Neuroscience Major/Minor Requirements

The field of neuroscience uses an interdisciplinary approach to study the brain and nervous system. Humans and other animals rely on the nervous system in order to process environmental stimuli, integrate this information and produce an adaptive response (motor, hormonal, behavioral). A response may be as straightforward as a knee reflex or as complicated as understanding Plato.

The fields of biology, chemistry, and psychology provide much of the core knowledge needed to pursue study in neuroscience, and the major will prepare students for graduate study in neuroscience or allied health areas. However, knowledge from neuroscience may inform creative and scholarly endeavors in many areas including literature, music, and art. Therefore, it is an advantage for a neuroscience major to be in a liberal arts setting that can provide exposure to a wide spectrum of interests.

Students who complete the major in neuroscience will be able to explain the connection between nervous system structure/organization and sensory and motor pathway functions. They will relate molecular/cellular processes to electrophysiological activity and describe how behavior is a result of combined activity of neural networks. By the culmination of the major, they will integrate research literature on a specific topic into a meaningful analysis.

The major in neuroscience requires the following:

1. The following foundation courses: (5 courses)
   1. BIOL 130: Cellular Form and Function ^a 
   2. BIOL 150: Organismal Form and Function ^a 
   3. CHEM 115: Principles in Chemistry: Structure and Reactivity ^b 
   4. CHEM 116: Principles of Chemistry: Energetics and Dynamics 
   5. STAT 107: Principles of Statistics or STAT 255: Statistics for Data Science ^c
2. The following core courses: (3 courses) 
   1. NESC 200: Foundations of Neuroscience ^d
   2. NESC 284: Research Methods in Neuroscience ^e 
   3. NESC 580: Topics in Neuroscience ^f
3. One course from the cellular/molecular lab course group: (1 course)
   1. BIOL 325: Cell Biology 
   2. BIOL 354: Molecular Biology 
   3. BIOL 444 or CHEM 340: Biochemistry I 
   4. BIOL 453: Developmental Biology 
4. One course from the systems lab course group: (1 course)
   1. BIOL 242: Comparative Physiology ^g 
   2. PSYC 343: Cognitive Neuroscience 
   3. PSYC 365: Brain and Behavior  
5. One course from the neuroscience elective group: (1 course)
   1. PSYC 347: Hormones, Brain and Behavior 
   2. PSYC 420: Clinical and Affective Neuroscience 
6. Senior Experience as described below:

Students majoring in neuroscience will work closely with neuroscience program faculty to develop a Senior Experience. Students may develop a Senior Experience from the psychology senior capstone or the biology senior capstone. Departmental and instructor approval are required to take a senior capstone.  Alternatively, a student may elect to conduct a neuroscience independent study as their Senior Experience. This option requires a student to complete the following: 

• 12 units of independent study or 6 units of independent study and a summer research experience on the same project. 
• A 15-20 page research paper on the project submitted by the Wednesday before midterm reading period in Spring Term of senior year. 
• An oral presentation and exam with neuroscience faculty, to be scheduled by the first day of Spring Term, senior year. 
• Presentation of the project at an appropriate research conference approved by the research advisor. 

Students must formally declare which option they will chose for their Senior Experience to the Neuroscience program director before the first day of the Spring Term the year before they plan on completing their Senior Experience course work, which is typically a student's junior year. For students wanting to complete a Psychology senior capstone, they will also need to declare this to the chair of the Psychology Department no later than the end of the second week of Winter Term.  If choosing the biology or psychology Senior Experience option, a contract will be signed with the academic advisor. If choosing the neuroscience independent study option, a contract will be signed with the academic advisor and research advisor.

***If the independent study option becomes an honors project, the honors thesis and oral exam will satisfy these requirements. Scheduling for the independent study option will follow the honors scheduling guidelines.

1. The following core courses: (6 courses)
   1. BIOL 130: Cellular Form and Function ^a 
   2. BIOL 150: Organismal Form and Function ^a 
   3. CHEM 115: Principles in Chemistry: Structure and Reactivity ^b 
   4. CHEM 116: Principles of Chemistry: Energetics and Dynamics 
   5. NESC 200: Foundations of Neuroscience ^d 
   6. NESC 580: Topics in Neuroscience ^f 
2. One of the following neuroscience courses: (1 course)
   1. PSYC 343: Cognitive Neuroscience 
   2. PSYC 347: Hormones, Brain and Behavior 
   3. PSYC 365: Brain and Behavior (with lab) 
   4. PSYC 420: Clinical and Affective Neuroscience 

^a Students who have earned AP or IB credit in biology are exempt from BIOL 130, but not the other introductory courses. Students also can take a departmental exemption exam for either BIOL 130 and/or BIOL 150 if they feel well qualified based on previous coursework. 

^b Students who test into CHEM116: Principles of Chemistry: Energetics and Dynamics are exempt from CHEM115: Principles in Chemistry: Structure and Reactivity 

^c Students with a double major or minor requiring a statistics requirement can petition to have one or more of their quantitative requirements substitute for STAT 107: Principles of Statistics or STAT 255: Statistics for Data Science. 

^d Students who have already taken PSYC 348: Biological Psychology should not take NESC 200: Foundations of Neuroscience but will be required to take PSYC 365: Brain and Behavior as their Lab Systems course elective. 

^e Students with a Psychology major or minor requiring PSYC 284: Research Methods in Psychology (with laboratory) can use this course as a substitute for NESC 284: Research Methods in Neuroscience 

^f Prerequisite for NESC 580: Topics in Neuroscience is CHEM 116: Principles of Chemistry: Energetics and Dynamics, BIOL 150: Organismal Form and Function, and either NESC 200: Foundations of Neuroscience, PSYC 348: Biological Psychology, or consent of instructor. 

^g Students taking BIOL 370: Human Physiology as a prerequisite for an allied health program e.g., nursing, can replace BIOL 242: Comparative Physiology with BIOL 370: Human Physiology.