Neuroscience is one of the fastest-growing interdisciplinary fields of study in the 21st century, and its influence is widespread.
It has impacted disciplines beyond the natural sciences to include philosophy, law, business, the arts, psychology, and the humanities. The Neuroscience Certificate is an interdisciplinary, research-based initiative that explores a comprehensive knowledge of the nervous system derived from:
- genetics, molecular and cellular biology
- neuroanatomy the interconnectivity between various brain regions
- neuropsychological factors such as cognition, behavior and emotion
The certificate is designed to introduce students to the nervous system and how it relates to their major. It systematically interconnects/integrates the various levels of the nervous system into coursework and research across multiple departments. Below are the courses and requirements for this program housed in the School of Psychology, Counseling and Family Therapy.
Core Courses (8 hrs)
NEUR 241 – Foundations of Neuroscience (4 hrs with Lab)
A sophomore-level introductory course and lab introducing the neurobiological bases of human and animal behavior. Prerequisites: PSYC 101 or BIOL 241. Emphasis is placed upon neuroanatomical, neurophysiological, and behavioral methodologies which contribute to an understanding of brain-behavior relationships.
NOTE: BIOL 336 Neurobiology may be substituted for NEUR 241.
NEUR 369 – Neuroscience Collaborative Research (2 hrs)
A junior/senior-level course where students would participate in laboratory research under the direction of a faculty advisor. Prerequisite: Either PSYC 269, BIOL 252, AHS 271 or consent of Instructor. This 300-level course will emphasize the current research tools and methodologies used by neuroscience-affiliated faculty on campus and is designed so that students would be exposed to several neuroscience research labs, standard research protocols, and equipment through a lab rotation model (i.e. PSYC, AHS, BIOL). This course is recommended to be taken after at least 8 hours of the 16 approved elective hours have been completed.
NEUR 494 – Neuroscience Capstone (2 hrs)
A junior/senior-level course with an interdisciplinary research component is developed as the culmination of the certificate. Students will develop a research study using tools from multiple disciplines to answer a question related to the field of neuroscience.
Elective Hours
Choose 16 credit hours from the following list of courses from at least 2 disciplines (at least 8 hours from departments outside the student’s major):
AHS 351 Human Anatomy
AHS 361 Integrative Human Physiology
AHS 452 Applied Physiology
BIOL 315 Special Topics in Biology for General Education (Neurobiology and Stress)
BIOL 322 Advanced Cellular and Developmental Biology
BIOL 331 Human Anatomy and Physiology I
BIOL 356 Genetics
CHEM 461 General Biochemistry
CHEM 462 Advanced Biochemistry
NEUR 385 Special Topics in Neuroscience
NEUR 386 Special Topics in Neuroscience
NEUR 495 Independent Study in Neuroscience
PHIL 341 Nature of Persons
PSYC 343 Sensation and Perception
PSYC 345 Learning
PSYC 351 Cognition
PSYC 371 Intro to Psychopharmacology