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Major Requirements

The major requirements in Neuroscience consist of:

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Related coursework in other sciences

Neuroscience Core courses (2 required)

Projected Annual Course Plan: NEUROSCI

Neuroscience Electives (choose 4, 2 each from Group A and Group B)

Group A electives focus on human behavior and the human brain (choose 2):

  • COG SCI 210-0 Language and the Brain
  • CSD 303-0 or PSYCH 327-0 Brain and Cognition 
  • CSD 310-0 Biological Foundations of Speech and Music
  • PSYCH 110-0 Introduction to Psychology
  • PSYCH 228-0 Cognitive Psychology
  • PSYCH 244-0 Developmental Psychology 
  • PSYCH 248-0 Health Psychology
  • PSYCH 324-0 Perception
  • PSYCH 328-0 Brain Damage and the Mind
  • PSYCH 330-0-1 Topics in Neuroscience Brain and Language, this course substitutes for Cognitive Science 210.
  • PSYCH 391-0 Advanced Seminar in Cognition or Neuroscience as approved by Director of Undergraduate Studies. Please provide a syllabus for one of these seminars for consideration.
  • PSYCH 392-0 Allowed sections include 1. Psychoneuroimmunology and 2. Emotional Brain. Please provide a syllabus for other sections of these seminars for consideration.

Projected Annual Course Plans: COG_SCI, CSD, PSYCH

Group B electives focus on molecular, cellular, and systems level mechanisms of brain function (choose 2):

Projected Annual Course Plans: NEUROSCI, BIOL_SCI, ES_APPM

Allied Field (choose 4 courses from one of the fields below. Two of which must be a 300-level or above course)

Neuroscience majors who have declared in August 2021 or beyond are required to adhere to the 2021-2022 requirements. As such, students will choose four units within one Allied Field for interdisciplinary study. Two of which must be 300-level or above courses.

Neuroscience majors who have declared prior to August 2021 have their choice of catalog requirement year. 2020-2021 requirements required six units within one Allied Field for interdisciplinary study. Five Allied Field choices are listed below, each with a link to the list of courses that count toward this requirement. It is also possible to petition to add a course to an existing Allied Field or to propose an ad hoc Allied Field, both subject to approval by the Director of Undergraduate Studies.

Laboratory Experience

All Neuroscience majors must gain laboratory experience. There are two ways to do this:

  1. Earn two units of credit from NEUROSCI 398-0 or NEUROSCI 399-0 Research in a relevant field, approved by the Director of Undergraduate Studies, which also may substitute for an Allied Field course, or
  2. Earn at least one unit of credit from 200-level or higher laboratory or methods coursework. 

Double counting:

Between Neuroscience and other majors: Neuroscience electives may not be double counted toward another major. Up to two Allied Field courses may be double counted toward another major. All Related coursework may be double counted toward another major. No double counting of courses is allowed between Neuroscience and any minor.

Within the Neuroscience major: A course may not be counted toward both an Allied Field and an elective. However, an approved laboratory course or two credits of 398/399 research in a relevant field, approved by the Director of Undergraduate Studies, may be used to fulfill both the laboratory experience requirement as well as serving as one Allied Field course. NEUROSCI 398/399 may not be used as a Group B elective.

* Indicates courses for which the Neuroscience major provides pre-registration privileges.