriculum is complemented by research training in specialized areas of
neuroscience. The program is very active and offers weekly research seminars, weekly
research forums for graduate students to present their work, and an annual research
retreat. The combination of classroom and laboratory training, plus the vast opportunities
for professional interactions at Michigan State University, furnish students with an
excellent understanding of the richness and diversity of approaches to the study of the
nervous system, and equip them for successful careers in either the public or private
sector. Our program regularly competes for the same pool of graduate students, but the
fact that MSU offers a PhD in Neuroscience often sways students towards their program.
Cheryl L. Sisk, Ph.D., Program Director
Neuroscience Program
108 Giltner Hall
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI 48824
Phone: (517) 353-8947
neurosci@msu.edu
27

28. 3) University of Maryland-College Park, Program in Neuroscience and Cognitive
Science: http://www.nacs.umd.edu/aboutus/index.html
The NACS Graduate Program offers world-class interdisciplinary training in
several broad areas including systems neuroscience, molecular and cellular neuroscience,
computational and cognitive neuroscience, and cognitive science. Within and across these
areas, they have faculty with internationally renowned research programs in vision,
audition, sensorimotor integration, synaptic plasticity, language and communication,
learning, memory and decision making, and neuromorphic engineering. These research
programs are housed in over 14 different departments, which participate in the NACS
Graduate Program in College Park. Through their partnerships with the National
Institutes of Health and Children's National Medical Center, NACS graduate students
may also receive research training in laboratories of adjunct faculty at neighboring
institutions.
Robert J. Dooling, PhD.
Professor and NSCS Director
Department of Psychology
2123D Biology-Psychology Building
Email: rdooling@umd.edu
7. Inventory of pertinent library resources.
Indicate--in numbers of volumes and periodicals--available library resources
(including basic reference, bibliographic, and monographic works as well as major
journal and serial sets; include any on-line resources) which are pertinent to the
proposed program. How do library resources compare to those at institutions listed in
section 6? What additional library support must be added to support the proposed
program, and what is the plan for acquiring this support?
The newly-renovated Georgia State University Library contains over 1.4 million
volumes, including 7,989 active serials, and almost 22,000 media materials. The library
has access to 276 electronic periodical and resource indices (many with full text), almost
14,000 electronic journals with full text, and about 30,000 electronic books. Additionally,
the library is a Federal Document Depository and holds more than 820,000 government
documents with electronic access to many additional titles. (Source: 2006/2007 Library
Annual Report)
The GSU Library has been very supportive of the neurosciences. (See
http://www.library.gsu.edu/research/liaison.asp?ldID=115&guideID=0.) We currently
have full-text electronic access to over 330 neuroscience-related journals and there are
over 200 print journals on site. Important databases available include PubMed, Web of
Science, PsychInfo, PsycEXTRA, Biological Abstracts, Animal Behavior Abstracts, CSA
Neurosciences Abstracts, ERIC, ScienceDirect. This compares very favorably with
competing programs in the Southeast and nationally (see chart in Appendix V).
28

29. 8. Describe the desired qualifications of the students who will be recruited and
admitted to the proposed program, including ethnic populations that will be
targeted.
We will seek domestic and foreign students with documented laboratory
experience and excellent academic credentials, of all ethnic, economic, and racial
backgrounds. The neuroscience programs in the Biology and Psychology departments
are already attracting excellent students, and we expect to attract even more highly
qualified students under the auspices of the Neuroscience Institute. Indeed a major
impetus for establishing the M.S./Ph.D. in Neuroscience is to improve recruiting efforts.
As discussed under #13, GSU has had tremendous success in recruiting underrepresented
minorities into the existing neurobiology and neuropsychology programs.
9. Facilities
Describe the facilities available for the proposed program. How do these facilities
and equipment compare to those of excellent programs elsewhere? What new
facilities and equipment are required, and what is the plan for acquiring these
facilities and equipment?
Faculty to be involved in the Program currently have labs spread across several
research buildings, primarily Kell Hall and the Natural Sciences Building. Offices for
most faculty are in Kell Hall or the Science Annex. Their laboratories are well-equipped
and are supporting ongoing, funded reseach programs. Faculty who plan primary
appointments in the Neuroscience Institute will move to new facilities currently under
construction. It is expected that access to facilities and equipment will at least continue at
current levels and will expand in the future as resources become available. Currently there
are facilities and equipment for genomics and proteomics, imaging and confocal
microscopy, electron microscopy, molecular biology, neurosurgery, neuroanatomy,
neurophysiology, neuropharmacology, neuroendocrinology, behavioral analysis and MRI.
The faculty within the Neuroscience Institute will elect a Committee on Research
and Facilities (three members, two core and one associate) to oversee Neuroscience
Institute research and core facilities activities. The chair of this committee will supervise
staff associated with the facilities, coordinate activities in these spaces and be responsible
for upkeep and maintenance of equipment in shared and core facilities. The committee
chair will oversee revenue accounts associated with the use of core facilities. The
committee chair will serve as a liaison to core facilities in other units that are frequently
used by Neuroscience Institute faculty. The committee chair will ensure that research in
the Neuroscience Institute is performed according to Federal and State guidelines and
regulations. The committee may appoint subcommittees (which may include faculty not
on the committee) if its workload makes this necessary.
10. Administration
29

