***The Application for Fall 2025 Research-for-credit Courses is available now***
More details on Research in Neuroscience and Honors Research in Neuroscience courses can be found below. The submission deadline for Fall courses is 5:00 PM ET on Friday, 08/08/2025
The Boston University neuroscience community is a hotbed of innovative research. Students have the opportunity to participate in projects focused on sensation, addiction, aging, autism, learning and memory, neurodegenerative diseases, and more, using cutting-edge techniques such as optogenetics and fMRI in diverse experimental model systems (from cell culture systems, to rodents, to humans).
Students may receive credit, volunteer, or receive funding to work with BU faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences (Biology; Mathematics and Statistics; Psychological & Brain Sciences), Engineering (Biomedical Engineering; Electrical and Computer Engineering), Sargent College (Health Sciences; Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences), or at the BU School of Medicine (Alzheimer’s Disease Center; Anatomy and Neurobiology; Biochemistry; Pharmacology; Neurology; Pathology; Physiology and Biophysics; Radiology). Students may also work in one of the many other neuroscience labs at hospitals and research institutions across Greater Boston, one of the nation’s centers of neuroscience research.
Research-for-credit courses:
Several research-for-credit course options are available depending on class rank and previous research experience. A Research in Neuroscience course is an independent, semester-long research project conducted under the direction of a BU Faculty member or a PI in an approved external neuroscience laboratory. Honors Research in Neuroscience is a year-long, 8-credit (NE 401 + 402) experience in which students with senior standing carry out an independent, original research project. Compared to Research in Neuroscience courses, Honors Research projects are expected to be more in-depth, involving a higher degree of student input into the design of the study and greater autonomy by the student as a researcher. Honors Research projects culminate in a thesis paper and defense presentation, with successful Honors students receiving their degree with Honors in Neuroscience. All research-for-credit courses at the Junior level and above also carry BU Hub units. See the drop-down menus below for more information about these options.
Research in Neuroscience
Research in Neuroscience Guidelines
A Research in Neuroscience course allows students to receive academic credit for research conducted in a neuroscience lab anywhere in Greater Boston. Students are expected to be meaningful contributors to the research being conducted in their lab.
Courses & Credits:
Research in Neuroscience courses carry either 2 or 4 credits. These count towards your credits required for graduation just like any other BU class would, so please keep that in mind when planning your schedule.
Research in Neuroscience courses at the Junior and Senior level carry BU Hub units. One 4-credit research-for-credit course at the Junior level or higher (NE 391+) can also be counted as one Neuroscience elective and will fulfill the Neuroscience major’s Research Requirement.
The appropriate Research in Neuroscience course for you depends on your class rank (100-400 level) and your level of previous research experience and will be automatically selected for you as you fill out your application. Freshmen and sophomores will simply be registered for NE 191/192 or 291/292, respectively, depending on the semester in which they are taking the course. Juniors and Seniors will be registered for different courses depending on their prior research experience. The following flow chart displays the research prerequisites for each Junior- and Senior-level Research in Neuroscience course:
2-credit courses:
| Course name |
Hub units |
Prerequisites |
| NE 191/192/291/292: Freshman/Sophomore Research in Neuroscience |
none |
Freshman/sophomore standing; approval of research proposal |
| NE 371: Junior Research in Neuroscience 1 (2 Credits) |
Research and Information literacy |
Junior standing; no prior research; approval of research proposal |
| NE 372: Junior Research in Neuroscience 2 (2 Credits) |
Oral and/or Signed Communication |
Junior standing; NE 371 or NE 391 or two credits of NE 191/192/291/292 or UROP-funded research; approval of research proposal |
4-credit courses:
| Course name |
Hub units |
Prerequisites |
| NE 391: Junior Research in Neuroscience 1 (4 Credits) |
Research and Information Literacy + Oral and/or Signed Communication |
Junior standing; no prior research experience; approval of research proposal |
| NE 491: Senior Research in Neuroscience 1 |
Research and Information Literacy + Oral and/or Signed Communication |
Senior standing; no prior research experience; approval of research proposal |
| NE 392: Junior Research in Neuroscience 2 (4 Credits) |
Research and Information Literacy + Creativity/Innovation |
Junior standing; NE 391 or four credits of NE 191/192/291/292/371 or UROP-funded research; approval of research proposal |
| NE 492: Senior Research in Neuroscience 2 |
Research and Information Literacy + Creativity/Innovation |
Senior standing; NE 371 or NE 391 or NE 491 or UROP-funded research; approval of research proposal |
| NE 393: Junior Research in Neuroscience 3+ |
Oral and/or Signed Communication + Creativity/Innovation |
Junior standing; NE 372 or NE 392; approval of research proposal |
| NE 493: Senior Research in Neuroscience 3+ |
Oral and/or Signed Communication + Creativity/Innovation |
Senior standing; NE 372 or NE 392 or NE 492; approval of research proposal |
Hours:
Students are expected to conduct research for 3-4 hours per week per credit during the school year, and 6-8 hours per week per credit during the summer.
