Neuroscience

Director Colin Saldanha (Biology)

Note: Faculty from the Departments of Biology, Chemistry, Psychology, and other departments and schools of the university teach courses in the program.

Neuroscience is a rapidly growing, interdisciplinary field, including psychology, chemistry, biology, physics, and mathematics/computer science. Neuroscientists work on a range of problems that are important for health and for understanding of what it means to be human (for instance, genetics of developmental disorders, pharmacological actions of drugs, animal models of human neurological diseases, human cognition and perception). To prepare students to meet these interdisciplinary challenges, the Neuroscience program capitalizes on the strength of faculty and course offerings from different departments in the College of Arts and Sciences. B.S. Neuroscience majors will study biological and chemical mechanisms as well as computational and cognitive neuroscience. Two 200-level core courses in Neuroscience build a solid foundation in the field, and coursework in basic biology, chemistry, physics, and quantitative reasoning establishes a general science background. Students achieve depth through upper-level specialization and research experience, and develop breadth by selecting courses from a range of possible electives. Completion of a research project in the final year is strongly recommended for students wishing to pursue a graduate research program. The Neuroscience program is particularly suited to students who are interested in the biological bases of behavior, including those interested in biology, psychology, and pre-medical studies.

Upon completion of the Neuroscience major, students will:

Demonstrate mastery of neuroscience and the fundamentals of other disciplines important for the understanding of brain and behavior;
Understand the research methods involved in neuroscience research, from cells to systems;
Be able to critically analyze neuroscientific literature;
Be prepared to pursue graduate research and careers in and related to Neuroscience.

Programs

Major

Neuroscience (BS)