30. Describe how the proposed program will be administered within the structure of the
institution.
The PhD in Neuroscience will be administered by the Director of Graduate
Studies in the Neuroscience Institute. The Director of Graduate Studies, appointed from
the core faculty, oversees the graduate program and serves on the Graduate Council of
the College of Arts and Sciences. The faculty will elect a Graduate Committee (three
members, two core and one associate) that will work with the DGS on graduate issues.
The Neuroscience Institute faculty will elect a Committee for Interdisciplinary
Activities to oversee Neuroscience Institute interdisciplinary activities including degree
programs and formulate policy proposals to bring to the Executive Committee. It will be
composed of three core and four associate faculty. One of the associate members will be
selected to be chair by the Director in consultation with the Executive Committee. The
Chair will cast a vote only to break ties.
11. Assessment
Indicate the measures that will be taken to assess the effectiveness of the program and
the learning outcomes of students enrolled.
Current Learning Outcome Assessment Standards in the Departments of Biology
and Psychology will be used to assess students in the Neuroscience Ph.D. Program.
These include (see Appendix IIIa (Biology) and IIIb (Psychology) for details):
BIOLOGY:
I. Scientific Inquiry
II. Communication
III. History, Nature, and Impact of the Discipline
IV. Content in the Discipline
PSYCHOLOGY:
I. Expertise in Theory and Content
II. Expertise in Research Methods
III. Application of Psychological Principles in Professional Activities
IV. Communication and Collaboration Skills
V. Critical Thinking Skills
VI. Personal Development
VII. Information and Technology Literacy
VIII. Ethics and Values
IX. Sociocultural Awareness
X. Career Planning and Development.
Critical evaluations of students in the program will be conducted in the course of
their qualifying exam, thesis proposal defense, and dissertation defense. All students are
expected to publish their original data in peer-reviewed scientific journals. The rating of
30

31. the journal will provide an additional assessment measure, although journals to be
selected vary by subdiscipline. We will also use post-GSU employment as an additional
way to assess the effectiveness of the program.
12. Accreditation
Where applicable, identify accrediting agencies and show how the program meets
the criteria of these agencies. Append standards and criteria to the proposal.
Provide evidence that the institution has notified SACS of its intent to apply for a
change in degree level, if appropriate.
There is no accreditation procedure for graduate degrees in Neuroscience. SACS will
evaluate all graduate programs at GSU. The Association of Neuroscience Departments
and Programs (ANDP) provided comparative data on different programs that we have
used in designing our proposal.
13. Affirmative Action impact
Indicate what impact the implementation of the proposed program will have on the
institution's desegregation and affirmative action programs. Include information
relating to faculty, staff, administrators, and students in this section.
The neuroscience programs in the Biology and Psychology departments have
been extraordinarily successful in under-represented minority recruitment, in part due to
the initiatives made possible through the NSF-funded Center for Behavioral
Neuroscience. The nationally recognized CBN BRAIN program for undergraduates is
held each year, bringing in 22 undergraduates from Atlanta institutions and across the
nation for neuroscience research fellowships to gain hands-on research experience at
GSU and other Atlanta universities and colleges while attending lectures and seminars on
neuroscience topics and professional skills. Historically, >75% of the participants have
been women and >60% underrepresented minorities. Through the CBN, GSU has
established strong ties with the Historically Black Colleges and Universities in Atlanta.
Career Days and Research Days at Spelman College, Morehouse College, and Clark
Atlanta University are attended by neuroscience faculty and CBN staff to provide
information about graduate school opportunities. In recognition of his work with these
institutions, CBN Director and GSU neuroscience faculty member Dr. Elliott Albers was
named Mentor of the Year by The Center for Biomedical and Behavioral Research at
Spelman College in 2006. Several students from these institutions at the AUC have
worked in GSU neuroscience labs and/or enrolled in neuroscience graduate programs.
Efforts are underway by GSU CBN faculty members to establish closer ties with several
funded undergraduate research enhancement programs at Spelman and Morehouse
Colleges to provide laboratory placement for undergraduates from those programs as a
way to enhance our recruitment efforts.
These efforts will be facilitated by combining graduate neuroscience training at
GSU into a single coherent Neuroscience M.S./Ph.D. program, thereby enhancing our
current strong efforts to enroll under-represented minorities in graduate science training.
31

