Graduate Diploma (GDip) in Theoretical Neuroscience

The program information below was valid for the winter 2023 term (January 1, 2023 - April 30, 2023). This is the archived version; the most up-to-date program information is available through the current Graduate Studies Academic Calendar.

The Graduate Studies Academic Calendar is updated 3 times per year, at the start of each academic term (January 1, May 1, September 1). Graduate Studies Academic Calendars from previous terms can be found in the archives.

• Delivery mode 
  • On-campus
• Program type 
  • Diploma
• Study option(s) 
  • Coursework

• Minimum requirements 
  • The Graduate Diploma (GDip) in Theoretical Neuroscience is offered in conjunction with a Master’s or Doctoral degree, the admission to which requires that the candidate be already admitted to the Master’s or Doctoral program. This GDip adds an additional, usually interdisciplinary, qualification to the higher degree. To be eligible for the GDip in Theoretical Neuroscience, students would have to be enrolled in a Master's or PhD program in a department that already offers a graduate degree.
  • Students from any faculty may apply to the GDip in Theoretical Neuroscience by emailing the Director of the Centre for Theoretical Neuroscience.

To receive the GDip in Theoretical Neuroscience, students would have to fulfill all the requirements of the degree program in which they are enrolled as well as the requirements for the GDip.

Coursework option:

Courses 

• Students are required to complete 4 one-term courses (these are not in addition to degree courses). 1 course must be selected from the core course list. 2 courses must be selected from the list approved by the Centre for Theoretical Neuroscience (CTN) board, or negotiated with the Director. These courses cover areas of theoretical, behavioural, and experimental neuroscience. Finally, 1 course is mandatory: TN 700 Theoretical Neuroscience Research Seminar, which consists of providing one page summaries of seminars from researchers working in areas of theoretical neuroscience (the CTN Lecture series). These courses (except TN 700) will count towards both the GDip in Theoretical Neuroscience and the home department program.
• The structure of the GDip in Theoretical Neuroscience will be as follows:
  • 1 mandatory course: TN 700 Theoretical Neuroscience Research Seminar
    • Satisfaction of the requirements of this course consists of attendance at a prescribed number (10) of colloquia and seminars presented by the Centre for Theoretical Neuroscience. These will include presentations by students, faculty, and visiting researchers. Evidence of attendance will take the form of one page summaries of the attended seminars.
  • 1 core course from the following list:
    • SYDE 556 Simulating Neurobiological Systems/SYDE 750 Topics in Systems Modelling (Topic 8: Simulating Neurobiological Systems)
    • Additional courses will be added to the list of core courses, as deemed appropriate by members of the Centre for Theoretical Neuroscience. The difference between mandatory and core courses is that every course on the mandatory list must be taken, and the student will be able to choose one of the courses on the short ‘core’ list.
  • Approved course list:
    Note: courses marked with * are highly recommended for students entering with a technical background. Courses marked with + are highly recommended for students entering with a non-technical background. Courses listed together are considered anti-requisites. Additional courses may be added to the list under consultation with the Director.
    • AMATH 900 Cellular Mathematical Biology+*
    • PSYCH 677A Fundamentals of Behavioural Neuroscience*
    • PSYCH 779A Selected Topics in Cognitive Neuropsychology
    • PSYCH 784 Human Neuroanatomy and Neuropathology*
    • KIN 616 Neural Control of Human Movement
    • KIN 611 Biomechanics of Human Motion
    • BIOL 678 Current Topics in Neurophysiology*
    • SYDE 625 Tools of Intelligent Systems Design
    • SYDE 654 Graphic Theoretic Models for Complex Systems
    • SYDE 675 Pattern Recognition
    • SYDE 676, ECE 612 Information Theory in Pattern Synthesis and Analysis
    • SYDE 631 Time Series Modeling+
    • ECE 603 Statistical Signal Processing
    • ECE 685 Stochastic Processes for Dynamical Systems
    • AMATH 777, ECE 604 Stochastic Processes
    • AMATH 855 Advanced Systems Analysis and Control
    • ECE 688 Nonlinear Systems
    • AMATH 655, ECE 682 Control Theory+
    • AMATH 851 Stability Theory and Applications
    • AMATH (in prep) Mathematics in Medicine and Biology+
    • CS 786 Probabilistic Inference and Machine Learning
    • STAT 833 Stochastic Processes
    • STAT 831 Generalized Linear Models and Applications+
    • STAT 947 Topics in Biostatistics: Neuroinformatics

Link(s) to courses

• Theoretical Neuroscience (TN) courses