Curriculum & Training
The curriculum of the IMPRS-TP is designed to provide the students with cross- and interdisciplinary training.
Topics
- Molecular and cellular neuroscience
- Behavioral assessments
- Electrophysiology
- Brain imaging
- Psychological and clinical measures and outcomes
- Epidemiology and statistics
- Machine Learning
- Bioinformatics
In the first year, our lectures are designed to bring all students with their different background disciplines to a common level of competence. These courses are partly provided by the Graduate School of Systemic Neuroscience (GSN), with whom we closely collaborate. Additionally, students are expected to attend lectures that will give them a deeper understanding of the biological and clinical aspects of psychiatric diseases.
A second, advanced seminar series discusses recent studies in the field of neurosciences. Attendance to these Munich Psychiatry Lecture Series (MPLS) seminars are mandatory. IMPRS-TP students are expected to actively participate in inviting and hosting the guest speaker and organizing a students' lunch. Students are awarded ECTS points for hosting the speaker.
More details about mandatory and elective courses which are needed to fulfill the ECTS requirements can be found in page 13 of the IMPRS-TP student guide.
Practical courses
In addition to theoretical courses, the IMPRS‑TP program provides the opportunity to participate in a number of practical courses and workshops, tailored to the students' specific research projects and backgrounds. This allows students to gain knowledge and experience in areas of research they might use, but also the opportunity to collect data provided by collaborators – e.g., in genetic imaging studies. The IMPRS‑TP offers the possibility to receive hands-on experience from the Max Planck Institutes and Ludwig-Maximilians-University.
Apart from the scientific curriculum, students are offered courses to improve their communication skills (scientific presentation, scientific writing and grant proposal writing). Additional workshops, on topics such as team and leadership skills, project management, and job applications can be chosen.
Attendance and presenting at retreats
Attendance to our annual IMPRS-TP retreats is mandatory. Here, all students are expected to present their research in the form of posters (early stage PhDs) or brief talks (late stage PhDs). The students also attend lectures and workshops given by internal and external speakers, as well as social events organized by the student retreat organization team. Students are awarded ECTS points for organization and participation in the retreats.
Presenting at Conferences
Students are expected to attend international scientific conferences relevant to their research. Attendance at 2 international conferences is recommended: The first should be in the early stages of their project, to acquaint them with their research field, and the second should be towards the end of their project, to present their own data.