How to Plan for the Neuroscience Major

*Students who entered OWU in Fall 2021 or after will complete the new major requirements. Students who entered OWU prior to Fall 2021 may select either the new version of the major OR the older version with tracks in Behavioral/Cognitive and Molecular/Cellular Neuroscience. Checklists for both majors are Provided below.*

New Version of the Neuroscience Major (beginning Fall 2021)

In the new version of the major there are 6 Foundational Courses, 1 Statistics course, and 5 Neuroscience Core Courses that all Neuroscience Majors must take. The remaining 2 courses are electives in neuroscience and related fields selected based on the student's interests.

You can download this checklist to help you plan your path through the new version of the major.

Sample 4-Year Plans for the Major with Tracks (available to students who entered OWU prior to Fall 2021)

There are 9 Core Courses that all Neuroscience Majors must take. The remaining 6 courses are based on which "Track" a student decides in order to pursue electives that best match each student's interests.

Behavioral/Cognitive Track Sample 4-year plan.

Molecular/Cellular Track Sample 4-year plan.

Pre-Med majors: Sample 4-year plan (with either Beh/Cog or Mol/Cell Track).

You can download a PDF checklist of the requirements for the major for either track.

The Molecular/Cellular Neuroscience track aligns closely with students interested in studying the brain from a “bottom-up” approach that investigates how brain cells function, including cellular physiology, genetic regulation, and the interactions of biochemical molecules (e.g. protein, DNA, RNA) in these cells and between cells, and how these interactions give rise to complex behaviors.

The Behavioral/Cognitive Neuroscience track aligns closely with students interested in studying the brain from a “top-down” approach that investigates complex behaviors and functions, especially as related to human behavior, and determine the cellular and molecular underpining of these behaviors. 

Scheduling Notes

NEUR 250 – Introduction to Neuroscience (with lab).
Gateway course to all upper-level Neuroscience courses.
Students should plan to take this ideally the Fall semester of their sophomore year, or the Spring semester of their first-year.
Pre-reqs prior to Fall 2021: 2 of the following 3 - BIOL 120, CHEM 110, and PSYC 110.
It is recommended all 3 are completed before taking NEUR 250, or that the 3rd pre-req is taken con-currently with NEUR 250.

Pre-reqs after Fall 2021: BIOL 120 & BIOL 122.

BIOL 120, CHEM 110, PSYC 110 are all suggested to be completed by the end of the first year.

BIOL 120 and PSYC 110 are offered in both Fall and Spring semesters.

CHEM 110 is only offered in the Fall. Students are encouraged to take CHEM 110 in their first-year, but students can take it in their second year and still complete the major within 4 years.

NEUR 374 is only offered to seniors in the Spring semester.

BIOL 359 is required for the Molecular/Cellular track, but is only offered in alternating Fall semesters. Please plan your schedules accordingly. Pre-reqs: BIOL 271 or BIOL 351.

Behavioral/Cognitive Track majors are strongly encouraged to take both Behavioral Neuroscience with lab (PSYC 343 & 343L) and Cognitive Neuroscience with lab (PSYC 342 & 342L).

Behavioral/Cognitive Track majors are encouraged to take NEUR 362 (Molecular & Cellular Neuroscience) to satisfy the "Molecular & Cellular Neuroscience" requirement. BIOL 359 requires BIOL 271 or BIOL 351 as a pre-requisite, which are not required in the Behavioral/Cognitive track.

Molecular/Cellular Track majors are encouraged to take either Behavioral Neuroscience with lab (PSYC 343 & 343L) or Cognitive Neuroscience with lab (PSYC 342 & 342L) to satisfy the "Behavioral & Cognitive Neuroscience" requirement, as these courses provide valuable laboratory experiences.

NEUR 323 (Computational Neuroscience) is no longer offered. Students completing a version of the major with this requirement should take CS 110, PHYS 115 or 116 instead, or consult with faculty in the Neuroscience Program to find a suitable substitution. 

Students are highly encouraged to take PSYC 210 (Quantitative Methods) or MATH 200.3 (Biostatistics) to satisfy the Statistics requirement for the major.

Neuroscience majors are encouraged to take Calculus I and II (MATH 110 and 111), though it is not required for the major.

Student Research Projects

Neuroscience students at OWU are highly encouraged to delve into a neuroscience research project that allows exploration of their own interests. See examples of neuroscience research led by OWU students. OWU offers a number of opportunities for undergraduates to gain research experience, including planning and designing independent projects, such as the following:

• NEUR 490: Laboratory-based research during the academic year
• NEUR 491: Literature-based research during the academic year
• Summer Science Research Program: Full-time research on campus
• Theory-to-Practice Grants: Laboratory- and/or Travel-based research projects of student's design
• Small Grant Program: Travel grants to collect data or present at conferences
• BRAIN Award: Laboratory-based research project, awarded solely to Neuroscience majors
• NBAC Award: Travel grant to present at conferences, awarded solely to Neuroscience majors

Recommended Courses for Medical School or P.A. Programs

For students interested in obtaining a medical degree (M.D. or D.O.) or becoming a physician assistant (P.A.), the Neuroscience major satisfies many of the required courses in biology, chemistry, and behavioral sciences. However, some or all of the following additional courses are recommended for admittance into these programs. Each school has their own requirements, so check each school or program you are interested in to determine which additional courses you will need.

• CHEM 261 – Organic Chem II (with lab) [pre-requisite course for CHEM 340]
• CHEM 340 - Biochemistry I (with lab) [an elective in the Mol/Cell track]
• ZOOL 329 - Human Anatomy (with lab) [required in the Beh/Cog track]
• BIOL 271 or BOMI 359 - Genetics and/or Genomics [required in the Mol/Cell track]
• Infectious Diseases and/or Immunology - BOMI 280, BOMI 357, ZOOL 356 [electives in the Mol/Cell track]
• PHYS 110 or 115 - Principles of Physics I (with lab)
• PHYS 111 or 116 - Principles of Physics II (with lab) 
• Foreign language (typically Spanish) [OWU requirement for graduation]
• Clinical or Hospital experience
• Research experience

Recommended Courses for Neuroscience Ph.D. or M.S. Programs

For students interested in obtaining a research graduate degree (Ph.D. or M.S.), some or all of the following additional courses are recommended. Each school and program has their own requirements, so check with each you are interested in to determine which additional courses you will need.

• CHEM 261 – Organic Chem II (with lab) [pre-requisite course for CHEM 340]
• CHEM 340 - Biochemistry I (with lab) [an elective in the Mol/Cell track]
• MATH 110 - Calculus I
• MATH 111 - Calculus II
• PHYS 110 or 115 - Principles of Physics I (with lab)
• PHYS 111 or 116 - Principles of Physics II (with lab) 
• Significant Research experience(s)