Neuroscience

  What is Neuroscience?

Neuroscience, the study of the brain and nervous system, is one of the most exciting and rapidly growing areas of science. Exploring knowledge of the brain and behavior offers a window into understanding human nature and our society. It is explicitly interdisciplinary, spanning a wide range of research topics and methods aimed at understanding basic nervous system function and causes of brain and nervous system diseases.

  Success Factors

The successful neuroscience major has both a strong background in science and a strong interest in pursuing scientific research as a career. Those planning a future in academic education, medicine or law benefit from the development of foundational research skills, including statistical analysis of experimental results, experimental design and methodology, and basic laboratory techniques.

  Career Possibilities

Graduates with a B.S. in neuroscience from UC McMicken College of Arts and Sciences (A&S) are prepared for a wide range of career options and unlimited opportunities for graduate study. They include:

• Medicine
• Academic research
• Pharmaceutical or Biotech research
• Clinical Psychology
• Psychology research
• Academic science education
• Developing therapeutics or prosthetics for the brain and nervous system
• Scientific writing
• Law, Economics or Business with a neuroscience perspective

  Majoring in Neuroscience

The neuroscience major at UC emphasizes classroom instruction in the basic sciences that make up contemporary neuroscience, laboratory instruction in research techniques relevant to the discipline and extensive opportunities for research experience. The interdisciplinary major develops students' scientific knowledge and skills in reading, writing, laboratory methods and experimental design.

There are three areas of concentration ("tracks") for those seeking a bachelor of science degree in neuroscience: neurobiology; neuropsychology; and brain, mind and behavioral studies. Each is designed to prepare students for a variety of career paths.

The neuroscience program is interdisciplinary, with neuroscientists participating from three departments within A&S (biology, psychology and philosophy), from numerous departments in the College of Medicine (cell biology, neurobiology and anatomy, molecular and cellular physiology, molecular genetics, biochemistry, microbiology and psychiatry), the Biomedical Engineering Program, and Children's Hospital (developmental biology, pediatrics). Majors are required to take common core courses, to attend seminars and discussion groups that integrate concepts from the fields of biology, psychology and philosophy, and to take upper level courses from a track or tracks other than the one in which they specialize. The common core stresses basic scientific knowledge across the disciplines making up contemporary neuroscience.

McMicken College's flexible degree requirements allow for and highly encourage students to pursue multiple areas of study. Free electives allow for enough credits for students to pursue a minor, certificate program or even complete a second major. Some of the most common pairings are listed below.

• Biological sciences
• Psychology
• Philosophy
• Chemistry
• Economics
• Mathematical sciences

  Minoring in Neuroscience

A neuroscience minor is not offered.

  Curriculum

This curriculum information is intended as a general information guide for students considering enrollment in this program. These online tools are designed to assist you, but are not a substitute for planning with an academic or faculty advisor.

If you are currently confirmed or enrolled, you can check your degree requirements online. If you are considering transferring to this major from another school, use u.select to see how credits you have earned will transfer to UC. See course descriptions by college.

Core Courses Common to All Tracks
Total credit hours in the common core = 60

• BIOL 101/111, 102/112, 103/113, Biology Lecture and Lab, 15 credits
• CHEM 101/111, 102/112, 103/113, First Year Chemistry Lecture and Lab, 15 credits
• MATH 224 (or substitute, or waiver), Foundations of Applied Calculus, 3 credits
• MATH 226, 227, Applied Calculus I & II, 6 credits (or MATH 251, 252/256, Calculus I & II with Lab, 10 credits)
• STAT 241, Intro to Statistics, 4 credits (Neuropsychology track majors should instead choose PSYC 201 & 202)
• BIOL 301, Cell Structure and Function, 4 credits
• NS 201, Introduction to Neuroscience: Neurobiology, 3 credits
• NS 202, Introduction to Neuroscience: Neuropsychology, 3 credits
• NS 203, Introduction to Neuroscience: Concepts and Methods in Neuroscience, 3 credits
• NS 210, Neurophysiology Laboratory, 3 credits
• NS 111, Neuroscience: Seminar, 1 credit

First Year (All Tracks)	Course Number	Credits
*English Composition	ENGL 101, 102	6
Foundations of Applied Calculus (or substitution, or waiver)	MATH 224 (QR)	0-3
Applied Calculus I & II	MATH 226, 227 (QR)	6
Biology Lecture and Lab	BIOL 101/111, 102/112, 103-113	3
First Year Chemistry Lecture and Lab	CHEM 101/111, 102/112, 103/113	3
Neuroscience: Seminar (winter quarter)	NS 111	1
Free elective	see offerings	0-3
Total for first year		46

Students must choose one of the three tracks: Neurobiology (NS-B), Neuropsychology (NS-P), or Brain, Mind and Behavior (NS-BMB).