Steps to apply:
- Determine which faculty members (or outside researchers) are conducting research in the area of neuroscience you are interested in. Then contact the individual(s) directly to determine if they have openings in their lab.
- Alternatively, you can ask the Teaching Fellows in your courses if there are openings in the labs they work in or if they know of anyone looking for undergrad help.
- Discuss the possibility of conducting a research project with your prospective research mentor. If they agree to support your project, review with them the Research in Neuroscience Guidelines and the syllabus for the appropriate course (links below).
- You may then apply for the appropriate research course for the next semester via the online application linked to at the top of this page, once the application has gone live. Be sure to carefully read all emails from the Undergraduate Program in Neuroscience, since the application deadlines will be announced that way.
- After applying, approval decisions and (for approved students) instructions for course registration will also be communicated via BU email.
Honors Research in Neuroscience
Honors Research in Neuroscience Guidelines
Honors Research in Neuroscience allows high-achieving graduating seniors the opportunity to work closely with a faculty mentor on a year-long neuroscience research project of their design. The research project culminates with students writing a 35-50 page thesis and defending it in front of a committee of the students’ mentor and two other experts in the field.
Eligibility Requirements:
1) Senior standing.
2) Overall GPA ≥3.4.
3) At least one prior semester or summer of research in the lab in which you are proposing to complete your Honors project.
4) Approval of the proposal by Dr. Mario Muscedere and by the student’s research mentor.
Courses & Credits:
Honors Research in Neuroscience courses (NE 401 + 402) each carry 4 credits. These count towards your credits required for graduation just like any other BU class would, so please keep that in mind when planning your schedule.
Honors Research in Neuroscience courses also carry BU Hub units, and NE 401 can be counted as one Neuroscience elective and will fulfill the Neuroscience major’s Research Requirement.
| Course name |
Hub units |
Prerequisites |
| NE 401: Honors Research in Neuroscience 1 |
Research and Information Literacy + Creativity/Innovation |
Honors eligibility requirements outlined above |
| NE 402: Honors Research in Neuroscience 2 |
Writing-Intensive, Digital/Multimedia Expression, and Oral/Signed Communication |
Completion of NE 401 with a B+ grade or better |
Hours:
Students are expected to conduct research for 3-4 hours per week per credit during the school year, and 6-8 hours per week per credit during the summer.
Steps to apply:
- Get involved in research prior to your Senior year. Remember that you must have conducted at least one prior semester or summer of research in the lab in which you are proposing to conduct your Honors research in order for your application to be approved. This requirement cannot be waived, as it protects both you and your research mentor (it is vital that you get to know your research mentor and their lab well prior to conducting an Honors Research project, since it is a year-long commitment).
- Discuss the possibility of conducting an Honors project with your research mentor. If they agree to support your project, review with them the Honors Research in Neuroscience Guidelines and the syllabi for NE 401 and NE 402.
- Following the instructions in the Honors Research in Neuroscience Guidelines, draft your Honors Research Proposal.
- You may then apply for Honors research for the next academic year via the online application linked to at the top of this page, once the application has gone live at the end of the Spring semester. Indicate on the form that you are applying for Honors Research; if you meet the eligibility criteria, you will then be allowed to upload your Honors Research Proposal. Be sure to carefully read all emails from the Undergraduate Program in Neuroscience, since the application deadlines will be announced that way.
- After applying, approval decisions and (for approved students) instructions for course registration will also be communicated via BU email.
Syllabi for all research-for-credit courses can be found at the links below:
Funded research:
Funding opportunities are also available to provide stipends or support research costs, which include UROP (see drop-down below for more information), funding via faculty research grants, or Work-Study. Please remember that if you are paid for your research activity, you cannot also enroll in a research-for-credit class.
Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP)
While undergraduates are eligible to be paid for research from faculty research grants or work-study grants, the majority of students receive pay through the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP).
UROP is a University-wide program that helps connect students with research opportunities and provides funding for research and travel expenses as well as student stipends. Funding is available during the academic year as well as in the summer.
Note: students may not receive academic credit and a UROP stipend in the same semester.
For more information and to apply, visit the UROP website.
Steps to joining a research lab:
- Identify the specific areas of neuroscience, levels of analysis, or techniques that are of greatest interest to you.
- Browse the list of neuroscience research faculty at BU and look for labs that conduct research in your area of interest.
- Attend Mind and Brain Society meetings and talk to fellow students and presenters.
- Talk with your instructors.
- Pay attention to emails from the Undergraduate Program in Neuroscience – we often email out opportunities for research at BU and other area institutions.
- Check the UROP website for information on labs that are actively advertising to recruit undergraduate researchers.
- For additional information, check out this advice on getting involved in research as well as a list of some available labs at BU
- If interested in doing research for credit, review the requirements for Research in Neuroscience and Honors Research in Neuroscience courses, then apply for the appropriate course prior to the deadline.
