BS in Neuroscience
- Degree Program Description
- Major Program Requirements
- Semester Plan
- Degree Audit
- Major and Career Exploration
Degree Program Description
Neuroscience draws on biology, psychology, chemistry, physics, bioengineering, and other life and health sciences to address the scientific and societal challenges of mental health, neurological disease, and our basic understanding of the nervous system. The Neuroscience BS degree program offers a rigorous curriculum covering cellular and molecular neuroscience, systems neuroscience, and behavioral science, with advanced electives that allow students to tailor their studies to specific interests. The program will provide multidisciplinary and hands-on experiential learning, which fosters critical thinking, scientific inquiry, and effective communication skills, preparing students for diverse career opportunities and postgraduate studies. Graduates are prepared for diverse career paths in medicine, allied health, research, pharmaceuticals, and education, as well as advanced graduate or professional programs.
Major Program Requirements
The following degree requirements must be completed in addition to University, general education, and College of Arts and Science requirements, students must also meet the following major program requirements. All major requirements in the College of Arts and Science must be completed with grades of C- or higher unless otherwise indicated.
| Foundational Courses | ||
| MATH 1100 | College Algebra | 3 |
| or MATH 1160 | Precalculus Mathematics | |
| STAT 1200 & STAT 2200 | Introductory Statistical Reasoning and Introductory Statistical Methods | 3-4 |
| or STAT 2500 | Introduction to Probability and Statistics I | |
| Required Core Courses | ||
| NEUROSCI 1000 | Career Foundations in Neuroscience | 1 |
| NEUROSCI 1010 | Neuroscience Foundations | 3 |
| NEUROSCI 3010 | Behavioral Neuroscience | 3 |
| NEUROSCI 3020 | Cognitive Neuroscience | 3 |
| NEUROSCI 3030 | Cellular Molecular Neuroscience | 3 |
| NEUROSCI 3040 | Structure and Function of the Nervous System | 3 |
| BIO_SC 2200 | General Genetics | 4 |
| BIO_SC 2300 | Introduction to Cell Biology | 4 |
| CHEM 1400 & CHEM 1401 | College Chemistry I and College Chemistry I Laboratory | 4 |
| CHEM 1410 & CHEM 1411 | College Chemistry II and College Chemistry II Laboratory | 4 |
| PHYSCS 1210 | College Physics I | 4-5 |
| or PHYSCS 2750 | University Physics I | |
| PHYSCS 1220 | College Physics II | 4-5 |
| or PHYSCS 2760 | University Physics II | |
| PSYCH 2110 | Learning, Memory, and Cognition | 3 |
| PSYCH 2220 | Drugs and Behavior | 3 |
| Electives (at least 6 credit hours at 3000-level or higher) | 9 | |
| BIO_SC 3700 | Human Physiology | 5 |
| BIO_SC 4500 | Neurobiology | 3 |
| BIO_SC 4560 | Sensory Physiology and Behavior | 3 |
| BIO_SC 4590 | Computational Neuroscience | 4 |
| BIO_SC 4640 | Behavioral Biology | 3-4 |
| BIO_SC 4988 | Nerve Cells and Behavior | 3 |
| BIOL_EN 4070 | Bioelectricity | 3 |
| BIOL_EN 4075 | Brain Signals and Brain Machine Interfaces | 3 |
| or BME 4075 | Brain Signals and Brain Machine Interfaces | |
| BIOL_EN 4540 | Neural Models and Machine Learning | 3 |
| BIOL_EN 4970 | Nuclear Magnetic Resonance and Magnetic Resonance Imaging | 3 |
| or BME 4970 | Nuclear Magnetic Resonance and Magnetic Resonance Imaging | |
| ECE 4310 | Feedback Control Systems | 3 |
| ECE 4830 | Introduction to Digital Signal Processing | 3-4 |
| MAE 4750 | Feedback Control Systems | 3 |
| PHIL 2820 | Minds, Brains, and Machines: An Introduction to Philosophy of Cognitive Science | 3 |
| PHIL 4210 | Consciousness, Thought, and the Brain: An Introduction to Philosophy of Mind | 3 |
| PSYCH 4110 | Perception | 3 |
| PSYCH 4210 | Physiological Psychology | 3 |
| PSYCH 4220 | Animal Behavior and Cognition | 3 |
| PSYCH 4240 | Cognitive Neuroscience | 3 |
| PSYCH 4440 | Sex Differences | 3 |
| PSYCH 4561 | Psychosis and the Brain | 3 |
| PSYCH 4570 | Pediatric Neuropsychology | 3 |
Semster Plan
Below is a sample plan of study, semester by semester. A student's actual plan may vary based on course choices where options are available.
