Course Requirements
Description of the Major
A total of seventeen (17) courses are required for the Neuroscience major offered through the departments of Biology, Cognitive & Neural Systems, Computer Science, Mathematics & Statistics, and Psychology. These courses are distributed as follows:
- Three (3) core neuroscience courses.
- Six (6) basic science courses that will provide an appropriate background for neuroscience.
- Seven (7) electives, as outlined by the requirements below.
- Senior research requirement, which can be satisfied three different ways.
A ‘C’ or higher is required in all 17 courses to receive credit toward the major. For more information contact Dr. Paul Lipton, Director of Undergraduate Academic Affairs and Research (palipton@bu.edu; 2 Cummington Street, Suite 114).
Core Required Courses (3 courses)
| NE 201 | Introduction to Cells and Systems Neuroscience |
| NE 202 | Introduction to Cognitive Neuroscience |
| NE 204 | Introduction to Computational Models of Brain and Behavior |
Basic Science Requirements (6 courses)
|
BI 108 or BI 118 |
Biology II or Biology II with Honors |
| CH 101/102 | Chemistry I/II |
| MA 123/124 | Calculus I/II (or equivalent) |
|
PS 211 or MA 115/116 or MA 213/214 |
Experimental Design in Psychology or Statistics I/II or Basic Statistics and Probability/Applied Statistics |
Elective Requirement (7 courses)
The Undergraduate Program in Neuroscience is designed to allow students to choose from a wide range of elective courses. Please keep the following in mind when considering electives:
- Elective courses are grouped into three broad topic areas:
- Breadth Requirement: At least one (1) elective must come from a second topic group (in other words, all seven electives CANNOT come from a single topic group).
- Laboratory Requirement: At least one (1) elective must contain a laboratory component.
- Up to two (2) electives can be selected from the Restricted list. These courses do not satisfy the Breadth Requirement.
Group 1: Cellular and Systems
| BI 230 | Behavioral Endocrinology |
| PS 3221 | Experimental Psychology: Physiology |
| BI 444 | Neuroethology |
| BI 445 | Cellular and Molecular Neurophysiology |
| BI 455 | Developmental Neurobiology |
| BI 520 | Sensory Neurobiology |
| BI 545 | Neurobiology of Motivated Behavior |
| BI 5751 | Techniques in Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology |
| BI 4812 | Molecular Biology of the Neuron |
| BI 5542 | Neuroendocrinology |
| BI 5992 | Neurobiology of Synapses |
Group 2: Cognition
| PS 222 | Perception |
| PS 234 | Psychology of Learning |
| PS 3231 | Experimental Psychology: Learning |
| PS 333 | Drugs and Behavior |
| PS 336 | Cognitive Psychology |
| PS 337 | Memory Systems |
| PS 338 | Neuropsychology |
| PS 5201 | Research Methods: Perception and Cognition |
| PS 528 | Human Brain Mapping |
| PS 529 | Neuroplasticity: Enabling the Brain to Heal Itself |
| PS 544 | Developmental Neuropsychology |
Group 3: Computation
| PS/NE 530 | Neural Models of Memory |
| MA 421 | Modern Statistical Modeling and Data Analysis |
| MA 565 | Mathematical Models in Life Sciences |
| MA 578 | Bayesian Statistics |
| CS 542 | Machine Learning |
| CS 565 | Data Mining |
| CN/NE 3301 | Introduction to Computational Models of Vision |
| CN/NE 3401 | Introduction to Computational Models of Skilled Action |
| CN/NE 3501 | Introduction to Computational Models of Perceptual Memory |
| CN/NE 3601 | Introduction to Computational Models of Hearing |
| CN 5001 | Techniques in Modeling |
| CN 510/520 | Principles & Methods of Cognitive & Neural Models I/II |
| CN 5302 | Computational Models of Vision |
| CN 5402 | Computational Models of Movement |
| CN 5502 | Computational Models of Memory |
| CN 5702 | Computational Models of Learning |
| CN 5802 | Introduction to Computational Modeling |
1Lab Course
2Course has extra prerequisites not included in the neuroscience major. If you lack these prerequisites but still wish to enroll in the course, you should contact the course's instructor to discuss whether you have the necessary background.
Restricted Electives
No more than two (2) courses can be selected from the list below. These courses do not count toward the Breadth Requirement.
| BI 203 | Cell Biology |
| CH 203 | Organic Chemistry I |
|
PY 105/106 or PY 241/242 or PY 251/252 |
Elementary Physics I/II or Principles of General Physics I/II or Principles of Physics I/II |
| MA 242 | Linear Algebra |
| MA 226 | Differential Equations |
| MA 416 | Intermediate Statistics |
| CS 111/112 | Introduction to Computer Science I/II |
Senior Research Requirement (choose 1 of these 3 options)
| NE 401/402 | Senior Work for Distinction (2 Semesters) |
| NE 391/392/491/492 | Directed Study (1 Semester) |
| 2nd Upper Level Lab Course | (1 Semester) |