Neuroscience Major and Minor Requirements

General Distribution Requirement

Many required courses in the Neuroscience major meet various general distribution requirements. Please refer to the department in which they are offered for specific information.

General Education Requirements

Courses that meet the general education requirements in writing, quantitative thinking, internationalism and U.S. identities and differences will be posted on the Registrar's web page in advance of registration for each semester.

Additional information regarding the general distribution requirement and the general education requirements can be found in the graduation requirements section of this catalog.

Independent Study

The department offers independent study options in the form of independent projects and internships. For more information contact the department and review the Curriculum section of the catalog.

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.

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.

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 an asterisk (*) fulfill the multi-draft paper requirement for the capstone. Courses marked with a hash mark (#) may fulfill the multi-draft paper requirement for the capstone if the paper is on a neuroscience topic and approved by the Program Director. 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.

Capstone Experience

The capstone experience for the neuroscience major consists of 3 components: (1) completion of the capstone course (NSCI 488) during the fall or spring of senior year; (2) participation in a research or internship experience after the sophomore year; and (3) completion of a multi-draft paper in an advanced course taken 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 Poster Session held every year. Students' presentations will have a central focus on neuroscience and be based on the research/internship experience, the multi-draft paper, or related coursework to be approved by the capstone course instructor. At least one of these components 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.

(3) Multi-draft paper

Students will write a multi-draft paper during an advanced course or independent project taken after the sophomore year. Courses that fulfill this requirement are denoted with asterisks or carets under 'Advanced Elective Courses' above and will be listed as such on the Registrar's web page.

Neuroscience Minor

Minor Requirements

The neuroscience minor consists of 6 courses, distributed as follows.

Introductory Courses (2 courses)

Elective Courses (4 courses)

Four of the following courses with at least one from Biology and one from Psychology. Topics courses with a neuroscience focus may also be counted with approval of the Neuroscience Steering Committee.

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