Institute for Behavioral Genetics
Matthew C. Keller
University of Colorado
UCB447
T: 303-492-5799
info@ibg.colorado.edu
The Institute for Behavioral Genetics (IBG) offers a training program in behavioral genetics. The goal of the program is to train scientists in the study of genetic contributions to individual differences in behavior. This is accomplished by requiring students to obtain strong training in a primary academic discipline, by providing training in the interdisciplinary field of behavioral genetics, and by providing an atmosphere in which close interactions among scholars with different perspectives may be established.
Requirements
Admission Requirements
To train at IBG, students must be admitted to a PhD program at the University of Colorado (Boulder or Denver). To be considered for admission, the Graduate School requires an undergraduate GPA of at least 2.75. Additionally, the most competitive applicants should have verbal and math GREs >85th percentile. Subject GRE scores are not required but will be considered if they have been completed. We carefully consider all components of the application including undergraduate grades, letters of recommendation, previous research experience and GRE scores.
Required Courses and Credits
Deviations from the IBG certificate requirements may be requested by petition to the student's advisory committee. Specific requests for course substitution, resolution of an ambiguity, etc., should be made by written petition. A petition may be approved by a majority vote of both the advisory committee and the IBG Training Committee. Disapproval of a petition may be changed to approval by a majority vote of the IBG faculty. Students with sufficient backgrounds may also test out of required courses 1–2 (i.e., pass the final exam for the course).
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| PSYC/IPHY 5200 | Physiological Genetics and Genomics | 3 |
| PSYC 5102 | Introduction to Behavioral Genetics | 3 |
| PSYC 5741 | General Statistics 1 1 | 4 |
| or PSYC 5751 | General Statistics 2 | |
| or IPHY 5800 | Advanced Statistics and Research Methods in Integrative Physiology | |
| GRAD 5000 | Responsible Conduct of Research | 1 |
| PSYC 7102/IPHY 6010/EBIO 5800 | Seminar: Behavioral Genetics (Methods Proseminar in BG) | 3 |
| Electives | ||
| Group B Courses | 6 | |
Choose two of the following: | ||
| Quantitative Genetics | ||
or EBIO 5800 | Critical Thinking in Biology | |
| Neurophysiology | ||
| Molecular Neurobiology | ||
| Biometrical Methods in Behavioral Genetics | ||
IPHY 5262 | ||
or MCDB 5520 | Bioinformatics and Genomics | |
| Introduction to Neuroscience I | ||
or NRSC 5110 | Introduction to Neuroscience II | |
or NRSC 5132 | Neuropharmacology | |
| Introduction to Neuroscience II | ||
| Neurobiology of Addiction NIDA trainees are required to take at least 1 of these courses | ||
| Structural Equation Modeling | ||
or EDUC 7396 | Latent Variable and Structural Equation Modeling | |
| Special Topics in Psychology (Statistical Programming in R) | ||
or INFO 5652 | Statistical Programming in R | |
| Special Topics (Genomics) | ||
| Seminar: Behavioral Genetics (Multivariate Genomic Methods for Mental Health) NIMH trainees are required to take at least 1 of these courses | ||
| Seminar: Behavioral Genetics (Circuits and Genetics of Emotion and Mental Health) NIMH trainees are required to take at least 1 of these courses | ||
| Group C Courses 2 | 3 | |
Choose 1 of the following: | ||
| Clinical Neuroscience: A Clinical and Pathological Perspective | ||
| Behavioral Neuroendocrinology | ||
| Seminar (Aging and Neurodevelopmental Disorders) | ||
| Neurobiology of Learning and Memory | ||
| Computational Cognitive Neuroscience | ||
| Adult Psychopathology | ||
| Mechanisms of Gene Regulation in Eukaryotes | ||
| Critical Thinking in Biology (Animal Behavior) | ||
| Computational Genomics Lab | ||
| Topics in Advanced Structural Equations Modeling | ||
| Seminar: Behavioral Genetics (Genetics of Substance Use Disorders) NIDA trainees are required to take at least 1 of these courses | ||
| Seminar: Behavioral Genetics (Population Genetics in the Modern Genomics Era) | ||
| Seminar: Experimental Psychology (Translational Cognitive Neuroscience) | ||
Other approved course on a topic that is relevant to the research interests and training goals of the trainee | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 23 | |
| 1 | Or other graduate-level course in statistics (of at least one semester) approved by the student's advisory committee. |
| 2 | Group C courses are meant to facilitate student research interests and training goals. They can come from the list of courses below or any other course that is relevant to the students research and training goals. |
Note: As some courses can only be taught every other year, it is each student's responsibility to take relevant courses when offered. Some equivalent courses may be offered at the Health Sciences Center or other venues. Course substitutions may be requested.
Teaching Requirements
Each of the students in the IBG Training Program must TA for at least one semester in a course judged by their advisory committee to be relevant to their professional specialty. (As part of their general responsibilities for the development of the student, advisory committees may sometimes require additional teaching.)
General Requirements
IBG students are required to conduct their doctoral dissertation research on topics of direct relevance to animal or human behavioral genetics, under the supervision of an IBG faculty member. A training file for each student is maintained in the IBG office for tracking progress toward completion of program requirements. Each student is to assist in updating this file at least once per year.
Specific departmental and Graduate School requirements in addition to those listed here are the responsibility of each student, in consultation with his/her advisory committee.
Examinations
Each student in the training program must complete the comprehensive/qualifying and dissertation exam requirements of their academic department (e.g. IPHY, PSYC, MCDB). Depending upon the academic program in which the student is enrolled, they may also have additional exam requirements including a dissertation proposal. Students are advised to check their academic department for specific requirements.
Annual Presentations at IBG Orientation
All continuing students are required to present a poster describing their research activity of the past year at the annual IBG Orientation—held each year in August (the last Friday before the beginning of the fall semester). Students are also expected to present their research at the annual IBG mini-conference held each spring.
Exit Colloquium
All students are expected to do an exit colloquium at the conclusion of their training program. This presentation should be modeled as a "job talk," not a repeat of the final defense.