The Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Ph.D. Program at the University of Georgia (UGA) was approved by the University System of Georgia Board of Regents in 2005 and instituted in 2006.  The Neuroscience Program was established in conjunction with the Biomedical and Health Science Institute (BHSI), and the BHSI serves as its administrative home.  The purpose of the BHSI is to facilitate and promote interdisciplinary research and instructional efforts at UGA in the fields of biomedical and health sciences. The BHSI is comprised of four divisions, including Neuroscience. The Neuroscience Ph.D. Program at UGA involves more than 25 faculty representing 9 departments. The Program awards doctoral degrees in Neuroscience.

The Program provides graduate students with the broad academic background, technical expertise, clinical exposure, and scientific scholarship necessary to continue their careers in neuroscience research.  A major goal of this research is to provide society with the basic information about nervous system function that is critical for developing treatments for neurological and behavioral disorders. Scientific study of the nervous system is thus essential for overall health and well-being.  Damage or disorders in this system may result in severe impairment to the patient and costs billions of dollars to diagnose and treat each year.  Examples of brain disorders that exact a devastating toll on the nation’s health include traumatic brain injury, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, stroke, depression, schizophrenia, and drug abuse, to name but a few.  Furthermore, as biomedical research progresses, it has become increasingly clear that the nervous system is critically involved in all diseases, not just behavioral and neurological disorders.  Brain function influences the onset and progression of illnesses ranging from infectious disease to cancer to diabetes.