Neuroscience (NSC) – Professional Master's
- Owen A. Ross, Ph.D., Program Director, Mayo Clinic in Florida
- Marissa J. Schafer, Ph.D., Associate Program Director, Mayo Clinic in Rochester
- Wolfdieter Springer, Ph.D., Associate Program Director, Mayo Clinic in Florida
- TBD, Associate Program Director, Mayo Clinic in Arizona
The Professional Master’s Degree track in Neuroscience is only open to permanent employees of Mayo Clinic. Admission to the program requires an interview with the program director.
Application
Candidates must complete an Professional Master’s Degree Application form. This form is available on the MCGSBS Master’s Programs intranet site. Supporting documents include a program fee agreement form, transcripts from previous colleges and two letters of recommendation - one preferred from your direct supervisor/manager.
Eligibility
Enrollment is restricted to current Mayo employees/appointees and is available at all three sites: Arizona, Florida, and Minnesota, as well as the Mayo Clinic Health System. Visiting clinicians, research trainees, and research collaborators are not eligible.
Applicants must have received a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university, must have taken appropriate undergraduate science courses to adequately prepare for the Master’s program, must have a minimum undergraduate grade point average that demonstrates a record of academic excellence.
Time Requirement
Time to completion can vary by student (three to five years), but all requirements for the Master’s degree must be completed within five years. The five-year period begins on the start date of the term the student is appointed to. If the student's Mayo employment ends prior to completion of the program, the MCGSBS appointment will also end.
Registration Requirement
At least 75% of the coursework for the Master’s degree must be completed in MCGSBS.
Minimum Credit Requirements
Students must complete a minimum of 45 credits, including MGS 6000 Responsible Conduct of Research. Didactic credits may vary by track - refer to specific program requirements for details.
Transfer Credits
A total of 9 didactic credits may be transferred into the Professional Master’s Program. For more details, see the Credit Conversion, Transfer, Waiver and Substitution Policy on the MCGSBS intranet site.
Course Requirements
A total of 45 credits with maintenance of at least a 3.0 GPA are required for graduation.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| MGS Courses | 13 | |
| Responsible Conduct of Research | ||
| Chemical Principles of Biopolymer Systems | ||
| Molecular Cell Biology | ||
| Mechanisms of Human Disease | ||
| Master's Scholarly Review Article (Final Project) 2 | ||
| Track Courses | 20 | |
| Fundamentals of Regenerative Sciences | ||
| Neurobiology of Disease | ||
| Skills for Effective Presentations | ||
| Methods in Neuroscience Research | ||
| Practical Neuroanatomy | ||
| Neuroscience Journal Club (1 cr./yr.) 1 | ||
| Systems Neuroscience and Behavior | ||
| Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience | ||
| Suggested Advanced Coursework | 12 | |
| Select 12 credits of the following: | ||
| Behavioral Neurology | ||
| Tutorial in Neurophysiology | ||
| Basic Graduate Immunology | ||
| Genomics and Functional Genomics | ||
| Molecular Pharmacology and Receptor Signaling | ||
| Stem Cells & Development | ||
- 1
Three credits maximum
- 2
You must register for this during your final quarter
Program milestones are included in the Academic Progress and Graduation Requirements for Masters Programs Policy. See below for NSC-specific program highlights and instruction.
Written Qualifying Examination
The qualifying examination for the Professional Master’s Degree in the Neuroscience Track is a single written qualifying exam composed of knowledge-based and research-based questions based on assigned research articles. A form signed by the track program director will be submitted to MCGSBS upon successful completion of the written qualifying exam.
Professional Master’s Advisory Committee
In consultation with the program director, the student will select a Master’s project mentor within the first year of the program. The mentor must have MCGSBS faculty privileges and must not be the employee’s direct supervisor. In consultation with the program director and the Master’s project mentor, the student will select an Professional Master’s Advisory Committee comprised of four faculty members. This committee must include, at a minimum, either the track program director or the associate program directors. This committee should meet yearly to assess the student’s progress and to provide guidance regarding the Master’s scholarly review article (final project). A form indicating the composition of the committee must be submitted to MCGSBS.
Master's Project Review
The project forms the central element of the Master’s degree. The student should enroll in MGS 6400 Master's Scholarly Review Article (Final Project) during the final quarter of tenure in the program in order to finalize the scholarly review article (final project). In general, the project will take the form of a substantial and scholarly review of the current field related to a specific topic of interest to the student. While the final form of the scholarly review article (final project) is at the discretion of the Professional Master’s Advisory Committee, a 50-100 page, double-spaced document comprised of text, figures, and tables as appropriate, is recommended. This document must be written in close consultation with the Master’s project mentor and must be submitted to the Professional Master’s Advisory Committee for review at least one month prior to the final scholarly review article (final project) defense date. Upon successful completion of the defense and careful editing of the document, the track will pay to have 3 copies bound (one for the Master’s project mentor, one for the track, and one for the student). Binding should be coordinated with the program director or associate program directors.
Scholarly Review Article (Final Project)
The scholarly review article (final project) defense is the final committee meeting. Prior to this meeting the committee will carefully review, edit, and critique the scholarly review article (final project) and will provide any changes to the student during the meeting. Committee members may orally examine the student’s general and specific knowledge. Three of four committee members must vote to pass the student and a form signed by all committee members must be submitted to MCGSBS immediately upon completion of the defense.
Final Project Corrections
Significant deficits in the project will require the student to revise and resubmit the document to the committee within 30 days of the presentation date.
This is a suggested sequence based on a summer term start. Individual course plans may vary depending on true start date, program, employment/personal commitments, and research interests. Be sure to confirm you have met your requirements using your degree planning tool. Course offerings may vary slightly. Current course offerings are posted in the course catalog.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| First Year - Summer Term | ||
| MGS 6000 | Responsible Conduct of Research | 1 |
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| First Year - Fall Term | ||
| NSC 6862 | Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience | 3 |
| NSC 6250 | Skills for Effective Presentations | 2 |
| NSC 6650 | Neuroscience Works In Progress | 1 |
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| First Year - Winter Term | ||
| NSC 6857 | Systems Neuroscience and Behavior | 3 |
| NSC 6210 | Neurobiology of Disease (Every other year) | 3 |
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| First Year - Spring Term | ||
| NSC 6210 | Neurobiology of Disease (Every other year) | 3 |
| NSC 6310 | Methods in Neuroscience Research (Every other year) | 2 |
| NSC 6401 | Practical Neuroanatomy (Every other year) | 2 |
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Second Year - Summer Term | ||
| MGS 5050 | Critical Thinking and Scientific Writing | 2 |
| NSC 6310 | Methods in Neuroscience Research (Every other year) | 2 |
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Second Year - Fall Term | ||
| MGS 5051 | Critical Thinking and Scientific Writing, Part II | 1 |
| NSC 6650 | Neuroscience Works In Progress | 1 |
| NSC 6600 | Neuroscience Journal Club | 1 |
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Second Year - Winter Term | ||
| NSC 6210 | Neurobiology of Disease (Every other year) | 3 |
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Second Year - Spring Term | ||
| NSC 6210 | Neurobiology of Disease (Every other year) | 3 |
| NSC 6310 | Methods in Neuroscience Research (Every other year) | 2 |
| NSC 6401 | Practical Neuroanatomy (Every other year) | 2 |
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Third Year - Summer Term | ||
| NSC 6310 | Methods in Neuroscience Research (Every other year) | 2 |
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Third Year - Fall Term | ||
| NSC 6600 | Neuroscience Journal Club | 1 |
| NSC 6650 | Neuroscience Works In Progress | 1 |