University of Pittsburgh
  UNDERGRADUATE BULLETIN 1999 - 2002 [ Previous Page | Table of Contents | Next Page ]


SCHOOLS AND ACADEMIC PROGRAMS


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 more than 140 students as majors. In 1986, the program became a separate department in the University. In May 1997, a national group of evaluators judged the undergraduate program as "superb."

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
  • 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 http://www.pitt.edu/~neurosci.

  • Major Requirements

    Neuroscience majors must complete a minimum of 56 credits, detailed as follows:

    • Required Courses
      • NROSCI 1000 (Introduction to Neuroscience) or 1003 (Honors Introduction to Neuroscience)
      • NROSCI 1011 (Functional Neuroanatomy)
      • NROSCI 1012 (Neurophysiology)
      • NROSCI 1017 (Synaptic Transmission)
      • Two advanced electives to be chosen from:
        • NROSCI 1020 (Homeostasis)
        • NROSCI 1022 (Hormones and Brain Function)
        • NROSCI 1025 (Biological Clocks)
        • NROSCI 1030 (Psychiatric Disorders and Brain Function) or
          NROSCI 1031 (UHC Psychiatric Disorders and Brain Function)
        • NROSCI 1032 (Functional Organization of the Human Nervous System)
        • NROSCI 1033 (Neuronal Signal Transduction)
        • NROSCI 1034 (Neural Basis of Cognition) or NROSCI 1034 and 1134 (UHC Neural Basis of Cognition)
        • NROSCI 1040 (Biological Bases of Learning and Memory)
        • NROSCI 1041 (Developmental Neuroscience)
        • NROSCI 1035 (Control of Movement)

    • Corequisite Courses

      Corequisite courses (usually taken in the freshman and sophomore years). It is recommended that the introductory biological sciences and chemistry courses be taken during the freshman year, and that the courses in chemistry and physics be completed by the end of the first term of the junior year. Please note that premed students must also take a physics laboratory course to meet medical school requirements:

      • BIOSC 0150, 0160, 0050, and 0060 (Foundations of Biology 1 and 2 and labs)
      • BIOSC 1000 (Introductory Biochemistry)
      • CHEM 0110 and 0120 (General Chemistry 1 and 2)
      • CHEM 0310 (Organic Chemistry) or 0350 (Principles of Organic Chemistry)
      • CHEM 0320 (Organic Chemistry 2) or 0360 (Organic Chemistry of Life)
      • 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 0104, 0105, 0106 (Basic Physics for Science and Engineering) 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 (Honors Introduction to Neuroscience) must be passed with a C or better. Grades in the remaining core courses and two advanced electives are averaged. All of these courses must be passed, and the average QPA 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 QPA in corequisite courses is 2.00 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 C (C- will not do) in NROSCI 1000/1003 as a prerequisite to taking any other departmental core or advanced elective courses.

    • Other rules and requirements that neuroscience majors must observe are as follows:
      • Students should take one of the writing practica associated with a number of upper-level courses to meet the department W-requirement.
      • Students majoring in neuroscience automatically fulfill the CAS 12-credit related area requirement by their work in biology and chemistry, but are welcome to pursue other related areas as they wish.
      • To qualify for honors in neuroscience, students must maintain a minimum overall QPA of 3.25 and a minimum QPA of 3.25 in neuroscience courses. In addition, students must complete a substantial amount of experimental research on an approved research project and give a public presentation of the research.

      The student must be recommended for departmental honors by a neuroscience faculty member. Approval for departmental honors is decided upon by the full faculty of the department after consideration of all eligible students.

  • Minor Requirements

    Courses taken for the minor in neuroscience must be core courses, advanced electives, or University Honors College (UHC) laboratory courses. The minimum number of credits required is 14 and must include the following courses:

    • NROSCI 1000 (Introduction to Neuroscience) or 1003 (UHC Introduction to Neuroscience) with a grade of C or better
    • Two additional core courses to be chosen from 1011 (Functional Neuroanatomy), 1012 (Neurophysiology), and 1017 (Synaptic Transmission)
    • At least one advanced elective






  UNDERGRADUATE BULLETIN 1999 - 2002 [ Previous Page | Table of Contents | Next Page ]