Neuroscience
Neuroscience is one of the programs in the Harvard Integrated Life Sciences that facilitates collaboration and cross-disciplinary research. Visit HILS for additional application instructions.
This interdisciplinary program includes over 150 faculty members from several hospitals and campuses in the Boston area with a variety of backgrounds in all areas of neuroscience. You will receive a solid core foundation and will then be able to focus on the area that interests you most with specialized training.
You will have access to an impressive array of resources, including state-of-the-art labs, high-resolution microscopy facilities, animal cores, and an instrumentation core that can design custom behavioral chambers and other experimental apparatuses. You will have the opportunity to engage with the broader neuroscience community in several ways, including through the Harvard Brain Science Initiative (HBI), a cross-schools initiative among neuroscientists in the University and its affiliated hospitals.
Students are working on various projects such as studying how neural circuits generate behavior through the use of in vivo imaging to study neurons in awake, behaving animals; the development of the nervous system; the ways in which genes and molecules regulate neural function; and the electrical properties of neurons.
Graduates of the program have secured faculty positions at institutions such as Stanford University, Holy Cross University, Rutgers University, and Harvard University. Others have established careers with leading organizations such as Biogen, Google, and McKinsey & Company.
Additional information on the graduate program is available from Neuroscience, and requirements for the degree are detailed in policies.
Admissions Requirements
Please review the admissions requirements and other information before applying. You can find degree program-specific admissions requirements below and access additional guidance on applying from Neuroscience.
While there are no specific degree subject, course, or research requirements, applicants are expected to have rigorous undergraduate coursework in the sciences, including biology, chemistry, and physics, and prior lab research experience. Applicants who have trained outside of neuroscience and biology are expected to have a demonstrated interest in neuroscience.
Interviews
Personal interviews are conducted as part of the application process. Invitations for interviews are usually sent out between late December and early January depending on the program.
Statement of Purpose
The statement of purpose should help the admissions committee get to know each applicant as a scientist. How did your background help shape your interests and experiences in science? What are your goals for graduate school? How do your research experiences fit within this context? You are welcome to briefly mention multiple research experiences as they relate to your trajectory, but your statement should focus on your primary research experience, discussing the question/topic that drove the project, its importance, your hypotheses, how you tested your hypotheses, your findings or possible outcomes, and how you interpreted those outcomes. The admissions committee is looking for evidence of your ability to "think like a scientist" in this section of the application. The Statement of Purpose should be no longer than 1,000 words.
Personal Statement
Required
Standardized Tests
GRE General: Not Accepted
GRE Subject: Not Accepted
iBT TOEFL minimum score: 100
IELTS minimum score: 7