(Bachelor of Science Degree)
Neuroscience is the study of the nervous system. It includes study and research related to the structure (anatomy), function (neuropharmacology, electrophysiology, synaptic physiology, molecular/cellular biology, psychophysics), evolution, and development of nervous systems of a wide variety of animals, broadly organized as sensory (input/afferent) systems, processing systems, and motor (output/efferent) systems.
The major in neuroscience provides opportunities in many areas, including preprofessional preparation (preparing for medical school, dental school, veterinary school, or other allied health training), pre-graduate preparation (preparing for further training as a neuroscientist or scientist in a related field), or direct entry into the research field, either academic or private.
Total credit hours required for the degree: 128
* Pending New York State Education Department approval
Learning Objectives
Students graduating with a degree in Neuroscience will:
- integrate understanding of the nervous system at the cellular/molecular level (e.g., synaptic function, membrane potentials) with the organismal level (e.g., processing in cortical areas of the brain, behavior)
- understand the three essential functions of the nervous system (input, processing, output) at the level of cells, systems, and the organism
- understand the similarities and differences of nervous systems across taxa and relate those differences to selective pressures
- demonstrate critical thinking skills in the process of scientific inquiry and the development of experimental design in the study of neuroscience;
- be familiar with and use primary literature in the field of neuroscience;
- be able to analyze and present scientific data using statistical inference and statistical software;
- have skills in oral and scientific presentation of experimental design and data; and
- perform activities that promote and nurture scholarship and skills for life-long learning.