The vision of the Neuroscience major program is to teach students the fundamental principles of neuroscience in the context of a research-focused curriculum so that each student will be well prepared to pursue a career in the field of neuroscience, cognitive psychology or an allied health field. Neuroscience students are broadly trained in the foundational disciplines of biology, psychology, chemistry and statistics while also providing depth in training at multiple levels of neuroscience in four neuroscience courses: 1) Intro to Neuroscience, 2) Neurochemistry and Neuropharmacology, 3) Neuroanatomy and Neurophysiology and 4) Cognitive Psychology/Neuroscience. Students then have the opportunity to tailor their major by selecting 1) the most appropriate cognate courses in computer science, engineering, physics and philosophy and 2) upper level biology or psychology courses, which best suite their specific career goals. Finally, students have the opportunity to apply their foundational knowledge to novel problems in neuroscience in a collaborative research capstone experience in their junior or senior year.
In order to maximize student’s interdisciplinary training, we offer a Bachelor of Arts in Neuroscience. It is important that all students considering a major in neuroscience talk with a faculty member in the program as early as possible when planning their degree program.
Students interested in pursuing graduate studies in cellular, molecular, or systems neuroscience or professional studies in a health-related field should take the following to fulfill admission requirements for their intended post-graduate program:
- The General Chemistry series
- One year of Organic Chemistry
- At least one semester of Biochemistry
Students intending to seek advanced degrees in clinical psychology or other cognitive-related disciplines should consider taking Biological Chemistry (CHEM 103 /CHEM 103L ).
Some neuroscience graduate programs may also require Calculus.
Students interested in pursuing professional studies in a health-related field are highly recommended to take one year of physics. Some neuroscience graduate programs require one year of physics.
Those students interested in computational neuroscience are highly encouraged to take CSCI 115 or CSCI 125 .
The neuroscience major consists of 56 credits of coursework.
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