Contacts | Program of Study | Declaring the Major | General Education | The Major | Grading | Summary of Requirements for the Major in Neuroscience | Honors | Minor Options | Courses

Department Website: http://neuroscience.uchicago.edu/undergraduate

Neuroscience is the study of neurons and neural systems and their outputs: sensation, perception, homeostasis, and behavior. Neural function is investigated at the levels of molecules, cells, circuits, organisms, and species, making neuroscience inherently multidisciplinary. In addition to established neuroscience career paths in academia, medicine, and the pharmaceutical industry, new careers for students of neuroscience are emerging in economics, software development, and other fields requiring "big data" analysis or a mechanistic understanding of how humans think. The course of study in the undergraduate major in neuroscience provides students with the background and skills appropriate for these diverse careers.

The University of Chicago offers a bachelor of arts (BA) degree and a bachelor of science (BS) degree in Neuroscience. The Neuroscience major is designed to accommodate students with the range of scientific variety that one finds at the professional level of neuroscience, including physics, chemistry, computer science, engineering, mathematics, biology, psychology, and medicine. Neuroscience faculty at the University of Chicago have expertise in all of these areas and are distributed across the Biological Sciences, Social Sciences, and Physical Sciences Divisions. Majoring students have the opportunity to take a broad range of courses or to specialize in a particular area.

Students who wish to major in Neuroscience should declare the major in their second year.

(Because the Neuroscience major was introduced in the 201617 academic year, the Class of 2020 and subsequent classes can design a plan of study in Neuroscience from their first year. Students in the Classes of 2018 and 2019 may also be able to major in Neuroscience, depending on the courses they have already taken, although there is no way to guarantee this. Students in these classes should consult with their College advisers to see if majoring in Neuroscience is feasible.)

Students majoring in Neuroscience typically begin their general education requirement in the Biological Sciences with BIOS20186 Fundamentals of Cell and Molecular Biology. Attaining a proper grounding in cell biology is essential before delving into neuroscience as a discipline. To complete the requirement, students may choose to take one of the following: BIOS20150 How Can We Understand the Biosphere?, BIOS20151 Introduction to Quantitative Modeling in Biology (Basic), BIOS20152 Introduction to Quantitative Modeling in Biology (Advanced), BIOS20187 Fundamentals of Genetics, BIOS20188 Fundamentals of Physiology, or BIOS20191 Integrative Physiology. (Note: The general education requirement for the NSCI major can be fulfilled by courses in the Biology Fundamentals Sequences [20186-20190] without the Biological Sciences prerequisites [BIOS 20150-20151/20152] unless a student pursues a double major in Biological Sciences. Students who choose this path will be expected to possess the competency in mathematical modeling of biological phenomena covered in BIOS 20151 or BIOS 20152.)

Two alternative paths to fulfilling the General Education requirements exist. 1) Neuroscience majors may petition to take the Pre-Med Sequence for Non-Biology majors. In this case, BIOS20170 Microbial and Human Cell Biology and BIOS20171 Human Genetics and Developmental Biology will satisfy the core. (Note that BIOS 20171 must be taken concurrently with BIOS20172 Mathematical Modeling for Pre-Med Students .) 2) A score of 4 or 5 on the AP Biology exam allows students to enter the Advanced Biology sequence in the Autumn of their first year. This three-quarter, lab-intensive sequence is for students with a strong background in research. Upon completion of the sequence students are awarded two credits, which satisfy the general education requirement in Biological Sciences.

The basic degree in Neuroscience is the BA, for which requirements are described below. A BS is awarded to students who complete an additional three quarters of Neuroscience electives, which must include one to three quarters of faculty-supervised research (scholarly or experimental) resulting in a written thesis (see Requirements for the Bachelor of Science Degree in Neuroscience below).

The major curriculum includes nine required Neuroscience courses, which provide a comprehensive overview of the field. The BA requires another 700 units of elective courses, which must be selected from the list below. Electives can be chosen for a broad exposure or tailored for depth in a particular area, such as cellular/molecular, systems, cognitive, and computational neuroscience and machine learning.

Students must have their program of elective courses approved by the office of the director of undergraduate studies. The Student Elective Approval Form should be filled out by the end of the third year and submitted to the Neuroscience major director of undergraduate studies for approval at neuromajor@uchicago.edu.

While it is possible to complete a double major in Neuroscience and another program, this is not encouraged. Neuroscience majors are generally better suited to achieving breadth through a combination of courses that provides the desired expertise in neuroscience and carefully selected courses outside of neuroscience.

Students can earn a BS in Neuroscience by completing three quarters of Neuroscience elective courses over and above the BA requirements, which must include one to three quarters of faculty-supervised research that results in a written thesis (NSCI29100, NSCI29101, NSCI29102 Neuroscience Thesis Research). The additional courses and the thesis work require approval by the office of the director of undergraduate studies and the thesis advisor. The thesis may be either research-based or literature-based.

All courses used to satisfy prerequisites and requirements must be taken for quality grades. Students must pass all required courses with an average GPA of 2.0 or higher to continue in the program.

