A major strength of the NACS program is the broad, integrative training it offers graduate students. An important goal of the curriculum is to assure that all NACS students have a core body of knowledge covering the basic concepts across the full range of the neural and cognitive sciences. This must be balanced with a second goal: a doctorate in NACS is a research degree, and the best way to learn the skills and strategies of research is to be immersed in day-to-day laboratory or research group activities and an independent project. Thus, the program should impose the smallest number of required courses consistent with the sufficient breadth of training.