I. THE NEUROBIOLOGY TRACK (15BS NS-B)

Second Year (Neurobiology Track)	Course Number	Credits
*Intermediate Composition	ENGL 289	3
Organic Chemistry Lecture and Lab	CHEM 201/211, 202/212, 203/213	16
Introduction to Neuroscience	NS 201, 202, 203	9
Genetics (fall quarter)	BIOL 302	4
Cell Structure and Function (winter quarter)	BIOL 301	4
*Social Sciences (SS)	see offerings	9
Total for second year		45

Third & Fourth Years (Neurobiology Track)	Course Number	Credits
Introduction to Statistics	STAT 241	4
Neurophysiology Laboratory	NS 210	3
Animal Physiology	BIOL 571	3
Sensory Physiology	BIOL 574	3
Three Upper Level Biology Courses [1]	(pick from list for track below)	9
Two Courses from Neuropsychology [2] and/or BMB [3]	(pick from lists for other tracks)	6
Capstone or Undergraduate Research	(varies)	1-3
*Foreign Language	see checklist	15-18
*Historical Perspectives (HP)	see offerings	9
*Humanities (HU)	see offerings	3
*Literature (LT)	see offerings	3
*Humanities, Literature, or Fine Arts (HU, LT, or FA)	see offerings	3
*Social & Ethical Issues (if not already taken, SE)	see offerings	3
College Physics (recommended for Pre-Med students)	PHYS 101/111, 102/112, 103/113	0-15
Free electives	see offerings	5-25
Total for third & fourth years		90
Total overall		Minimum 180

*Needed to fulfill A&S college requirements.

[1] Neurobiology Track Electives (Upper Level Biology Courses)
Students choose any three of the following courses and also must take 6 upper level credit hours from courses specific to either the Neuropsychology or Brain, Mind and Behavior tracks (credit hours may be taken in 1 track or split between 2 tracks):

BIOL 550        Animal Behavior (3 hrs) 
BIOL 573        Developmental Biology (4 hrs) 
BIOL 577        Evolutionary Biology (3 hrs) 
BIOL 599        Eukaryotic Genetics (4 hrs) 
BIOL 640        Introduction to Genomics (3 hrs) 
BIOL 641        Introduction to Proteomics (3 hrs) 
BIOL 642        Advanced Cell Biology(3 hrs) 
BIOL 650        Behavioral Ecology (3 hrs) 
BIOL 651        Neuroethology (3 hrs)
BIOL 656        Biology of Cancer (3 hrs)
BIOL 679        Comparative Endocrinology (3 hrs)
BIOL 693        Physiology & Biomechanics Lab (4 hrs)
BIOL 694        Human & Comparative Anatomy (5 hrs)
BIOL 695        Immunology (3 hrs)
CHEM 601       Biochemistry (3 hrs)

II. THE NEUROPSYCHOLOGY TRACK (15BS NS-P)

Second Year (Neuropsychology Track)	Course Number	Credits
*Intermediate Composition	ENGL 289	3
Organic Chemistry Lecture and Lab (recommended for Pre-Med students)	CHEM 201/211, 202/212, 203/213	0-16
Introduction to Neuroscience	NS 201, 202, 203	9
Introduction to Psychology	PSYC 101, 102, 103 (SS)	9
Cell Structure and Function (winter quarter)	BIOL 301	4
Free electives		4-20
Total for second year		45

Third & Fourth Years (Neuropsychology Track)	Course Number	Credits
Methods & Statistics in Psychology	PSYC 201, 202	8
Research Methods in Psychology (Laboratory)	PSYC 281	3
Neurophysiology Laboratory	NS 210	3
Seven Upper Level Psychology Courses [2]	(pick from list for track below)	21
Two Courses from Neurobiology [1] and/or BMB [3]	(pick from lists for other tracks)	6
Capstone or Undergraduate Research	(varies)	1-3
*Foreign Language	see checklist	15
*Historical Perspectives (HP)	see offerings	9
*Humanities (HU)	see offerings	3
*Literature (LT)	see offerings	3
*Humanities, Literature, or Fine Arts (HU, LT, or FA)	see offerings	3
*Social & Ethical Issues (if not already taken, SE)	see offerings	3
College Physics (recommended for Pre-Med students)	PHYS 101/111, 102/112, 103/113	0-15
Free electives	see offerings	0-10
Total for third & fourth years		90-95
Total overall		Minimum 180

*Needed to fulfill A&S college requirements.