To obtain honors in Neuroscience, students must have a minimum cumulative GPA (3.25) at the point of entering the honors track, no later than the end of the third year. Entry into the honors track must be approved by the director of undergraduate studies. Students must do experimental research for three quarters and submit a thesis (NSCI29200, NSCI29201, NSCI29202 Neuroscience Honors Thesis Research). As part of the research course work, honors students participate in regular group meetings in which they share their research with each other and supervising faculty, and receive guidance on formulating testable hypotheses, experimental design, report writing, and oral presentations. They also receive training in the responsible conduct of research. Experimental research may not be credited toward honors in more than one major.

A minor in Neuroscience is not offered. The College offers a minor program in Computational Neuroscience, and students majoring in Biological Sciences have the option of completing a Specialization in Neuroscience.

NSCI00292. Neuroscience Honors Thesis Research. 100 Units.

Research Thesis and Seminar

Instructor(s): Elizabeth GroveTerms Offered: Summer Prerequisite(s): Acceptance into the Neuroscience Honors Program

NSCI20100. Neuroscience Laboratory. 100 Units.

This course has three components in series, representing (1) molecular neuroscience, (2) cellular electrophysiology, and (3) computation and psychophysics. The course meets one afternoon each week for four hours of laboratory time, including a didactic introduction. Students will be graded on their laboratory reports.

Instructor(s): J. Maunsell; E. Heckscher; C. Hansel; M. McNultyTerms Offered: Winter Note(s): This course will be offered in the 201718 academic year and each year thereafter.

NSCI20110. Fundamental Neuroscience. 100 Units.

This course is a rigorous introduction to the study of neurons, nervous systems and brains. The systems anatomy and physiology of the vertebrate brain will be covered in depth. Common features of neural circuits, such as those subserving the stretch reflex, will be examined. The biology of brain evolution and development will be introduced. A highlight of this course will be student dissections of sheep brains and the laboratory presentation of human brain dissections by the instructors.

Instructor(s): C. Ragsdale, P. Mason Terms Offered: Autumn Prerequisite(s): At least two quarters of Biological Sciences instruction (including courses taken concurrently) or consent of instructor. Equivalent Course(s): BIOS 24110

NSCI20120. Cellular Neuroscience. 100 Units.

This course describes the cellular and subcellular properties of neurons, including passive and active electrophysiological properties, and their synaptic interactions. Readings are assigned from a general neuroscience textbook.

Instructor(s): R. A. Eatock, W. Wei, StaffTerms Offered: Winter Prerequisite(s): NSCI 20110, along with completion of MATH 13100, or MATH 15100, or MATH 16100 Equivalent Course(s): BIOS 24120

NSCI20130. Systems Neurobiology. 100 Units.

This course covers vertebrate and invertebrate systems neuroscience with a focus on the anatomy, physiology, and development of sensory and motor control systems. The neural bases of form and motion perception, locomotion, memory, and other forms of neural plasticity are examined in detail. We also discuss clinical aspects of neurological disorders.

Instructor(s): D. Freedman, Staff Terms Offered: Spring Prerequisite(s): NSCI 20110, and NSCI 20120 or consent of instructor Equivalent Course(s): BIOS 24130

NSCI20140. Sensation and Perception. 100 Units.

What we see and hear depends on energy that enters the eyes and ears, but what we actually experienceperceptionfollows from human neural responses. This course focuses on visual and auditory phenomena, including basic percepts (for example, acuity, brightness, color, loudness, pitch) and also more complex percepts such as movement and object recognition. Biological underpinnings of perception are an integral part of the course.

Instructor(s): K. LedouxTerms Offered: Winter Equivalent Course(s): PSYC 20700

NSCI29100. Neuroscience Thesis Research. 100 Units.

Scholar or Research Thesis.

Instructor(s): StaffTerms Offered: Autumn,Spring,Summer,Winter Prerequisite(s): By consent of instructor and approval of major director.

NSCI29101. Neuroscience Thesis Research. 100 Units.

Scholar or Research Thesis.

Instructor(s): StaffTerms Offered: Autumn,Spring,Summer,Winter Prerequisite(s): NSCI 29100, and consent of instructor, and approval of major director.

NSCI29102. Neuroscience Thesis Research. 100 Units.

Scholar or Research Thesis.

Instructor(s): StaffTerms Offered: Autumn,Spring,Summer,Winter Prerequisite(s): NSCI 29100, and consent of instructor, and approval of major director.

NSCI29200. Neuroscience Honors Thesis Research. 100 Units.

Research Thesis and Seminar.

Instructor(s): StaffTerms Offered: Autumn,Spring,Summer,Winter Prerequisite(s): By consent of instructor and approval of major director. Open to Neuroscience majors who are candidates for honors in Neuroscience.

NSCI29201. Neuroscience Honors Thesis Research. 100 Units.

Research Thesis and Seminar.

Instructor(s): StaffTerms Offered: Autumn,Spring,Summer,Winter Prerequisite(s): NSCI 29200, and consent of instructor, and approval of major director. Open to Neuroscience majors who are candidates for honors in Neuroscience.

NSCI29202. Neuroscience Honors Thesis Research. 100 Units.

Research Thesis and Seminar.

Instructor(s): StaffTerms Offered: Autumn,Spring,Summer,Winter Prerequisite(s): NSCI 20201, and consent of instructor, and approval of major director. Open to Neuroscience majors who are candidates for honors in Neuroscience.

Link:
Neuroscience < University of Chicago Catalog