Neuroscience Major

Major Requirements

The neuroscience major consists of 12 courses plus the capstone experience. The distribution of courses presented for the major should conform to the following pattern:

Early Required Courses (5 courses)

These courses provide a foundation in the sciences that are needed for studying the brain; and present the mathematical tools needed for work in neuroscience. Many of these courses are prerequisites for later courses and therefore should be completed as early as possible, ideally before the end of the sophomore year.

• CHEM 112 - General Chemistry II: Energetics and Reactivity 
    (CHEM 115 - Accelerated General Chemistry  can substitute for CHEM 112 )
• BIOL 190 - Genetics  
• BIOL 200 - Cell Biology   
• PSYC 100 - Introduction to Psychology  
• STAT 155 - Introduction to Statistical Modeling  

Intermediate Required Courses (4 courses)

These courses provide coverage of the biological basis of behavior from cellular-molecular and systems-level perspectives. Students may take these courses in any order and should take them as soon as they have the necessary prerequisites, ideally before the end of the junior year.

• BIOL 304 - Neuroanatomy  
• BIOL 316 - Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience  
• PSYC 244 - Cognitive Neuroscience   
• PSYC 248 - Behavioral Neuroscience  

Advanced Elective Courses (2 courses; must take 1 Biology and 1 Psychology)

These courses provide in-depth coverage of neuroscience topics at an advanced level. Courses marked with a caret (^) fulfill the research requirement for the capstone. Upper-level topics courses in neuroscience may count as advanced electives with approval of the steering committee.

• BIOL 364 - Neuroimmunology  
• BIOL 400 - Seminar in Neuropharmacology  
• BIOL 401 - Mechanisms of Memory  
• BIOL 475 - Research in Neurobiology ^ 
• PSYC 385 - Mind Reading: Understanding Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging  
• PSYC 450 - Research in Hemisphere Asymmetries ^

Capstone Experience

The capstone experience for the neuroscience major consists of 2 components: (1) completion of the capstone course (NSCI 488 ) during the fall or spring of senior year; and (2) participation in a research or internship experience after the sophomore year. Details about these components are provided below.

(1) Capstone course

Taken during the senior year, this 2-credit course provides a forum for students to prepare for post-graduation opportunities, and create the presentation that each will showcase at the Neuroscience Presentation Session held every year. Students’ presentations will have a central focus on neuroscience and be based on the research/internship experience or coursework to be approved by the capstone course instructor. The research/internship experience must be completed before the capstone course is taken.

(2) Research or internship experience

Students will gain familiarity with the process of research and/or the application of neuroscience to specific problems through participation in a research or internship experience consisting of 150 hours of work or more. The requirement may be fulfilled in a variety of ways (which may or may not be credit bearing), including an off-campus internship, on- or off-campus research/independent project, summer or study-away research, through an honors project, or by taking a research-intensive course (e.g., BIOL 472 - Research in Molecular Biology , BIOL 473 - Research in Immunology  or PSYC 450 - Research in Hemisphere Asymmetries ), which may also count as an advanced elective course. We prefer that students complete this experience sometime after their sophomore year so that they have had exposure to neuroscience before they begin. Students who complete an experience prior to their sophomore year may consult with the director of the program to determine the eligibility of their experience. In addition, unless they are completing this requirement with an honors project or in a research-intensive course, students must complete the experience before their last semester at Macalester. All students are encouraged to consult with a neuroscience faculty member to determine an appropriate experience based on their plans and goals.