Pre-requisite Requirements for Admission

To apply for the BA in Neuroscience, students are required to have completed or be enrolled in at least one of the below 3000-level BIOL/PSYC core NESC courses and receive a “C” or above. Prospective majors must have attained a 2.500 cumulative GPA at UVA and be in good academic standing.

BIOL 3000 - Cell Biology Credits: 3

BIOL 3010 - Genetics and Molecular Biology Credits: 3

BIOL 3050 - Introduction to Neurobiology Credits: 3

PSYC 3160 - Cognitive Neuroscience Credits: 3

PSYC 3200 - Fundamentals of Neuroscience Credits: 3

Required Courses in Other Sciences

Students are recommended (but not required) to take these courses before applying for NESC major as many are prerequisites of Core courses and Electives

1. A series of Introductory of Chemistry and lab, CHEM 1410-1411-1420-1421 (Introductory College Chemistry and Laboratory), or CHEM 1610-1611-1620-1621 (Introductory Chemistry for Engineers and Laboratory), or CHEM 1810-1811-1820-1821 (Principles of Chemical Structure, Principles of Organic Chemistry, and Laboratory)
2. MATH 1210 A Survey of Calculus I or MATH 1310 Calculus I (MATH 1310 is strongly recommended).
3. STAT 1601 Intro to Data Science with R, or STAT 1602 Intro to Data Science with Python, or STAT 2020 Statistics for Biologists, or PSYC 2005 Research Methods and Data Analysis I. (STAT 1601 and 1602 are strongly recommended)
4. Physics - two semesters of physics and lab. General physics I and II (PHYS 1425&1429 and 2425&2429), or pre-health (PHYS 2010, 2020, 2030, and 2040).
5. BIOL 2100 - Introduction to Biology with Laboratory: Cell Biology & Genetics

Note: None of the courses in this section count toward the 27 major credits. Up to two CHEM requirement courses can be substituted with other 1000 or 2000 level courses offered in Engineering or Computer Science departments, demonstrating student’s strength in basic sciences that are relevant to neuroscience. However, substitute courses should be discussed with the director of Undergraduate Neuroscience Major for approval.

Core Courses

1. BIOL 3000 Cell Biology  
2. BIOL 3010 Genetics & Molecular Biology
3. BIOL 3050 Introduction to Neurobiology or PSYC 3200 Fundamentals of Neuroscience
4. PSYC 3160 Cognitive Neuroscience
5. Lab requirement can be fulfilled by (a) taking PSYC 3210 RM: Psychobiology Laboratory OR (b) 2 semesters of NESC 3960: Research in Neuroscience in the same lab. Note that all students are encouraged to take the lab course even with independent research.

Electives

Electives are organized into three groups. Students are required to take 12 credit hours, with at least one course from each group.

Group 1: Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience

BIOL 4011: Homeostasis: The Wisdom of the Body– Credits: 3

BIOL 4015: Neural development Laboratory: Stem cells to neuronal circuitry - Credits: 3

BIOL 4190: Biological Clocks – Credits: 3

BIOL 4280: The Genetic Basis of Behavior – Credits: 3

BIOL 4310: Sensory Neurobiology – Credits: 3

BIOL 4330: Wiring the Brain – Credits: 3

BIOL 4559: Neurodegenerative Diseases (requesting permanent #) - Credits: 3

BIOL 4660: How Do They Do It? Method and Logic in Biomedical Science– Credits: 3

NESC 4245: Neuroscience through the Nobels– Credits: 3

NESC 4265: Developmental Neurobiology– Credits: 3

PSYC 3235: Introduction to Epigenetics - Credits: 3

PSYC 3260: Hidden Figures: Brain Science Through Diversity – Credits: 3

PSYC 4255: Behavioral Epigenetics - Credits: 3

PSYC 4260: RM: Genetic and Epigenetic Research in Behavior - Credits: 3

PSYC 5265: Functional Neuroanatomy - Credits: 3

PSYC 5280: Neuropsychopharmacology - Credits: 3

Group 2: Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience

BIOL 3250: Intro to Animal Behavior– Credits: 3

PSYC 3240: Animal Minds– Credits: 3

PSYC 3420: The Nature Nurture Debate – Credits: 3

PSYC 4155: Autism: From Neurons to Neighborhoods– Credits: 3

PSYC 4200: Neural Mechanisms of Behavior – Credits: 3

PSYC 4215: Comp Methods in Psyc and Neuroscience– Credits: 3

PSYC 4250: Brain Systems Involved in Memory– Credits: 3

PSYC 4280 Neural Basis of Empathy– Credits: 3

PSYC 4290: Memory Distortions– Credits: 3

PSYC 4420: RM: Brain Mapping with MRI– Credits: 3

PSYC 4559: Exploring the Human Brain – Credits: 3 (requesting perm #)

