How do I choose courses?
First discuss with your thesis director which courses are most appropriate to complement your background and the research that you are undertaking. If you are coming from a background that is outside of Neuroscience you will be required to fill that gap with one or two Master’s level Neuroscience courses at the beginning of your PhD. Check with the your thesis director and the program administrator to see if you need to fill a gap.
How do I sign myself up for courses in my student portal?
Once your matriculation is complete, your student portal will be activated and you can sign yourself up for courses.
Cannot find the course:
– Go the the section of your study plan for the type of course it is (EPFL PhD, Master’s etc)
– Click on the small downward pointing triangle opening a small search window.
– Click on the small red hand to see the search filters
– Once you find the course, click on it, and the course will be added to the correct place in your study plan.
For more help, see….FAQ Doctoral School Courses and Enrolment for Classes and Exams
When does the semester start?
Many PhD level courses do not follow the semester dates, but are in the form of short courses or symposiums.
Master’s courses, however, do meet during an entire semester. The academic calendar (semester and exam dates) is found in Memento.
EPFL PhD level courses – 600+ level
If the course you need is an EPFL Doctoral course, you may sign yourself up in your student portal.
EPFL Master’s/ Bachelor courses – 300-400-500 level –
maximun 8 credits allowed towards 12 credits required
If the course is a lower level than a Doctoral course on the EPFL campus, the you must ask the Program Director’s permission to take the course 3 weeks before the course starts.
Use the External Course Request Form and return it to the program administrator 3 weeks before the course starts.
The program administrator will notify you if the EDNE program director’s agrees that you take the course and the number of credits you will receive.
External Courses – non EPFL Courses – both Master’s level or Doctoral level –
You must use the External Course Request Form to ask permission from the program director. See above under EPFL Master’s /Bachelor courses.
Annual Meeting Neuro-Lemanic Network Doctoral Schools – NLN
Held in Les Diablerêts, gathering Neuroscience Phd students and PIs in the Lake Leman region.
Students must be first authors on poster/presentation and write a one-page document summarizing what they newly learned from the discussions and poster presentation of the other participants. Up of 2 such ECTS credits can be earned.
What if I have just started my PhD and missed the deadline to sign up for the Master’s courses?
Please see the EDNE program administrator to fill out a form to avoid paying the 50CHF late fee.
Transversal Skills Courses – Four of the 8 master’s credits can come from Transversal Skills. (! Transversal Skills credits are only counted after you have passed your Candidacy Exam!)
If you need a signature from the EDNE Program Director, please bring the form to the Program administrator.
To present yourself for your Oral Exam, you will need at least 12 credits,
- 8 of which can come from Master’s level courses. Four of the 8 master’s credits can come from Transversal Skills. (!!Transversal Skills credits are only counted after you have passed your Candidacy Exam.)
- You must have a minimum of 4 credits from EPFL PhD Courses, strongly preferable from EDNE .
- Only 4 credits, including the 2 possible credits from the Annual Meeting Neuro-Lemanic Network Doctoral Schools can come from external courses.
Non-EDNE EPFL PhD courses – Please register for the course directly under “Other Doctoral Courses” in your study plan. If the course does not appear in the list, click on the downward arrow and search for the class. More help here. ALWAYS clear your class choices with your thesis supervisor!
EPFL Bachelor-Master’s courses – Please fill out and send the “external course request” form to the EDNE administrator. Once you have received approval from the EDNE program director, you may sign yourself up for the course. Max. 8 ECTS can be earned.
Annual Meeting Neuro-Lemanic Network Doctoral Schools –
Held in Les Diablerêts, gathering Neuroscience Phd students and PIs in the Lake Leman region.
Students can present a poster or do a presentation to earn one credit. Up to 2 credits can be earned this way.
Lemanic Neuroscience courses (LNDS) – Please use the “external course request” form to register for UNIL or UNIGE LN courses . See above under EPFL Bachelor-Master’s courses.
Students from UNIL, UNIGE, UNIFRI, and The Lemanic Neuroscience “LN” are welcome to attend our EDNE PhD courses listed in section entitled “Core courses“.
To register as an auditor, please contact the EDNE administrator to receive the External Auditor Request form.
For any other registration to EPFL courses not organized by the EPFL EDNE Program, please apply directly to the organizing Program administration.
Students must fill out the External Course Request Form for non-EPFL doctoral courses and for EPFL Bachelor’s and Master’s Courses.
Master’s Courses which give a solid base of Neuroscience background
- Neurosciences I : molecular neuroscience and neurodegeneration (BIO-480)
- Neurosciences II : cellular mechanisms of brain function (BIO-482)
- Neurosciences III : behavioral and cognitive neuroscience (BIO-483)
Other recommended Master’s courses
- Understanding Statistics and Experimental design (BIO-449) – No external course request form needed.
- Analysis and Modelling of Locomotion (BIOENG-404)
- Signal Processing for Functional Brain Imaging (MICRO-513)
- Chemical Biology (CH-412)
- Biological modeling of neural networks (BIO-465)
- Computational Motor Control (CS-432)
- Fundamentals of Neuroengineering (BIOENG-448)
- Sensorimotor Neuroprosthetics (BIOENG-486)
PhD/PostDoc Workshops -No ECTS
Language Center – Registration – No ECTS