NESC - Neuroscience Major (B.A.)
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Program Requirements
The major requires 13 course credits, including eight core courses and five courses from the list of electives. Electives must include at least one NESC designated course and no more than two courses from any single affiliated department (i.e., PSYC, BIOL, CHEM, ENGR, PHIL designated courses). Courses cross-listed with NESC will be counted as NESC courses.
Lab requirement: Courses indicated below by (lab) have either required or optional labs that can be used to fulfill this requirement. Students must take the accompanying labs with BIOL 182, BIOL 183, CHEM 111, and CHEM 112. Four additional lab courses are required. Two must be designated NESC labs. At least one lab must come from the list of core electives. You may count one semester of NESC 425 (either 0.5 or 1 credit) towards your lab requirement; however you must register for 1 credit for NESC 425 to count as a cognate elective.
No course grade of less than C- may be counted toward the major.
Core courses:
BIOL 182L. Evolution of Life (lab required)
BIOL 183L. The Cellular Basis of Life (lab required)
CHEM 111L. Introductory Chemistry I (lab required)
CHEM 112L. Introductory Chemistry II (lab required)
ONE of the following:
MATH 107. Elements of Statistics
MATH 131. Calculus I
MATH 207. Statistical Data Analysis
NESC 220 Statistics for Life Sciences
PSYC 221L. Research Design and Analysis (lab required)
NESC 201. Principles of Neuroscience (lab offered)
NESC 388. Current Issues in Neuroscience (senior year only)
PSYC 261L. Brain and Behavior (lab offered)
Electives—Must take a total of five electives, at least four must be core electives:
Core electives—Must take a minimum of four of these:
BIOL 473. Sensory Biology (lab offered)
ENGR 311. Electrophysiology of the Central Nervous System
ENGR 316. Neural Engineering
ENGR 346L. Computational Neuroscience (lab offered)
NESC 207. Metabolic Health
NESC 210L. Neuroendocrinology (lab offered)
NESC 301L. Introduction to Neuroscience Methodology (lab)
NESC 305. Neurolaw
NESC 306. Social Neuroscience (lab offered)
NESC 307. Clinical Psychobiology
NESC 308. Cultural Neuroscience
NESC 309. Pain
NESC 312. Neurobiology of Movement
NESC 313L. Emotion and Motivation (lab offered)
NESC 320. Neuroanatomy, Neurobiology, and Cognition across the Lifespan
NESC 325. Hormones and Social Behavior
NESC 362. Neuroethology
NESC/PSYC 364. Neuropsychopharmacology
NESC 401. Neurochemistry (lab offered)
PHIL 319. Philosophy of Neuroscience and Psychiatry
PSYC 293L. Perception (lab offered)
PSYC 302. Behavioral Neuroscience
PSYC 334. Current Issues in Cognition
PSYC 339. Developmental Psychopathology
PSYC 348. Focusing the Mind: The Psychology of Attention (lab offered)
PSYC 365. Cognitive Neuroscience
PSYC 391. Psychology of Language
PSYC 392. Human Neuropsychology
Cognate electives—Must take one additional elective (this can be either from the core electives above or from the following):
BIOL 120. Genes, Clones and Biotechnology
BIOL 211L. Electron Microscopy (lab required)
BIOL 224. Genetics (lab offered)
BIOL 227L. Cell Biology (lab required)
BIOL 317. Biochemistry (lab offered)
BIOL 319L. Animal Physiology (lab required)
CHEM 211L. Elementary Organic Chemistry I (lab offered)
NESC 101. The Brain
NESC 103. Adolescence and Drug Use
NESC 104. The Body Electric
NESC 105. Hartford on the Brain
NESC 107. The Divided Brain
NESC 120. Nervous Connections
NESC 425. Research in Neuroscience (1.0 credit)*
PHIL 378. Philosophy of Mind
PSYC 255L. Cognitive Psychology (lab offered)
PSYC 265. Drugs and Behavior
The Writing Intensive Part II requirement is fulfilled by one of the following courses:
NECS 305. Neurolaw
NESC 306. Social Neuroscience
NESC 313. Emotion and Motivation
NESC 362. Neuroethology
NESC 364. Neuropsychopharmacology
NESC 401. Neurochemistry
PSYC 302. Behavioral Neuroscience
PSYC 334. Current Issues in Cognition
PSYC 339. Developmental Psychopathology
PSYC 348. Focusing the Mind: The Psychology of Attention
PSYC 365. Cognitive Neuroscience
PSYC 392. Human Neuropsychology
Capstone/senior project: NESC 388. Current Issues in Neuroscience
Concentrations/tracks:
Depth option: In order to be designated as fulfilling a concentration in one area of neuroscience, students who choose to do so (in addition to fulfilling the breadth requirements above) must complete four electives as listed below. This will be indicated on their transcript (e.g., Neuroscience: Cellular/Molecular Concentration).