PSYC 4607: Uniquely Human Social Cognition– Credits: 3

PSYC 5270: Computational Neuroscience – Credits: 3

PSYC 5312 Neurodevelopmental Conditions– Credits: 3

PSYC 5332: Quantified Cognition– Credits: 3

PSYC 5500: RM in Electroencephalography (requesting permanent #) - Credits: 3

Group 3: Related Science and Quantitative Courses

BIOL 3030: Biochemistry- Credits: 3

BIOL 3040 Develop and Regen Biology: - Credits: 3

BIOL 4005: Functional Genomics Laboratory- Credits: 3

BIOL 4040: Laboratory in Cell Biology- Credits: 3

BIOL 4013: Stem Cells in Development and Disease- Credits: 3

BIOL 4070: Developmental Biology Laboratory- Credits: 3

BIOL 4250: Human Genetics- Credits: 3

BIOL 4260: Cellular Mechanisms- Credits: 3

BIOL 4320: Signal Transduction: How Cells Talk to Each Other- Credits: 3

CHEM 4410: Biological Chemistry I- Credits: 3

CHEM 4411: Biological Chemistry Laboratory I- Credits: 3

CHEM 4420: Biological Chemistry II- Credits: 3

CHEM 4421: Biological Chemistry Laboratory II- Credits: 3

CHEM 4440: Biochemistry for Pre-Health- Credits: 3

BME 3636: Neural Network Models of Cognition and Brain Computation- Credits: 3

PSYC 5500: Introduction to Network Analysis (requesting permanent #) - Credits: 3

PSYC 5705 Introduction to Bayesian Methods- Credits: 3

PSYC 5710 Machine Learning and Data Mining- Credits: 3

Note: Additional 3000 and 4000 level STEM courses can be used for group 3 with the approval of Director of Undergraduate Neuroscience Major. 

Research

 All neuroscience majors are encouraged to perform independent research and apply for the Distinguished Major Program (DMP) during their sixth semester. Detailed requirements below.

Pre-requisites/requirements for admission to the DMP

• Satisfaction of all college requirements as stated in this record with a cumulative GPA of at least 3.4 in the student’s college and university courses;
• A GPA of at least 3.4 in all courses taken as part of the Neuroscience Major;
• A brief (1-2 page) proposal of the project, outlining the research question to be pursued, methods to be used, and expected outcomes that would support the hypothesis. A timetable to complete the project and a written endorsement of the work by the faculty member who will sponsor the distinguished major project should also be included.

Paperwork needs to be completed and approved before the end of classes in the sixth semester.

Steps for applying to the DMP

To gain admission to the DMP, the student submits his/her cumulative and Neuroscience GPA (with transcripts) and a proposal to the Director of the DMP. The names of the primary (i.e., mentor) and secondary faculty readers and the declared graduation date must also be included. Once admitted, the student registers for three credits of NESC 4970 in the first semester of the fourth year. In this course, students conduct research under the supervision of a UVA faculty member who directs research in neuroscience. In the second semester, the student registers for NESC 4980 to complete any unfinished research and write a thesis. The research project is intended to foster independent thought and develop the student’s critical ability to formulate and conduct scientific research. The date of the student’s final submission of the DMP thesis to the committee is two weeks before the last day of classes for that semester. The two-member faculty committee (mentor and second reader) reports its evaluation of the thesis to the DMP Director by the first day of the exam period. The executive committee of the major then considers the thesis evaluation, along with the student’s academic record, to submit a final level of distinction (Distinction, High Distinction, and Highest Distinction) to the College Registrar. Students also receive a grade for NESC 4970 and NESC 4980.