Neuroscience Curriculum
The Neuroscience major and minor offer interdisciplinary studies in a field dedicated to understanding the structure and function of the brain and nervous system. The Neuroscience major is a total of 61-67 credits and consists of the Neuroscience required curriculum along with elective courses in related disciplines.
For course descriptions, visit the online Class Search.
NOTE: Degree requirements for incoming students may not reflect the actual degree requirements of current students.
The Neuroscience major required curriculum consists of 32-33 credit hours spread across an array of interdisciplinary courses.
Neuroscience–6 credits
- NS 110, Introduction to Neuroscience
- NS 210, Multidisciplinary Approaches to Neuroscience
- NS 410, Big Questions in Neuroscience
Psychology–9 credits
- SW 250, Psychological Inquiry
- PS 370, Biological Bases of Behavior (formerly PS 235)
- PS 412, Advanced Applied Neuroscience or PS 413, Neuroscience of Drugs
Philosophy–6 credits
- PL 343, Philosophy of Science
- PL 346, Philosophy of Mind
Biology–11 or 12 credits
- BI 210, Genetics
- BI 220, Cellular and Molecular Biology
- NS 460 or BI 460, Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology
- Students enrolled in the Biological Neuroscience concentration must take BI 460.
Chemistry
Students completing the Biological track must also take both CH 105 and CH 106 OR only CH107. All Neuroscience students should look at the entrance requirements for graduate programs they may be considering to determine whether these Chemistry courses (if not required) or additional Chemistry courses would help prepare them for graduate school.
To see how the Neuroscience major fits into your college career, see these sample 4 Year Plans: Neuroscience Major (Spring 2026 and prior) , with Pre-Med, and Double Major in your Neuroscience track.
The Neuroscience major required curriculum consists of 61-67 credit hours spread across an array of interdisciplinary courses.
Neuroscience–8 credits
- NS 110 Introduction to Neuroscience
- NS 210 Multidisciplinary Approaches to Neuroscience
- NS 410 Big Questions in Neuroscience
Psychology–9 credits
- SW 250 Psychological Inquiry
- PS 370 Biological Bases of Behavior (formerly PS 235)
- PS 412 Advanced Applied Neuroscience or PS 413 Neuroscience of Drugs or PS 476 Advanced Seminar in Biopsychology
Philosophy–9 credits
- TI-PL Texts and Ideas Course with a PL extension
- PL 343 Philosophy of Science
- PL 346 Philosophy of Mind
Biology–11 or 12 credits
- BI 210 Genetics
- BI 220 Cellular and Molecular Biology
- NS 460 or BI 460 Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology
Chemistry– 5 or 8 credits
- CH 105 and CH 106 General Chemistry 1 & 2 or CH 107 Advanced General Chemistry
Computer Science – 6 credits (choose either group)
- SE 111 Machine Learning for All (formerly SE 134) AND SE 132 Introduction to Python Programming
- CS 142 Introduction to Computer Science and Programming AND CS 151 Foundations of Computing 1
Research Design and Statistics – 4 or 6 credits
- PS 210 and PS 211 Research Methods and Statistics 1 and 2; or BI 250 Biostatistics
Elective Courses – at least 9 credits of any of the following
- Psychology Classes
- PS 375 Psychopharmacology
- PS 385 Cognitive Processes
- PS 404 Sensory Processes and Perception
- Biology Classes
- BI230 Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
- BI 320 Animal Behavior
- BI 370 Basics of Microscopy
- BI 411 Principles of Physiology
- BI 430 Animal Development
- BI 433 Advanced Cell Biology
- BI 435 Molecular Genetics
- BI 4424 Comparative Biomechanics
- Data Science Classes
- DS 310 Introduction to Data Science
- DS 320 Data Engineering and Curation
- Neuroscience Classes
- NS 390 Topics in Neuroscience
- Pharmacy Classes
- RX 610 Recent Advances in Pharmacology: Neuropharmacology topic
- Research (up to 3 credits)
- PS 396 Directed Research
- PS 496 Independent Study
- PS 499 Honors Thesis in Psychology
- BI 401-403 Independent Study
- BI 499 Honors Thesis in Biology
- NS 490 Independent Study
- NS 499 Honors Thesis in Neuroscience
- Note: You may petition to have related research in other departments count in place of these research credits.
This curriculum has much of the LAS Core curriculum integrated into it. Students will meet their Core Curriculum requirements for Social World by taking SW 250; Text & Ideas by taking three courses in Philosophy; Natural World by completing any two of BI 210, BI 220, CH 105, CH 106 or CH 107; and Analytical Reasoning by meeting the Computer Science requirement with either combination of courses.
Required Courses
Biology: 8 hours, take both
- BI 210, Genetics
- BI 220, Cellular and Molecular Biology
Philosophy: 3 hours
- PL 346, Philosophy of Mind
Psychology: 3 hours, take either
- PS 370, Biological Bases of Behavior OR
- PS 375, Psychopharmacology
Computer Science: 3 hours, take either
- SE 132, Introduction to Python Programming OR
- SE 111, Machine Learning for All (formerly SE 134)
One Upper-Level Elective in Biology or Psychology: 3-4 hours, take one
- PS 412, Advanced Applied Neuroscience OR
- PS 413, Neuroscience of Drugs OR
- BI/NS 460, Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology
- BI 460 and NS 460 have the same lecture content, but BI 460 includes a lab.
- BI 460 requires BI 230 (Ecology and Evolutionary Biology-Fundamentals, 4 credits) and BI 250 (Biostatistics, 4 credits) as prerequisites, in addition to BI 210 and BI 220.
Other courses related to the minor, but not required:
- PL 349, Philosophy of Biology
- PL 343, Philosophy of Science
- PL 375, Topics in Philosophy: Mental Representation
- PS 385, Cognitive Processes
- PS 441, Abnormal Psychology
- PS 420, History of Psychology
- PS 476, Advanced Seminar in Psychobiology: Evolutionary Psychology
- BI 420, Animal Behavior
- CS 473, Topics in Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence
- RX 611, Special Topics in Pharmacy: Neuroscience
Required Courses
Biology–11-12 hours
- BI 210, Genetics
- BI 220, Cellular and Molecular Biology
- NS 460 or BI 460, Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology with or without lab
Philosophy–3 hours
- PL 346, Philosophy of Mind
Psychology–6 hours
- PS 370, Biological Bases of Behavior (formerly PS 235)
- PS 412, Advanced Applied Neuroscience or PS 413, Neuroscience of Drugs
Other courses related to the minor, but not required:
- PL 349, Philosophy of Biology
- PL 343, Philosophy of Science
- PL 375, Topics in Philosophy: Mental Representation
- PS 385, Cognitive Processes
- PS 441, Abnormal Psychology
- PS 420, History of Psychology
- PS 476, Advanced Seminar in Psychobiology: Evolutionary Psychology
- BI 420, Animal Behavior
- CS 473, Topics in Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence
- RX 611, Special Topics in Pharmacy: Neuroscience