Concentrations
Students must complete one concentration. The 3 options are Neurobiology, Cognitive Neuroscience, and Computational Neuroscience.
MCS students
Students in the Mellon College of Sciences should first contact Dr. Carrie Doonan to begin to explore their options.
Dietrich students
Students in Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences should first contact Dr. Erik Thiessen to begin to explore their options.
Neurobiology Concentration
Students can begin with the first year sample schedule or Neurobiology Concentration sample schedule, as well as by contacting the advisors.
Complete Neurobiology Concentration Requirements
General Science Requirements
21-120 Differential and Integral Calculus
21-122 Integration, Differential Equations and Approximation
or 21-124 Calculus II for Biologists and Chemists
03-121 Modern Biology
03-220 Genetics
33-121 Physics I for Science Students
15-112 Fundamentals of Programming and Computer Science
or 15-110 Principles of Computing
09-105 Introduction to Modern Chemistry I
09-106 Modern Chemistry II
09-217 Organic Chemistry I
09-207 Techniques in Quantitative Analysis
36-200 Reasoning with Data
or 36-218 Probability Theory for Computer Scientists
or 36-219 Probability Theory and Random Processes
or 36-225 Introduction to Probability Theory
Core Neuroscience Courses
85-219 Biological Foundations of Behavioror 03-161 Molecules to Mind
85-211 Cognitive Psychology
or 85-213 Human Information Processing and Artificial Intelligence
03-362 Cellular Neuroscience
03-363 Systems Neuroscience
15-386 Neural Computation
or 85-419 Introduction to Parallel Distributed Processing
or 85-435 Biologically Intelligent Exploration
or 86-375 Computer Perception
or 02-319/03-360 Genomics and Epigenetics of the Brain
Neurobiology Core
03-231 Honors Biochemistry03-320 Cell Biology
03-343 Experimental Techniques in Molecular Biology
03-346 Experimental Neurobiology
or 03-345 Experimental Cell and Developmental Biology
Neurobiology Electives
Students must complete two of the following (at least 1 must be at 300-level or above*):
02-250 Introduction to Computational Biology
03-133 Neurobiology of Disease
03-350 Developmental Biology
03-365 Neural Correlates of Learning and Memory
03-366 Neuropharmacology: Drugs, Brain, and Behavior
03-439 Biophysics
03-442 Molecular Biology
09-218 Organic Chemistry II
09-208 Techniques for Organic Synthesis and Analysis
or 09-222 Laboratory II: Organic Synthesis and Analysis
42-202 Physiology
42-203 Biomedical Engineering Laboratory [BME majors have strong priority for this course]
General Neuroscience Electives
Students must complete 18 units of course work from this list, at least 9 units must be at the 300-level or above.(Neuroscience advisors can approve additional electives to fill this requirement)
Additional Graduation Requirements
Students must also complete:
- Their home college’s General Education requirements.
- Free elective hours to come to a total of 360 total course hours.
Double-counting restrictions and additional majors & minors
Students may not major in two concentrations.
Students using Neuroscience as an additional major or who have an additional major or minor to Neuroscience may only double-count at most 3 courses between this an their other major or minor (this restriction does not apply to prerequisites, General Education Requirements, or the General Science Requirements – section A).
Other majors and minors may have more stringent double-counting restrictions, please consult with your neuroscience advisors and with the advising staff for the relevant host department for the other majors/minors.
Cognitive Neuroscience Concentration
Students can begin with the first year sample schedule or the Cognitive Neuroscience Concentration sample schedule, as well as by contacting the advisors.
Complete Cognitive Neuroscience Concentration Requirements
General Science Requirements
21-120 Differential and Integral Calculus
21-122 Integration, Differential Equations and Approximation
or 21-124 Calculus II for Biologists and Chemists
03-121 Modern Biology
03-220 Genetics
33-121 Physics I for Science Students
15-112 Fundamentals of Programming and Computer Science
or 15-110 Principles of Computing
09-105 Introduction to Modern Chemistry I
09-106 Modern Chemistry II
09-217 Organic Chemistry I
or 33-122 Physics II for Biologists and Chemists
09-207 Techniques in Quantitative Analysis
or 03-124 Modern Biology Laboratory
36-200 Reasoning with Data
or 36-218 Probability Theory for Computer Scientists
or 36-219 Probability Theory and Random Processes
or 36-225 Introduction to Probability Theory
Core Neuroscience Courses
85-219 Biological Foundations of Behavior
85-211 Cognitive Psychology
or 85-213 Human Information Processing and Artificial Intelligence
03-362 Cellular Neuroscience
03-363 Systems Neuroscience
15-386 Neural Computation
or 85-419 Introduction to Parallel Distributed Processing
or 85-435 Biologically Intelligent Exploration
or 86-375 Computer Perception
or 02-319/03-360 Genomics and Epigenetics of the Brain
Cognitive Core
85-102 Introduction to Psychology
36-309 Experimental Design for Behavioral and Social Sciences
85-314 Research Methods in Cognitive Neuroscience
85-310 Research Methods in Cognitive Psychology
Cognitive Electives
Students must complete three of the following**:
85-221 Principles of Child Development
85-241 Social Psychology
85-261 Psychopathology
85-356 Expertise: The cognitive (neuro)science of mastering almost any skill
85-370 Perception
85-406 Autism: Psychological and Neuroscience Perspectives
85-408 Visual Cognition
85-412 Cognitive Modeling
85-414 Cognitive Neuropsychology
85-419 Introduction to Parallel Distributed Processing*
85-424 Hemispheric Specialization
85-426 Learning in Humans and Machines
85-429 Cognitive Brain Imaging
85-442 Health Psychology
85-501 Stress, Coping and Well-Being
* If not used as a core course
** At least 18 of these hours must be 300 level or above
General Neuroscience Electives
Students must complete 18 units of course work from this list, at least 9 units must be at the 300-level or above.
