New and Existing Student Information:
Advising:
General Advising - quick questions and urgent matters schedule with any Neuroscience advisor via Pathways/Navigate app.
Pre-registration Advising Appointment/ Hold Removal is initiated by your advisor. Look for an email from Pathways/Navigate with scheduling link -AFTER ADD/DROP.
AFTER ADD/DROP - Majors assigned to advisors, students added to our canvas news and events page, campaigns begin.
The canvas news and events page is your source for information about the major and happenings on campus. It is very important to accept the evite and review the postings regularly. Especially if you are looking for a research position!
The campaigns will initiate emails to students with a link to schedule a pre-registration appointment. Students must meet with an advisor to have their ADV Hold removed and register for the next term. Dual majors can meet with either advisor.
The Pre Health Resource Center available for students interested in health-related careers
Major and co-requisite courses must be taken for a letter grade.
Capstone Requirement - Must complete one of the following:
4 credits in NROSCI1901 or 1961 (research lab) OR
240 hours verified research OR
NROSCI1027 course
Students looking for a spot in a research lab should follow this link for more information.
Direct Care positions DO NOT fulfill the capstone.
240 hours of Wetlab experiences in natural sciences DO fulfill capstone.
This DOES NOT automatically translate to credits!
To earn NROSCI credit, it should be a wetlab experience that focuses on Neuroscience.
Forms and enrollment
Please visit this site to request enrollment in Undergraduate Teaching Assistant and Research credits.
To earn credit from other Natural Science departments, contact those departments.
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Degree Requirements
To Declare
Students must earn a C or better in BIOSC 0150, BIOSC 0160, CHEM 0110, and CHEM 0120 to declare the Neuroscience major.
Major Requirements
In addition to the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences general education requirements, neuroscience majors must complete a minimum of 59 credits, detailed as follows:
Required Courses
*Students may use University Honors College (UHC) course equivalents to fulfill requirements. All UHC courses require a minimum 3.25 GPA to enroll.
- NROSCI 1000/(1003 UHC) — Introduction to Neuroscience
- Prerequisites: "C" in BIOSC 0150, BIOS 0160, CHEM 0110, and CHEM 0120
- As of the 2101 term (Fall 2009) a "B-" or better ("C" will not do) must be earned in NROSCI 1000/1003 to enroll in subsequent Neuroscience core courses or advanced electives.
- NROSCI 1011/(1013 UHC) — Functional Neuroanatomy
- Prerequisites: NROSCI 1000/(1003 UHC)
- NROSCI 1012/(1018 UHC) — Neurophysiology
- Prerequisites: NROSCI 1000/(1003 UHC), PHYS 0111/(0175 UHC), MATH 0220
- NROSCI 1017 — Synaptic Transmission
- Prerequisite: NROSCI 1000/(1003 UHC)
- NROSCI 1049 — Topics in Neuroscience Research
- Prerequisites: NROSCI 1000/(1003 UHC); NROSCI 1049 should be taken within a year of taking NROSCI 1000/(1003 UHC).
- NROSCI 1962 —Thesis Research Writing
- Prerequisites: NROSCI 1901 or 1961 or substantial research and data collection documented by a Principal Investigator.
OR
- NROSCI 1800/1801 —Neuroscience Writing Practicum (equivalent courses).
- Corequisite: NROSCI Advanced Elective
OR
- NROSCI 1004 - Neurobiology of Learning Laboratory (this course is 3 credits and also fulfills one of the advanced elective requirements (see below) for majors.
