Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience Sarah Raskin prepares an
experiment with Navneet Kaur ’12 and Sarah Isaac ’14. The student
wearing the headgear is Max Alderman ’11.

The faculty has approved a new program that will allow students who have demonstrated academic excellence in neuroscience to obtain both their B.A. and their master’s degree in five years. The program will also serve to enhance Trinity’s roster of graduate offerings.

To qualify, a student must already be enrolled in the College and be recommended for the rigorous program by faculty members in neuroscience. In addition to having to fulfill specific requirements, the students must take a one-credit graduate research seminar and spend their fifth year doing intensive research.

“Admission to graduate study in some sub-disciplines within neuroscience has become quite competitive. This B.A./M.A. program offers students an opportunity to strengthen their application to Ph.D. programs,” said Hebe Guardiola-Diaz, associate professor of biology and neuroscience and director of the program.

The neuroscience faculty has found in recent years that many students who want to obtain a Ph.D. or attend medical school are required to do a full year of research in order to qualify for a master’s degree program.

Because of the way Trinity’s degree program is structured, neuroscience students now graduate with a B.A. but then must find a hospital, institution, or other facility where they can either continue their research or embark on a new project. Then they apply to graduate schools to get their master’s degrees, thus encountering a year’s delay. The new five-year program will allow students to fulfill the research requirement while at Trinity and expedite their ability to get a Ph.D. or attend medical school.

“We designed this program for superior students who want to expand their research experience before applying to doctoral programs. By staying at Trinity, taking graduate level courses, and spending a year continuing ongoing research, we believe they will be in the best possible position to get into and succeed in top programs,” says Sarah Raskin, professor of psychology and neuroscience.