Four electives fulfill depth in one area:
Cellular/molecular
BIOL 224. Genetics
BIOL 317L. Biochemistry (lab required)
NESC 207. Metabolic Health
CHEM 402/NESC 402. Neurodegenerative Diseases
ENGR 311. Electrophysiology of the Central Nervous System
ENGR 316. Neural Engineering
ENGR 346. Computational Neuroscience
NESC 210L. Neuroendocrinology (lab offered)
NESC 320. Developmental Neuroscience
NESC 401. Neurochemistry
Systems/behavioral
BIOL 319L. Animal Physiology (lab required)
BIOL 473. Sensory Biology
NESC 210L. Neuroendocrinology (lab offered)
NESC 306. Social Neuroscience
NESC 309. Pain
NESC 312. Neurobiology of Movement
NESC 313L. Emotion and Motivation (lab offered)
NECS 325. Hormones and Social Behavior
NESC 362. Neuroethology
PSYC 302. Behavioral Neuroscience
Clinical/cognitive
NESC 309. Pain
NESC/PSYC 364. Neuropsychopharmacology
PSYC 293L. Perception (lab offered)
PSYC 334. Current Issues in Cognition
PSYC 339. Developmental Psychopathology
PSYC 348. Focusing the Mind: The Psychology of Attention
PSYC 365. Cognitive Neuroscience
PSYC 391. Psychology of Language
PSYC 392. Human Neuropsychology
To double major in neuroscience and another major, a maximum of four courses (including core courses, core electives, and cognate elective) can be double-counted in both majors.
ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITIES
Independent Studies: Neuroscience students are encouraged to perform independent research in one of the many active labs on campus. In addition, opportunities exist to perform research or get clinical experience at the University of Connecticut Health Center, Hartford Hospital, the Institute of Living and Connecticut Children's Medical Center. A special research program is available through the Ayers Neuroscience Institute. See the program director to learn how to apply for these opportunities.
Study away: Neuroscience students who wish to study away should meet with their adviser and the program director in advance of the semester they intend to go away. Professor Seraphin is currently the study-away adviser for the neuroscience program and can advise students regarding specific study-away options. There are many study-away locations that allow for course work in neuroscience as well as internship experiences. Students who wish to take a course for major credit while away must have this approved by the program director before going away.
Courses at other institutions: Students who wish to earn major credit for course work at other institutions should submit to the director the name of the institution and the number, title, and catalog description of the course. This information must be submitted in writing before the work is initiated and formal permission must be granted before the courses can be credited toward the major at Trinity, following the usual procedures established by the Office of Study Away.
Honors: In order to be considered for honors in the major, students must have an overall GPA of 3.7 in the 200-level and above courses that are being counted towards the major requirements, and students must demonstrate superior quality in their research or community service, as determined by the program faculty.
In addition to the above requirements for Honors, students must also fulfill the additional requirements listed below:
Students must successfully complete one (1) of the following pathways to Honors:
Two semester thesis in neuroscience (NESC 498 and NESC 499) with a grade of A or better.
Two semesters (2.0 credits) research assistant in neuroscience (NESC 425), both completed with the same faculty research supervisor. In addition, both semesters must be completed after declaration of the major, and one of the two semesters must be completed in the senior year with a grade of A or better.
Summer research assistant in neuroscience supervised by a member of the Neuroscience Coordinating Committee or approved in advance by the director, completed after declaration of the major, followed by one semester (1.0 credit) of research assistant in neuroscience (NESC 425) completed during the senior year with the same faculty research supervisor. The summer research must earn distinction and the credit of NESC 425 must earn a grade of A or better.
Equivalent hours (300 hours) committed to community engagement in neuroscience approved by the director. Students must complete and turn in the Documentation of Community Engagement Hours form signed by the community mentor and by the director of the program. This must be completed and turned in to the director by the last day of classes of the semester the student will be graduating. This co-curricular experience must earn distinction.
During their senior year, students must give oral presentations in the fall (project proposal) and the spring (final project presentation), as well as give a poster presentation at the annual research symposium.
To be considered for honors, students must send in their completed honors application no later than September 30th (May graduates) or February 28th (December graduates) of their penultimate semester.
*NESC 425 (0.5 credit) can be used to fulfill the NESC lab requirement, however, NESC (1.0 credit) is required to fulfill the cognate elective requirement.
HFPR 202. Health Care Research may substitute for NESC 425 provided the research is done in a neurological, neurosurgical, neuropsychiatric, or basic neuroscience laboratory setting. This substitution must be approved by the program director.