32. Currently, as indicated by a survey of neuroscience doctoral students receiving CBN
support, our combined neuroscience-oriented graduate programs have approximately
doubled the proportion of under-represented minorities compared to the nationwide
average across neuroscience-oriented degree programs (reported by the Association of
Neuroscience Degree Programs) and they are also above the national average in women
enrollees. Establishment of a neuroscience graduate degree at GSU will further enhance
our ability to attract talented under-represented minority and women undergraduates into
our program rather than to other out of state universities that have already established
interdepartmental neuroscience graduate programs, as well as improve mentoring and
networking by linking them together in a single program. In this way, establishment of a
unified neuroscience M.S./Ph.D.program will have a dual role in enhancing the
recruitment of under-represented minorities into GSU as graduate students, while also
improving the training of science majors at the undergraduate level.
14. Degree inscription
Indicate the degree inscription which will be placed on the student's diploma upon
her/his completion of this program of study. Be sure to include the CIP code for the
program.
The degrees given will be M.S. and Ph.D. in Neuroscience, CIP code 30.2401
Neuroscience. A program that focuses on the interdisciplinary scientific study of
the molecular, structural, physiological, cognitive, and behavioral aspects of the brain and
nervous system. It includes instruction in molecular and cellular neuroscience, brain
science, anatomy and physiology of the central nervous system, molecular and
biochemical bases of information processing, behavioral neuroscience, biology of
neuropsychiatric disorders, and applications to the clinical sciences and biomedical
engineering.
15. Fiscal and Enrollment Impact, and Estimated Budget.
Complete the following pages to indicate the expected EFT and head count student
enrollment, estimated expenditures, and projected revenues for the first three years
of the program. Include both the redirection of existing resources and anticipated
or requested new resources. Institutional commitment of funds should be
consistent with the centrality and level of priority that are assigned to the program
in the proposal. Second and third-year estimates should be in constant dollars--do
not allow for inflationary adjustments or anticipated pay increases. Include a
budget narrative that is descriptive of significant line items and the specific
redirection of resources envisioned.
Budget narrative
The Budget is derived almost entirely from a redirection of existing resources. No new
resources are required to start the Program. In what follows, we explain the significant
line items and how we will redirect resources to fund the proposed Ph.D. program. We
provide an explanation for each section.
32

33. I. Enrollment projections
A. Student Majors: Our projections of 5 M.S. and 40 Ph.D. students migrating from
existing programs and 5 students entering GSU as M.S. students in the 1st year are based
on data from Fall semester enrollments in the Biology and Psychology neuroscience-
related concentrations during the last 3 years. In all cases, the number of M.S. degrees
will be tightly linked to the number of Ph.D. students as the M.S./Ph.D. in Neuroscience
will require Ph.D. students to earn their M.S. degree during their Program of Study.
Calculations for future years include estimated completion dates for the M.S. of 3
years and the Ph.D. of 5 years, and a gradual shift of incoming students away from those
recruited from other programs (primarily Biology, Psychology, Physics) at GSU to those
recruited from outside the University. By the end of year 3, we anticipate having 65
Neuroscience graduate students that will be mentored by 14 core Neuroscience Institute
faculty and 41 associate faculty. Based on current faculty-to-student ratios in
neuroscience laboratories at GSU, we anticipate an average of 3 students per core faculty
member with the balance of students being mentored by associate faculty.
B. Credit Hours: Each student will take at least 36 credit hours per year; however, those
fully supported by assistantships in the department will register for at least 18 hours fall
and spring semester and at least 15 hours summer semester (total = at least 51 credit
hours per year). Fifty fully-supported students in the first year will generate 2550
graduate credit hours, 52 students in the second year will generate 2652 graduate hours,
and 65 students in the third year will generate 3315 graduate hours. Students may
accumulate more than 90 credit hours in their programs (the minimum amount of credit
hours required to complete the degree) because it is common for a student to take more
research hours than the minimum requirement. Accordingly, a four to six year time-to-
degree time frame for full time students is reasonable.
C. Degrees Awarded: It is anticipated that some students will complete the M.S./Ph.D.
program before the end of the third year. Most of our students at the inception of the
Program will come from existing doctoral programs (primarily Biology and Psychology)
and some will have completed most of their Program of Study in their previous
department before transferring to the M.S./Ph.D. in Neuroscience.
33