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| MATH 1100 | 3 | STAT 2500 | 3 |
| ENGLSH 1000 | 3 | NEUROSCI 1000 | 1 |
| NEUROSCI 1010 | 3 | PSYCH 2110 | 3 |
| Humanities | 3 | CHEM 1400 & CHEM 1401 | 4 |
| INTDSC 1001 or SSC 1150 (or an elective) | 2 | Social Science | 3 |
| 14 | 14 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| NEUROSCI 3010 | 3 | NEUROSCI 3020 | 3 |
| PSYCH 2220 | 3 | Humanities or WI | 3 |
| CHEM 1410 & CHEM 1411 | 4 | BIO_SC 2300 | 4 |
| BIO_SC 2200 | 4 | Elective | 3 |
| 14 | 13 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| NEUROSCI 3030 | 3 | NEUROSCI 3040 | 3 |
| PHYSCS 1210 | 4 | PHYSCS 1220 | 4 |
| Second Language Alternative | 3 | Second Language Alternative | 3 |
| Humanities 2000-level or higher | 3 | Neuroscience Elective | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Electives | 3 |
| 16 | 16 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| Neuroscience Elective 3000-level or higher | 3 | Neuroscience Elective | 3 |
| Second Language Alternative | 3 | Second Language Alternative | 3 |
| Elective | 9 | Elective | 6 |
| 15 | 12 | ||
| Total Credits: 114 | |||
Degree Audit
The degree audit is an automated report reflecting a student’s academic progress toward the completion of a degree.
MU students can request a degree audit by logging in to myDegreePlanner. Students may also access myDegreePlanner via myZou, in the Student Center, click on the Academic Progress Tile, then select Request Degree Audit. The audit automatically pulls in the student’s MU course work, transfer courses and courses in progress. This is available to current students, admitted students, and those who last attended less than three terms ago.
Past MU students can request a degree audit by contacting the Academic Advising Unit of the division in which they were last enrolled at MU. For contact information, go to https://advising.missouri.edu/contact/.
Prospective students, can access a preliminary MU degree audit via https://www.transferology.com. Information on the college credits already earned will have to be manually entered before it can be evaluated against current degree requirements.
For additional details on degree audits, go to https://registrar.missouri.edu/degrees-audits/degree-audits/.
Major and Career Exploration
The University of Missouri has many resources to assist you in exploring majors and career possibilities. For guidance, visit the Majors and Careers website or view specific resources below.
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If you are considering a change of major or are exploring multiple majors, schedule an appointment with an advisor in the Discovery Center by calling (573)884-9700 or through MU Connect Discovery Center service in you success network.
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If you have decided on a major, visit an academic advisor in the School or College that you are interested in to discuss the process of declaring the major.
- If you would like to learn more about your career interests, abilities, values and talents, visit the MU Career Center. No Appointment is necessary to explore career options with one of our staff members.
- If you would like information about MU majors and degree programs, visit:
- the Degrees, Majors (Degree Programs), Emphasis Areas, Minors and Certificates page in the catalog,
- the MU Majors website.
For additional major and career exploration resources, visit Major & Career Exploration in the catalog.