[2] Neuropsychology Track Electives (Upper Level Psychology Courses)
Students choose any seven of the following courses and also must take 6 upper level credit hours from courses specific to either the Neurobiology or Brain, Mind and Behavior tracks (credit hours may be taken in 1 track or split between 2 tracks):

PSYC 220   Cognition and Learning 
PSYC 230   Sensation and Perception 
PSYC 270   Psychobiology
PSYC 320   Cognitive Neuropsychology 
PSYC 321   Memory
PSYC 322   Lifespan Brain Development 
PSYC 323   Test and Measurements 
PSYC 325   Cognitive Science
PSYC 326   Broken Brains
PSYC 342   Cognitive Development
PSYC 362   Effects of Drugs on Behavior
PSYC 379   Research Methods in Cognitive Psychology
PSYC 459   Research Methods in Neuropsychology
PSYC 519   The Remembering Brain

III. THE BRAIN, MIND AND BEHAVIOR TRACK (15BS NS-BMB)

Second Year (Brain, Mind and Behavior Track)	Course Number	Credits
*Intermediate Composition	ENGL 289	3
Organic Chemistry Lecture and Lab (recommended for Pre-Med students)	CHEM 201/211, 202/212, 203/213	0-16
Introduction to Neuroscience	NS 201, 202, 203	9
Intro to Philosophy: Belief and Knowledge (recommended)	PHIL 104 (HU/SE)	3
Intro to Philosophy: Mind and Will (recommended)	PHIL 105 (HU)	3
Cell Structure and Function (winter quarter)	BIOL 301	4
Free electives		7-23
Total for second year		45

Third & Fourth Years (Brain, Mind and Behavior Track)	Course Number	Credits
Introduction to Statistics	STAT 241	4
Neurophysiology Laboratory	NS 210	3
Introd to Logic, or Symbolic Logic	PHIL 123, or PHIL 341	3
Philosophy of Mind	PHIL 307	3
Philosophy of Science	PHIL 308	3
Five Courses from Brain, Mind and Behavior Track [3]	(pick from list for track below)	15
Two Courses from Neurobiology [1] and/or Neuropsychology [2]	(pick from lists for other tracks)	3
Capstone or Undergraduate Research	(varies)	1-3
*Foreign Language	see checklist	15-18
*Historical Perspectives (HP)	see offerings	9
*Literature (LT)	see offerings	3
College Physics (recommended for Pre-Med students)	see offerings	0-15
Free electives		8-28
Total for third & fourth years		90
Total overall		Minimum 180

*Needed to fulfill A&S college requirements.

[3] Brain, Mind and Behavior Track Electives
Students must complete 15 credits from the following courses, and also must take 6 upper level credit hours from courses specific to either the Neuropsychology or Neurobiology tracks (credit hours may be taken in 1 track or split between 2 tracks).

ANTH 279 & 379   Medical Anthropology I & II
ANTH 510    Biocultural Anthropology 
ANTH 594    Human Origins
ANTH 595    Origins of Homo Sapiens
ANTH 630    Language and Linguistics 
PHIL 303    Philosophy of Psychology 
PHIL 305    Epistemology  
PHIL 309    Philosophy of Language  
PHIL 352    Problems of Consciousness 
PHIL 365    The Darwinian Revolution 
PHIL 366    Neo Darwinism
PHIL 367    Philosophy and Cognitive Ethology 
PHIL 381    Science, Philosophy and Society 
PHIL 407    Philosophy of Mind
PHIL 531    Topics in Philosophy of Mind
PHIL 533    Philosophy and Cognitive Science
PHIL 540    Philosophy and Evolutionary Biology
PHIL 554    Perceptual Representation
PHIL 573    Contemporary Philosophy of Mind
PHIL 574    Philosophical Psychology
PHIL 579    Philosophy and Neuroscience
PHIL 587    Philosophy of Science: Experiment
PSYC 383/455     Perception and Action
PSYC 418    Human Performance
PSYC 510    Psycholinguistics
PSYC 535    Introduction to Cognitive Psychology

  UC Advantages and Special Opportunities

Students in McMicken College of Arts and Sciences enjoy many benefits afforded through study at a research-intensive institution ranked among the nation's top 25 public research universities. UC's urban, tri-state location offers exciting opportunities for global education, research and service learning, while its student-centered focus includes an 11:1 student-faculty ratio, a nationally recognized Center for Exploratory Studies and a highly successful First Year Experience program that teaches critical skills for first-year students and provides connections with important campus resources.

