Neuroscience Major

Associate Professor Bailey

Assistant Professor Vadnie

Neuroscience is a rapidly developing interdisciplinary field of study whose primary focus is understanding the neural mechanisms that regulate mental processes and behavior in both humans and animals.

Students can pursue neuroscience through multiple levels of analysis - from genes to cells to neuronal systems to complex behaviors, especially as related to human behavior & cognition. Students will also learn how disruptions to these systems can lead to neurological and psychiatric disorders.

Neuroscience majors often pursue careers in biomedical research, cognitive psychology, clinical psychology, medicine (M.D. or D.O), or other clinical professions (e.g. physician assistant, nursing, or physical therapy).

Learning Objectives

Goals:

1. Students will acquire the core knowledge, skills, and experiences relevant to the study of the brain.

2. Students will be able to develop hypotheses, design experiments, carry out these experiments and interpret data for a question related to a neuroscience problem.

3. Students will be able to think beyond single-discipline borders when they attempt to solve scientific problems.

4. Students will be able to access, read and gain insight from the primary neuroscience literature.

5. Students will have the opportunity to participate in original research.

6. Students will be able to effectively communicate neuroscience concepts and their relevance to audiences with varying levels of scientific expertise.

Foundational Courses (6):

Statistics (1 from):

MATH 105 - Basic Probability and Statistics
(not recommended for those intending to pursue a Masters, Ph.D. or medical school)
MATH 200 3 - Biostatistics
MATH 230 - Applied Statistics
PSYC 210 - Quantitative Methods

Neuroscience Core courses (5):

NEUR 250 - Introduction to Neuroscience
NEUR 362 - Molecular & Cellular Neuroscience
PSYC 342 - Cognitive Neuroscience
[Neuroscience majors are required to co-enroll in PSYC 342L.]
PSYC 343 - Behavioral Neuroscience
[Neuroscience majors are required to co-enroll in PSYC 343L.]
NEUR 374 - Topics in Neuroscience
[Neuroscience majors are only allowed to enroll in NEUR 374 in their senior or graduating year.]

1 Neuroscience elective from:

1 General elective:

Any upper-level course (course number 250 or higher) in PSYC, NEUR or any other Natural Sciences, including a 2nd course from the “Neuroscience electives.”

A student may petition for a course outside of the Natural Sciences to count as an elective if they can demonstrate its relevance to neuroscience or to their future career plans.