Admission to the PhD in Neuroscience Program

Applications for Fall 2025 admission open September 2024 and will be due December 1, 2024.  
Applicants to the doctoral program in Neuroscience should have a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field from an accredited institution. To be competitive for funding, applicants need a minimum GPA of 3.25 in undergraduate work, research experience, and strong letters of recommendation. Applicants are expected to have courses in organic chemistry, biochemistry, cell biology, and molecular genetics. In addition, students interested in the theoretical, computational or physiological neuroscience are expected to have completed integral calculus.

Applicants should demonstrate high aptitude for quantitative reasoning, physical science and life science. Strong candidates who lack several prerequisites to any concentration may be admitted to provisional status. Removal from provisional status, and continuation in the program, is contingent upon earning a GPA of 3.25 in the program’s fundamental courses, plus completion of missing prerequisites.

• Applicants should submit a Goals Statement that includes a description of how the applicants research interests relate to at least one faculty member in the program, and include the names of two faculty members who may be suitable as advisors or supervisory committee members.
• Applicants must obtain three strong letters of recommendation from faculty members or individuals who have firsthand knowledge of the applicant’s academic or professional capabilities.
• Applicants may submit GRE scores but the GRE is not required for admission. The GRE exam must have been taken within the past five years prior to the date of application submission. A minimum GRE scores of 1100 on the old scale or approximately 303 on the new scale, combined on the verbal and quantitative sections, and 4.0 on the analytical writing section. Send score to George Mason by using institution code: 5827. The GRE requirement can be waived if the student has received a master’s degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution.
• All undergraduate and graduate transcripts are required
• International applicants from non-English speaking countries must submit evidence of English Language Proficiency (TOEFL, IELTS etc) and transcripts must be translated into English for evaluation by the Mason Office of Admissions. Please see the international admissions page for additional details. If you wish to use Mason's free international transcript evaluation, your application will need to be submitted by mid-October 2024. 
• CV or resume may be included, but is not required
• Not all admitted students will receive funding offers. Further, the program does not admit students in the spring semester with program funding. Applicants needing financial support must apply for the fall semester. 
• Mason Graduate Programs Application

For more information about doctoral program policies and procedures at Mason's College of Science, please see the 20/21 COS PhD Student Handbook or contact the IPN PhD program director, Dr. Frank Krueger (fkrueger@gmu.edu).