Neuroscience
BS Degree in Biological Sciences
Twenty courses (some with companion labs) are required to complete the Neuroscience major. Independent study credits (e.g., NSCI 395) may not be substituted for any major requirements.
Introductory Biology Courses (4 courses)
One of the following:
- BIOL 110: Principles of Biology I (Spring)
- BIOL 110L: Principles of Biology I with lab (Fall)
- BIOL 112L: Perspectives in Biology I with lab (Fall)
One of the following:
- BIOL 111L: Principles of Biology II with lab (Spring)
- BIOL 113L: Perspectives in Biology I with lab (Spring)
One of the following:
- BIOL 190: Genetics & the Human Genome (Fall)
- BIOL 198: Principles of Genetics (Fall)
One of the following:
- BIOL 250: Biochemistry (Spring)
- BIOL 252: Principles of Biochemistry (Spring)
The BIOL 198P and BIOL 250P labs are recommended but not required.
Biology Diversification Course (1 course)
Students are required to take one biology diversification elective. This course must be chosen from within the biological sciences, but from outside the neuroscience curriculum. The diversification elective must be 200-level or higher and 4 credits.
Neuroscience Core Courses (3 courses)
- NSCI 201 & 201P: Basic Neurobiology with lab (Fall)
- NSCI 203: Laboratory in Neurobiology (Spring)
- NSCI 301 or NSCI 302: Senior Seminar in Neuroscience (Fall or Spring)
Neuroscience Electives (4 courses)
- NSCI 241: Neurons, Circuits, & Systems (no longer available; valid if previously completed)
- NSCI 242: Neuropsychology (Fall)
- NSCI 243: Neurochemical Foundations of Behavior (Fall)
- NSCI 244: Neuroethology (Spring)
- NSCI 245: Sensory & Motor Neuroscience (Fall)
- NSCI 246: Biology of Mental Disorders (Spring)
- NSCI 247: Introduction to Computational Neuroscience (Fall, even-numbered years)
- NSCI 249: Developmental Neurobiology (Spring)
- NSCI 250: Acquired Brain Disorders (Spring)
- NSCI 251: Neurobiology of Sleep (Fall)
- NSCI 252: Functional Neuroanatomy (Spring)
- NSCI 257: Advanced Computational Neuroscience (Spring, odd-numbered years)
- NSCI 280: Advanced Topics in Cognitive Neuroscience (Fall)
- BME 415: Neuroscience of Neuroprosthetics (Spring, on hiatus until 2026)
- IND 447U: Signal Transduction (Spring)
Allied Fields (8 courses)
Both of the following general chemistry courses:
- CHEM 131: Chemical Concepts I (AP credits acceptable)
- CHEM 132: Chemical Concepts II
One of the following organic chemistry I courses:
- CHEM 203/207: Organic Chemistry I with lab
- CHEM 171/173: First Year Organic Chemistry I with lab
Students taking first-year organic chemistry may substitute CHEM 172 (with either CHEM 208 or CHEM 210W as the accompanying lab) in place of CHEM 132 to complete the three-course chemistry sequence requirement.
One of the following statistics courses:
- STAT 180: Intro to Applied Statistical Methodology (AP credits acceptable)
- STAT 190: Intro to Statistical Methodology
- STAT 212: Applied Statistics I (no longer available; valid if previously completed)
Students with AP credit for statistics are very strongly encouraged to take another statistics course prior to taking NSCI 203. A higher-level stats course can satisfy one of the additional allied field requirements if chosen from the statistics group below.
Four additional allied field courses, chosen from at least two of the following categories:
Chemistry
- CHEM 204/208: Organic Chemistry II with lab
- CHEM 211: Inorganic Chemistry
Math
- MATH 141/161/171: Calculus I (AP credits acceptable)
- MATH 142/162/172: Calculus II (AP credits acceptable)
- MATH 150: Discrete Mathematics
- MATH 164: Multidimensional Calculus
- MATH 165: Linear Algebra with Differential Equations
- MATH 218: Intro to Mathematical Models in Life Science
Physics
- PHYS 113/121/141: General Physics I/Mechanics (AP credits acceptable)
- PHYS 114/122/142: General Physics II/Electricity & Magnetism (AP credits acceptable)
- PHYS 123/143: Waves & Modern Physics
Statistics
- STAT 215: Design & Analysis of Experiments
- STAT 216: Intermediate Statistical Methodology
- STAT 217: Advanced Statistical Methodology
- STAT 218: Categorical Data Analysis
- STAT 201: Intro to Probability
- STAT 203: Intro to Mathematical Statistics
- STAT 276: Statistical Computing in R
Programming
- BCSC 215: Intro to MATLAB
- CSC 161: Intro to Programming
- CSC 171: Intro to Computer Science (AP credits acceptable)
- CSC 172: Data Structures & Algorithms
- STAT 275: R Programming
Data Science
- DSCC 201: Tools for Data Science
- DSCC 262: Computational Intro to Statistics (no longer available; valid if previously completed)
- DSCC 265: Intro to Statistical Machine Learning
Applied Ethics
- PHIL 120: Ethics of Technology
- PHIL 225: Ethical Decisions in Medicine
- PHIL 235: Data, Algorithms, & Justice
- PHIL 257: Philosophy of Artificial Intelligence
- PHIL 311: Seminar in Bioethics
- PHIL 312: Neuroethics
- PHIL 321: Death
Scientific Communication
- WRTG 262: Learning to Write Like an Insider in Your Discipline
- WRTG 265: Argument & Evidence Across Contexts
- WRTG 290B: Writing About and With AI
- PHIL 152: Science & Reason
- PHIL 246: Social Character of Knowledge
- PSCI 245: Politics of Science & Expertise