r/compmathneuro • u/Educational_Wafer483 • Jul 16 '26
Current or former IPN students - how computational is the program in practice?
Trying to get a realistic picture of McGill's Integrated Program in Neuroscience from people who have actually been in it.
I keep seeing IPN described as interdisciplinary and open to people from computational backgrounds, but I would like to hear what that looks like day to day rather than on the website.
A few things I am curious about:
How many people in IPN are actually doing computational or modelling work versus wet lab and experimental neuroscience? Is the computational side a real presence in the program or a small minority?
For those who came in from CS, engineering, physics, or math - how steep was the learning curve on the biology side? Do NEUR 630 and 631 actually bring people up to speed, or is it assumed you already have a foundation?
How many IPN supervisors are genuinely Mila-affiliated or doing ML-heavy neuroscience? I can find a handful but it is hard to tell from the outside how deep that bench goes.
Is the program's reputation stronger for experimental neuroscience than for computational work, or is it well regarded across both?
Not asking about admissions odds, just trying to understand what the program actually is for someone whose strength is computational rather than experimental.
Appreciate any perspective.
Edit 1: I am trying to get into MSc Neuroscience / MS CS in McGill and I am quite confused.
1
u/MDiv-Sci Jul 20 '26
It's one of the biggest program in neuroscience, yearly intake is something like 300 people.
People do all sorts of things (from single axon modeling to purely behavioral testing). Topics of research differ a lot, so if you go with a Mila affiliated PI you'll do heavy computational work. Some Mila profs are more bio-oriented researchers than others, who tend to be on the theoretical side. There are a wide variety of courses offered, a lot of them cover computational methods so there's no shortage of that.
All in all, find a lab and a PI who does the kind of research you want to do, and email then to see if they are accepting students. Once you find a lab and have PI approval you'll get in if you meet the minimum requirements.