CBD Predoctoral Training Program
Graduate Fellowships
CBD Predoctoral Fellowships are available to admitted students in any of the participating graduate programs at UCLA. The training program normally begins in the first year of graduate school and ends when the trainee completes his/her dissertation. Each trainee selected for funding will be given a fellowship stipend (about $15,000) plus tuition and fees to be paid by CBD during ONE YEAR of graduate school (usually the second year of graduate study).
To be eligible for a CBD Predoctoral Fellowship, individuals must apply for admission directly to one of the participating departments or programs, indicating in their statement of purpose that they would like to participate in CBD and be considered for a CBD Fellowship. For more information about applying to graduate programs at UCLA, please see the UCLA Graduate Division website or go directly to the department or program pages.
Anthropology
Applied Linguistics
Education
Neuroscience / Brain Mapping
Psychiatry
Psychology
NOTE:
You may not apply for a CBD predoctoral fellowship independent of applying for admission to one of the participating graduate programs, and fellowships are only awarded after a candidate is admitted to one of these UCLA departments or programs.
Other Funding
During non-CBD-funded years (typically years 1, 3, and 4), there are many other sources of funding available to graduate students at UCLA, including Fellowships , Teaching Assistantships, and Research Assistantships. For more information about these sources of funding, please check with your academic department or the UCLA Graduate Division.
Dissertation Year Fellowships
CBD Fellows who continue in good standing with the program are also eligible for Dissertation Year Fellowships, including fees and tuition, to be awarded the year following advancement to candidacy. These Fellowships are funded by the UCLA Graduate Division.
NOTE: Students may also be accepted into the program without funding.
Academic Requirements and Program
Course Requirements
To attain a background in the three fields of study central to CBD, trainees will be required to take a minimum of one basic graduate-level course in each of the following program areas:
- Human culture
- The brain
- Developmental psychology
CBD Integrative Seminar
The CBD Integrative Seminar is co-taught each year by professors representing two or three of the six participating CBD departments. Trainees are required to participate at least one quarter in the seminar, usually in their first or second year. The seminar is also coordinated with the CBD Forum.
CBD Forum
The CBD Forum is a biweekly forum that serves different functions each quarter. In Winter and Spring quarters, CBD trainees and affiliates will have the opportunity to attend lectures by leaders in the fields of culture, brain, and development research. In Fall quarter, CBD trainees have the opportunity to present their own research to their colleagues and mentors. CBD trainees and postdoctoral fellows are expected to attend the forum throughout their graduate or post-graduate career at UCLA.
Methodology Requirement
Each trainee is required to take one methodology course outside his or her major department and in one of the other cooperating departments. For example, a Psychology graduate student may take a course on discourse analysis in Anthropology, or an Applied Linguistics student may take an fMRI course at the Brain Mapping Center.
