NEUROSCIENCE AND COGNITIVE SCIENCE (NACS) PH.D. PROGRAM
The Neuroscience and Cognitive Science (NACS) Program is a campus-wide Ph.D. program involving faculty from eight College Park colleges and more than a dozen departments. The Psychology Department plays an active role in the NACS Program, contributing to the core curriculum and a broad range of research training opportunities. For many students enrolled in the NACS Program, Psychology is their Home Department.
The NACS Program offers a series of introductory level graduate courses that are required of all students enrolled in the program. These include courses in systems, cognitive, computational, and molecular neuroscience. NACS graduate students work with a committee to select additional courses and seminars tailored to their individual research interests and objectives. The NACS program runs a vibrant weekly colloquium series that serves as a forum for students and faculty working on diverse research questions in the fields of cognitive science and neuroscience. Special topic journal clubs also meet regularly, in which students, postdocs and faculty discuss selected research articles. Importantly, many faculty and students view NACS as their over-arching intellectual home where they can share their interests with colleagues from other departments, and engage in new interdisciplinary research collaborations.
The NACS Program supports its students through fellowships, research and teaching assistantships and institutional training grants. Some forms of campus support are tied to the student’s Home Department. Many advanced students receive individual grants from the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, private foundations and industry to support their graduate work. Adjunct faculty from the National Institutes of Health, Children’s Hospital, and Walter Reed Army Medical Center also contribute to the research training opportunities and support of NACS Program students. Graduates of the NACS Program have all moved to top research and teaching positions in academic and industrial settings.
Detailed information about the NACS Program, including a listing of participating Psychology Department faculty, can be found at: www.nacs.umd.edu.