Neuroscience

Life scientists have come to recognize that an understanding of how the brain, the “organ of consciousness,” functions and endows human beings with the capacity to know, to feel, and to value, requires a multidisciplinary research effort. The Neuroscience Interdisciplinary Minor introduces students to a field of science that has experienced an explosion of information and technological innovation. It provides students with a model for understanding how the conventional boundaries separating disciplines appearing to be incompatible can evaporate when new intellectual challenges confront us. In keeping with the liberal arts tradition, the interdisciplinary minor provides students with an opportunity to explore another dimension of our humanity-the biological substrate of all our moral and mental faculties.

Neuroscience Major

To major in Neuroscience, students must apply for the major through the Center for Interdisciplinary Studies prior to spring break of their sophomore year. Application information can be found on the CIS website.

Prerequisites

Requirements

The Neuroscience major requires 12 courses, including:

Three Core Courses
- Behavioral Neurscience: BIO 331 or PSY 303
- Functional Neuroanatomy: BIO 332 or PSY 324
- BIO 333 - Cellular & Molecular Neuroscience
Three Psychology Courses
(Select three from the following list, including one 200-level and one 300-level course.)
- PSY 195
- PSY 231
- PSY 245
- PSY 276
- PSY 280
- PSY 282 or PSY 305
- PSY 284 or PSY 302
- PSY 301
- PSY 304
- PSY 323 or BIO 223
- PSY 330
Three Biology and Biochemistry Courses
(Select three from the following list, including two that offer a laboratory component.)
- BIO 201
- BIO 208
- BIO 251
- BIO 261
- BIO 303 or CHE 230
- BIO 309
- BIO 310
- BIO 311
- BIO 371 or BIO 372 or BIO 373
One Statistics & Research Design Course (Select one.)
- BIO 240
- PSY 310
Thesis (Both courses are required.)
- CIS 495 (fall)
- CIS 496 (spring)
Recommended Courses
- HHV 391
- PHI 130
- PHI 213
- PHI 217

Neuroscience Interdisciplinary Minor

Application Procedures

The Neuroscience Interdisciplinary Minor is administered by the Neuroscience Advisory Committee. The faculty liaison is Dr. Julio Ramirez. Students shall submit a written proposal to the Advisory Committee by the last day of the spring semester of the junior year. The proposal should specify the courses that will be used to satisfy the interdisciplinary minor requirements. If any of the courses are to be independent studies, research courses, or seminars, the student must provide the Advisory Committee with a complete description of that course before the semester of enrollment. Certification of completion of all requirements for the interdisciplinary minor is made by the Registrar upon recommendation of the Neuroscience Advisory Committee.

Requirements

The Neuroscience Interdisciplinary minor requires a minimum of six courses and involves two components:

Required Courses

Students must take:
- PSY 303 - Psychological Research-Behavioral Neuroscience (= BIO 331) or
- BIO 331 - Behavioral Neuroscience (= PSY 303)
Students must take at least one of the following two courses. Taking both is highly recommended. If both are taken, one may be counted as an elective toward the interdisciplinary minor.

Elective Courses

At least three electives chosen from a list annually reviewed and approved by the Neuroscience Advisory Committee (one from outside the student’s major–and only one–must be independent study/research.)

Additional Information

No more than two courses in the interdisciplinary minor may also be counted toward the major. A grade of “C” or higher is required in all courses applied toward the interdisciplinary minor.