All students in this major take basic courses in biology, chemistry,
psychology, philosophy, mathematics and (optionally) computer
science, as well as introductory, intermediate and advanced courses
in neuroscience. Students are required to become involved in a
research project while they are at Macalester. There are numerous
research opportunities with faculty in each of the participating
departments, as well as opportunities at other institutions. The
major is completed with an emphasis in one of several areas: psychology,
mathematics, computer science, philosophy, and coming soon, linguistics.
A special exception is the biology emphasis, in which students
complete a biology major (with emphasis in neurobiology). The
rationale for having multiple tracks within this major is to provide
the appropriate preparation for diverse career paths in neuroscience.
A neuroscience studies major (with relevant course choices and
electives) can provide appropriate training for biomedically-related
careers such as medical school or graduate study in neuroscience
or numerous subdisciplines, including behavioral neuroscience,
physiological psychology, developmental psychology, neuropsychology,
neurophilosophy, cognitive neuroscience or computational neuroscience.