(Concentration advisors can approve additional electives to fill this requirement)
Additional Graduation Requirements
Students must also complete:
- Their home college’s General Education requirements.
- Free elective hours to come to a total of 360 total course hours
Double-counting restrictions and additional majors & minors
Students may not major in two concentrations.
Students using Neuroscience as an additional major or who have an additional major or minor to Neuroscience may only double-count at most 3 courses between this an their other major or minor (this restriction does not apply to prerequisites, General Education Requirements, or the General Science Requirements – section A).
Other majors and minors may have more stringent double-counting restrictions, please consult with your neuroscience advisors and with the advising staff for the relevant host department for the other majors/minors.
Computational Neuroscience Concentration
Students can begin with the first year sample schedule or Computational Neuroscience Concentration sample schedule, as well as by contacting the advisors.
Strong candidates for the Computational Neuroscience major will have earned a B average in 21-127, 21-241, 15-112, and 15-122. We strongly recommend meeting with your advisor to discuss interest in this major and for help planning appropriate schedules to support student success.
NOTE: Computational Neuroscience concentration students must complete 21-122, 15-112, and 36-218 or 36-219 in their General Science Requirements and 15-386 in their Core Neuroscience Courses. Students must complete a minimum of 60 units in this concentration. Students should select their required laboratory and elective courses to complete a minimum of 31 units (Four 9 unit courses or a lesser number of 9 and 12 unit courses could be combined to complete this requirement)
Complete Computational Neuroscience Concentration Requirements
General Science Requirements
21-120 Differential and Integral Calculus
21-122 Integration, Differential Equations and Approximation
03-121 Modern Biology
03-220 Genetics
33-121 Physics I for Science Students
15-112 Fundamentals of Programming and Computer Science
09-105 Introduction to Modern Chemistry I
09-106 Modern Chemistry II
09-217 Organic Chemistry I
or 33-122 Physics II for Biologists and Chemists
09-207 Techniques in Quantitative Analysis
or 03-124 Modern Biology Laboratory
36-218 Probability Theory for Computer Scientists*
or 36-219 Probability Theory and Random Processes
*Note: 36-218 and 36-219 do not count toward Dietrich GenEd. Dietrich students should talk with DC advisors and major advisors.
Core Neuroscience Courses
85-219 Biological Foundations of Behavior
or 03-161 Molecules to Mind
85-211 Cognitive Psychology
or 85-213 Human Information Processing and Artificial Intelligence
03-362 Cellular Neuroscience
03-363 Systems Neuroscience
15-386 Neural Computation
Computational Core
15-122 Principles of Imperative Computation
or 15-150 Principles of Functional Programming
21-127 Concepts in Mathematics
21-241 Matrices and Linear Transformations
or 21-240 Matrix Algebra with Applications
TWO OF THE FOLLOWING
42-631 Neural Data Analysis
42-632 Neural Signal Processing
15-494 Special Topic: Cognitive Robotics
15-883 Computational Models of Neural Systems
85-419 Introduction to Parallel Distributed Processing
85-435 Biologically Intelligent Exploration
Computational Electives
Students must complete 1 of the following
03-360/02-319 Genomics and Epigenetics of the Brain
02-512 Computational Methods for Biological Modeling and Simulation
10-301 or 10-315 Machine Learning
15-387 Computational Perception
15-451 Algorithm Design and Analysis
15-453 Formal Languages, Automata, and Computability
15-494 Special Topic: Cognitive Robotics
15-883 Computational Models of Neural Systems
16-299 Introduction to Feedback Control Systems
16-311 Introduction to Robotics
21-228 Discrete Mathematics
or 15-251 Great Theoretical Ideas in Computer Science
21-259 Calculus in 3D
21-341 Linear Algebra
36-226 Introduction to Statistical Inference
36-350 Statistical Computing
36-401 Modern Regression
36-462 Topics in Statistics: Data Mining
42-631 Neural Data Analysis
42-632 Neural Signal Processing
42-688 Introduction to Neural Engineering
General Neuroscience Electives
Students must complete 18 units of course work from this list, at least 9 units must be at the 300-level or above.
(Neuroscience advisors can approve additional electives to fill this requirement)
Additional Graduation Requirements
Students must also complete:
- Their home college’s General Education requirements.
- Free elective hours to come to a total of 360 total course hours
Double-counting restrictions and additional majors & minors
Students may not major in two concentrations.
Students using Neuroscience as an additional major or who have an additional major or minor to Neuroscience may only double-count at most 3 courses between this an their other major or minor (this restriction does not apply to prerequisites, General Education Requirements, or the General Science Requirements – section A).
Other majors and minors may have more stringent double-counting restrictions, please consult with your neuroscience advisors and with the advising staff for the relevant host department for the other majors/minors.
BXA Degrees
The BXA program is an interdisciplinary program that allows student to get a dual degree in fine arts and another discipline.
The BHA program currently offers a concentration in Cognitive Neuroscience.
The BSA program currently offers a concentration in Neurobiology.
We do not currently offer BXA degrees within the Computational Neuroscience concentration.
For more information, please contact the BXA advisors.