Ph.D. Degree

for Neurosurgeons in Practice

Degree Outcomes

  • You can obtain your Ph.D. degree in as little as 2 years once you have completed the required courses and your dissertation is accepted
  • You will have access to a dynamic database to help you make clinical decisions for your patients
  • You will be listed as a principal investigator (PI) in the AUN Research Center
  • You will be allotted a research team that will work on your research thesis
  • Your dissertation will become the foundation for a major publication in a top journal in the field of Neurosurgery

Degree Requirements & Prerequisites

  • The doctor in Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree in Neurosurgery is being offered to neurosurgeons in practice (academic or private).
  • The candidate must have successfully completed his/her neurosurgical training in an accredited program. The candidate must successfully complete the core requirements (8 Modules) of the AUN.
  • The candidate must present a dissertation on a topic related to his or her area of specialization that presents the results of original research and gives evidence of excellent scholarship.
  • The candidate as the principal investigator (PI) will be provided with a research team by the AUN. The dissertation must be approved by the AUN Committee of Professors (experts in the respective sub-specialty area). 
  • The dissertation must lead to an original publication in a respected peer-reviewed journal. All requirements for the Ph.D. must be completed within 4 years of matriculation into the AUN.

Please Note: Matriculation/Registration for the Degree is only allowed after the neurosurgeon has taken one course (the first course- Cerebrovascular and Skull Base Surgery) of the AUN. We want to assure that the AUN fits the educational needs of the neurosurgeon before fully matriculating. If after taking the first course, the neurosurgeon matriculates, full credit for the first course will be given. If the neurosurgeon decides not to matriculate, the neurosurgeon will be given a certificate of completion of the first course.

Matriculation For Ph.D. Degree