  Special Programs

Undergraduate Research
Neuroscience is a major area of research strength and academic excellence at the University of Cincinnati. Many of our neuroscience faculty are world-recognized bench researchers in cognitive/computational neuroscience, developmental neurobiology, functional brain imaging, motivation and reward, neuroendocrinology, neuroplasticity and regeneration, sensory physiology, and sensation and perception. The neuroscience community at UC also includes leading clinical researchers working on neurological and psychiatric disorders such as stroke, Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, substance abuse, bipolar disorder and obesity. There is research strength, as well, in animal behavior and its physiological mechanisms.

Undergraduate neuroscience research opportunities will be enhanced by the contributions of faculty on two campuses: the medical campus and the west (main) campus. Students will be able to choose from more applied clinically-oriented research to more basic scientific research. This combination provides opportunities not available to neuroscience majors at smaller colleges and universities, and often not capitalized on at larger research universities.

Interdisciplinary Capstone Project
The interdisciplinary core capstone project required of each student is unique in that it requires a collaboration of at least two of the program curricular tracks. The capstone involves a research project under the mentorship of two of the program's faculty whose research and teaching interests lie in different program tracks, or acceptable faculty and labs in other colleges or departments (e.g., the neuroscience graduate program, biomedical engineering). The program director and the laboratory and research experience coordinator will assist each student in finding appropriate mentors for his or her capstone project. The goal of the capstone experience for each student is a poster suitable for presentation at a scientific conference. Selected capstone posters will be posted around the neuroscience (or a related departmental) office.

  Admission Requirements

Admission criteria for this program vary based on the relative strength of test scores, class rank and GPA. Please see the Freshman Class Profile for this major in the Quick Facts sidebar on this page for the range of academic credentials typically accepted into this program. Test scores in the lower range may be acceptable with higher class rank and/or GPA. Freshmen applying to this program should also have completed the following State of Ohio articulation requirements with no more than two units missing:

• English (4 units)*
• College-preparatory mathematics (3 units)*
• Science (2 units)
• Social science (2 units)
• Foreign language (2 units)*
• Additional college-prep subjects (3 units)

*McMicken College of Arts and Sciences does not allow units missing from these areas.

  Transferring to UC Requirements

Applicants to A&S whose most recent enrollment was not in any of the UC colleges must apply through the Office of Admissions. Applicants in this category must submit transcripts for all secondary school and college-level work. A cumulative GPA of 2.0 for all college-level work is required for admission consideration. Admission to A&S is generally available for any off-campus applicants who have received an associate degree from an accredited college or university and whose cumulative GPA is 2.0 or higher.

  Changing Majors within UC Requirements

Applicants to A&S whose most recent enrollment was as a degree student in one of UC’s other colleges can apply directly to the A&S college office. Admission to A&S is generally available for any on-campus students who have:

• at least a 2.0 GPA in all college-level courses (both at UC and at other institutions),
• successfully completed two quarters of English Composition or its equivalent, and
• gained credit for a college-level mathematics course.

A&S students must meet the college residency requirement of 45.0 hours which begins immediately upon matriculation in the college and consists of courses taught by A&S.

  Graduation Requirements

To graduate from UC McMicken College of Arts and Sciences, students must:

• Earn at least 180 credits. This can include transfer credit, AP credit and free electives, but does not include preparatory coursework. Students who have met all other degree requirements must continue earning credit until the total number of their earned hours comes to at least 180.
• Attain a 2.0 grade point average for all courses taken at the University of Cincinnati.
• Be in good academic standing, that is, not on either academic probation or disciplinary probation or suspension.
• Complete the residency requirement by earning at least 45 credits after matriculating into the college. These minimum 45 credits must be taught within A&S and also must be completed after gaining admission to the college.
• Complete all of the requirements of at least one major (see major requirements above).
• Complete the College Core Requirements.
• Submit an application for graduation to the registrar's office by their posted deadline.

  Application Deadlines

UC operates on a quarter system, with 10-week grading periods beginning in late September, early January, late March and mid-June. While midyear admission is possible, fall quarter is generally the best time to enter the college, since many course sequences begin in that quarter. Applicants to McMicken College of Arts and Sciences who are enrolled or who were previously enrolled as degree-seeking students in A&S or in other UC colleges should apply for admission directly to A&S (in French West, 2nd Floor). All other applicants who wish to earn an undergraduate degree from A&S should apply through the Office of Admissions (3rd Floor, University Pavilion).

  Accreditation

The University of Cincinnati is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.