U-NEUR-AB - Neuroscience (AB)

Ten courses in major (eight of ten courses must be 200-level or higher, one or more courses must be laboratory or methods; one or more courses must be intersection; one or more courses must be from 350-level or higher seminars). No more than two of the ten courses required for the major may be used to satisfy the requirements of another major, minor, or certificate.

Corequisites. Foundational coursework is required in the disciplines of biology, chemistry, mathematics, and physics that may be completed concurrently with courses in the major for completion of the AB degree. For these disciplines, the same guidelines detailed above for the BS degree apply to the AB degree, with the following exceptions: there is no corequisite in Computer Science for the AB major in neuroscience, and in Mathematics, the equivalent of just one term of calculus is required (Mathematics 21 or 111L or 121, or 105L and 106L). A score of 5 on the College Board Advanced Placement Test in Calculus AB or a 4 or better on the Calculus BC test fulfills this corequisite.

Gateway Course. Neuroscience 101/102 (Biological Basis of Behavior: Introduction and Survey) is the gateway to the major.

Core Courses (two courses required). There are two core courses in the major in neuroscience that reflect different levels of inquiry described above: Neuroscience 223 (Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology), which focuses on cellular processes and synaptic mechanisms of neural signaling; and Neuroscience 212 (Introduction to Cognitive Neuroscience), which focuses on cognition and the brain basis of behavior. Neuroscience 223 and 212 may be taken in any order.

Laboratory/Methods Courses (one course required). Neuroscience majors are required to understand the methods of scientific inquiry for investigating the structure and function of the nervous system. Any one of the following courses will satisfy this curricular requirement: Neuroscience 103L (Computing and the Brain), Neuroscience 104L (Interdisciplinary Introduction to Computer Science), Neuroscience 301L (Bioelectricity), Neuroscience 376 (Contemporary Neuroscience Methods), Neuroscience 378L (Perception and the Brain), Neuroscience 379L (Comparative Neuroanatomy), Neuroscience 380L (Functional Anatomy of the Human Brain), Neuroscience 381LA (Sensory Physiology and Behavior of Marine Animals), Neuroscience 382L (Functional Neuroimaging), Neuroscience 383L (Brain Waves and Cognition), Neuroscience 385L (Integrative Neuroscience Laboratory), Neuroscience 388LS (Experiments in Animal Models of Human Neurodegenerative Disease), Neuroscience 502 (Neural Signal Acquisition), Neuroscience 503 (Computational Neuroengineering), Neuroscience 511L (Intermediate Bioelectricity), or Neuroscience 515 (Neural Prosthetic Systems). 

Statistics (one course required). Neuroscience majors are required to acquire competency in the elements of statistical design and practice that support the analysis and interpretation of neuroscientific data. Any one of the following courses will satisfy this curricular requirement: Statistical Science 101 (Data Analysis and Statistical Inference), Statistical Science 102 (Introductory Biostatistics), Statistical Science 104 (Data Analysis and Statistical Inference - Online), Statistical Science 110FS (Focus Program - Introductory Special Topics in Statistics), Statistical Science 111 (Probability and Statistical Inference), Statistical Science 130 (Probability and Statistics in Engineering), Statistical Science 230 (Probability), Psychology 204L and Psychology 205L (Quantitative Research Methods and Statistics for Psychological Science 1 & 2), or Biology 304 (Biological Data Analysis).

Electives (five courses required). Neuroscience majors are required to explore the breadth and depth of the field by fulfilling five course requirements in neuroscience, with at least one elective being a seminar at the 350 level or higher. Furthermore, for the AB degree, students must complete an intersection course that explores the broader impact of neuroscience on society or the dialogue between the brain sciences and other disciplines, as listed on the program website (e.g., Neuroscience 267 (Neuroethics)). To complete the elective requirements for the AB degree, students may choose from a variety of seminar, small lecture, and laboratory offerings that are drawn from a dynamic list of more than fifty courses offered by multiple departments in Trinity College, as well as departments in the School of Medicine and the Pratt School of Engineering. Only two Independent Scholarship or Research Independent Study courses may count. See the Psychology and Neuroscience website for the current list of elective offerings.

No more than two of the ten courses required for the major may be used to satisfy the requirements of another major, minor, or certificate.