University of Pittsburgh

UNDERGRADUATE
Bulletin

Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences

MAJOR AND MINOR DESCRIPTIONS BY DEPARTMENT

 

 

NEUROSCIENCE

Neuroscience is the study of the biology and function of the central nervous system, with a special focus on the brain. The field has emerged during the past two decades as part of the explosive growth of research and interest in the neural sciences. An autonomous major in neuroscience was developed at the University of Pittsburgh in 1983, and it is among the largest undergraduate programs in neuroscience in the country, with nearly 300 students as majors.

The Bachelor of Science degree in neuroscience prepares students for the following:

  • Advanced study in health-related fields, such as medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, public health, physical therapy, physician assistant, and exercise physiology;
  • Graduate training in neuroscience and related fields in the biological sciences, and for a future career in a university, research institute, pharmaceutical company, or hospital;
  • Research assistant positions in pharmaceutical, hospital, and university settings; and
  • Public and private high school teaching following the completion of the teacher certification program in the School of Education.

The neuroscience major is designed to provide a broad and challenging sequence of courses in biological sciences, chemistry, mathematics, and physics, in addition to introductory and advanced courses in neuroscience. Students also may receive credit for original research projects they conduct in collaboration with faculty members. The relatively small size of the upper-level courses, the excellence of teaching, and the opportunity for research have been found to be especially attractive features of the major. A minor in neuroscience is also available. For more information on the major, the minor, and the Department of Neuroscience, see www.neuroscience.pitt.edu.

Major Requirements

Neuroscience majors must complete a minimum of 59 credits, detailed as follows:

Required Courses
  • NROSCI 1000 Introduction to Neuroscience or 1003 UHC (University Honors College) Introduction to Neuroscience
  • NROSCI 1011 Functional Neuroanatomy
  • NROSCI 1012 Neurophysiology
  • NROSCI 1017 Synaptic Transmission
  • NROSCI 1800 Neuroscience Writing Practicum 1 or
  • NROSCI 1962 Thesis Research Writing practicum
  • Two advanced electives to be chosen from:
    • NROSCI 1020 Homeostasis
    • NROSCI 1030 Psychiatric Disorders and Brain Function
    • NROSCI 1032 Functional Organization of the Human Nervous System
    • NROSCI 1034 Neural Basis of Cognition
    • NROSCI 1035 Control of Movement
    • NROSCI 1036 Neurobiology of Aging
    • NROSCI 1040 Biological Bases of Learning and Memory
    • NROSCI 1041 Developmental Neuroscience
    • NROSCI 1042 Neurochemical Basis of Behavior
    • NROSCI 1046 Foundations of Clinical Neurophysiology

Optional Electives
NROSCI 1111 Functional Neuroanatomy Honors Practicum
NROSCI 1097 Undergraduate Teaching Experience
NROSCI 1901 Independent Study
NROSCI 1961 Thesis Research

Course descriptions and current syllabi can be found by clicking on the Teaching Faculty link on the right of the Neuroscience Undergraduate home page at www.neuroscience.pitt.edu/programs/undergraduate

Corequisite Courses

It is recommended that students complete introductory biology, chemistry, and physics courses during freshman and sophomore years. Premed students should also take PHYS 0212 Introduction to Laboratory Physics or 219 Basic Lab Physics for Science and Engineering and a statistics course to meet medical school requirements.

  • BIOSC 0150, 0160, 0050, and 0060 Foundations of Biology 1 and 2 and labs
  • BIOSC 1000 Biochemistry
  • CHEM 0110 and 0120 General Chemistry 1 and 2
  • CHEM 0310 Organic Chemistry 1
  • CHEM 0320 Organic Chemistry 2
  • CHEM 0330 Organic Chemistry Lab 1
  • CHEM 0340 Organic Chemistry Lab 2
  • MATH 0220 Analytic Geometry and Calculus 1
  • NROSCI 1070 UHC Human Physiology or 1250 Human Physiology
  • PHYS 0174 and 0175 Basic Physics for Science and Engineering 1 and 2 or 0110 and 0111 Introduction to Physics 1 and 2
Grade requirements for the major are as follows:
  • Students majoring in neuroscience must take all required courses for a letter grade.
  • NROSCI 1000 Introduction to Neuroscience or 1003 UHC Introduction to Neuroscience must be passed with a B- or better. Grades in the remaining core courses and two advanced electives are averaged. All of these courses must be passed, and the average GPA must be 2.00 or better.
  • In the corequisites, a passing grade below C may be accepted only if it is balanced with higher grades, so that the total GPA in corequisite courses is 2.0 or better. This requirement applies collectively to corequisite courses taught in the Department of Neuroscience (e.g., NROSCI 1070 UHC Human Physiology) and those taught in other departments.
  • Majors must have a grade of B- in NROSCI 1000 Introduction to Neuroscience and 1003 UHC Introduction to Neuroscience as a prerequisite to taking any other departmental core or advanced elective courses.
Department Honors and Undergraduate Research
  • To qualify for departmental honors, students need to maintain a minimum overall GPA of 3.25 as well as a GPA of 3.25 in the neuroscience major. In addition, students must complete a substantial amount of experimental neuroscience research on an approved research project and give a public presentation of the work. The full faculty of the department approves departmental honors after consideration of all eligible students.
  • The Department of Neuroscience encourages interested undergraduate majors to gain research experience within an active neuroscience laboratory. The department is a world-class research department committed to high quality research and sharing the excitement of scientific exploration with trainees. Majors are encouraged to take advantage of the opportunity to do meaningful neuroscience research while still undergraduates. It is not unusual for majors to report their research at scientific meetings and to be published. While research experience itself has strong benefits, it is also useful for interacting more closely with professors and enhancing preparation for graduate or medical school. Most undergraduates who enroll in research for credit are interested in completing an independent project that results in an undergraduate thesis.
Minor Requirements

A minimum of 14 credits is required for a neuroscience minor. The minor includes the following:

  • NROSCI 1000 Introduction to Neuroscience or 1003 UHC Introduction to Neuroscience with a grade of C or better
  • Three core courses: NROSCI 1011 Functional Neuroanatomy, 1012 Neurophysiology, and 1017 Synaptic Transmission
  • As an alternative to the three core courses, students may take two of the core courses and at least one advanced elective.