- Prerequisites: NROSCI 1000
Neuroscience majors must also choose two (6-7 credits) advanced electives from the following (additional courses are approved as requestsed):
- NROSCI 1014 — Speaking of Science
- Prerequisites: NROSCI 1000/(1003 UHC)
- NROSCI 1028 — Signaling Pathways in synaptic Plasticity
- Prerequisites: NROSCI 1000/(1003 UHC)
- NROSCI 1030 — Psychiatric Disorders and Brain Function
- Prerequisites: NROSCI 1000/(1003 UHC) & NROSCI 1011/(1013 UHC)
- NROSCI 1032 — Functional Organization of the Human Nervous System
- Prerequisites: NROSCI 1000/(1003 UHC) & NROSCI 1011/(1013 UHC)
- NROSCI 1034 — Neural Basis of Cognition
- Prerequisites: NROSCI 1000/(1003 UHC)
- NROSCI 1036 — Neurobiology of Aging
- Prerequisites: NROSCI 1000/(1003 UHC) & NROSCI 1011/(1013 UHC)
- NROSCI 1039 — Processing in Neural Circuits
- Prerequisites: NROSCI 1000/(1003 UHC)
- NROSCI 1041 — Developmental Neuroscience
- Prerequisites: NROSCI 1000/(1003 UHC)
- NROSCI 1042 — Neurochemical Basis of Behavior
- Prerequisites: NROSCI 1000/(1003 UHC) & CHEM 0310
- NROSCI 1043 — Neural Plasticity
- Prerequisites: NROSCI 1000/(1003 UHC)
- NROSCI 1046 --- Computational Neuroscience
- Prerequisites: NROSCI 1000/(1003 UHC)
- NROSCI 1053 --- Restorative Neuroscience
- Prerequisites: NROSCI 1000/(1003 UHC)
- NROSCI 1112 — UHC Functional Neuroanatomy Honors Practicum
- Prerequisites: NROSCI 1000/(1003 UHC), 3.25 or better GPA
- NROSCI 1200 —Neuropharmacology of Addiction
- Prerequisites: NROSCI 1000/(1003 UHC)
- NROSCI 1201 - Systems Neurophysiology Laboratory
- Prerequisites: NROSCI 1000/(1003 UHC)
Students who matriculated in the term 2081 (Fall 2007) or later must complete a capstone experience. The options for this requirement are one of the following:
- NROSCI 1027 — Topics in Neuroscience: Pro Seminar
- Corequisite: NROSCI 1801
- NROSCI 1901/1961 — Independent Research (4 credits/240 hours)
- NROSCI 1903 — Neuroscience Internship Experience (3 cr, Letter Grade option)
- NROSCI 1962 — Thesis Writing
- Prerequisites: NROSCI 1901 or substantial data collection documented by Principal Investigator.
Corequisite Courses (40 - 44 credits)
BIOSC 0150, 0160, 0050, and 0060 — Foundations of Biology 1 and 2 and labs
BIOSC 1000/(1003 UHC) — Biochemistry
CHEM 0110 and 0120 — General Chemistry 1 and 2
CHEM 0310 and 0320, and 0345 — Organic Chemistry 1 and 2 and lab
MATH 0220 — Analytic Geometry and Calculus 1
NROSCI 1250/(1070 UHC) — Human Physiology
PHYS 0110/(0174 UHC) and 0111/(1075) — Basic Physics for Science and Engineering 1 and 2
Grade Requirements
Students majoring in neuroscience must take all courses listed above (both required and corequisite courses) for a letter grade.
NROSCI 1000 — Introduction to Neuroscience must be passed with a "B-" or better* ("C" will not do). A passing grade below a "C" earned in any of the other required courses will be accepted only if it is balanced out with higher grades, so that the major GPA remains a 2.00 or better.
The cumulative corequisite GPA must also be 2.00 or better. In the corequisites, a passing grade below "C" in any course may be accepted only if it is appropriately balanced with higher grades. This requirement applies collectively to corequisite courses taught in the Department of Neuroscience and those taught in other departments.
*Students who took NROSCI 1000 prior to the 2101 term (Fall 2009) must have earned a grade of "C" ("C-" will not do) in NROSCI 1000 Introduction to Neuroscience as a prerequisite to taking any other departmental core or advanced elective courses.
Undergraduate Research
The Department of Neuroscience encourages interested undergraduate majors to gain research experience within an active neuroscience laboratory. The department is a world-class research department committed to high quality research and sharing the excitement of scientific exploration with trainees. Majors are encouraged to take advantage of the opportunity to do meaningful neuroscience research while still undergraduates. It is not unusual for majors to report their research at scientific meetings and to be published. While research experience itself has strong benefits, it is also useful for interacting more closely with professors and enhancing preparation for graduate or medical school. Most undergraduates who enroll in research for credit are interested in completing an independent project that results in an undergraduate thesis.
Departmental Honors
To qualify for departmental honors, students are required to achieve a minimum overall GPA of 3.50, a minimum major GPA of 3.50, complete a substantial amount of neuroscience research on an approved research project, give a public presentation, and write a senior thesis.
The full faculty of the department approves departmental honors after consideration of all eligible students.
Please contact the advising office for more information.