The neurosciences certificate program encourages undergraduate students interested in how the brain controls behavior to take courses in the basic sciences while providing the means to specialize in neuroscience.
Since this subdiscipline of the biological sciences spans a number of departments at the university (e.g., integrative physiology, psychology & neuroscience, and MCD biology), students are encouraged to obtain greater academic breadth through interdepartmental course selection.
For more information, visit the Undergraduate Certificate in Neuroscience website.
Requirements
To obtain the certificate, a student must satisfy the requirements of a major other than the NRSC major and the requirements of the neuroscience certificate, and maintain a grade point average of 3.20 or better. All courses must be taken for a letter grade (no pass/fail).
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| General Chemistry sequence with lab (or equivalent sequence) | ||
| CHEM 1113 & CHEM 1114 | General Chemistry 1 and Laboratory in General Chemistry 1 | 5 |
| CHEM 1133 & CHEM 1134 | General Chemistry 2 and Laboratory in General Chemistry 2 | 5 |
| Organic Chemistry sequence (or equivalent sequence) | ||
| CHEM 3311 & CHEM 3321 | Organic Chemistry 1 and Laboratory in Organic Chemistry 1 | 5 |
| CHEM 3331 & CHEM 3341 | Organic Chemistry 2 and Laboratory in Organic Chemistry 2 | 5 |
| General Physics sequence with lab (or equivalent sequence) | ||
| PHYS 2010 & PHYS 2020 | General Physics 1 and General Physics 2 | 10 |
| Biology with lab | 6 | |
Select one of the two options (or approved equivalent biology courses): | ||
| Introduction to Cellular and Molecular Biology and Problem Solving Co-Seminar for Introduction to Molecular and Cellular Biology | ||
or MCDB 1161 | From Dirt to DNA: Phage Genomics Laboratory I | |
or MCDB 1171 | Antibiotics Discovery Through Hands-on Screens I | |
or MCDB 1181 | Biological Probiotic/Drug Discovery Through Hands-on Screens | |
| General Biology 1 and General Biology Laboratory 1 | ||
| Either: | 3 | |
| Biological Psychology 1 | ||
or NRSC 2125 | Introduction to Neuroscience I: Foundations | |
| General Genetics | 3 | |
Select one of the following: | ||
| Genetics: Molecules to Populations | ||
| Principles of Genetics | ||
| Physiological Genetics and Genomics | ||
Or an approved equivalent general genetics course | ||
| Statistics | 3 | |
Select one of the following: | ||
| Psychological Science I: Statistics | ||
| Intro to Data Science and Biostatistics | ||
| Introduction to Statistics and Quantitative Thinking for Biologists | ||
| Biological Statistics | ||
| Introduction to Statistics | ||
Or an approved equivalent statistics course | ||
| Electives | 6 | |
| At least two additional upper - division Neuroscience/Behavior courses in IPHY, MCDB, PSYC and/or another department; one of these courses has to be outside of the home department. In the case of double majors, one advanced neuroscience course from each major department fulfills this requirement. | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 51 | |
| 1 | Taking PSYC 2012 or NRSC 2125 alone does not meet the prerequisites for upper-division NRSC courses. Students must take NRSC 2150 in order to take upper-division NRSC courses. |
For more information on this certificate and answers to frequently asked questions, see the Neuroscience Undergraduate Certificate website or email Professor Serge Campeau, director of the program.